SCIENZA E BENI CULTURALI XXXII.2016

RESTAURO DELLE ANTICHE TRANSENNE DELLA BASILICA DI S. SABINA A ROMA: LETTURA CRITICA DEGLI INTERVENTI PASSATI E PRESENTI

Fabio Aramini1, Anna Brunetto2, Carla Giovannone3,
Antonio Iaccarino Idelson
4, Valeria Massa5, Simona Pannuzi6

1Conservatore, Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Restauro (ISCR), 00153 Roma, fabio.aramini@beniculturali.it 2Restauratore, Restauri Brunetto di Brunetto Anna, 36100 Vicenza, annalaser@alice.it 3Restauratore, ISCR, 00153 Roma, carla.giovannone@beniculturali.it 4Restauratore, Equilibrarte srl.Conservazione e Restauro di Beni Culturali, 00179 Roma, iaccarino.a@gmail.com 5 Restauratore, ISCR, 00153, Roma, valeria.massa@beniculturali.it 6 Archeologo, ISCR, 00153, Roma, simona.pannuzi@beniculturali.it

Abstract

During the restoration activities in Italian Institute for the Conservation and Restoration, analytical studies were carried out on some transennas, made of plaster gypsum and selenite, coming from the windows of the paleochristian church of Saint Sabina in Rome. These transennas have been discovered by Antonio Muñoz during his architectural restoration at the beginning of the XXth century. Probably, these medieval artifacts have been attributed to the original church built on the Vth century or to an intervention of rearrangement of the building on the IXth century. The original materials and their alteration forms were characterized by several technological investigations: digital and optical video microscopy, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis system (SEM-EDX), micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (micro-FT-IR), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and visible induced photoluminescence (VIL). Different type of lasers were used for cleaning tests. The control and the effectiveness of laser removal were evaluated by surface analysis and measurement of macroscopic thermal effects induced on non-originary materials and on transennas. We have found traces of polychromy on these transennas, in particular the blue colour. The analytical investigations have revealed that this colour is Egyptian blue. Currently we’re carrying on new supports for the transennas in order to set them in the Dominican Museum.

Parole chiave

Plaster gypsum, selenite, technological investigations, polychromy, laser.