Blue Shades in Plasters: Archaeometric Role in Dating of the Casamassima (Southern Italy) Historical Facades
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Blue Plasters
3. Methods
4. Results
4.1. Stratigraphy and Microscopic Observation
4.2. Mineralogical and Compositional Investigation
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Sample | Sampling Area | Macroscopic Colour |
---|---|---|
M1 | St. Chiara’s monastery, outside wall | blue, greenish-blue, white |
M2 | St. Chiara’s monastery, outside wall | blue, greenish-blue, white |
M3 | St. Chiara’s monastery, outside wall | blue, brownish-red |
M4 | St. Chiara’s monastery, outside wall | blue, greenish-blue, white |
M5 | St. Chiara’s monastery, outside wall | blue, brownish-red |
CH1 | St. Chiara’s monastery, cloister, left wall | blue, brownish-red |
CH2 | St. Chiara’s monastery, cloister, left wall | blue, greenish-blue |
C1 | Castle, outside wall | blue, white |
C2 | Castle, outside wall | blue, brownish-red, white |
Macroscopic Colour | Sample | Microscopic Parameters | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pigment(s) | Texture | Size (Moda) | Shape | Roundness | ||
Blue | M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, CH1, CH2, C1, C2 | Blue | Unimodal | <5 µm | Massive-prismatic | Medium |
Yellow | Unimodal | 5–15 µm | Massive | High | ||
Greenish-blue | M1, M2, M4, CH2 | Greenish-blue | Unimodal | n.v. | n.v | n.v. |
Brownish-red | M3, M5, CH1, C2 | Red | Bimodal | <5 µm | n.v. | n.v. |
20–30 µm | Massive | High | ||||
Black | Unimodal | 30–100 µm | Massive | Medium | ||
White | M1, M2, M4, C1, C2 | White | Unimodal | <5 µm | n.v. | n.v. |
SEM-EDS | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Macroscopic Colour | Sample | Pigment Colour | Mineralogical Pattern (XRPD) | Elemental Composition | Compound Attribution | Pigment Attribution |
Blue | M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, CH1, CH2, C1, C2 | Blue | Calcite, gypsum, lazurite, quartz, anhydrite | Si(+), Al(+), Na(+), S(+), Ca(−), K(−), Mg(−), Cl(tr) | Lazurite, sulfates, chlorides, lime | Ultramarine blue |
Yellow | - | Fe(+), Cl(−), Ca(−), Si(−), S(tr), Al(tr), Mg(tr), Na(tr), K(tr), Cl(tr) | Iron hydroxides, clay minerals, chlorides | Yellow ochre | ||
Greenish-blue | M1, M2, M4, CH2 | Greenish-blue | Calcite, gypsum, halite, graphite | Si(+), Al(+), Ca(+), Mg(−), K(−), Fe(−), Na(tr), S(tr), P(tr), Cl(tr) | Aluminosilicates, iron phosphate, chlorides, sulphates, lime | - |
Brownish-red | M3, M5, CH1, C2 | Red | Hematite | Fe(+), Si(−), Ca(−), Na(tr), Al(tr), Cl(tr), P(tr), K(tr) | Iron oxides, clay minerals | Red ochre |
Black | Carbon | - | - | Carbon black | ||
White | M1, M2, M4, C1, C2 | White | - | S(+), Ca(+), Ba(+), Si (−), Al (−), Mg(−), Na(−), K(tr), Cl(tr) | Barium sulphate, clay minerals | Blanc fixe |
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Fioretti, G.; Acciani, A. Blue Shades in Plasters: Archaeometric Role in Dating of the Casamassima (Southern Italy) Historical Facades. Minerals 2023, 13, 1029. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13081029
Fioretti G, Acciani A. Blue Shades in Plasters: Archaeometric Role in Dating of the Casamassima (Southern Italy) Historical Facades. Minerals. 2023; 13(8):1029. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13081029
Chicago/Turabian StyleFioretti, Giovanna, and Azzurra Acciani. 2023. "Blue Shades in Plasters: Archaeometric Role in Dating of the Casamassima (Southern Italy) Historical Facades" Minerals 13, no. 8: 1029. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13081029
APA StyleFioretti, G., & Acciani, A. (2023). Blue Shades in Plasters: Archaeometric Role in Dating of the Casamassima (Southern Italy) Historical Facades. Minerals, 13(8), 1029. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13081029