Physicochemical and analytical studies of the mural paintings at Kariye Museum of Istanbul (original) (raw)
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Microanalytical investigation of degradation issues in Byzantine wall paintings
Applied Physics A-materials Science & Processing, 2008
The St. Euthymius wall paintings, in the Cathedral of Thessaloniki, dated 1303 AD., are stylistically attributed to the School of Panselinos, one of the most important painters of Palaeologean Art. An in situ non-invasive study has been carried out as part of a MOLAB project (a mobile laboratory accessible through the Eu-ARTECH project, funded by the EC 6th FP) combining different analytical techniques such as XRF, mid-FTIR and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. It was during this comprehensive in situ study that certain scientific queries were raised about sensitive areas, where indications of the phenomena of decay requested further attention. A subsequent laboratory study of selected cross-sections using microscopic analysis with μFTIR, SEM-EDS and μRaman, further confirmed the identification of only the atypical in situ observations. The comparative interpretation of all respective results on the specific regions of interest permitted the identification of several degradation phenomena which justify certain aesthetic or stylistic incoherences in the representations. Namely, (i) thermal dehydration of the yellow ochre explaining the reddish appearance of the flesh tones and halos as an accidental effect of the fire; (ii) thermal degradation of azurite converted to tenorite explaining the atypical instance of dark lightings on the purple garments; (iii) degradation of red lead employed in the lightings of the red garments; (iv) widespread presence of oxalates in the paint surface.
Spectroscopy Letters
Chemical composition of varnishes Vernis a Tableaux Vibert by Lefranc & Cie, Schutzfirnis für Oelgemalde Schmincke's Retuschier-Firnis by Schmincke & Co. Düsseldorf, Tempera-Firnis by Schmincke & Co. Düsseldorf, Bernstein-Gemaldefirniss für Ludwig'sche Petroleumfarben by Dr. Schoenfeld Düsseldorf, and Vernis Martin Pour Laquer by Lefranc & Cie Paris; oil medium Copal en pâte by Duroziez; essential oils Oleum Cupressi by Polak & Schwarz and Oleum Calami by Polak & Schwarz; fixative for charcoal, crayons, and pastels Nr 840/4 by Iskra & Karmański; and restoring medium for paintings Prof. Dr. Büttner's Phobus by Schmincke Düsseldorf were analyzed with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The analyses were conducted to obtain information about the exact composition of these products, which are stored at the National Museum in Krakow and were used by conservators. The results of research facilitate understanding of processes used in paintings and planning methods for their c...
2020
This article focuses on the identification of the building materials used at Athribis temple – Sohag and their most common degradation factors, and then assessing the most appropriate consolidants for the decayed wall paintings at the temple. The building materials were studied through XRD, SEM-EDX, FTIR spectroscopy and light optical microscope to identify chemical decompositions and physical failures. Soluble salts were detected in the building materials. White pigment is calcium carbonate, yellow pigment goethite, red pigment hematite, blue pigment Egyptian blue, green pigment Egyptian green, the paint medium is animal glue. Conservation treatments were achieved using Ethanol + PLM.I for injecting detached plasters, Sturgeon glue 1.5% as a filler for cracks, Syton x30 for pre-consolidation, EDTA poultices for cleaning, EDTA for salt extraction, Cidal 50 L50 as a biocide and Klucel G as a final consolidant.
Spectroscopy Letters, 2020
The study is composed of three phases to describe the paintings at normal and several aging times: modeling of new icons similar to an ancient one, aging of the icons by heat and ultraviolet irradiation, and characterization of the icons. The results showed a change in the chemical structure of the painting materials, the crystallinity of the wood and canvas materials, and the chromaticity coordinates with darkening in the heat treatment and fading in the UV irradiation treatment. There is a correlation between the exposure time, the chemical properties of the materials, and the optical properties of the paintings.
Microchemical Journal, 2016
Insula 104 is a residential area dating to the proto-Byzantine period (second century AD), inside the wide archaeological site of Hierapolis of Phrygia (Turkey). Today, the domus, which probably belonged to one of the aristocratic families of the city, has been damaged due to salt crystallization on the wall paintings of some of the rooms. In order to select the best type of conservation interventions, various diagnostic techniques were used to determine the nature and the origin of the soluble salts. In particular, the wall paintings from room A 1207 in the House of the Doric Courtyard and room A 1267 in the House of the Painted Inscription were investigated by non-invasive techniques, followed by sampling for laboratory analyses. Rising damp combined with the presence of salts is a critical issue for the aforementioned wall paintings. On site screening by portable techniques (IR thermography, Quantofix test strips) was performed to address the microsampling for the analyses. The data on both the chemical and mineralogical composition of the efflorescences revealed the presence of sulphates (mainly thenardite, aphthitalite and syngenite), sodium and potassium nitrates, and chlorides (halite and sylvite). The original and restoration mortars were also analysed to examine their impact on the conservation state of the wall paintings. The distribution of the salts and their typologies inside each room was correlated to the different uses of the rooms over the centuries and to previous restoration works.
Minerals
The research carried out on the wall paintings of Hernán Pérez del Pulgar’s Palace chapel in Granada (Spain) was aimed at determining its historical–artistic, stylistic, technical, and compositional aspects. For this, a 16th century frieze and an 18th century pendentive were studied. The mineralogical, chemical, and textural characterization of the constituent materials and the study of the state of conservation of the paintings have helped to determine the pictorial technique used, identify the nature of the salts present in the paintings, and other pathologies including a dormant fungal attack. To this end, optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy with microanalysis (FESEM-EDS), and micro-Raman spectroscopy (MRS) were used. The information obtained helps clarify important aspects of the painting technique used, laying a basis to ensure effective and suitable conservation and restoration measures on the paintings that will ensure...
The characterization of the pigments and plasters of the wall paints of some Ottoman Mosques have been performed using combined Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometry (both in reflection and transmission modes) techniques. The colored wall paints were obtained from Fatih Mosques of Istanbul-Turkey and Pristina-Kosovo, and Suleymaniye Mosque of Istanbul-Turkey, during the restoration periods of the mosques. The investigations show that the plaster used on the walls has mixed gypsum-lime binders. The pigments identified in wall paints are: cinnabar (HgS), lead red (Pb 3 O 4) and hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3) in red colors, ultramarine blue (Na 8-10 Al 6 Si 6 O 24 S 2-4) as blue and green earth as green colors. The results provide a basis for future restoration of the wall paints.
XRD-SEM-PHYSICOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF WALL PAINTINGS.pdf
2015
Contemporary artist Spyros Papaloukas in 1932 undertook a major artistic venture, the painting of the interior murals of the Amfissa Cathedral (Church of the Annunciation) a cross-domed church built in 1868 on the ruins of an early Christian basilica. In this 1000 sq monumental work, Papaloukas, even though he follows the strictly established rules of Byzantine ecclesiastical art, he dares to attempt a new approach to the aesthetic merits of Byzantine iconography by introducing elements of the post- Impressionists, the Fauves and the Nabis. Following our earlier work of spectroscopy of mural paintings in this Cathedral, here we present the analysis of ten mortar wall samples regarding granulometry and mineralogy, by XRD, SEM, as well as, a study of resistance-breaking and the level of mechanical strength was determined by comparing the diagrams of power – displacement, where the compressive strength of mortars ranged between 0.5-0.8MPa.
Advanced analytical investigation on degradation markers in wall paintings
Microchemical Journal, 2018
Understanding the original techniques in the creation of an artwork is a prerequisite for the selection of the most appropriate conservation method. This is particularly essential in wall paintings where control of potential agents of deterioration and efficient monitoring are limited due to the scale of the paintings and their exposure to uncontrollable environmental fluctuations. Analytical studies are increasingly focused on the investigation and study of degradation products of organic binders originally added in the paintings on a lime-based plaster ground. In the framework of IPERION-CH (Integrated Platform for the European Research Infrastructure ON Cultural Heritage) project, a collaborative task is dedicated to obtain knowledge about original organic materials used in wall paintings by evaluating and comparing different innovative methodologies and conventional diagnostic techniques used for the investigation of markers related to alteration mechanisms and degradation products. The non-invasive and microsampling methodology is first optimized on well-defined models that have been designed to simulate different painting techniques with limewater and five organic binders in different relative proportions. Future investigations will focus on the application of the optimized methodology on archaeological samples. In the present paper, preliminary results on a selected set of models, submitted in different stages of a well-established artificial ageing protocol, demonstrate the specific complementary input of each analytical technique included in the analytical approach (colour measurements, micro FTIR-ATR analyses in cross-sections, Evolved Gas Analysis-Mass Spectrometry and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry). The comparative evaluation and interpretation of the results is a step forward in the optimization of the approach and in relating the analytical findings detected on the analysed samples to the original compounds and the possible changes for each group of binders (proteins/gums) due to degradation or interaction depending on the pigment/metal ion present.
Background: Establishing the distribution of materials in paintings and that of their degradation products by imaging techniques is fundamental to understand the painting technique and can improve our knowledge on the conservation status of the painting. The combined use of chromatographic-mass spectrometric techniques, such as GC/MS or Py/GC/MS, and the chemical mapping of functional groups by imaging SR FTIR in transmission mode on thin sections and SR XRD line scans will be presented as a suitable approach to have a detailed characterisation of the materials in a paint sample, assuring their localisation in the sample build-up. This analytical approach has been used to study samples from Catalan paintings by Josep Maria Sert y Badía (20 th century), a muralist achieving international recognition whose canvases adorned international buildings.