PLASTER CHARACTERISTICS OF BYZANTINE WALL PAINTINGS IN WESTERN ANATOLIA

Kerem Şerifaki; Hasan Böke

doi:10.17222/mit.2022.555

Kerem Şerifaki Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, İzmir Institute of Technology
Hasan Böke Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, İzmir Institute of Technology, İzmir, Turkey

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17222/mit.2022.555

Keywords: wall paintings, Byzantine, lime plaster, post-iconoclastic

Abstract

In this study, the execution technique and material characteristics of the plaster layers of Byzantine wall paintings from three archaeological sites (Anaia, Olympos and Aigai) from western Anatolia were examined for the purpose of their conservation. Throughout the study, mineralogical and chemical composition of the plaster layers were determined with a scanning electron microscope coupled with an X-ray energy dispersive system (SEM-EDS) and X-ray diffraction analyses (XRD). Reflected light microscopy (RLM) and SEM studies conducted on polished cross-sections of samples revealed the stratigraphy and microstructural properties of the plaster layers of the Anaia Church (4^th–12^th centuries), Başpınar Church (13^th century) in Olympos and a Byzantine settling and the Chapel (13^th century) in Aigai. Throughout the research, pure lime and aggregates in the plasters of Aigai, as well as magnesium-rich lime and straw in the plasters of Anaia and Başpınar were determined. The plasters from the Anaia and Başpınar Churches exhibit characteristics similar to the samples from the post-iconoclastic period due to a similar raw-material use. In the samples from Aigai, plastering techniques such as marmorino, intonachino and cocciopesto, indicating earlier periods, were observed. As a result of this study, it was concluded that the number and characteristics of the plaster layers from the paintings had been applied intentionally in accordance with the technique of the painting. Plaster characteristics of the wall paintings in western Anatolia from the Byzantine period were found to be similar to the ones in İstanbul, the Balkans, Crete and Cyprus. The results of this study will guide the conservation efforts of the wall paintings.

References

1 D.S. Çamurcuoğlu, The wall paintings of Çatalhöyük (Turkey): Materials, technologies and artists. Unpublished PhD thesis. University College London / Institute of Archaeology, London 2015
2 W.D. Kingery, P. B. Vandiver, M. Prickett, The beginnings of pyrotechnology, part II: Production and use of lime and gypsum plaster in the pre-Pottery Neolithic near East. J. Field Archaeol., 15 (1988) 2, 219-244, doi:10.2307/530304
3 Z. Murat, Wall paintings through the ages: the medieval period (Italy, twelfth to fifteenth century). Archaeol. Anthropol. Sci, 13 (2021) 11, 1-27.
4 P. Mora, L. Mora, P. Philippot, Conservation of wall paintings, Butterworths, London 1984
5 R. Cormack, Wall paintings and mosaics. In Jeffreys E., Haldon J.F., Cormack R. (Eds.) The Oxford handbook of Byzantine studies (pp 385-395), Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008
6 C. Cennini, The Craftsman’s Handbook (Il Libro dell’Arte). Translated by Thompson, D.V., Jr., Dover, Newyork 1960
7 D.C. Winfield, Middle and later Byzantine wall painting methods. A comparative study. Dumbarton Oaks Papers, 22 (1968), 61-139. doi:10.2307/1291276
8 Dionysius of Fourna, The ‘painters manual’ of Dionysius of Fourna, translated into english by Paul Hetherington, The Sagittarius Press, London 1974
9 R. J. Gettens, G. L. Stout, A monument of Byzantine wall painting: The method of construction. Stud. Conserv., 3 (1958) 3, 107-119, doi:10.2307/1504904
10 J. Plesters, Sancta Sophia, Trebizond-A note on the materials and technique. Stud. Conserv., 8 (1963) 4, 131-135, doi:10.1179/sic.1963.020
11 S. Daniilia, A. Tsakalof, K. Bairachtari, Y. Chryssoulakis, The Byzantine wall paintings from the Protaton Church on Mount Athos, Greece: Tradition and science. J. Archaeol. Sci., 34 (2007) 12, 1971-1984, doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2007.01.016
12 Holclajtner-Antunović, M. Stojanović-Marić, D. Bajuk-Bogdanović, R. Žikić, S. Uskoković-Marković, Multi-analytical study of techniques and palettes of wall paintings of the monastery of Žiča, Serbia. Spectrochim. Acta A.,156 (2016), 78-88, doi:10.1016/j.saa.2015.11.031
13 N. Civici, M. Anastasioui, T. Zorba, K.M. Paraskevopoulos, T. Dilo, F. Stamati, M. Arapi, Studying wall paintings in Berati Castle (Albania): Comparative examination of materials and techniques in XIVth and XVIth century churches. J. Cult. Herit., 9 (2008) 2, 207-213, doi: 10.1016/j.culher.2007.08.004
14 Hein, I. Karatasios, D. Mourelatos, Byzantine wall paintings from Mani (Greece): Microanalytical investigation of pigments and plasters. Anal. Bioanal. Chem., 395 (2009) 7, 2061-2071, doi:10.1007/s00216-009-2967-6
15 G. Taglieri, D. Rigaglia, L. Arrizza, V. Daniele, L. Macera, G. Rosatelli, G. Musolino, Microanalytical investigations on a Byzantine fresco of the Dormitio Virginis from Sicily. J. Cult. Herit., 40 (2019), 155-162. doi:10.1016/j.culher.2019.05.016
16 K. Şerifaki, Determination of Byzantine wall painting techniques in western Anatolia, Unpublished PhD Thesis, İzmir Institute of Technology, İzmir 2017
17 M. Singh, S. V. Kumar, S. A. Waghmare, P. D. Sabale, Aragonite–vaterite–calcite: Polymorphs of CaCO3 in 7th century CE lime plasters of Alampur group of temples, India, Constr. Build. Mater., 112 (2016), 386-397, doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.02.191.