The Importance of Preventive Analysis in Heritage Science: MA-XRF Supporting the Restoration of <i>Madonna with Child</i> by Mantegna
The <i>Madonna with Child</i> by Andrea Mantegna owned by the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan is painted on canvas with an unusual distemper technique. During the period of 1863–1865, the painting was restored by Giuseppe Molteni. The identification of potential retouchings by Molteni, poss...
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/13/7983 |
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| author | Anna Mazzinghi Lisa Castelli Francesca Giambi Chiara Ruberto Leandro Sottili Francesco Taccetti Lorenzo Giuntini |
| author_facet | Anna Mazzinghi Lisa Castelli Francesca Giambi Chiara Ruberto Leandro Sottili Francesco Taccetti Lorenzo Giuntini |
| author_sort | Anna Mazzinghi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The <i>Madonna with Child</i> by Andrea Mantegna owned by the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan is painted on canvas with an unusual distemper technique. During the period of 1863–1865, the painting was restored by Giuseppe Molteni. The identification of potential retouchings by Molteni, possibly covering part of the original layer, was the object of this work carried at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. To evaluate the extent of both Molteni’s intervention and Mantegna’s original layer, the MA-XRF spectrometer developed by CHNet-INFN was used to discriminate between the two paint layers and identify the materials and the extension of both “artists”. Indeed, the elemental maps showed that Molteni’s work entirely covered the mantle of the Virgin, even changing the fold of the draperies and enriching the red robe with shell gold highlights, giving a different appearance to the painting. Moreover, MA-XRF also revealed that the original Mantegna was still mostly intact underneath Molteni’s layer, thereby providing a decisive guide for conservation works. These results indeed formed the basis for the technical decision to remove the varnish and Molteni’s version, unveiling the original Mantegna. A second MA-XRF campaign was then carried out to fully characterise the materials of this unusual painting technique. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:46:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-db400b07acec453e822676b5739aa376 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:46:32Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-db400b07acec453e822676b5739aa3762023-11-18T16:14:15ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-07-011313798310.3390/app13137983The Importance of Preventive Analysis in Heritage Science: MA-XRF Supporting the Restoration of <i>Madonna with Child</i> by MantegnaAnna Mazzinghi0Lisa Castelli1Francesca Giambi2Chiara Ruberto3Leandro Sottili4Francesco Taccetti5Lorenzo Giuntini6Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, ItalyFlorence Division, INFN/CHNet, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, ItalyFlorence Division, INFN/CHNet, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, ItalyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019 Florence, ItalyThe <i>Madonna with Child</i> by Andrea Mantegna owned by the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan is painted on canvas with an unusual distemper technique. During the period of 1863–1865, the painting was restored by Giuseppe Molteni. The identification of potential retouchings by Molteni, possibly covering part of the original layer, was the object of this work carried at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. To evaluate the extent of both Molteni’s intervention and Mantegna’s original layer, the MA-XRF spectrometer developed by CHNet-INFN was used to discriminate between the two paint layers and identify the materials and the extension of both “artists”. Indeed, the elemental maps showed that Molteni’s work entirely covered the mantle of the Virgin, even changing the fold of the draperies and enriching the red robe with shell gold highlights, giving a different appearance to the painting. Moreover, MA-XRF also revealed that the original Mantegna was still mostly intact underneath Molteni’s layer, thereby providing a decisive guide for conservation works. These results indeed formed the basis for the technical decision to remove the varnish and Molteni’s version, unveiling the original Mantegna. A second MA-XRF campaign was then carried out to fully characterise the materials of this unusual painting technique.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/13/7983MA-XRFheritage sciencenon-invasive analysisportable equipmentpigment identificationMantegna |
| spellingShingle | Anna Mazzinghi Lisa Castelli Francesca Giambi Chiara Ruberto Leandro Sottili Francesco Taccetti Lorenzo Giuntini The Importance of Preventive Analysis in Heritage Science: MA-XRF Supporting the Restoration of <i>Madonna with Child</i> by Mantegna Applied Sciences MA-XRF heritage science non-invasive analysis portable equipment pigment identification Mantegna |
| title | The Importance of Preventive Analysis in Heritage Science: MA-XRF Supporting the Restoration of <i>Madonna with Child</i> by Mantegna |
| title_full | The Importance of Preventive Analysis in Heritage Science: MA-XRF Supporting the Restoration of <i>Madonna with Child</i> by Mantegna |
| title_fullStr | The Importance of Preventive Analysis in Heritage Science: MA-XRF Supporting the Restoration of <i>Madonna with Child</i> by Mantegna |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Importance of Preventive Analysis in Heritage Science: MA-XRF Supporting the Restoration of <i>Madonna with Child</i> by Mantegna |
| title_short | The Importance of Preventive Analysis in Heritage Science: MA-XRF Supporting the Restoration of <i>Madonna with Child</i> by Mantegna |
| title_sort | importance of preventive analysis in heritage science ma xrf supporting the restoration of i madonna with child i by mantegna |
| topic | MA-XRF heritage science non-invasive analysis portable equipment pigment identification Mantegna |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/13/7983 |
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