Visual and Physical Degradation of the Black and White Mosaic of a Roman Domus under Palazzo Valentini in Rome: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Palazzo Valentini, the institutional head office of Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale, stands in in a crucial position in the Roman archaeological and urban contexts, exactly between the Fora valley, Quirinal Hill slopes, and Campus Martius. It stands on a second-century A.D. complex to which belong, between other archeological remains, two richly decorated aristocratic domus. One of these buildings, the domus A, presents an outward porticoed room with a fourth-century AD central impluvium (open air part of the atrium designed to carry away rainwater) with a black/white tiled mosaic pavement, the preservation status of which is compromised by an incoherent degradation product that has caused gradual detachment of the mosaic tiles. To identify the product and determine the causes of degradation, samples of the product were taken and subjected to SEM-EDS, XRF, NMR, FT-IR and GC-MS analyses. The findings reported in this study can help restorers, archaeologists and conservation scientists in order to improve knowledge about the Roman mosaic, its construction phases, conservation problems and proper solutions.

Microanalytical Characterization of an Innovative Modern Mural Painting Technique by SEM-EDS, NMR and Micro-ATR-FTIR among Others

“…However, the sensitivity of NMR spectroscopy has increased enormously because of recent improvements in hardware and instrumental advances. Therefore, in recent years, NMR spectroscopy as a tool for characterizing complex mixtures has increased, particularly in the field of cultural heritage, as it provides valuable insights in the identification of organic materials such as waxes, paint binders, pigments, additives and organic degradation products [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Advances in Analytical Strategies to Study Cultural Heritage Samples

“…Among the most beautiful expressions of ancient art is the Roman mosaic. The preliminary study by Colantonio et al [7] suggests a multi-analytical approach using SEM-EDS, XRF, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to assess the causes of chemical degradation of a black-and-white Roman mosaic at Palazzo Valentini near the Roman Forum (Italy). The study's results may improve the knowledge of the Roman mosaic and its construction phases and enable the most appropriate strategies for its conservation to be undertaken.…”