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Chemical and spectroscopic investigation of the Raphael’s cartoon of the School of Athens from the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana

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Abstract

The cartoon of “The School of Athens”, realized by the famous artist Raffaello Sanzio, is a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance. It is a full-scale (804 × 285 cm2) preparatory cartoon, stored at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana (Milan, Italy). In order to characterize the cartoon and the drawing and to investigate its conservation state, several scientific analyses have been performed, both in situ and on sampled fragments. This multi-analytical approach has identified most of the materials used in the original drawing and in restored areas and provided a map of previous restoration works. Here we report the results obtained by Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy equipped with X-ray micro-analysis (SEM–EDS), pH measurements and micro-chemical tests. pH measurements proved the absence of an acidic decay of the paper. The original paper from linen and hemp fibres is well preserved. It is filled with calcium carbonate and has received a light sizing with protein glue, now almost completely transformed into oxalates. 1797 French intervention paper is of lower quality and has been covered with a patina of lead white in Arabic gum, most likely in an attempt to match the colour to the tone of the original. Both papers are stuck to a support paper with flour glue (containing starch and gluten) and glued with the same adhesive to a canvas lining. In situ Raman spectroscopy has clearly shown that the original drawing was in charcoal and lead white, while the restored areas have been drawn using charcoal and graphite.

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Notes

  1. A Planning Group was established, followed by the creation of a Scientific Committee and a Technical Group, composed by representative of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana; Soprintendenza BSAE of Milan; Curia Arcivescovile of Milan; Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione e Restauro (ISCR) of Rome; Fondazione Centro Conservazione e Restauro (CCR) La Venaria Reale of Turin; the Fondazione Cardinale Federico Borromeo; the Vatican Museums, the University La Sapienza of Roma, the restorers Pinin Brambilla Barcilon and Maurizio Michelozzi. Mons. Franco Buzzi, Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana Prefect, is the President of Planning Group and Scientific Committee.

  2. Stefania de Blasi, CCR.

  3. CCR, Malcangi Laboratory.

  4. CCR.

  5. Armida Sodo, Alfonso Russo, Annalaura Casanova Municchia, Università di Roma TRE, Dipartimento di Scienze.

  6. Marcella Ioele, Chemistry laboratory ISCR.

  7. Mauro Torre, ISCR, Physics laboratory, ISCR, G. B. Broggiato, L. Cortese, University la Sapienza, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Aerospaziale; A. Cigada, E.Zappa, G. Brusca Politecnico of Milan.

  8. Gian Franco Priori, Maria Rita Giuliani, Biology Laboratory ISCR.

  9. Microbiological tests evidenced the absence of living microorganism either on the paper support, the lining canvas and the aspired dust (M.R. Giuliani, Gian Franco Priori, ISCR laboratory of Biology).

  10. G. Priori, INTERNAL REPORT, Biology laboratory ISCR.

  11. G. Priori, INTERNAL REPORT, Biology laboratory ISCR.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Mons. Franco Buzzi and all the staff of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana for giving us the opportunity to study this wonderful artefact and Renishaw S.p.a. and in particular Dr. Riccardo Tagliapietra for technical and scientific assistance. We thank the ISCR colleagues Maria Vera Quattrini, Gian Franco Priori, Maria Rita Giuliani, Mauro Torre. A particular thank to the CCR staff for the useful sharing of scientific data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio di Chimica, Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione e il Restauro, via di San Michele 23, 00153, Rome, Italy

    Marcella Ioele

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146, Rome, Italy

    Armida Sodo, Annalaura Casanova Municchia, Maria Antonietta Ricci & Alfonso Pio Russo

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  1. Marcella Ioele
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  2. Armida Sodo
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  3. Annalaura Casanova Municchia
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  4. Maria Antonietta Ricci
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  5. Alfonso Pio Russo
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Correspondence to Armida Sodo.

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Ioele, M., Sodo, A., Casanova Municchia, A. et al. Chemical and spectroscopic investigation of the Raphael’s cartoon of the School of Athens from the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. Appl. Phys. A 122, 1045 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-016-0580-z

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