Abstract
The Baroque monuments of several cities in eastern Sicily, built of local calcarenitic stone, are often subjected to conservation treatments, since they undergo many forms of alteration and degradation which can cause significant damage. However, a recent study of these building materials (Barone et al. in Environ. Geol. 54:1501, 2008) has demonstrated that some protective products, once applied, cause irreversible chromatic alterations.
The façades of the monuments of the historic city centre of Modica are typically creamy yellow in colour, sometimes varying slightly due to the use of various pigments, such as clayey and gypseous earths (La Russa et al. in Appl. Phys. A 92:185, 2008). However, in some cases, these nuances are lost due to the application of protective products.
This work provides a petrographic and colorimetric characterisation of the calcarenitic stone used to create the façades of the churches of S. Pietro, S. Maria del Soccorso and S. Maria dell’Annunziata in Modica, also by comparisons with locally quarried samples. In addition, it aims to identify protective substances which may have been used during previous restoration work. Analytical techniques included polarising optical microscopy, spectrophotometric colorimetric tests, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
G. Barone, E. Campani, A. Casoli, M.F. La Russa, A. Lo Giudice, P. Mazzoleni, A. Pezzino, Environ. Geol. 54, 1501 (2008)
M.F. La Russa, G. Barone, P. Mazzoleni, A. Pezzino, V. Crupi, D. Majolino, Appl. Phys. A 92, 185 (2008)
J. Duran-Suarez, A. Garcia-Beltran, J. Rodriguez-Gordillo, Sci. Total Environ. 167, 171 (1995)
G. Vigliano, Graffiti and antigraffiti project. http://www.icr.beniculturali.it (2002)
G. Alessandrini, A. Aprile, A.M. Mecchi, R. Peruzzi, P. Rossi Doria Rota, U. Santamaria, G. Vigliano, in Proc. 1st Int. Cong. Science and Technology for the Safeguard of Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean Basin, vol. II, Catania-Siracusa (1995)
G. Wyszecki, W.S. Stiles, Color Science: Concepts and Methods, Quantitative Data and Formulae, 2nd edn. (Wiley, New York, 1982)
V. Pitthard, P. Finch, Chromatographia 53, S317 (2001)
R.L. Folk, Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Bull. 43, 1 (1959)
R.J. Dunham, in Classification of Carbonate Rocks, ed. by W.E. Ham (American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir, Tulsa, 1962), p. 108
A. Di Grande, M. Grasso, Riv. Ital. Paleontol. 83, 137 (1977)
L. Rampazzi, A. Andreotti, I. Bonaduce, M.P. Colombini, C. Colombo, L. Toniolo, Talanta 63, 967 (2004)
G. Biscontin, S. Volpin, in Le pellicole ad ossalati: origine e significato nella conservazione delle opere d’arte, Milano (1989)
M. Del Monte, Plinius 27, 181 (2000–2001)
A. Casoli, D. Cauzzi, G. Palla, OPD Restauro 11, 111 (1999)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Belfiore, C.M., La Russa, M.F., Pezzino, A. et al. The Baroque monuments of Modica (Eastern Sicily): assessment of causes of chromatic alteration of stone building materials. Appl. Phys. A 100, 835–844 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-010-5659-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-010-5659-3