How Many Secret Details Could a Systematic Multi-Analytical Study Reveal About the Mysterious Fresco <i>Trionfo della Morte</i>?
Maria Francesca Alberghina,
Salvatore Schiavone,
Caterina Greco,
Maria Luisa Saladino,
Francesco Armetta,
Vincenzo Renda,
Eugenio Caponetti
Affiliations
Maria Francesca Alberghina
S.T.ArtTest di S. Schiavone & C. S.A.S, Via Stovigliai 88, I93015 Niscemi (CL), Italy
Salvatore Schiavone
S.T.ArtTest di S. Schiavone & C. S.A.S, Via Stovigliai 88, I93015 Niscemi (CL), Italy
Caterina Greco
Museo Archeologico Regionale "Antonino Salinas", Via Bara all'Olivella 24, I-90133 Palermo, Italy
Maria Luisa Saladino
Dipartimento Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche - STEBICEF and INSTM UdR—Palermo, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze pad.17, I-90128 Palermo, Italy
Francesco Armetta
Dipartimento Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche - STEBICEF and INSTM UdR—Palermo, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze pad.17, I-90128 Palermo, Italy
Vincenzo Renda
CNR – Istituto per I Processi Chimico-Fisici (IPCF), V.le F. Stagno D'Alcontres, 37, I-98158 Messina, Italy
Eugenio Caponetti
Dipartimento Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche, Chimiche e Farmaceutiche - STEBICEF and INSTM UdR—Palermo, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze pad.17, I-90128 Palermo, Italy
The “Trionfo della morte” is a detached fresco painting dated at the half of the XV century. Its history is strictly connected with the history of Palermo and it is considered a symbol of the late Gothic period. Some small areas of the fresco were analyzed using a combination of non-invasive techniques and hand-held instrumentations (multispectral imaging analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and IR spectroscopy). The characterization of the nature of pigments used in its realization and restoration works was performed and some indications about its conservation state were obtained. More interestingly, some hidden details were revealed on the mysterious painting. They constitute additional evidence of the preciousness of the fresco.
