The Medieval Glass Mosaic of S. Agnese fuori le mura in Rome: Multispectral Imaging for Preliminary Identification of Original Tesserae

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State: Public
Version: Final published version
License: CC BY 4.0
Serval ID
serval:BIB_701866F020BF
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
The Medieval Glass Mosaic of S. Agnese fuori le mura in Rome: Multispectral Imaging for Preliminary Identification of Original Tesserae
Journal
Heritage
Author(s)
Croci Chiara, Deiana Rita, Silvestri Alberta, Gianandrea Manuela, Maltoni Sarah
ISSN
2571-9408 (electronic)
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2023
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
6
Pages
2851-2862
Language
english
Abstract
The mosaic in the apse of the Church of S. Agnese fuori le mura in Rome represents one of the most important examples of the wall mosaics of the Roman Middle Ages. Although it is associated with Byzantine figurative culture, no scientific study has addressed this important piece of Italian art history. One factor that has probably limited and created difficulties for its analysis is the poor legibility of the original parts, which are compromised by heavy restorations affecting the gold background, the faces of the two male side figures, and the lower band of the mosaic. The present work describes how multispectral imaging provided significant guidance in the preliminary identification of possible original areas in this ancient wall mosaic. Through an interdisciplinary approach, the art historical background and historical graphic documentation of known restorations supported the use of multispectral imaging to recognize original parts. The initial results of the lab analyses (SEM-EDS and EMPA) of supposed original tesserae validated the hypothesis made a priori thanks to multispectral acquisition, opening up new application possibilities for use of this noninvasive technique in the preliminary in situ identification of original parts in restored glass wall mosaics.
Keywords
Wall mosaic, Roman middle ages, Glass tesserae, Multispectral imaging, SEM-EDS, EMPA
Open Access
Yes
Create date
09/03/2023 13:39
Last modification date
29/03/2023 5:51
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