Presentation and Storage of Romanesque Ceiling Painting Fragments from the Church St. Nikolaus in Matrei (original) (raw)
Romanesque Woodcarvers and Plasterers in the Abruzzi: The Mediterranean Connection In the twelfth century, wooden doors, iconostasis screens, altars, thrones and chests were carved and painted in Lazio, Campania and Abruzzi, following a tradition that had probably first developed in the previous century at Monte Cassino under Desiderius. Indeed, in his Chronicle Leo Marsicano proudly describes the various different materials and techniques which Desiderius used and where, in addition to marble and precious metals, wood seems to have played an important role. The iconostasis, for example, consisted of a wooden beam that was splendidly carved and decorated with silver, gold and purple, but which did not survive the earthquake of 1349. A scaled-down version of this survives in the church of Santa Maria in Valle Porclaneta (Rosciolo dei Marsi), which had belonged to Monte Cassino since 1064. It is similarly of interest to note the wooden doors at the Greek abbey at Grottaferrata, at Santa Maria in Cellis (Carsoli) and at San Pietro in Albe (Alba Fucens), all of which show evidence of an awareness of Muslim forms and of work from the opposite side of the Adriatic Sea in the first half of the 12th century. Analysis of these works, especially from the perspective of recent discoveries, sheds light on the close relationship that existed between Abruzzi, Campania and Apulia in this period. In a similar vein, work that can be associated with the workshop of Ruggero, Roberto and Nicodemo will be considered. This workshop was responsible fo stucco ciboria and pulpits (at S. Clemente al Vomano, S. Maria in Valle Porcaneta and S. Maria al Lago a Moscufo) decorated with elaborate scrolls and imaginative ornamental motifs that reveal long-range influences
Restoration of wall paintings in historical buildings along the Croatian coastal area is most often motivated by serious damage to the material structure by moisture and atmospheric salt. In this paper three historical buildings with wall paintings from the Romanesque period will be presented. All of these have been built on a similar location and have been exposed to similar climatic conditions. As a result of material structure analyses it became obvious that they have all been built of stone with the same type of plaster and a certain ratio of crushed brick as an aggregate. Fragments of wall paintings are preserved and the harmony of presentation has been achieved by the use of restoration plaster. These paintings are located in the church tower of St Mary's Benedictine monastery in Zadar, in pre-Romanesque St. Michael's Church in Ston and pre-Romanesque St. John the Baptist Church on Šipan Island near Dubrovnik.
FOLIA ARCHAEOLOGICA BALKANICA, 2018
Our current knowledge on early Christian wall painting is mainly gained through studying catacombs and vaulted tombs, where the largest painted decorative arrangements have been discovered. Contrary to this, in early Christian churches and baptisteries it is the mosaic decoration that has survived better in general, while traces of any painted decoration are scarce. In this context, the Old Episcopal basilica and baptistery in Stobi are of immense significance, since they own what is possibly the largest ensemble of paintings dating from the early Christian era. Notwithstanding, the basilica paintings have not been the subject of proper research and only short summaries focusing on some specific aspects have been published in the scientific literature. To address this issue, we considered as necessary to carry out an extensive research, by way of analyzing the technical-technological characteristics of the pain-tings and performing comparative analyses of the materials used. The results of this research will be able to serve as dating indicators of the building and painting phases of the church, which will contribute to-ward chronological determination of all elements of the basilica. In addition, this study will serve as a basis for further research on early Christian paintings and its aspects of iconography, style and symbolism.
As you can see from the title of my contribution, I give as granted that architecture-for example, a Romanesque church-is to be considered as an art-object. Despite that, in the Middle Ages, architecture was listed among the mechanical arts and despite the role of medieval architects (both are very debated issues 1), it cannot be doubted that a medieval church can be judged as equal to a work of art. We know well that from Renaissance times, and from studies on architectural aesthetics, a work of architecture can be regarded as a work of art in large. Therefore, as an art-object, it requires classification and cognitive approach which relies on specific, always updated tools. This is obviously a vast theme. Nevertheless, despite the brevity of my contribution, I wish to discuss how an art historian should nowadays approach an architectural work, or better a historian of architecture, including one with a historical-artistic background (therefore not just necessarily an architect). I am not interested in a competition between art historians and architects , and which of these two categories are better related to the history of architecture. What interests me is the methodology to apply and its results. The contribution of architecture helps to make a building known in all of its expressive potential, as a whole organism. Besides the aesthetical value, it involves the recontruction of the history of the building, the commissioners, the planning stages, its functions, the organization of the liturgical areas which encompass its religious and political-cultural significance. The technical aspects related to the building methods such as materials used, strategies and building site management, training, and organisation of the craftsmen are also very important. We are dealing with a very complex work of research and analysis, which often requires the partnership of other professionals, such as archaeologists, architects, and restorers. This particular teamwork is the most important aspect of the historical-architectural research and what makes it as such. With regard to Romanesque architecture, recent international and Italian historiography has displayed an attentive consideration and a renewed interest in Romanesque issues, particularly in its origins, between the 10 th and the 11 th centuries 2. A number of interesting projects 1 With regard to the Romanesque period I refer in particular to []. An updated summary about the results of the studies that are dedicated to the Romanesque one in Italy is [44].
Journal of Urban and Landscape Planning, 2018
This paper presents the heritage of Germans in Romania (Danube Swabians and Transylvanian Saxons) in relationship with the regions of emigration in the home country of Germany. Nowadays there are institutions dealing with the effects of immigration on art and architecture, including research institutions and museums, and the paper makes reference to these. Also, Italian research is interested in the province of Dacia and many conservation methods come from those lessons, while many of the buildings in the home country were inspired by Italian journeys. The heritage was subjected to disasters over time (earthquake, fire, war among others) and is facing abandonment today, for which reason conservation and management of these heritage buildings is important. This conservation includes also digital conservation, such as CAD virtual reconstruction and laser scanning. The confessional history has been different, with the Saxons arriving before the church Reformation and becoming protestant, while the Swabians arrived as part of the Counter-Reform of Emperor Maria Theresia of the Habsburgs. This, and the position of the dominant architecture programme for the respective periods of history of architecture determined the position of the churches of different confessions in the city. 2017 500 years of Reformation were celebrated, which made the question of confession actual and the agreement today between Christians. Also, the basic professions of the immigrants influenced how the church architecture spread from urban to rural areas. Research methods included looking into both scientific literature and fiction dealing with the issue of German churches and the confessional history, research in the archives on urbanism issues, visit of the sites. Baden-Württemberg, the home of the Swabians, features even more important Baroque heritage after the emigration of the Danube Swabians, which opens the questions for incentives of the movement of population that time.
Paper discusses a concept and conservation methodology of the XVIIIth century curvilinear canvas painting "Adoration of the Magi" from the Saint -Aubain Cathedral church in Namur (Belgium). Atypical form of the painting bowed in the horizontal plane, adapted to the apse wall and its very large size (3.70 x 4.50 m) required using some innovative technologies and materials. The basic premise of the conservation process was a detailed analysis of the canvas shape and its preservation on each step of the conservation works. The concept required construction of two curved platforms: concave and convex. The new system of the canvas overturning was also designed. An innovative method of strengthening of the canvas during lining process in vertical direction by using Kevlar fibres was applied. Required strengthening and modification of the stretching frame is also discussed.
FRESCO WORK PLAN in the paintings of the Saint Michael's Cell at Pedralbes Monastery.pdf
The wall paintings decorating Saint Michael's cell at the Royal Monastry of Pedralbes, attributed to the painter Ferrer Bassa, are a remarkable set and show exceptional evidence of the Catalan Gothic painting scene. Due to its importance, the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat of Barcelona (MHCB), in charge of the conservation and restoration of the monastery's cultural goods since 1999, considered the appraisal of the conservation status of this work as an ineludibly responsibility. Thus, the Conservation and Restoration Department of the MHCB had started out the project 'Diagnosis and Proposal to the conservation-restoration of the wall paintings at Saint Michael's cell', creating a research team with a great budgetary investment. The first part of the project was focused on the technological exam and the conservation status. This article reveals the outcomes referring to a very specific aspect inside the material culture research: fresco work planning. The wall paintings in Saint Michael's cell are a documentary legacy from the 14th century, original and material evidence preserved almost untouched and complete. It talks about the organization and planning of the work, the selection of materials, the pictorial technique and many other issues concerning the economic , artistic, social and religious transaction which took place in 1346. Although it is not always easily noticeable , these data are preserved in the very material composing the painting and in the preserved traces and marks, so they can be identified and analyzed. The work carried out by the conservation-restoration team began by bringing the painting under the expert observation of the restorer, with raking light, binocular loupe glass and a microscope. In this first stage of the research it was decided to rule out other analysis techniques, only to use them when possible options of observation of the work were exhausted. The outcomes of systematic inspection of the painting were reflected in a digital photography of each scene printed on DIN-A-4. Then, following pre-established codes and legends, each observation was written on a plastic film placed over the image. Planimetric mapping was carried out by means of in situ measurements-architectural measurements were taken using triangulation and painting data were taken by measuring geometric lines articulating the scenes: panels, friezes, etc. The photographs of each scene were adjusted to these maps. With this metric and formal adjustment the typical lack of topographic correction of the photography was rectified, reducing the margin of error because accuracy is essential when trying to locate an alteration affecting the architecture on which the painting is placed. The graphic transposition of the registered data was made with AutoCad, which gives perfectly limited information, essential to the following interpretation planning. Further on the photographic image will be changed to a drawing in order to ease the reading of the information transferred to the maps. The data gathering was carried out systematically, beginning with the arriccio analysis and finishing with the pictorial layer analysis. The fieldwork was developed by a single technician, which provided a great rate of homogeneity and accuracy as it eases the data gathering standardization.