The mural painting “Cristo in Trono” (13th century), from the church of “S.Maria delle Rose” in Tuscania (Viterbo, Latium), is currently under restoration in the church of “Santa Marta al Collegio Romano”, Rome. During the analytical investigation carried out before the restoration, the execution technique and state of conservation were assessed. For the latter, the most striking result was the identification of acicular crystals of thecotrichite as efflorescence in different areas of the painting. They were characterized both by X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy. The widespread occurrence of this salt, Ca3(CH3COO)3Cl(NO3)2∙7H2O in museum environments has been attested on tiles and limestone objects stored in wooden cabinets and display cases, where wood acts as source for acetic acid which reacts with soluble chloride and nitrate salts from the artefact itself [1-3]. This is the first evidence of the formation of thecotrichite on paintings, where the formation may be induced by specific storing conditions or restoration materials. [1] Bette, S. et al., 2018, Corros. Sci., 132, 68-78 [2] Dinnebier, R. E. et al., 2016, J. Vis. Exp. (112), e54109, 1-17 [3] Wahlberg, N. et al., 2015, Cryst. Growth Des., 15, 6, 2795-2800
The first evidence of thecotrichite efflorescence on mural paintings / Botticelli, Michela; Sidoti, Giancarlo; Conti, Lucia. - (2020), pp. 6-6. (Intervento presentato al convegno SCIENCE ABC, Science Applications Becoming Culture tenutosi a Department of Environmental Biology, "Sapienza" University, P.le Aldo Moro, 5 - 00185 Rome, Italy).
The first evidence of thecotrichite efflorescence on mural paintings
Michela BOTTICELLI
;
2020
Abstract
The mural painting “Cristo in Trono” (13th century), from the church of “S.Maria delle Rose” in Tuscania (Viterbo, Latium), is currently under restoration in the church of “Santa Marta al Collegio Romano”, Rome. During the analytical investigation carried out before the restoration, the execution technique and state of conservation were assessed. For the latter, the most striking result was the identification of acicular crystals of thecotrichite as efflorescence in different areas of the painting. They were characterized both by X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy. The widespread occurrence of this salt, Ca3(CH3COO)3Cl(NO3)2∙7H2O in museum environments has been attested on tiles and limestone objects stored in wooden cabinets and display cases, where wood acts as source for acetic acid which reacts with soluble chloride and nitrate salts from the artefact itself [1-3]. This is the first evidence of the formation of thecotrichite on paintings, where the formation may be induced by specific storing conditions or restoration materials. [1] Bette, S. et al., 2018, Corros. Sci., 132, 68-78 [2] Dinnebier, R. E. et al., 2016, J. Vis. Exp. (112), e54109, 1-17 [3] Wahlberg, N. et al., 2015, Cryst. Growth Des., 15, 6, 2795-2800I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
