R. Mazzeo, M. Menu, M. L. Amadori, I. Bonacini, E. Itié, M. Eveno, E. Joseph, E. Lambert, E. Laval, S. Prati, E. Ravaud, G. Sciutto, Examination of the Uomini Illustri: looking for the origins of the portraits in the Studiolo of the Ducal Palace of Urbino. Part II (original) (raw)
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2021
By meansof combined use of non-destructive and non-invasive in situ analysis, diagnostic research has been carried outon pigments and underlayersused to fabricate anoil painting representing the “Morte di Santa Orsola”, corresponding to the second half of XVIII century, from the churchofSaints Leonardo andErasmo (Roccagorga Latina, Italy). The aim of the work has been the evaluation of the materials employed and the state of conservationof the artwork.The structural and morphological properties of the painting were defined in detail using different and complementary analysis such asUV-Vis-P, IR-R, ED-XRF, Raman,DRS andFT-IR.The results showed that the palette was composed mainly of ochre and earth pigments except forthe blue, red and white hatchings, constituted respectively asPrussian blue, cinnabar and white lead.At the time, the preparatoryunderlayer essentially had a gypsum, animal glue and white lead composition. Moreover, using infrared reflectography it was possible to discov...
Diversity in Archaeology - Proceedings of the Cambridge Annual Student Archaeology Conference 2020/2021, p.128-142, 2022
During Bruges’ Golden Age, the 15th and 16th century, the fine arts prevailed and the great Flemish Primitives made a name forthemselves. This paper focuses on the scientific physicochemical analysis of the painting “The mystic marriage of Saint Catherine”, dated around 1520, by the Flemish Andriaen Isenbrandt. The analysis was carried out with the combination of both in-situ non-invasivetechniques and laboratory micro-destructive techniques. Specifically, non-invasive examination included the elemental analysis technique Energy Dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) and technical photography (VIS, UV, IR, IRFC), whereas micro-destructive analysis was conducted by microscopic technique (light microscopy- OM). The paper proves that these techniques form a combined scientific method approach of archaeological and art analysis, based on a complete characterization of components and pigments identification. Thus are able to identify the materials that were used in the past to manufacture an artefact. The obtained results revealed that the painting was painted with typical Flemish painting techniques and materials of the 16th century and it was undergone at least four previous restorations. The traditional structure of the painting - stratigraphy - was revealed and the painter’s palette came to light (cinnabar, malachite, azurite, lead-tin yellow, ochre, lead white). This study became a first venture of scientific examination on an Isenbrandt’s painting. For the first time the color palette and the materials have been decrypted, a fact that can help us identify other anonymous paintings belonging to him in the future and enhance our knowledge of paintings during the 16th century. Due to the lack of archival material and the bibliography gaps, the application of the above analytical techniques and study’s conclusions, should be an excellent tool for the Art of History in order to answer the questions that couldn’t be answered before.
The 28 portraits of the Uomini Illustri (Famous Men) were ordered by Federico da Montefeltro to decorate his studiolo in Urbino c.1473–1476. Initially the Famous Men were painted on seven panels, with four portraits on each. They are now separated into two groups, 14 in the Musée du Louvre, Paris and 14 in the Ducal Palace of Urbino. No testimony on the context of the creation itself was left and art historians have claimed that the paintings were created by a Flemish painter, Justus of Ghent and finished by a Spanish painter, Pedro Berruguete. This hypothesis has now been reconsidered. A reconstruction of the Urbino studiolo decoration was given by Pasquale Rotondi in 1973, based particularly on iconographical considerations and on a partial material study. New analyses were performed at the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF) in 2008, enabling the various modifications that the portraits have undergone over the centuries to be brought to light. The results of the Italo-French collaboration presented in this paper allow hypotheses on the original decoration of the studiolo to be proposed.
The 28 portraits of the Uomini Illustri (Famous Men) were ordered by Federico da Montefeltro to decorate his studiolo in Urbino c.1473-1476. Initially the Famous Men were painted on seven panels, with four portraits on each. They are now separated into two groups, 14 in the Musée du Louvre, Paris and 14 in the Ducal Palace of Urbino. No testimony on the context of the creation itself was left and art historians have claimed that the paintings were created by a Flemish painter, Justus of Ghent and finished by a Spanish painter, Pedro Berruguete. This hypothesis has now been reconsidered. A reconstruction of the Urbino studiolo decoration was given by Pasquale Rotondi in 1973, based particularly on iconographical considerations and on a partial material study. New analyses were performed at the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF) in 2008, enabling the various modifications that the portraits have undergone over the centuries to be brought to light. The results of the Italo-French collaboration presented in this paper allow hypotheses on the original decoration of the studiolo to be proposed.
The 28 portraits of the Uomini Illustri (Famous Men) were ordered by Federico da Montefeltro to decorate his studiolo in Urbino c.1473-1476. Initially the Famous Men were painted on seven panels, with four portraits on each. They are now separated into two groups, 14 in the Musée du Louvre, Paris and 14 in the Ducal Palace of Urbino. No testimony on the context of the creation itself was left and art historians have claimed that the paintings were created by a Flemish painter, Justus of Ghent and finished by a Spanish painter, Pedro Berruguete. This hypothesis has now been reconsidered. A reconstruction of the Urbino studiolo decoration was given by Pasquale Rotondi in 1973, based particularly on iconographical considerations and on a partial material study. New analyses were performed at the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF) in 2008, enabling the various modifications that the portraits have undergone over the centuries to be brought to light. The results of the Italo-French collaboration presented in this paper allow hypotheses on the original decoration of the studiolo to be proposed.
This paper focusses on the study of the underdrawings of 16th century easel paintings attributed to theworkshop of the Portuguese-Flemish Master Frei Carlos. This investigation encompasses multidisciplinaryresearch that relates the results of surface exams (infrared reflectography, standard light photographyand infrared photography) with analytical investigations.The surface analysis of Frei Carlos’ underdrawings by infrared reflectography has shown heterogeneouswork, revealing two different situations: (1) an abundant and expressive underdrawing, revealing a Flem-ish influence and (2) a simple and outlined underdrawing. This preliminary research raised an importantquestion related to this Portuguese-Flemish workshop and to the analytical approach: Is the underdraw-ing’s heterogeneity, as observed in the reflectograms, related to different artists or is this rather an effectthat is produced due to the use of different materials in the underdrawing’s execution? Consequently,if differ...
Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, 2013
A multidisciplinary research was conducted by the University of Salento in collaboration with the Lecce Provincial Museum, in order to study different forms of art widespread in the Salento peninsula (Southern Italy) very valuable from an artistic point of view and important as driving force for the tourism of the area. In this research, the archaeometrical analysis was used to study the first cycle of paintings of the church of Santa Maria delle Cerrate, an italo-greek monastery located in the country about 15 km north-east of Lecce, probably built in the 12th century. Microscopic, chromatographic and spectrometric techniques were used: optical microscopy was used to study samples and the relevant stratigraphy, micro-Raman Spectroscopy to identify pigments and Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometric Detection to investigate the techniques masters used to decorate the monastery church. Further information on organic and inorganic materials present in the samples were obtained from Fourier transform infrared analysis in attenuated total reflectance. Materials and techniques were clearly ascertained, and, interestingly, pigments were applied both by fresco and egg-based tempera. Among the various pigments detected, the identification of both lapis lazuli and lead white opened new perspectives both from the historical and conservative points of view.
Wall paintings through the ages: the medieval period (Italy, twelfth to fifteenth century)
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
This paper is devoted to wall painting in the Middle Ages (ca. late fifth to early fifteenth centuries), with a focus on twelfth to fifteenth century Italy. It is conceived as a critical conflation of diverse methodologies, approaches and research tools, with the aim of investigating the topic from different and complementary perspectives. Historical textual sources provide the interpretive framework for the examination, which is conducted on specific, yet interrelated aspects. Special attention is paid to technical features, including the methods and materials used to produce wall paintings. Data from scientific investigations are incorporated into the discussion with the purpose of elucidating theoretical conceptualizations with material pieces of evidence. A number of selected case studies is presented within the text in order to keep the focus of analysis on the materiality of the paintings, hence avoiding the formulation of abstract concepts in favour of more pragmatic approaches.
Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2020
The recent conservative project of the imposing panel painting The Martyrdom of St. Catherine painted by Gaudenzio Ferrari (c.1477-1546) has been a precious opportunity to deepen the scientific knowledge about the execution technique-hitherto scarcely investigated-of one of the prominent exponents of the Lombard and Piemontese Renaissance. The conservative intervention had become necessary because of serious problems of the wooden support: cracks and deformations had caused lifts and color gaps. In addition, over time, many overpaints and varnishes had been altered, obscuring the brilliant original color tones of the painting. A diagnostic survey was planned based on a multidisciplinary approach consisting of a well-established protocol of non-invasive imaging (UVF, IRR, IRFC, RX) and point techniques (XRF, Vis-NIR FORS). The diagnostic analyses were performed in situ and carried out in the restoration laboratory of the Pinacoteca di Brera, an ad hoc space that allows visitors to see in real time restorers and scientists at work during the different stages of the conservation treatments. Analyses on micro-samples were further performed in laboratory by means of FTIR, Raman, SEM-EDX and GC-MS techniques. The research group together with restorers and art historians were able to deepen the understanding of the artwork from a technical, material and conservative point of view, making it possible a specific conservative intervention. Furthermore, the results of this research allowed shedding light on the mounting system of the wooden support and on the reconstruction of the original color palette used by the artist. An interesting point was the presence of pararealgar as an intentional use or as a result of the realgar alteration in some yellow areas. The huge dimensions of the painting (331 × 210 cm) forced the researchers to find unconventional technical solutions for a complete overview of the conservative condition. The results obtained from the precise recognition of the state of preservation of the varnish, the painting layers, the preparatory layers and the wooden support are here presented.