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Malletzidou L, Zorba TT, Kyranoudi M, Mastora P, Karfaridis D, Vourlias G, Pavlidou E, Paraskevopoulos KM. The dome of Rotunda in Thessaloniki: Investigation of a multi-pictorial phase wall painting through analytical methods. Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2021; 262:120101. [PMID: 34198121 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2021.120101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The present study focuses on the investigation of the successive pictorial phases of the wall painting which survives on the missing eastern part of the magnificent mosaic composition in the interior of Rotunda, Thessaloniki, Greece. Rotunda, a circular domed monumental building, was constructed in the early 4th century AD and it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Characterization analysis was performed by means of microscopic, spectroscopic and crystallographic techniques, in order to identify the technological features of the wall painting and the materials used, to document the initial Byzantine pictorial phase -known from the archaeological research- along with the overpaintings attributed to the 19th and 20th centuries. In this framework, the collected samples were studied with optical microscopy, Fourier transform infrared micro-spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Among the detected materials and pigments (including zinc oxide, barium sulfate, red lead, green earth, Prussian blue, emerald green, ultramarine and cuprite), the use of brass powder for false gilding purposes was detected, which is a material rarely used for mural applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lamprini Malletzidou
- School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Triantafyllia T Zorba
- School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Maria Kyranoudi
- School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; Ephorate of Antiquities of Thessaloniki City, Eptapyrgio, GR-54003, P.O. Box 18432, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Pelli Mastora
- Ephorate of Antiquities of Thessaloniki City, Eptapyrgio, GR-54003, P.O. Box 18432, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Karfaridis
- School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - George Vourlias
- School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Eleni Pavlidou
- School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
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Malletzidou L, Zorba TT, Patsiaoura D, Lampakis D, Beinas P, Touli V, Chrissafis K, Karapanagiotis I, Pavlidou E, Paraskevopoulos KM. Unraveling the materials and techniques of post-Byzantine wall paintings: Is there a sole pictorial phase at the catholicon of Stomion, Central Greece? Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2019; 206:328-339. [PMID: 30145494 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2018.07.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Saint Demetrius of Stomion is a historical monastery placed in the geographical area of Larissa town, Greece, with a remarkable presence from its founding until nowadays. The monastery's present catholicon (main church) has been dated in the 16th century and its surviving wall paintings were constructed in 1758. In addition to the characterization of the materials applied, the purpose of this study is to determine the existence of a sole pictorial phase, that of the mid-18th century, or the occurrence of overpaintings. Additionally, the present study aims to begin the establishment of the documentation of materials and techniques of the late post-Byzantine iconographic guilds, which acted in Central and Northern Greece. The collected samples were analyzed by means of microscopic, spectroscopic and thermogravimetric methods. The use of fresco technique is implied by the major participation of calcium carbonate in all of the painting layers, its main contribution in the plaster layers and the microstratigraphic analysis of the samples' cross-sections, while the scarce and local presence of a proteinaceous material implies the limited use of egg-tempera technique for the highlights. The pigment analysis shows that mostly traditional pigments were used, including cinnabar, ferrous pigments (ochre, sienna, umber), minium, Naples yellow, massicot/litharge, green earth (celadonite), malachite, carbon and bone black, calcite, kaolinite and lead white. The absence of modern pigments, the consistency of all samples regarding microstratigraphy and applied materials, and the lack of the extensive use of an organic medium, strongly suggest the lack of overpaintings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lamprini Malletzidou
- School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Triantafyllia T Zorba
- School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dimitra Patsiaoura
- School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Lampakis
- University Ecclesiastical Academy of Thessaloniki, Department of Management and Conservation of Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage Objects, Thessaloniki, Greece; Technological Educational Institute of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Pavlos Beinas
- Painting Conservator, 'Esaeitechnon' Artwork Conservation Laboratory, GR60100, Katerini, Greece
| | - Vassiliki Touli
- Ephorate of Antiquities of Larissa, GR41500, Larissa, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Chrissafis
- School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ioannis Karapanagiotis
- University Ecclesiastical Academy of Thessaloniki, Department of Management and Conservation of Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage Objects, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Eleni Pavlidou
- School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
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