The 20th Century Wall Paintings in the Chapel of the Fallen in Parma Cathedral (Italy): Scientific Investigations for a Correct Conservation Project

Abstract

In this work, we present a diagnostic study carried out on 20th century wall paintings in the Chapel of the Fallen of the Great War in the Cathedral of Parma (Italy). The Chapel was painted in the two-year period of 1921–1922 and has been recently restored. The paintings were investigated in order to study the technique used by the painter, Biagio Biagetti (Porto Recanati, 1877–Macerata, 1948) and their state of conservation. A total of twelve micro-fragments of the painting layers were sampled and investigated using different techniques. Raman spectroscopy revealed the large amount of different pigments used for each hue, many of them being synthetic materials. SEM/EDS analysis showed that the mortar was an aerial lime obtained from calcium carbonate mixed with a small amount of clay. Organic materials were identified by FTIR spectroscopy. GC/MS investigations revealed lipid and proteinaceous materials in the examined specimens; the lipid fraction, however, is not attributable to the presence of drying oils. From the determination of the amino acid content, it became apparent that the proteinaceous fraction is due to the combination of egg and animal glue; this allowed us to infer the use of “a secco” techniques, confirming the visual impressions of the restorer. The results obtained have contributed to the definition of the conservation project in its various phases.

Keywords

• 20th century Italian wall paintings
• paint technique
• pigments
• organic binders
• GC/MS
• Raman spectroscopy