Българско е-Списание за Археология (Dec 2019)
Датиране на икони чрез анализ на изображения на дървени елементи заснети с цифров фотоапарат
Abstract
The precise dating of wooden elements from historical sites is possible with dendrochronological methods. Usually tree-ring cores are extracted with increment borers and then analyzed. A specific problem might be the lack of possibility to obtain such cores. This is the case with highly valued objects, as for example icons, paintings and musical instruments. We tested an approach with making high-resolution digital photographs of the back sides of icons in the church “St. Troitsa” in Bansko, Bulgaria. We later combined the images in one single image per icon board and measured the tree-ring widths with the software CooRecorder. The procedure was successful and up to the moment we were able to measure and cross-date 24 series from 7 icons. We consider that fifteen of them were from wood of Norway spruce (Picea abies) or Fir (Abies alba) and the other nine were from Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce). The first years of the dated tree-ring series from icons were between 1658 and 1734, while the last between 1783 and 1816. The used boards were from trees that were cut 30 to 50 years before the icon painting. We found that the boards used in 4 icons were probably from one spruce tree. Our work demonstrates that measurement and precise dating of the sequences of tree rings is possible with the approach of making high-resolution digital images.
