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Materials and Techniques of Cappadocian Wall Paintings

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Conservation and Painting Techniques of Wall Paintings on the Ancient Silk Road

Part of the book series: Cultural Heritage Science ((CUHESC))

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a research mission and restoration project, Rupestrian painting in Cappadocia: knowledge, conservation and enhancement, which the University of Tuscia has been conducting in Cappadocia (Turkey) annually since 2006. Carried out in collaboration with our Turkish colleagues from the Archaeological Museum and the Regional Restoration Laboratory of Nevşehir, it is intended to promote knowledge and conservation of the extraordinary wall painting heritage of Cappadocia. Our paper focuses on the materials and techniques of the wall paintings of Cappadocia, based on research carried out over a 13-year period, derived firstly from a survey in the region and then from the experience acquired from conservation projects undertaken at two rock-cut churches, the Church of the Forty Martyrs in Şahinefendi and the New Tokalı church in the Göreme Open Air Museum. Findings indicate that the use of different materials and execution techniques can be related to four macro-phases into which we have divided painting practice in Cappadocia. In the overall development of painting up to the eleventh century, there was a general tendency to expand from simplified forms to more complex approaches, which is partly related to the development of more ambitious architectural spaces. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, painting procedures proliferated, which can be associated with the presence of different workshops coexisting in the extended territory between the Open Air Museum and Çavusin. This diversity encompasses a broad range, from the most modest wall painting schemes up to those of an exceptional nature, the latter exemplified by the painting in the New Tokalı church or the painting cycles of the so-called ‘Column Churches’.

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Acknowledgements

This research was made possible thanks to the General Directorate of Monuments and Museums of the Turkish Republic, which authorised the survey, research and restoration activities of Tuscia University in Cappadocia. The work was carried out in collaboration with the Nevşehir Archeological Museum and the Nevşehir Conservation and Restoration Regional Laboratory.

Our thanks also go to Tuscia University and the Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry for their continuous support.

We would also like to thank Taniguchi Yoko for the friendship and scientific exchange that started in Cappadocia where she is involved in the University of Tsukuba’s conservation projects; and to Prof. Aoki Shigeo for inviting us to participate at the International Colloquium on the Conservation of Asian Wall Paintings and the Painting Technology Exchange (Tokyo 2019).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DIBAF - Blocco F, Tuscia University, Largo dell’ Univerita’ snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy

    Maria Andaloro & Paola Pogliani

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  1. Maria Andaloro
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  2. Paola Pogliani
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Correspondence to Paola Pogliani .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan

    Shigeo Aoki

  2. University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Yoko Taniguchi

  3. Private Wall Painting Conservator, Herefordshire, UK

    Stephen Rickerby

  4. Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan

    Michiyo Mori

  5. Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan

    Takayasu Kijima

  6. Dunhuang Academy, Dunhuang, Gansu, China

    Su Bomin

  7. Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan

    Fumiyoshi Kirino

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Andaloro, M., Pogliani, P. (2021). Materials and Techniques of Cappadocian Wall Paintings. In: Aoki, S., et al. Conservation and Painting Techniques of Wall Paintings on the Ancient Silk Road. Cultural Heritage Science. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4161-6_4

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