In this paper we present the results of an archaeometric study on the black marble inscription commemorating the life of Pope Hadrian I which is now located in the portico of Saint Peter's in Vatican. The inscription, which is a masterpiece of the Carolingian Renaissance, was donated by Charlemagne as a sign of his friendship with the Pope. The marble composition of the inscription, together with the composition of several samples marble from Belgian and French quarries, was investigated in situ by means of a portable XRF spectrometer and the results were analyzed by means of statistical methods such as Principal Component analysis and the Support Vector Machines. The results of these analyses, compared with petrographic observations, allowed to suggest that the marble of the inscription could come from a quarry located in lands belonging to the Carolingian dynasty.
Charlemagne's Black Marble: the Origin of the Epitaph of Pope Hadrian I / J., Story; J., Bunbury; Felici, Anna Candida; G., Fronterotta; Piacentini, Mario; C., Nicolais; Scacciatelli, Daria; S., Sciuti; M., Vendittelli. - In: PAPERS OF THE BRITISH SCHOOL AT ROME. - ISSN 0068-2462. - STAMPA. - 73:(2005), pp. 157-190.
Charlemagne's Black Marble: the Origin of the Epitaph of Pope Hadrian I
FELICI, Anna Candida;PIACENTINI, Mario;SCACCIATELLI, DARIA;
2005
Abstract
In this paper we present the results of an archaeometric study on the black marble inscription commemorating the life of Pope Hadrian I which is now located in the portico of Saint Peter's in Vatican. The inscription, which is a masterpiece of the Carolingian Renaissance, was donated by Charlemagne as a sign of his friendship with the Pope. The marble composition of the inscription, together with the composition of several samples marble from Belgian and French quarries, was investigated in situ by means of a portable XRF spectrometer and the results were analyzed by means of statistical methods such as Principal Component analysis and the Support Vector Machines. The results of these analyses, compared with petrographic observations, allowed to suggest that the marble of the inscription could come from a quarry located in lands belonging to the Carolingian dynasty.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.