This paper reports on the studies carried out on engraved inscriptions of the Deposition from the Cross by Benedetto Antelami (1150–1230), a relief sculpture conserved in the Cathedral of Parma (Italy). The inscriptions between the characters show residues of colored material in alternating redand dark-colored stripes. The purpose of this specific investigation was to identify the materials (pigments and organic binders) used for the polychromy that are still present on the relief sculpture. Seven microsamples were taken to carry out laboratory analyses. In red-colored letters, mercury, and sulfur, constituents of the cinnabar (or vermilion) pigment were easily identified by SEM-EDS. This result is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and XRD measurements. In the dark letters, carbon, iron, and lead are observed. The presence of materials containing metals is compatible with a mastic encrustation technique. FT-IR, Raman, and XRD techniques clearly detect beeswax, which was probably used as a polishing material. Amino acids and lipids that are typical of eggs have been identified by means of GC-MS investigations, suggesting their use as organic components of the mastic encrustation

The polychromatic inscriptions on the relief sculpture Deposi-2 tion from the Cross by Benedetto Antelami in Parma Cathedral, 3 Italy / Potenza, Marianna; Lottici, Pier Paolo; Casoli, Antonella; Bergamonti, Laura. - In: APPLIED SCIENCES. - ISSN 2076-3417. - 14:(2024), p. 4508. [10.3390/app14114508]

The polychromatic inscriptions on the relief sculpture Deposi-2 tion from the Cross by Benedetto Antelami in Parma Cathedral, 3 Italy

Marianna Potenza
;
Pier Paolo Lottici;Antonella Casoli;Laura Bergamonti
2024-01-01

Abstract

This paper reports on the studies carried out on engraved inscriptions of the Deposition from the Cross by Benedetto Antelami (1150–1230), a relief sculpture conserved in the Cathedral of Parma (Italy). The inscriptions between the characters show residues of colored material in alternating redand dark-colored stripes. The purpose of this specific investigation was to identify the materials (pigments and organic binders) used for the polychromy that are still present on the relief sculpture. Seven microsamples were taken to carry out laboratory analyses. In red-colored letters, mercury, and sulfur, constituents of the cinnabar (or vermilion) pigment were easily identified by SEM-EDS. This result is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and XRD measurements. In the dark letters, carbon, iron, and lead are observed. The presence of materials containing metals is compatible with a mastic encrustation technique. FT-IR, Raman, and XRD techniques clearly detect beeswax, which was probably used as a polishing material. Amino acids and lipids that are typical of eggs have been identified by means of GC-MS investigations, suggesting their use as organic components of the mastic encrustation
2024
The polychromatic inscriptions on the relief sculpture Deposi-2 tion from the Cross by Benedetto Antelami in Parma Cathedral, 3 Italy / Potenza, Marianna; Lottici, Pier Paolo; Casoli, Antonella; Bergamonti, Laura. - In: APPLIED SCIENCES. - ISSN 2076-3417. - 14:(2024), p. 4508. [10.3390/app14114508]
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11381/2983713
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact