Competing English, Spanish, and French alabaster trade in Europe over five centuries as evidenced by isotope fingerprinting

Kloppmann, Wolfram; Leroux, Lise; Bromblet, Philippe; Pogam, P.-Y. Le; Cooper, Anthony H.; Worley, Noel; Guerrot, Catherine; Montech, Anne-Thérèse; Gallas, Anne-Marie; Aillaud, R.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1707450114

Cited by 5 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Bone, 2016; Picavet et al, 2018). Diffusion zones of building stones are defined by the location of their corresponding historical constructions and quarrying areas, revealing commercial activity (Kloppmann et al, 2017), stonemasonry workshops (Lozić, 2009) and communication routes (Santi et al, 2015). The size of these diffusion zones depends on the sociopolitical situation (e.g., political stability and administrative boundaries), as well as the geographic settings (e.g., relief configuration and presence of fluvial corridors) and the availability of adequate geological materials (e.g., D. A.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sourcing of chalkstone used in medieval buildings in the Eastern Duchy of Normandy (10th−14th centuries) through geological and geochemistry analyses

et al. 2022

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The provenance of medieval building stones links historic constructions with their quarrying areas, thereby revealing medieval trade routes and the spatial organization of past societies. In northern France, the Duchy of Normandy played a significant role in the medieval history of Europe, situated at the centre of the disputes between the English and French kingdoms. However, the historical documentation from this period is scarce, particularly in terms of the quarrying industry. Our study aims to define the quarrying areas and their diffusion zones and map the territorial organization of Eastern Normandy during the 10th-14th centuries. A multidisciplinary procedure using archaeological, geological and geochemical techniques was designed to establish the provenance of Normandy Chalkstone. First, we obtained a representative assembly of building stones by the selection and strategic sampling of 22 buildings. Second, we determined areas of chalk bedrock from a geological map rendered through GIS and sampled chalkstones from natural outcrops and quarries. In total, 118 samples from buildings, quarries and natural outcrops were characterized via optical microscopy and geochemical analyses for major, minor and trace elements (XRF, ICP-MS and ICP-OES), as well as for 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotope ratios (MC-ICP-MS). The application in situ of pXRF analysis allows for the identification of Normandy Chalkstone sources preserved in archaeological sites. The results indicate that all chalkstones came from five local varieties of Normandy Chalkstone and one of Shelly Limestone imported from nearby regions. The suitability of chalkstone as construction material was evaluated in situ using a sclerometer, which revealed that the singular and local geological features of the chalkstone make it suitable for walling. Our study demonstrates the development of a prominent and relatively continued quarrying industry over the 10th to 14th centuries in Eastern Normandy. The main quarrying areas were constituted of three chalkstone diffusion zones that run coevally with smaller and apparently sporadic quarries.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sourcing of chalkstone used in medieval buildings in the Eastern Duchy of Normandy (10th−14th centuries) through geological and geochemistry analyses

et al. 2022

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“…Both used an alabaster described as “covered with distinctive network of grey veins around 2 mm thick and resembling blood vessels” [ 1 ] ( Fig 2A ). We make use of the proven capacity of Sr, S and O isotope fingerprints to discriminate historical European alabaster deposits [ 19 – 21 ] to verify this intriguing resemblance, to test the provenance of the material used by both the Master of Rimini and by Riemenschneider, and, ultimately, to provide new evidence to the identity of the Master of Rimini and the location of his workshop by identifying his supply chains. We then confront our geochemical results with the rare written medieval sources on artwork of the Rimini group that we have investigated in some more detail, going back to some of the original manuscripts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…87 Sr/ 86 Sr for artwork and Franconian quarries. For comparison: principal deposits previously identified to have delivered alabaster for 14 th to 16 th century sculpture in W Europe [ 19 – 21 ], renormalised to V-CDT. R-W: Riemenschneider and workshop .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study we report isotope analyses of a near complete corpus of the surviving Riemenschneider alabaster sculptures (six out of seven) and a representative selection of sculptures attributed to the Rimini group, including masterpieces like the Rimini altar and the Wrocław group but also smaller individual works with undeniable serial production. Our data base on European alabaster [ 19 , 20 ] is completed by new data on historical quarries south German, Franconian alabaster, one of the two possible sources for the Riemenschneider workshop.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A pan-European art trade in the late middle ages: Isotopic evidence on the master of Rimini enigma

Kloppmann

Leroux

Bromblet³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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The identity of artists and localisation of workshops are rarely known with certainty before the mid-15th century. We investigated the material used by one of the most prolific and enigmatic medieval sculptors, the Master of the Rimini Altarpiece or Master of Rimini, active around 1420–40. The isotope fingerprints (Sr, S and O) of a representative corpus of masterpieces but also minor artworks, attributed to the Master of Rimini and his workshop, are virtually identical, demonstrating the unity of the corpus and a material evidence behind the stylistic and iconographic ascriptions. The material used is exclusively Franconian (N-Bavarian) alabaster, 600 km distant from the supposed zone of activity of the Master of Rimini workshop according to recent literature. The same material was later used by the prominent Late Medieval German carver Tilman Riemenschneider, active in Würzburg after 1483, whose small corpus of alabaster sculptures we have been able to characterize almost entirely. Based on these findings, we propose here an alternative to the prevailing hypothesis of a Flemish or N-French workshop being founded on similarities of the Rimini sculpture with motives in Flemish and French painting. Our scenario, returning to the initial proposal of a German localisation of the Master of Rimini workshop, assumes the migration of an artist, perhaps trained in the Low Countries or strongly inspired by the Flemish art, to Southern Germany where he founded a highly productive export workshop, well situated on the crossroads of medieval trade, with a pan-European radiance. This study sheds a spotlight on the on the trade networks of luxury goods, the raw material used for their production, and the high-end art market in Europe as well as on international migration of artists and styles, at the eve of the Renaissance.

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“…As variações existentes nas razões entre os isótopos de estrôncio (razão 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) constituem excelentes indicadores de processos geoquímicos e são utilizados com frequência em estudos hidrogeológicos (BRENOT et al 2008, PETELET-GIRAUD et al 2016, SANTONI et al 2021, forenses (AGGARWAL et al 2008, WEST et al 2009, WEBB-ROBERTSON et al 2012), arqueológicos (LAFFOON et al 2012, WILHELMSON & AHSLTROM 2015, KLOPPMANN et al 2017) e de migração de espécies a partir de hábitos alimentares (CHENERY et al 2010, BRENNAN et al 2014, VAUTOUR et al 2015.…”

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O que os isótopos de estrôncio nos ensinam sobre as águas subterrâneas

Quaggio¹,

Gastmans²,

Martins³

2021

Derb.

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As razões entre os isótopos de estrôncio (87Sr/86Sr) constituem excelentes traçadores de processos hidrogeoquímicos. Isso se deve a sua característica conservativa, ou seja, não serão fracionados por processos geológicos superficiais, como, por exemplo, processos de interação água-rocha, de intemperismo, de salinização e na determinação de fontes de 87Sr, constituindo informação relevante na compreensão da circulação das águas subterrâneas. No Brasil, poucos estudos hidrogeológicos utilizaram essas razões entre os isótopos de estrôncio na compreensão de processos hidrogeoquímicos. A pouca utilização desta técnica versátil está associada ao pequeno número de laboratórios brasileiros com capacidade analítica para a determinação das razões 87Sr/86Sr em águas subterrâneas, uma vez que são necessários equipamentos de elevada precisão, como espectrômetros de massa por termo-ionização (TIMS) ou plasma indutivamente acoplado (ICP-MS), equipe e infraestrutura especializada. Além disso, devido à complexidade da interpretação dos resultados, são necessários dados complementares e um profundo conhecimento do contexto hidrogeológico. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho busca incentivar o uso dos isótopos de estrôncio e, para tanto, traz a apresentação dos conceitos principais para compreensão e avaliação dos isótopos de estrôncio em águas subterrâneas, iniciando com a revisão dos fundamentos teóricos acerca da geoquímica do estrôncio, seus isótopos e o ciclo desses isótopos. Na sequência, são apresentados os procedimentos de amostragem e análise, seguidos pela revisão dos estudos de águas subterrâneas brasileiros que utilizaram este traçador. Por fim, considerações sobre a técnica e oportunidades de aplicação em estudos hidrogeológicos são apresentadas. Visto que a grande maioria dos sistemas aquíferos brasileiros não possuem dados da razão 87Sr/86Sr, há grandes oportunidades de expansão desta linha de pesquisa, com produção de dados inéditos e inclusão deste traçador em programas de monitoramento de águas subterrâneas.

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Competing English, Spanish, and French alabaster trade in Europe over five centuries as evidenced by isotope fingerprinting

Cited by 5 publications

References 12 publications

Sourcing of chalkstone used in medieval buildings in the Eastern Duchy of Normandy (10th−14th centuries) through geological and geochemistry analyses

Sourcing of chalkstone used in medieval buildings in the Eastern Duchy of Normandy (10th−14th centuries) through geological and geochemistry analyses

A pan-European art trade in the late middle ages: Isotopic evidence on the master of Rimini enigma

O que os isótopos de estrôncio nos ensinam sobre as águas subterrâneas

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