Scientific studies for the restoration of a wood painting of the Galleria Interdisciplinare Regionale della Sicilia—Palazzo Mirto di Palermo

Pellerito, Claudia; Marco, Agata Evelina Di; Natale, Maria Concetta Di; Pignataro, Bruno; Scopelliti, Michelangelo; Sebastianelli, Mauro

doi:10.1016/j.microc.2015.10.033

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…However, no material can be considered insusceptible to microbial attack since organic and inorganic materials of artworks often represent suitable environment for microbial colonization, which consequently esthetic and, in some cases, structural damages [2]. In the literature, it has been well reported the damage of monuments, mural paintings, and frescoes due to different microorganisms [3][4][5], while few studies related to canvas [6,7] or wood artworks have been described [8]. Fungi represent the principal actors of wood degradation in terrestrial sites because these are able to degrade cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation and molecular identification of a strain belonging to the new species Zalaria obscura from a deteriorated wooden artwork

et al. 2020

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We report the case of an outdoor deteriorated wooden sculpture of Madonna, completely blackened in the face, and thus suspected of fungal attack. A multidisciplinary approach, including microbiological analysis, molecular biology, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, was applied to understand the real nature of the observed alteration. FT-IR showed that the blackening was due to the application of a natural terpene resin subjected to alteration over time. The microbiological assay allowed to isolate a particular black fungus that has been recovered in the vegetative phase, growing as the only species adapted to the examined substrate. Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis of the ITS (internal transcribed spacer) region sequence identified the fungus (LS31012019) as Zalaria obscura, a black yeast belonging to the new genus Zalaria, family Dothideales. Overall, this study evidenced the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to understand the real causes of observed deterioration of artworks. More interestingly, the recovery of a strain identified as Z. obscura from this type of substrate is never reported in the literature and this finding could offer the possibility to investigate the role of this microorganism in the deterioration process of cultural heritage.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation and molecular identification of a strain belonging to the new species Zalaria obscura from a deteriorated wooden artwork

et al. 2020

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“…Several studies have reported on the microbial colonization of damaged stone monuments [5,6], mural paintings [7–9], and frescoes [10,11], but few studies have described the microbial communities dwelling on easel paintings, namely on canvas [4,12–15] or wood panel [16,17]. Indeed, this type of artwork can possibly provide the widest range of microhabitats and nutrients suitable for the growth of microorganisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of biodegradation in a 17th century easel painting and potential for a biological approach

et al. 2018

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It is important to characterize the microorganisms involved in biodeterioration processes to understand their effects on cultural assets and to define an efficient strategy for protecting artworks, monuments, and buildings from microbiological recolonization. In this study, we analyzed the microbial communities dwelling on the verso (front) and recto (back) sides of a 17th century easel painting attributed to Carlo Bononi, an Italian artist of the first Baroque period. Cultivable bacteria and fungi colonizing the painting were isolated and identified in order to characterize the microbial community possibly involved in deteriorating the pictorial layer of the painting. The isolated bacterial strains belonged to the Staphylococcus and Bacillus genera. Furthermore, culture-dependent techniques and SEM/EDS analyses revealed the presence of filamentous fungi of the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Alternaria. The chemical compositions of pigments were consistent with typical 17th century paintings, and some of the identified pigments, namely red lac and red and yellow earths, could be exploited as nutrient sources by painting-associated microorganisms. The study also evaluated, in vitro, the potential decontaminating activity of a biocompound, containing spores of Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumilus, and Bacillus megaterium. The results indicated the ability of this biocompound to counteract the growth of contaminating microorganisms that are potentially dangerous to the painting, suggesting the potential use of these microorganisms to prevent biodeterioration of artworks.

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Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy

Fiore

Pellerito

2021

Spectroscopy for Materials Characterization

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Scientific studies for the restoration of a wood painting of the Galleria Interdisciplinare Regionale della Sicilia—Palazzo Mirto di Palermo

Cited by 12 publications

References 8 publications

Isolation and molecular identification of a strain belonging to the new species Zalaria obscura from a deteriorated wooden artwork

Isolation and molecular identification of a strain belonging to the new species Zalaria obscura from a deteriorated wooden artwork

Characterization of biodegradation in a 17th century easel painting and potential for a biological approach

Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy

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