The Vittoria Alata from Brescia: a combined neutron techniques and SEM-EDS approach to the study of the alloy of a bronze Roman statue

Abstract

The “Vittoria Alata” (Winged Victory) from Brescia, dated around the 1st Century BCE, is one of the most well-known Roman bronzes discovered in Italy. The statue has recently undergone a restoration coordinated by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure di Firenze (OPD) that offered a unique opportunity for a thorough investigation on its manufacturing methods and previous non-documented repair/restauration interventions. In this paper, we present the results of the study of the metal alloy, obtained by neutron techniques and Scanning Electron Microscope analysis (SEM-EDS), on 24 samples of mm-size from various parts of the statue and on a cm-size feather fragment, believed to have detached from the right wing. Time of Flight Neutron Diffraction (ToF-ND) and Neutron Imaging (NI) measurements were performed at the ISIS neutron and muon source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK; SEM-EDS analysis were carried out at the OPD Scientific Laboratory, Florence, IT. The representativeness of ToF-ND on millimetric samples was confirmed by comparing the results obtained on several large, irradiated areas (few cm2) of an entire bronze frame fragment from the same excavation context with the ones on a millimetric sample taken from the same frame. This investigation led to the characterization of the alloys used for the different parts of the statue and to identify meaningful details on the manufacturing method.