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Статья посвящена религиозному искусству конца XV – начала XXвека. Предметом исследования является иконопись, полихромная деревянная скульптура и медное литье, происходящие из храмов Рязанской области. Основным материалом выступила коллекция Рязанского областного художественного музея им. И.П. Пожалостина. В качестве вспомогательного материала привлечены произведения из собраний российских музеев и частных коллекций. Исследовательский интерес вызывает стилистическое своеобразие памятников из состава коллекции, а также выбор иконографий, отражающих основные тенденции развития русского религиозного искусства. В статье представлен обзор наиболее значимых предметов коллекции. В исследовании использовались сравнительно-стилистический и сравнительно-исторический методы.

Copyright of Journal of the American Institute for Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Painting materials used in Spanish American Colonial art comprised pigments and binders from European origin as well as those that were already known in pre-Hispanic times. In recent years, we have identified for the first time the mineral atacamite, a basic copper chloride (Cu2Cl(OH)3), in Andean Colonial art pieces (Viceroyalty of Peru, 16th–18th centuries). This work proposes a methodology based on a multitechnical approach to identify and establish the origin (natural or synthetic) of the atacamite pigment in Andean cultural heritage objects. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF), attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) were applied to analyse green pigments from the altarpiece of the Church of Ancoraimes, atacamite mineral samples from Chile, and atacamite obtained as a secondary product from traditional recipes used to produce verdigris, a copper acetate. Viride salsum by Teófilo Presbítero (SXII) and the Spanish translation by Andrés de Laguna (1566) of “De Materia Médica” from Dioscorides are both texts that include recipes involving the use of metallic copper as a starting material. These studies will contribute to the history of Spanish American Colonial art and to the knowledge on technological capacities and skills in the Andean region during this period.

Painting materials used in Spanish American Colonial art comprised pigments and binders from European origin as well as those that were already known in pre-Hispanic times. In recent years, we have identified for the first time the mineral atacamite, a basic copper chloride (Cu2Cl(OH)3), in Andean Colonial art pieces (Viceroyalty of Peru, 16th–18th centuries). This work proposes a methodology based on a multitechnical approach to identify and establish the origin (natural or synthetic) of the atacamite pigment in Andean cultural heritage objects. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF), attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) were applied to analyse green pigments from the altarpiece of the Church of Ancoraimes, atacamite mineral samples from Chile, and atacamite obtained as a secondary product from traditional recipes used to produce verdigris, a copper acetate. Viride salsum by Teófilo Presbítero (SXII) and the Spanish translation by Andrés de Laguna (1566) of "De Materia Médica" from Dioscorides are both texts that include recipes involving the use of metallic copper as a starting material. These studies will contribute to the history of Spanish American Colonial art and to the knowledge on technological capacities and skills in the Andean region during this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials belonging to the polychromy and gilding of the sculpture 'Our Lady of Sorrows, which belongs to the collection of a church in Garopaba, Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, were analyzed by multiple techniques. The analysis by μ-Raman and FTIR indicated the use of the ultramarine blue pigment, confirmed by EDS, with calcium carbonate observed in the base of preparation. The results show the use of gold leaf based on a gold and silver alloy, and the use of Armenian bole with clay and traces of manganese, as the base for fixing the gold leaf was characterized. GC-MS analysis suggested the use of plant oil in the painting process. Finally, the EPR analysis showed the presence of Fe3+, Mn2+ and organic radicals from the degradation of the binder, suggesting the formation of complexes with the degradation products, this being one of the first reports in this type of painting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of the old coats of arms of Sebeș once placed in high visibility locations around the city, only four have survived to this day: one painted on wood, two carved in stone and one cast. They were all made between the beginning of the sixteenth century and the first years of the twentieth century. Out of these coats of arms, the one carved in stone, dated to 1765 represents the subject of this study. During the restoration works carried out in 2022, mechanical and chemical cleaning revealed traces of colour pigments other than the already known red ones. Polychrome paint covering all visible faces of the coat of arms was revealed. Cleaning was followed by consolidation of the stone support, volumetric reconstruction and chromatic integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zurbarán's iconic painting Saint Francis in Meditation is subtle in its complexity. Once the star work of King Louis-Philippe's Galerie Espagnole (1838–48), where it captured the attention of art critics, painters, and poets, the painting was acquired by the National Gallery, London, in 1853. This essay seeks to sharpen our understanding of Zurbarán's artistic construction of the work through an exploration of its various ambiguities. It argues that the tensions between surface and depth, so prominent in the painting, operate both visually and metaphorically. Adopting the practice of "slow looking"—a sustained and engaged visual analysis to produce a nuanced interpretation—this essay illuminates how the painting shapes its own reading as a commentary on the problem of sight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize stem sculptures, produced during the 16th and 17th centuries in New Spain (today, Mexico) are a clear example of the convergence of the artistic traditions from the American indigenous populations and European influence. This typology of sculptures is not limited to the Americas, as the examples found in European countries have shown. Therefore, a detailed technological investigation is required to correctly classify them. This work presents the interdisciplinary and multianalytical investigation of a 16th-century sculpture made with a maize stem preserved in Guadalajara city, Mexico. We used a set of techniques, such as CT, SEM-EDX, µ-FTIR, and µ-Raman, to study, from a macro to a micro level, the structure, the polychromy, and the modification of the sculpture. The results showed the use of maize stems, paper, and wood in the construction of the sculpture and the use of the traditional polychromy, as well as the numerous modifications that changed its appearance considerably resulting in its misclassification. We were able to associate the statue with the Cortés workshop (Mexico City region), probably produced in the decade of 1580, and track its liturgical use and historical development through the centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some Spanish sculptors sent works to the New World, while others travelled to America in search of a better fortune. In the new territories, they established their own workshops that helped in the transmission to America of the artistic styles of the Iberian Peninsula. This article analyzes a series of Spanish sculptors stablished in the Viceroyalty of Peru between the last third of the 16th century and the end of the 17th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, radiocarbon dating underwent considerable technological advances allowing unprecedented sample size downscaling. These achievements introduced novel opportunities in dating cultural heritage objects. Within this pioneering research, the possibility of a direct 14C dating of lead white pigment and organic binder in paint samples was investigated on polychrome sculptures, a foremost artistic expression in human history. The polychromy, an indivisible part of polychrome sculpture, holds a key role in the interpretation and understanding of these artworks. Unlike in other painted artworks, the study of polychromies is repeatedly hampered by repaints and degradation. The omnipresence of lead white within the original polychromy was thus pursued as dating proxy. Thermal decomposition allowed bypassing geologic carbonate interferences caused by the object's support material, while an added solvent extraction successfully removed conservation products. This radiocarbon dating survey of the polychromy from 16 Portuguese medieval limestone sculptures confirmed that some were produced within the proposed chronologies while others were revised. Within this multidisciplinary study, the potential of radiocarbon dating as a complementary source of information about these complex paint systems guiding their interpretation is demonstrated. The challenges of this innovative approach are highlighted and improvements on sampling and sample preparation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by life course and osteobiography approaches, this article explores the life and death of an individual associated with the lakam title ("banner" in Colonial Yukatek Maya; thus, a "standard-bearer"), a nonroyal elite of Late Classic period Maya society (AD 600–850). Although these elites are depicted on polychrome vessels and carved monuments, little is known about their life experiences and mortuary practices. The present analysis centers on an individual found at Structure GZ1, a temple with a hieroglyphic stairway, at the Maya archaeological site of El Palmar, Mexico. Using osteological, archaeological, and epigraphic data as different lines of evidence, we examine the relationship of the individual to his affiliated group. At the time of interment, there were a wide array of social, cultural, and political events both shaping and reshaping the body and identities of the individual during a period of political turbulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restauratrice de peintures murales et polychromies sur support bois et toile, agréée par les Ministères des biens culturels italien et français, elle travaille depuis 1998 sur les territoires italien et français. Elle a réalisé des interventions sur des œuvres remarquables pour diverses administrations publiques, des musées, des fondations et des paroisses. Attentive à l’expérimentation critique et à la formation continue, elle a étudié de nouvelles méthodes de nettoyage des peintures selon une approche scientifique rigoureuse, et les a mises en pratique dans la chapelle Saint-Georges. The murals in the private chapel commissioned by Georges de Challant at the Saint-Ours priory in Aosta (c. 1468-1470) were the subject of a meticulous cleaning between 2009 and 2012. After having described and put back in their historical context the various panels that adorn the walls, this article discusses the cleaning protocol implemented during these three years. From a meticulous study of sources, surfaces and stratigraphy, patterns of brocade applied to the costumes of the figures have been identified. The meticulous cleaning made it possible to return to the state of the pictorial surfaces before the restorations of the 19th Century.

Between the conservation-restoration of several disciplines like sculpture and that of architecture differences in the application of the general ethical guidelines exist. Because some “objects” like architectural statuary cannot be classified under one specific discipline this paper attempts to outline the parallels between the applicable disciplines and to point out any inconsistencies, thus encouraging an environment in which the cross-pollination of the principles of a minimal, reversible and stable intervention can thrive and bridging the existing gap between the different fields. Two case studies undertaken by KIK-IRPA Brussels of the treatment of architectural statuary from around 1900 in Brussels are used to illustrate some of these aspects.

This research develops a much-needed approach to the study of glazed ware production in al-Andalus (Muslim Spain and Portugal) during the early Middle Ages. The introduction of glaze to the Iberian Peninsula was a long and complex process involving three waves of technology transfer arriving from the eastern Islamic regions between the ninth and eleventh centuries. In this paper, the main glaze workshops of each technological wave have been characterised in order to understand how the medieval technological transmission took place and how political and economic factors influenced this gradual dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By comparing two medieval polychrome sculptures of a combined enthroned Virgin and nativity scene, important and hitherto unnoticed stages in their object biographies can be described. Provenance and attribution are addressed by virtue of stylistic and material comparisons, and the sculptures' wider iconographic, social, historical and spatial contexts are outlined. The article demonstrates how conservation science investigations feed into knowledge regarding the sculptures' material composition, use, transformation and treatment histories. Thus, the applicability of the conservator's approach to examining objects and shedding light on wider historical contexts is outlined by virtue of this case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Smalt is a ground blue pigment made of potassium glass whose color comes from a small amount of cobalt oxide added during its preparation. It was very frequently used during the 15th to 19th centuries in Europe, but has by contrast been rarely mentioned or studied by Chinese researchers, despite having been identified in recent years on many Chinese antiques. This paper discusses analytical results from a selection of twenty-one samples of smalt, including wall paintings, architectural polychromy, polychrome sculptures, cave murals and textile paintings, each of which has been subject to a combination of polarized light microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electronic microscopy. This paper discusses the smalt's identification, as well as its historical uses and trade. Highlights • Smalt was used in China mainly in 16th to 18th centuries AD. • European and Chinese sample's have the same cobalt sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the wood department of the Restoration Centre of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia (IPCHS) we first encountered the works by Jožef Straub in 2015. As part of a regular programme, financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, we transferred four polychromed wooden sculptures to the Restoration Centre workshop; once part of the high altar in the church in Studenci, these sculptures are presently displayed in the open storage of the Maribor Regional Museum. Between 2015 and 2018, we carried out work on the following polychromed wooden sculptures: Faith, Hope and Love, two adoring angels, a cherub, two angel heads, three putti, and two cherubs from the lintel of the altar. As part of the TrArS project, we carried out field inspections of Straub's works in two churches. We found badly damaged artworks and transferred them to the workshop of the IPCHS Restoration Centre in Ljubljana to prevent their further degradation. These works include two polychromed sculptures from the Church of St Daniel in Štanjel, representing St John of Nepomuk and St Joseph with Child, and the high altar of St Henry from the Church of St Henry in Frajhajm (Areh na Pohorju). The sampling of all colour and metal layers for scientific examination allowed us to obtain, together with the probing of paint layers, valuable data on materials, as well as earlier interventions and modifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim to present an analytical study of the materials used in two 17th-18th centuries sculptures - Santa Bárbara and Santa Rita de Cássia - and in the altarpiece where they once stood. All the pieces belong to the Church of Nossa Senhora das Mercês in Évora, although today the two sculptures are in the Museum of Évora. The main purpose is to compare the materials and the techniques used in the execution of the gilding and polychrome processes in the three objects. The study is focused on ground layers, gold leaf and polychrome layers. The stratigraphic analyses were performed using optical microscopy on cross-sections and the materials characterization of the different strata resorted to scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and to micro-Raman spectroscopy. The results show that the materials and techniques used in the three works of art are very similar and are consistent with the epoch's treatises suggestions.

Paquimé, the paramount Casas Grandes site in northern Chihuahua, Mexico, was arguably the most socially complex and hierarchical pueblo in US Southwest and northwest Mexican history and its complex mixture of Puebloan and Mesoamerican material culture and iconography revealed it to be highly syncretic. The present study examines recent conceptualizations of Casas Grandes religion in comparison to Pueblo and Mesoamerican ethnographic and archaeological data and focuses upon Medio-period (AD 1200-1450) Chihuahuan polychromes to provide insight and revision to current understandings of Casas Grandes religious, social, and political organization. One icon depicts an anthropomorphic male with a scarlet macaw head or headdress and is a deity of Mesoamerica origin—the earliest portrayal of a solar deity called “Sun Youth” among Pueblo cultures today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of the organic material used in the polychrome decorations of Alhambra complex was carried out in this investigation. Samples from motifs painted on different types of supports, namely marble, wood, and gypsum, were studied. In this way, a comparison on the organic materials used in the marble capitals of the columns from different sites (Hall of the Abencerrages, Hall of the Mexuar, The Court of the Myrtles and the Court of the Main Canal), the Nasrid polychrome wooden ceilings of the Hall of the Abencerrages and the gypsum mocarabes in the plaster decorations of the Hall of the Kings was achieved. This is the first wide scientific study regarding the organic materials employed in the execution of the most representative decorative revetments in the Alhambra monument. Despite the small amount of sample and the complex history of interventions in the monument (both documented and not), results obtained with GC-MS show that proteinaceous materials were mainly used as binders in the different supports and periods studied being animal glue identified in almost all cases. Moreover, wax and lipid materials were also found in the samples from the ceilings, probably as restoration materials applied on the surface of the polychromes on wood. These results shed light on the painting techniques in this extraordinary example of Muslim art in its final European stages, thus contributing to provide scientific information about the still little studied medieval Islamic art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent analyses use geometric morphometrics (GM), the quantitative study of shape and its variation, to examine aspects of the archaeological record. Our research builds on such applications to examine the organization of production by applying GM analysis to whole ceramic vessels from the Casas Grandes culture of northwest Mexico. We quantify variation in vessel shape and size and conclude that specialists made at least some of the Ramos and Babicora Polychromes, but that the other Casas Grandes ceramic types were generally made by nonspecialists. This bolsters arguments for Medio period (AD 1200 to 1450) specialized production above the household level but indicates that specialized production was limited to a subset of economically valuable goods. We further suggest some Ramos Polychrome was made by attached specialists associated with elites at Paquime, the religious center of the Medio period, whereas some Babicora Polychrome was made by independent specialists. The analysis contributes to three important anthropological topics: (1) the study of the Medio period Casas Grandes culture, and by extension the organization of production in mid-level hierarchically organized societies; (2) geometric morphometric analysis of archaeological collections; and (3) the Standardization Hypothesis and the relationship between artifact standardization and the organization of production. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One of the most impressive Sicilian pottery production is attributed to the so-called Lipari Painter and his followers, whose vessels-found in the archeological site of Lipari (Aeolian Island, Sicily)-are decorated with characteristic blue, red, and white figures. From the archeological point of view, these artworks keep open many questions concerning dating, production technique, and cultural background. In this context, new data on the manufacture procedures and on the raw materials used for the pigments may contribute to a deeper comprehension of this early Hellenistic vase tradition. The preciousness of the vessels, exhibited at the Archeological Museum of Lipari, imposed the use of in situ nondestructive methods to address new insights on the nature of the colored layers. Thus, analyses by Raman and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy have been performed with portable instruments on a selection of vessels certainly attributed to Lipari Painter and to some others of his followers. The results of this study testify the use of different pigments: kaolin and gypsum, probably supplied locally, for white layers; Egyptian blue for blue hues; red ochre for brown-reddish hues; and cinnabar for pink and red-purple nuances. The identification of both Egyptian blue and cinnabar opens an interesting discussion about dating and circulation of the raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conservar Património is the property of Associacao Profissional de Conservadores-Restauradores de Portugal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A technique for non-invasive dendrochronological analysis of oak was developed for archaeological material, using an industrial CT scanner. Since 2013, this experience has been extended within the scope of the research project 'After the Black Death: Painting and Polychrome Sculpture in Norway'. The source material for the project is a collection of late-medieval winged altarpieces, shrines, polychrome sculpture, and fragments from Norwegian churches, which are owned by the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo. The majority cannot be sampled, and many are too large to fit into the CT scanner. For these reasons, a combined approach was adopted, utilizing CT scanning where possible, but preceded by an 'exposed-wood' imaging technique. Both non-invasive techniques have yielded reliable results, and CT scanning has confirmed the reliability of the imaging technique alone. This paper presents the analytical methods, along with results from two of the 13 objects under investigation. Results for reliable dates and provenances provide new foundations for historical interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A decade of public-works excavations on Flores Island—once Tayza, capital of the powerful Itza Maya confederacy in Postclassic- and contact-period Petén, Guatemala—has recovered large quantities of artifacts but without proper provenience controls. This important center is poorly understood in archaeological terms because of the dense modern construction that precludes systematic investigation. Thus, these excavated materials become critical despite their limitations for insights into the Itza settlement. Convenience samples of the slipped and decorated pottery from the salvage (and other) excavations were analyzed to interpret style and meaning through the combined perspectives of design structure analysis, information exchange, visual rhetoric, literary studies, and semiotechnology. Features examined include forms, types, colors, layouts, and motifs. The spatial distributions of these features over the island were assessed in terms of a quadripartite organization mentioned in Spanish accounts. It is proposed that the southeastern quadrant was the residential area of Itza royal elites, due to the presence of elaborate and innovative polychromes conveying messages of elite power. Pottery in the northern quadrants has more traditional decoration resembling that at mainland sites in the Lake Petén basin, and signals ordinary Itza identity. These differences, and the overall theoretical approach, might be testable on larger, better-excavated samples. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this work, we present a complete Raman investigation of a class of compounds that has not received great attention yet, the red naphthol-based azo dyes. We selected a group of red azo dyes often used by artists in inks and lake pigments: acid red 1, acid red 14, acid red 18, acid red 26, acid red 27, and acid red 73. A set of reference materials was studied by dispersive Raman, FT-Raman, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The reference spectra were used in the study of late 19th century Japanese polychrome woodblock prints. The azo dyes selected for this study generally gave good Raman spectra at all excitation wavelengths. The results obtained by the various Raman techniques are compared, and the main difficulties in the identification of the compounds in works of art are illustrated and discussed. The fluorescence coming from the matrix in which the colorants are embedded can obscure their Raman signal. For this reason, the advantages and drawbacks of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with non-sampling extraction of the colorants have been evaluated. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ECR- Studies in Conservation & Restoration / Estudos de Conservação e Restauro is the property of ECR- Studies in Conservation & Restoration and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The image of Our Lady of Copacabana, a gilded polychrome sculpture carved in maguey wood in 1583, is one of the most important devotions in the Americas. In former research, we have identified the use of gypsum, Armenian bole, cerussite and atacamite in its polychromy. In this study, a red sample taken from the Virgin's tunic and a blue sample extracted from the cloak have been analysed with the aim to identify both pigments and offer insights into the painting technique. Analysis by micro-Raman spectroscopy complemented with scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography allowed the identification of carmine lake in the red sample. Analysis by micro-Raman spectroscopy of the surface of the blue sample and its cross section showed the presence of smalt—the blue-glass pigment—over a cerussite layer, bathed by a very thin ultramarine layer—from a probable native origin—following a pictorial tradition that would last even until the eighteenth century. This is the first time that lapis lazuli has been scientifically identified in a Spanish American colonial painted layer.This article is part of the themed issue ‘Raman spectroscopy in art and archaeology’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Making use of several analytical techniques, four erudite and four popular Portuguese baroque wooden sculptures were studied. The materials and techniques employed were identified and the relationship between their artistic quality and the materials used was investigated. In general, the pigments were common at the time, but one pigment discovered in the beginning of the 18th century and two rare arsenic pigments were also identified. In popular sculptures cost-saving was detected, particularly concerning the gold leaf. Regarding some technical procedures identified, recommendations found in historical documents did not seem to have been entirely followed, neither in erudite nor in popular sculptures.

Three polychrome wooden sculptures, made between the last quarter of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th century, from a monastery in Northern Portugal, representing an episode of the Passion of Christ, were analysed with three aims: to identify the materials and techniques employed; to clarify the relationship between the three sculptures; to reveal previous restorations. Techniques such as radiography, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, optical and polarized light microscopy and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy were employed. White lead, vermillion, umber, carbon black, gypsum, anhydride and chalk were identified as pigments and fillers. These materials and the layer structure led to the conclusion that sculptures 1 and 2 were treated as a pair of sculptures and that they underwent at least two restorations: the first was probably done in the workshop where they were made. During the second restoration, the heads were replaced. Sculpture 3 is not restored and its poorer style seems to have correspondence to materials of lower quality.

A polychrome wooden sculpture from the Museum of Santa Maria de Lamas (Northern Portugal), representing the image of Saint Dominic, produced in the first half of the 18th century, was studied for the identification of the materials and techniques employed in its fine modelling. Radiography was used for the study of the construction details of the wooden support, optical microscopy (OM) and polarized light microscopy (PLM) for the characterization of the paint layers and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDXRF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and microchemical tests for the identification of pigments and fillers.The identified materials were common to the period when the sculpture was made: gypsum, gold leaf, bole,white lead, brown ochre, vermillion, a black pigment made of carbon (possibly mixed with verdigris, used as a drier), a red lake and a calcium compound used as filler. However, regarding the techniques employed, and probably due to economic reasons, it seems that the recommended practice in art treatises and working contracts was not completely followed in what concerns the ground layers. Similar reasons appear to have caused the use of white lead mixed with a calcium compound, as a filler, in the less expressive areas, and should explain the fact that the estofado techniques (simulation of brocaded vestment) have been limited to the visible areas at the front.

In this article, I present the results of an analysis of codex-style polychrome ceramics recovered from excavations of commoner households at the Late Postclassic center of Tututepec (Yucu Dzaa), Oaxaca, Mexico. In employing a basic semiotic approach, I examine the images depicted on these materials to draw inferences regarding salient themes they expressed, and how these themes related to broader social discourse and political ideology. In short, I argue that the data suggest an articulation between the popular ideologies of commoners and ideals that were promoted by the site's ruling elites, a concordance that likely arose through dialogic social processes, rather than coercion or false consciousness. This state of affairs may have contributed to the success of the polity, which was the center of a powerful territorial empire at the time of Spanish contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A piece of polychrome and gilded cartonnage mask was excavated by the Ministry of Antiquities in Saqqara region. It belongs to the late period. The mask upon mummy presented a gilded face with heavy wig height 30–40 cm was painted with green, black eye brow and red mouth. Cartonnage is a composite material consists of organic support contains many glued layers of linen or papyri that have ground painting layers. It suffers from many deterioration aspects (microbial pigments, and flaking most likely due to inappropriate storage. Examination study was performed to analyze and investigate the ground painting and gilding layer of the cartonnage by optical light microscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results confirmed that the degradation factors affecting on the painted, gilded cartonnage was attributed to the direct effects of microbial phenomena, which have led to many deterioration forms (macro- and micro cracks, flaking, coloration, scaling and defoliation microbiological spots). Three Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus licheniformisandStaphylococcus aureus), two Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coliandPseudomonas aeruginosa) and four fungal species(Aspergillus flavus, Botrytes cinerea, Fusarium moniliforme, andVerticillium albo-atrum) were isolated from archeological gilded painted cartonnage. Antibacterial and antifungal activities of three shapes (rods, spheres and prisms) of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were tested against the isolated deteriorated microbial species. The rod-shaped gold nanoparticles have high potential antibacterial and antifungal activity reaching to the maximum significant inhibition (8- and 9-cm inhibition zones) against the most sensitive bacterial and fungal species (B. cereusandA. flavus, respectively) accompanied with leakage of protein and nucleic acid, sugars and electrolytes. Disturbance in the blood picture of guinea pigs infected with the most resistant species (P. aeruginosaandF.moniliforme) were showed. The rod-shaped gold nanoparticles were safe and successful in curing the tested inoculated guinea pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TheScuola Grande di San Marcois one of the most outstanding Renaissance buildings in Venice. Destroyed by fire in 1485, theScuolawas reconstructed between 1487 and 1495 by Pietro Lombardi (and sons), together with Giovanni Buora and Mauro Codussi. The façade is considered one of the finest and most original exteriors of Venetian buildings and in particular features refined sculptural and painted decorations and a remarkable pictorial effect created by the extensive use of polychrome marbles and the false perspective view between the pilasters of the lower order. Most of the stone materials (Istrian and Verona red limestones,nero di Roveré,pavonazzetto toscano, Carrara marble and various reused antique marbles) present evident decay phenomena such as scaling, exfoliation, powdering, fissuring, salt efflorescence, black crusts, and artificial patinas of various kinds. The present study reports the results of petrographic and chemical laboratory analyses carried out in preparation for the conservation treatment of the building, in order to characterize the main micro- and macro-morphologies of decay and to identify the causes and mechanisms of deterioration as well as the nature and application technique of the polychromy, gilding, and patinas present on parts of the monumental Renaissance façade. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]