Revealing Juan de Oviedo y de la Bandera’s Artworks: The Case of the Polychrome of a Stone-Carved Sculpture from the Madre de Dios Convent Façade in Seville
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe authors José Luis Pérez-Rodríguez, María Dolores Robador, Garbiñe Larrea and Adrián Durán describe the investigation of a stone carved polychrome from the Madre de Dios Convent façade in Seville, sculpted by Juan de Oviedo y de la Bandera. A large variety of analytical methods are employed to analyse the micro-samples taken from said artwork, including SEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.
In general the authors present a detailed analysis and discussion of the performed investigation, supported by ample photographs and other scientific data. However, at times the English grammar can be improved. Please find below a list of some additional comments/suggestions, but be aware that a more rigorous screening of the grammar is strongly suggested before publication:
P3, line110: Perhaps a reference can be added to refer to what the theoretical inner pattern and ZAF correction method are, for readers of the manuscript that are less familiar with SEMD-EDX quantification.
P4, line132: “SEM observations of the samples clearly showed the presence of coatings or external films and their penetration at different micrometres in deep”: This sentence is unclear, please revise.
P4, line151: “making it difficult the characterization of the polychrome”: consider revising to “(…) making the characterization of the polychrome difficult.” Or similar.
P5, line160:”(…), and also was detected”: revise to “(…), in addition to the detection of potassium (K), …”
P5, line163: “Although there were inconvenient overlaps in the emission peaks of the elements such as in Pb/As, Pb/Bi and As/Mg which could affect the EDX results, the determination was accurately obtained thanks to the use of ZAF correction.”: It is unclear how the ZAF correction aids in the correct identification of the different elements displaying spectral overlap. Such a differentiation is typically based on spectral deconvolution where respect characteristic line ratios aid in distinguishing between the different elements, similar to fingerprint recognition. Please elaborate how the ZAF correction can perform a similar function, or adjust this sentence.
P9, line263: “being also present the consolidation product”: please revise
P10, line298: “similarly than in”: change to ‘similar to’
P12, line410: “were also in high”: were also present/detected/found in high percentages
P13, line476: “did difficult the characterization”: Revise, e.g. did impair the characterization
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageSee above comments.
Author Response
COVER LETTER FOR SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPT
Editor: Minerals (Special Issue "Mineralogical Approaches to Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Materials")
15th February 2024
Dear Editor:
We are enclosing the revised version of our paper entitled “Revealing Juan de Oviedo y de la Bandera artworks: the case of the polychrome of stone carved sculpture from the Madre de Dios Convent façade in Seville”.
We would like to thank reviewers and editor for their consideration about our article. All the comments of the reviewers and editor have been considered in this current version.
The changes have been marked in red colour in the text.
The Figures shown in this revised version are the corrected Figures.
English grammar has been improved thanks to the comments of the reviewers and the detailed revision performed by all the authors, and other colleagues.
Reviewer 1:
[The authors José Luis Pérez-Rodríguez, María Dolores Robador, Garbiñe Larrea and Adrián Durán describe the investigation of a stone carved polychrome from the Madre de Dios Convent façade in Seville, sculpted by Juan de Oviedo y de la Bandera. A large variety of analytical methods are employed to analyse the micro-samples taken from said artwork, including SEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. In general the authors present a detailed analysis and discussion of the performed investigation, supported by ample photographs and other scientific data]
Thanks for your consideration about our article and your valuable comments. The article has notably improved after considering all your suggestions.
[However, at times the English grammar can be improved. Please find below a list of some additional comments/suggestions, but be aware that a more rigorous screening of the grammar is strongly suggested before publication]
English grammar has been improved thanks to the comments of the reviewers and the detailed revision performed by all the authors and other colleagues.
[P3, line110: Perhaps a reference can be added to refer to what the theoretical inner pattern and ZAF correction method are, for readers of the manuscript that are less familiar with SEMD-EDX quantification]
One reference (the new reference [25]) and some phrases (“For quantitative X-rays microanalysis in the specimens, several corrections are necessary since various factors are different for specimen and standard such as the backscattering and the stopping power, which depend on Z (atomic number), A (the X-ray absorption) and F (the fluorescence)”) have been added to clarify this point.
[P4, line132: “SEM observations of the samples clearly showed the presence of coatings or external films and their penetration at different micrometres in deep”: This sentence is unclear, please revise]
This sentence has been re-written. In the current version, it has been written “SEM observations of the samples clearly showed the presence of coatings or external films and how these have penetrated the artworks” to clarify the meaning.
[P4, line151: “making it difficult the characterization of the polychrome”: consider revising to “(…) making the characterization of the polychrome difficult.” Or similar]
Revised and modified. Some changes have been done regarding the English grammar, following the comments from the reviewers.
[P5, line160:”(…), and also was detected”: revise to “(…), in addition to the detection of potassium (K), …”]
Properly modified.
[P5, line163: “Although there were inconvenient overlaps in the emission peaks of the elements such as in Pb/As, Pb/Bi and As/Mg which could affect the EDX results, the determination was accurately obtained thanks to the use of ZAF correction.”: It is unclear how the ZAF correction aids in the correct identification of the different elements displaying spectral overlap. Such a differentiation is typically based on spectral deconvolution where respect characteristic line ratios aid in distinguishing between the different elements, similar to fingerprint recognition. Please elaborate how the ZAF correction can perform a similar function, or adjust this sentence]
Sorry, it was wrong. Thanks for your comment. The phrase has been properly adjusted thanks to the comment of the reviewer. In this current version it is written the following: “…the determination was accurately obtained thanks to the differentiation based on spectral deconvolution where respect characteristic line ratios aid in distinguishing between the different elements.”
[P9, line263: “being also present the consolidation product”: please revise]
Revised. In this revised version, it is written “In this sample, the consolidation product was also detected…”
[P10, line298: “similarly than in”: change to ‘similar to’]
Changed.
[P12, line410: “were also in high”: were also present/detected/found in high percentages]
The word “present” has been added.
[P13, line476: “did difficult the characterization”: Revise, e.g. did impair the Characterization]
Changed.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThis article presents the paint materials identified on the polychrome work on stone by Juan de Oviedo y de la Bandera on the Madre de Dios Convent façade in Seville (ca. 1590) through an analytical approach. The data are primarily related to the characterization of the pigments by optical microscopy, SEM-EDX, XRD, Raman, FTIR and colorimetry. The results are quite detailed and I have appreciated their discussion in relation to studies carried out on others artworks within Seville’s cultural heritage. However, I suggest to the authors to improve their work with the following revisions:
Abstract: I think that can be useful to indicate in brackets the analytical techniques used, as well as the consolidation product identified.
Line 20: I think that “deposited” is not an appropriate term. I suggest to replace with “applied”.
Lines 28-36: references are needed.
Figure 1: improve resolution and composition of the photos. It is very important to visualize good images of the sculptures studied, especially in relation to their description in the text.
Line 88: I suggest to change the term “gamut” with range or variety
Lines 89-94: consideration too generic and repetitive. I think that in this part of the introduction it is very important to add information, data, results emerged from articles related to similar objects/artworks possibly of the same period.
Lines 103-104: replace “within” with “on” and “pieces” with “fragments”. Indicate the number of the samples examined. I suggest to add in Figure 2 a general photo of the façade of the Madre de Dios Convent with indication of all sampling points.
Line 117: add “sample components”
Line 120: correct accessory
Line 122-123: I think that this sentence is not necessary.
Line 131: 3.1. Consolidation products
Lines 141-149: I think that this part is not necessary. The acrylic finding can be discussed by comparing with similar analytical studies on similar objects and/or with documents, if available, correlated to past interventions (e.g. restoration report) that can confirm this data.
Figure 3: improve the resolution of the micro-photos and add the scales. I think that it could be very useful to integrate these photos in Table 1.
Table 1: “General/Punctual and zones” should be correlated to sample images.
Lines 245-246: add a reference for the interpretation of the Atacamite Raman bands.
Figure 6: it is important to correlate these mapping EDX images with a more general view of the sample analyzed (e.g. add the SEM-BSE image)
Line 268: the consolidate product
Line 272: other zones
Line 280: I suggest to remove “unfortunately”
Line 303: replace “appeared” with “mentioned”
Lines 363-364: add a reference for the interpretation of the cinnabar Raman bands.
Figure 7: see comment done for the Figure 6
Line 387-389: add Raman references
Line 395-396: add a reference about this data
The term “support/support layer” used to indicate the layer primary made of lead white could be replaced with “preparatory layer”. I think that this definition would be more appropriate.
Line 423-425: add Raman references
Line 427-430: I think that this sentence is not necessary.
Line 438: close the bracket
Line 439: “the gold support layer” is not clear, changed with the preparatory layer of the gold foil/leaf
Lines 443-444/481: specify gold foil/leaf
Line 460: replace “material” with “support”
Line 465: maybe “altered” can be replace with “lifted/raised”. Specify paint material.
Line 471: replace “due to the presence of” with “was obtained with”
Line 477: I suppose that the presence of the acrylic resin hindered the identification possible paint binder. This information is completely missed therefore I suggest to add a discussion of this aspect.
In my opinion, the authors could add to the conclusion section considerations about the aims and the relevance of their study on this artwork. For example, which is the impact of their study from a conservation point of view? What will their work be used for?
Finally, I am not convinced about the usefulness of colorimetric measurements and would ask the authors to justify in the text this choice.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageSee previous comments.
Author Response
COVER LETTER FOR SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPT
Editor: Minerals (Special Issue "Mineralogical Approaches to Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Materials")
15th February 2024
Dear Editor:
We are enclosing the revised version of our paper entitled “Revealing Juan de Oviedo y de la Bandera artworks: the case of the polychrome of stone carved sculpture from the Madre de Dios Convent façade in Seville”.
We would like to thank reviewers and editor for their consideration about our article. All the comments of the reviewers and editor have been considered in this current version.
The changes have been marked in red colour in the text.
The Figures shown in this revised version are the corrected Figures.
English grammar has been improved thanks to the comments of the reviewers and the detailed revision performed by all the authors, and other colleagues.
Reviewer 2:
[This article presents the paint materials identified on the polychrome work on stone by Juan de Oviedo y de la Bandera on the Madre de Dios Convent façade in Seville (ca. 1590) through an analytical approach. The data are primarily related to the characterization of the pigments by optical microscopy, SEM-EDX, XRD, Raman, FTIR and colorimetry. The results are quite detailed and I have appreciated their discussion in relation to studies carried out on others artworks within Seville’s cultural heritage]
Thanks for your consideration about our article and your valuable comments. The article has notably improved after considering all your suggestions.
[However, I suggest to the authors to improve their work with the following revisions:
Abstract: I think that can be useful to indicate in brackets the analytical techniques used, as well as the consolidation product identified.]
The analytical techniques (“optical microscopy, SEM-EDX, colorimetry, XRD, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy”) used and the consolidation product identified (“acrylic resin, very possibly Paraloid B72”) have been added in Abstract (in brackets).
[Line 20: I think that “deposited” is not an appropriate term. I suggest to replace with “applied”.]
Changed.
[Lines 28-36: references are needed.]
Two references (the new references [1] and [2]) have been added in this paragraph.
[Figure 1: improve resolution and composition of the photos. It is very important to visualize good images of the sculptures studied, especially in relation to their description in the text.]
Resolution and composition of the photos have been improved.
[Line 88: I suggest to change the term “gamut” with range or variety]
Changed. Now “variety” is written.
[Lines 89-94: consideration too generic and repetitive. I think that in this part of the introduction it is very important to add information, data, results emerged from articles related to similar objects/artworks possibly of the same period.]
Some information regarding the data and results emerged from articles related to Sevillian artworks has been written in this revised version. It has been written the following: “…Compounds such as smalt [15-17], atacamite [18-20], malachite [8,9,21,22], verdigris [23], cinnabar and vermilion [9,16,17,19,22,23], earth pigments [15,16-20,21,23], goethite [17,20,21,23], bone black [19,24] and carbon black [9,16,19,20] were found in Sevillian artworks from different epochs…”
[Lines 103-104: replace “within” with “on” and “pieces” with “fragments”. Indicate the number of the samples examined.]
The terms “within” and “pieces” have been replaced and the number of samples (10) has been added.
[I suggest to add in Figure 2 a general photo of the façade of the Madre de Dios Convent with indication of all sampling points]
A general photo with indication of all sampling points has been added as suggested from the reviewer.
[Line 117: add “sample components”]
Added.
[Line 120: correct accessory]
Corrected.
[Line 122-123: I think that this sentence is not necessary.]
According to the reviewer 2, this sentence has been deleted.
[Line 131: 3.1. Consolidation products]
Modified.
[Lines 141-149: I think that this part is not necessary. The acrylic finding can be discussed by comparing with similar analytical studies on similar objects and/or with documents, if available, correlated to past interventions (e.g. restoration report) that can confirm this data.]
From our point of view, this discussion is necessary to know the use and origin of resins and also to compare our study with those done on other similar objects. Restoration report was again checked. References [26,27,28,29] are related with the determination of acrylic and resins.
[Figure 3: improve the resolution of the micro-photos and add the scales. I think that it could be very useful to integrate these photos in Table 1.]
We have improved the resolution of the photos and added the scale.
According to reviewer 2, a new column with the photos have been added in the new Table 1.
[Table 1: “General/Punctual and zones” should be correlated to sample images.]
With the addition of the new column in Table 1, analyses and samples images have been correlated. It is almost impossible to correlate exactly all the general and punctual analyses with the images. We think that the Table have notably improved by adding the images in this current form.
[Lines 245-246: add a reference for the interpretation of the Atacamite Raman bands.]
A reference ([19]) has been added.
[Figure 6: it is important to correlate these mapping EDX images with a more general view of the sample analyzed (e.g. add the SEM-BSE image)]
BSE available image has been added.
[Line 268: the consolidate product]
Modified.
[Line 272: other zones]
Modified.
[Line 280: I suggest to remove “unfortunately”]
Removed.
[Line 303: replace “appeared” with “mentioned”]
Replaced.
[Lines 363-364: add a reference for the interpretation of the cinnabar Raman bands.]
Two references ([16,20] have been added.
[Figure 7: see comment done for the Figure 6]
BSE image has been added.
[Line 387-389: add Raman references]
Raman reference [34] (new reference) has been properly added.
[Line 395-396: add a reference about this data]
Added (reference [35]).
[The term “support/support layer” used to indicate the layer primary made of lead white could be replaced with “preparatory layer”. I think that this definition would be more appropriate.]
According to reviewer 2, it has been replaced and now “preparatory layer” is written along the entire text.
[Line 423-425: add Raman references]
A reference [19] has been added.
[Line 427-430: I think that this sentence is not necessary.]
We think that this sentence is necessary to provide homogeneity to the text. Some description and discussion are explained for all the pigments found in the artwork.
[Line 438: close the bracket]
Closed.
[Line 439: “the gold support layer” is not clear, changed with the preparatory layer of the gold foil/leaf]
Changed. Now “foil” is written.
[Lines 443-444/481: specify gold foil/leaf]
Specified.
[Line 460: replace “material” with “support”]
Replaced.
[Line 465: maybe “altered” can be replace with “lifted/raised”. Specify paint material.]
Replaced and modified, “…raised paint material…” is written in this revised version.
[Line 471: replace “due to the presence of” with “was obtained with”]
Replaced.
[Line 477: I suppose that the presence of the acrylic resin hindered the identification possible paint binder. This information is completely missed therefore I suggest to add a discussion of this aspect.]
Some discussion has been added in section 3.1. It has been added the following sentence: “Also, the presence of the acrylic resin hindered the identification of the possible paint binders, i.e., linseed oil or similar”.
[In my opinion, the authors could add to the conclusion section considerations about the aims and the relevance of their study on this artwork. For example, which is the impact of their study from a conservation point of view? What will their work be used for?]
The following sentence has been added: “The investigation performed facilitated the restoration processes of the polychrome of the façade of the Madre de Dios Convent and also provided very valuable artistic and historical information about Juan de Oviedo y de la Bandera, one of the most prolific artists in the Baroque period in Seville”.
[Finally, I am not convinced about the usefulness of colorimetric measurements and would ask the authors to justify in the text this choice.]
In this sense, a sentence was added in the materials and method section (“The measurements of colour allowed us to check some of the hues and relate to the chemical composition”). We also think that it is important to measure the chromatic values when studying the polychromes.
