Publicomos

Notice (permalien)

Réf.

42736

Type

article

Titre

Unveiling the use of creta in Roman plasters: analysis of clay wall paintings from Brixia (Italy)

Langues

English

Auteurs

Bugini, Roberto / Corti, Cristina / Folli, Luisa / Rampazzi, Laura

Maison d'édition

Wiley

Date

2017

Pages

p. 84-95

Titre de la revue

Archaeometry

ISSN

1475-4754

Mots-clés

Roman architecture / shrines / clay / walls / coatings / analysis of materials / microscopic analyses / spectroscopy / X-ray analysis / biochemical analysis / case studies / World Heritage Sites / building techniques / decorations and ornaments / archaeometry / chemical analysis / mineralogical analysis / petrographical analysis / archaeological sites / World Heritage List / infrared analysis / plaster / colours / wall paintings

Pays mentionnés

Italy

Monuments et sites

Capitolium (Brescia, Italy)

N° Patrimoine mondial

1318

Résumé en anglais

The paper describes the analysis of a particular kind of plaster from the walls of the Roman Sanctuary (first half of the 1st century BCE) in the centre of Brixia (now Brescia, Italy), which is an outstanding example of Roman Republican architecture. The walls were plastered and painted with different patterns, imitating marble panels and curtains. Optical microscopy on thin sections, X-ray diffraction, and infrared spectroscopy were performed on several samples of the plaster in order to reveal the execution technique. The palette consisted of glauconite, celadonite, Egyptian blue, and red and yellow ochres. In some cases, an organic compound, possibly a lipidic compound, was present in the external paint layer, as a surface treatment.The plaster contains two superimposed coats: the render coat with lime binder and sandy aggregate; the finish coat with a clay fraction (illite, chlorite, kaolinite), together with calcite from slaked lime and grains of quartz, silicate and carbonate rocks. Although Vitrivius’ De Architectura reported the use of creta (clay) as daub smeared on reed vaults, the Sanctuary of Brixia represents the first documented use in Roman buildings in a painted plaster laying on a stone masonry wall.

URL

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1475-4754

Document joint

Unveiling the use of creta in Roman plasters analysis of clay wall paintings from Brixia (Italy).pdf

Licence

Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (BY-NC-ND)