Santa Maria Del Research Articles

Leonardo da Vinci\u2019s \u201cLast Supper\u201d: a case study to evaluate the influence of visitors on the Museum preservation systems

The most important parameter to obtain an appropriate preservation condition of museum environments concerns the indoor air quality. The exposure of artwork and materials to gaseous and particulate pollutants introduced by visitors and either indoor or outdoor sources contributes to their decay. In this work, we evaluated the possible monitoring of the visitors’ influence using the stable carbon isotopic ratio of CO2 and the concentration of NH3 as a real-time tool. The study was done in the Refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy) which houses one of the most important paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, the Last Supper, and had more than 400,000 visitors in 2019. The results confirmed a good correlation between the presence of tourists inside the museum and the variation of δ13C value during the visits and the closure of the museum. The variation of indoor atmospheric δ13C was influenced by the presence of visitors in the Refectory and delineates the way done from the entrance to the exit. In the same way, the concentration of NH3 was influenced by the presence of visitors and confirmed the role of this one on preservation methodology for indoor air quality in the museum. This new methodology can be used as a supplemental and non-invasive tool to help in calibrating microclimatic conditions through the ventilation rate and air filtration systems in the museum and to manage the number of visitors per turn.

Hyperspectral sensor: A handy tool to evaluate the efficacy of cleaning procedures

• ASD-FieldSpec® 3 operates VNIR and SWIR reflectance spectral range. • VNIR and SWIR provide ready-to-use information on the degree of sulphation of carbonate stone. • SWIR data allowed information on efficacy of three different cleaning techniques. • The method supports monitoring of stone alteration during restoration. In urban environments, degradation processes affecting both natural and artificial carbonate materials commonly result in the formation of sulphate-based deposits (i.e., black crusts). Hyperspectral techniques may provide ready-to-use information on the degree of sulphation of carbonate stone, hence helping to monitor the conservation state of carbonate stone monuments. In this study, the Short-Wave InfraRed (SWIR) hyperspectral technique was tested on the world-famous marble-made Loggia di Baccio d’Agnolo in Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral of Florence (Italy), affected by extensive “black crust” formation. A SWIR method based on a portable spectroradiometer (ASD Fieldspec® 3) was applied to verify the efficacy of different cleaning methods (i.e., laser, chemical and microbial). The interpretation of the SWIR spectra was based on a full-profile approach, in which the calcite and gypsum contributions were evaluated by weighing the best fit simulated contributions of reference compounds. The technique was able to provide in real time semi-quantitative determinations of the amount of gypsum developed on the stone surface, demonstrating to be a fast and handy routine tool during restoration of artworks.

3-D Digital Modeling and Giuliano da Sangallo's Designs for Santa Maria delle Carceri in Prato

In 3-D Digital Modeling and Giuliano da Sangallo’s Designs for Santa Maria delle Carceri in Prato, Sabine Frommel, Marco Gaiani, and Simone Garagnani examine one of the most representative central-plan churches of Renaissance Italy. Their study is based on the examination of an original drawing by the architect of Santa Maria delle Carceri, Giuliano da Sangallo, as well as several recent technical surveys of the existing building. Introducing a specific methodology based on documents, reference studies, and digital three-dimensional models, the authors reconstruct Sangallo’s design methods by comparing the volume and proportions of the church as documented in the drawing against the building as it stands today. By making use of a digital reconstruction of the building generated through a series of 3-D models, they are able to shed light on Sangallo’s original design concepts as they were applied to the church prior to subsequent alterations.

A Seat at the Table

A Seat at the Table

Climatic and anthropogenic influences on vegetation changes during the last 5000 years in a seasonal dry tropical forest at the northern limits of the Neotropics

Seasonal dry tropical forest (STDF) is a widespread vegetation type in western Mexico. Generally, this type of forest develops in semihumid habitats where lacustrine basins are scarce, preventing documentation of the vegetation history and forest dynamics using a paleoecological approach. Here, we present a palynological record from the Santa Maria del Oro crater lake, located within the distribution area of the STDF and the adjacent dry oak forest which gives insight into the changes in diversity and human impact at this tropical site. Pollen data, in combination with geochemical analysis and microcharcoal data from a lacustrine sequence, are used to discuss vegetation change and diversity in the plant assemblages related to drought or anthropogenic activity over the last 5000 years. Our results show three distinct periods of drought in the basin, from 4200 to 3850, 3100 to 2300, 1570 to 1100 and 300 cal year BP, with changes in vegetation composition mainly related to a decrease in taxa diversity during these periods. Based on the presence of maize pollen, two periods of human activity (3790–2160 and 280 cal year BP to present) were detected with an increase in herbaceous pollen used as a surrogate for deforestation. These two disturbance periods, pre-Columbian and postcolonial, occurred during wet conditions in the basin. Our results highlight the correlation between El Niño events, drought and fire with changes in the composition and diversity of STDF.

Geochemical and Mineralogical Characterization of Construction Materials from Historical Buildings of Ferrara (Italy)

This paper presents a chemical-mineralogical characterization of construction materials from medieval Renaissance buildings of Ferrara (NE Italy) to provide an insight into the nature and provenance of the raw materials used. Biagio Rossetti was an Italian architect and urbanist from the city of Ferrara. From 1483, he was the architect of the Duke of Ferrara Ercole I d’Este who in 1492 assigned him the project of enlarging the city of Ferrara. Biagio Rossetti is still famous because he designed and built many notable palaces and churches in Ferrara, e.g., the Palazzo Roverella, the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the renovation of the church of San Andrea. To date, only the first two historic buildings are still in use and consequently restored, while the church of San Andrea has been abandoned over the years and the remains have been subject to decay. Different kinds of samples (bricks, cotto, plaster and mortars) were collected from the three sampling sites and analyzed in X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffractometer to investigate the construction materials through the evaluation of their chemical composition, historic building activity and degradation degree. These investigations should provide knowledge useful for restoration and conservation processes.

Digital craftsmanship for education and diffusion of scientific culture: the model of herringbone masonry in a circular dome

In this paper the experience is reported of the use of 3D printing for the dissemination of a cultural content. When Filippo Brunelleschi vaulted the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence without using any scaffolding, demonstrated the ability to control the constructive process in its structural essence. The comprehension of the static principles that stand at the base of the equilibrium of a circular dome are necessary to understand the work of the architect and the reason of the herringbone brickwork adopted. These principles can be easily explained, also to people who do not have any technical education, by means of a three dimensional model. A wood model realized by hand in the ’80 was reproduced in a smaller scale with 3D printing. The geometry of the model was easily reproduced with a parametric modelling software and was then elaborated to produce the geometric models for sintering polyamide voussoirs. A comparison is attempted between the cost of the two physical models in term of work time and print time, and a balance is made to highlight the value added to the production of such didactical models by the 3D printing process.

An interdisciplinary study of biodeterioration of the external marbles of Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, Florence (IT)

Stone-built cultural heritage exposed to urban environment represents a habitat where heterogeneous microbial communities can grow causing structural and aesthetical modifications and significant biodeterioration phenomena, the most common being colored patinas and crusts. An in-depth investigation of microbial community composition and its metabolic potential is essential to take the appropriate measures to control its growth. Conventional biocides remain the most used practical solution to control microbial growth, nevertheless, they may be dangerous for human health and the environment. The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (SMFC) is a major architectural masterpiece in Florence (IT), and its conservation is a main issue of worldwide concern. The whole edifice is externally covered with polychrome stone panels consisting of white marbles, serpentinites and red limestones. Here we report a multidisciplinary investigation on the state of conservation of SMFC white marbles which show, in some extended areas, patinas and discoloration due to microbiological growth. This work provides new details on the deterioration of SMFC marble and, for the first time, on the microbial community involved. This preliminary knowledge will be used for planning field tests with innovative low environmental impact biocides, such as essential oils, to contrast biodeterioration.

Lung ultrasound as diagnostic tool for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The aim of this study was to explore the role of lung ultrasound (LUS) in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to verify its utility in the prediction of lung disease’s severity and outcome. Fifty-three consecutive patients presenting to the Emergency Department of Santa Maria delle Grazie Hospital with high suspicion of SARS-CoV-2 infection underwent diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2 on samples obtained from nasopharyngeal swab as well as complete proper diagnostic work-up that included clinical evaluation, laboratory tests, blood gas analyses, chest CT and LUS. A semiquantitative analysis of B-lines distribution was performed to calculate the LUS score. Patients were divided into two groups according to the results of both SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic test and other exams (Group A = pneumonia due to SARS-CoV2 infection vs Group B = no SARS-CoV2 infection and another definite diagnosis). LUS showed an excellent accuracy in predicting the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection (area under the ROC curve of 0.92 with a sensibility of 73% and a specificity of 89% a the cut-off of 12.5). LUS score was more impaired in SARS-CoV-2 patients (18.1 ± 6.0 vs 7.6 ± 5.9, p < 0.00001) and it is significantly negatively correlated with PF ratio values (r = − 0.719, p < 0.0001). An intrahospital mortality rate of 46% was found; patients with adverse outcome had significant higher value of LUS, PF, LDH, and APACHE II score. None of these parameters was predictive of mortality. LUS is a useful tool for the early detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection and for the evaluation of the disease severity, but does not predict mortality. Further studies with repeated evaluations of LUS score are needed to further explore the role of LUS in the assessment of severity in SARS-CoV-2 disease and in the monitoring of the response to treatments.

Reliving history: the digital reconstruction of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan

&lt;p class="VARAbstract"&gt;Can we preserve cultural heritage and, consequently, the memory of the past? To answer this question, one should look at the digital revolution that the world has gone through in recent decades and analyse the complex and the dialectical relationship between cultural heritage and new technologies. Thanks to these, increasingly accurate reconstructions of archaeological sites and historical monuments are possible. The resulting digital replicas are fundamental to experience and understand cultural heritage in innovative ways: they have complex and dynamic relationships with the original objects. This research paper highlights the importance and the scientific validity of digital replicas aimed at understanding, enhancing and protecting cultural heritage. The study focuses on the virtual reconstruction of the constructive phases, from the mid-15&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; century to date, of one of the most emblematic Gothic-Renaissance buildings in the city of Milan (Italy): the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, famous worldwide for hosting Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper painting. This site proved to be an ideal case study because of its troubled and little-known history that led to numerous changes over the centuries. Thanks to a methodological approach based on the analysis of the documentary sources and three-dimensional (3D) modelling, it was possible to outline the chronological succession of the convent transformations; the way in which these overlapped the pre-existing structures was described starting from the Renaissance harmonious and organic interventions, to finally reach 18&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt;-19&lt;sup&gt;th &lt;/sup&gt;centuries inhomogeneous and incompatible additions. Finally, the research was completed by mapping the 3D models based on the sources used and their different levels of accuracy. The 3D models have thus become a valid tool for checking and verifying the reconstruction hypotheses.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="VARAbstract"&gt;Highlights:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The study focused on the virtual reconstruction of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, one of the most emblematicGothic-Renaissance buildings in the city of Milan.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;By combining data from documentary sources, architectural treatises, period photos and digital survey, the mainbuilding phases of the convent, from the 15th century to date, were digitally reconstructed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;p&gt;The 3D models are enriched with information about the accuracy of the digital reconstruction, creating 3D databasesthat can be easily consulted and updated.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;

Reflecting on a Legacy: Leonardo’s Last Supper Revisited

Hidden in a grand building across the street from Santa Maria delle Grazie—the church housing Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic fresco Last Supper (1498)—the Fondazione Stelline is regarded as one of the ...

Un artesonado poliédrico manierista en Castroverde de Campos (Zamora, España)

Este artículo analiza un caso excepcional en la carpintería de armar en España. Se trata del artesonado de cinco paños de la iglesia de Santa María del Río, en Castroverde de Campos (Zamora). Construido en el s. XVI, con una trama de artesones poligonales en su intradós, combina el diseño renacentista con la tradición técnica hispano-musulmana de estructuras de madera, y presenta aportaciones novedosas como la inusual disposición de escuadrías, la duplicidad de estructuras y las poco ortodoxas uniones carpinteras utilizadas. Además, la introducción de artesones convexos junto a los convencionales artesones cóncavos le confiere un marcado aspecto manierista y resuelve ingeniosamente el encuentro entre paños. La muy posible coincidencia de diseñador y constructor en la misma persona explicaría un proceso de construcción con módulos prefabricados, con el consiguiente ahorro de costes y riesgos laborales.

Saint Margaret of Cortona (1247–1297) and the Laudario of the Confraternity of Santa Maria delle Laude in Cortona

For his compilation of the Life or Legend of Saint Margaret of Cortona (1247–1297), the Franciscan friar Giunta Bevegnati (thir­teenth century) was guided by texts found in a collection of laude belonging to the Confraternity of Santa Maria delle laude in Cortona and the iconography associated with it. The hymns the confrater­nity sang are to be found in the Laudario di Cortona. This article shows that not only is there a strong link between the hagiography of St Margaret and the confraternity’s laude, but also that the hagi­ographical text is closely linked with the iconography supported by the confraternity with whom the saint was in contact. In the first part we will compare the text composed by Giunta Bevegnati with the laude sung by the Compagnia di S. Maria delle laude to show how the laude influenced the saint’s Legenda; in the second part, we will compare the texts of the Legenda with the contemporary iconogra­phy of St Margaret.

Nature-Based Solution for Reducing CO2 Levels in Museum Environments: A Phytoremediation Study for the Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper”

This work investigates the possibility of implementing a nature-based solution (NBS) based on the photosynthetic process of Laurus nobilis L. (common laurel), for reducing peak CO2 concentrations in an air-tight museum environment, namely the Refectory of the Santa Maria delle Grazie Church (Milan, Italy), home of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “Last Supper”. The phytoremediation potential of laurel plants was evaluated at CO2 ≅ 1000 ppm under controlled environmental conditions. Furthermore, light-saturated net assimilation (Pnmax) was measured at two CO2 concentrations (380 and 1000 ppm) during the growing season. Steady-state gas exchanges were not affected by elevated CO2 in the short-term, while Pnmax was significantly increased, also showing higher values in spring and autumn, and a reduction during summer. Our estimated CO2 removal rates indicate that, in order to control visitors’ respiratory CO2 emissions in view of an increase in visitor numbers in the Refectory, a possible NBS in the form of an external greenhouse, connected to the HVAC system of the museum, should allocate from 58 to 112 young laurel plants, depending on their seasonal phytoremediation capacity. These results, although preliminary, allow to hypothesize the possibility of controlling CO2 indoors through a combination of traditional air-cleaning systems and a properly designed NBS, thus increasing the sustainability of air-tight museum environments.

Negotiating National Character: The Habsburgs' Roman Catholic Priest College Santa Maria dell'Anima and the German National Church in Rome, 1859–1915

For centuries, what is today the Pontifical Institute Santa Maria dell'Anima, founded in Rome during the Holy Roman Empire (of the German nation), was known as the German National Institute or National Church. The article questions the attribute ‘German’ and investigates alternative identities, especially in the context of the Habsburg Empire. Both beneficiaries and benefactors were of various European nationalities, the priests who lived in the college as well as external members of the German and Austrian colony who met there regularly. The example of the Anima demonstrates how many ‘national’ institutes in the nineteenth century were not as homogeneous as they liked to present themselves; an institution's character was determined, not so much by historiography and political debate, but rather by the origins and convictions of the people who participated in it.

Negotiating National Character: The Habsburgs' Roman Catholic Priest College Santa Maria dell'Anima and the German National Church in Rome, 1859–1915

Negotiating National Character: The Habsburgs' Roman Catholic Priest College Santa Maria dell'Anima and the German National Church in Rome, 1859–1915

SELECCIÓN DE LÍNEAS Y CRUZAS DE MAÍZ COMBINANDO LAS PRUEBAS DE MESTIZOS Y CRUZAS DIALÉLICAS

Obtaining competitive commercial maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids requires efficient selection strategies to improve populations and develop elite parents. The objective of this research was to select lines and crosses with high general (GCA) and specific (SCA) combining ability for grain yield (GR) and agronomic characteristics, by combining top crosses (line × tester) and diallel crosses. In the Autumn-Winter 2010-2011 agricultural season, 144 top crosses were formed with S3 inbred lines from the ST C2 F2 subtropical population, and as a tester, the subtropical population PABGT-CE C9 F2. Top crosses were evaluated under rainfed conditions in the 2012 Spring-Summer (SS) agricultural season at Tlajomulco and Tepatitlan, Jalisco, Pena del Panal, Michoacan, and Santa Maria del Oro, Nayarit, covering a range from 1100 to 1900 m of altitude. In this test, nine top crosses were selected by GCA across locations for GY and lodging tolerance. With the remaining seed of lines of the selected top crosses diallel crosses were formed in SS 2015. Crosses were evaluated in SS 2016 in the previous locations and Iguala, Guerrero. Lines ST C2 F2-21-2-1 and ST C2 F2-29-2-1 stood out in both tests by virtue of their high GCA for GY, but the last one was eliminated because in diallel crosses its GCA and SCA for lodging were positive and significant (P ≤ 0.05). The SCA of the cross ST C2 F2-33-1-1 × ST C2 F2-49-2-1 for GY was significant (P ≤ 0.05), yet in lodging it was negative but not significant. Associating top cross and diallel cross tests allowed to select in a more rigorous way lines with high GCA and SCA for GY and agronomic characteristics; in addition, it allowed to eliminate lines before forming the synthetic and obtaining single crosses that could be used to develop hybrids with elite progenitors of the other heterotic component.

SELECCIÓN DE LÍNEAS Y CRUZAS DE MAÍZ COMBINANDO LAS PRUEBAS DE MESTIZOS Y CRUZAS DIALÉLICAS

Obtener híbridos comerciales competitivos de maíz (Zea mays L.) requiere de estrategias de selección eficientes para mejorar poblaciones y formar progenitores élite. El objetivo de esta investigación fue seleccionar líneas y cruzas de alta aptitud combinatoria general (ACG) y específica (ACE) para rendimiento de grano (RG) y características agronómicas, al combinar las pruebas de mestizos (línea × probador) y cruzas dialélicas. En el ciclo agrícola otoño-invierno 2010-2011 se formaron 144 mestizos con líneas S3 de la población subtropical ST C2 F2, y como probador la población subtropical PABGT-CE C9 F2. Los mestizos se evaluaron en secano en el ciclo agrícola primavera-verano (PV) 2012 en Tlajomulco y Tepatitlán, Jalisco, Peña del Panal, Michoacán, y Santa María del Oro, Nayarit, que cubren un intervalo de 1100 a 1900 m de altitud. En esta prueba se seleccionaron, a través de localidades, nueve mestizos por ACG para RG y tolerancia al acame. Con la semilla remanente de las líneas de mestizos seleccionados, en PV 2015 se formaron cruzas dialélicas. Las cruzas se evaluaron en PV 2016 en las localidades anteriores e Iguala, Guerrero. Las líneas ST C2 F2-21-2-1 y ST C2 F2-29-2-1 sobresalieron en ambas pruebas por su alta ACG para RG, pero la última se eliminó porque en cruzas dialélicas la ACG y ACE para acame fueron positivas y significativas (P ≤ 0.05). La ACE de la cruza ST C2 F2-33-1-1 × ST C2 F2-49-2-1 para RG fue significativa (P ≤ 0.05), y en acame negativa, pero no significativa. El asociar las pruebas de mestizos y cruzas dialélicas permitió seleccionar de una forma más rigurosa líneas con alta ACG y ACE para RG y características agronómicas, además de eliminar líneas antes de formar el sintético y obtener cruzas simples que podrían usarse para formar híbridoscon progenitores élite del otro componente heterótico.

3D limit analysis of masonry pavilion domes on octagonal drum subjected to vertical loads

Within the framework of limit design applied to masonry structures, this paper aims at analyzing the different behavior of a pavilion dome according to the adopted construction and reinforcement technologies. By using the static theorem applied to the dome discretized in rigid macro-blocks of variable shape aligned along parallels and meridians, a mathematical model have been constructed in order to search for the load collapse multiplier, and thus to evaluate the degree of structural safety. Then, the associated failure mechanism is represented at the instant in which the collapse is reached. The program that implement the modeling is sufficiently versatile and, in addition to the mechanical characteristics, allows to define the intrados profile, the thickness variability, as well as to insert any window opening in the drum, the lantern at the top and the hoops at each level. The results shown here concern some numerical applications carried out on a theoretical dome, as well as those related to a first approach to the analysis of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence by Brunelleschi.

Structural analysis of masonry vaulted staircases through rigid block limit analysis

This paper investigates the structural behaviour of masonry vaulted staircases and the efficacy of different modelling strategies for the assessment of their structural safety. In particular, the present study focuses on the structural analysis of the masonry vaulted stairs of the medieval Santa Maria delle Vigne bell tower in Genoa (Italy), dating back from XVI to XVII Century. Both a limit analysis tool and a static incremental analysis using a finite element model are adopted. The limit analysis problem is formulated for a rigid block model using an iterative solution procedure to take into account crushing failure. Results indicate that crushing failure is crucial in capturing the response of this structural typology.