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1998
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In the Classroom
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A Scientific Approach to Cultural Heritage Preservation: A Case Study of Vandalistic Acts on Important Roman Mosaics
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Enrico Ciliberto and Giuseppe Spoto
Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Mauro Matteini
Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Viale F. Strozzi, Firenze, Italy
Concetto Puglisi
Istituto per la Chimica e Tecnologia dei Materiali Polimerici, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
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October 1998
Vol. 75 No. 10
p. 1302
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| Abstract |
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As an example of the way in which a scientific study can help the restorer in the restoration of important artistic works, the authors report the case study of vandalistic acts on important Roman mosaics. On the night of September 29, 1995, some unknown vandals poured dark brown paint over several of the most beautiful and important mosaics of the Villa del Casale (Piazza Armerina, Italy). The villa, consisting of an extensive network of rooms, galleries, courtyards, and baths, contains some of the largest and most beautiful mosaics surviving from Roman times. Chemical investigations were performed in order to draw up a rapid restoration plan aimed at identifying the substances used and proposing a correct restoration procedure. A multitechnique, analytical approach was used for these investigations because of the highly complex heterogeneity of the materials studied. The results showed that toluidine red was present in the paint as pigment and that the vehicle was made up of a mixture of alkyd resins, together with styrenated compounds and unsaturated long chain-containing oils. Moreover, besides compounds like calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, and aluminum oxide, silver-containing compounds were present in the paint. All of these observations allowed the authors to propose the removal method to be adopted that achieved the restoration of the mosaics.
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| More Information |
 Citation |
Ciliberto, Enrico; Spoto, Giuseppe; Matteini, Mauro; Puglisi, Concetto. J. Chem. Educ. 1998 75 1302.
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Keywords |
inorganic chem, mass spectrometry, materials science, surface science, analytical chem, public understanding, appreciation, forensic chem
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History |
Created:
Last Updated: |
June 21, 1999
June 24, 2005
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1998
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