Characterization of Wall Painting Fragments from the West Courtyard Passage at St. Nicholas Church in Demre

Year 2023, Issue: 20, 293 - 310, 31.07.2023

Oğuz Emre Kayser , Özden Ormancı , Ali Akın Akyol

https://doi.org/10.26650/artsanat.2023.20.1292318

Abstract

This paper presents archaeometric analyses of representative wall painting fragments (dated to middle Byzantine period) from the West Courtyard Passage at Demre St. Nicholas Church (in ancient Myra), which is located in Antalya province today. Wall painting fragments were analyzed by a multi analytical methods which includes physical and chromametric determinations, optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (μ-XRF and PED-XRF), in order to identify the characteristics of the materials, painting technique and the pigments used. Microscopic examinations showed that the samples were two-layered (intonaco and arriccio) wall paintings that executed using the secco technique. The elemental compositions of the plasters are quite similar. The pigments used in the wall paintings is similar to others in the literature, including red and yellow ochre, calcite, green earth (celadonite) and carbon black. Archaeometric studies for the identification of archaeological pigments are carried out with micro-Raman spectroscopy and multiple analytical techniques. The same methodology was applied in this study. The results obtained will also contribute to the conservation/restoration studies of wall paintings.

Keywords

Archaeometry, wall paintings, Demre St. Nicholas Church, material characterization, Raman spectroscopy

Thanks

Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Lycian Civilizations Museum and Prof. Dr. Sema Doğan are greatly acknowledged for permission for research. The authors would like to thank Özge Boso Hanyalı for her contribution in petrographic analysis and S. Halit Canol, the director of MSGSÜ Material Research Center for Cultural Property and Artworks. The authors would like to thank Prof. Dr. Yusuf Kağan Kadıoğlu and Doç. Dr. Kıymet Deniz (Ankara University Earth Sciences Application and Research Center - YEBIM) for the petrographic and PED-XRF analyses. The authors would like to thank Gülşen Albuz Geren and Nefise Günaydın (Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University, Historical Material Research and Conservation Laboratory - MAKLAB) for the sample preparations for analyses.

Demre Aziz Nikolaos Kilisesi Batı Avlu Geçiş Mekanında Bulunan Duvar Resmi Parçalarının Karakterizasyonu

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, Antalya’nın Demre ilçesinde bulunan St. Nicholas Kilisesi’nin (antik Myra kentinde yer alan) Batı Avlu geçiş mekânından ele geçen duvar resmi parçalarının arkeometrik analizleri sunulmaktadır. Duvar resmi parçaları; malzeme özellikleri, boyama teknikleri ve kullanılan pigmentler açısından fiziksel ve kromametrik belgelemeler, optik mikroskopi, X-ışını difraktometresi (XRD), Raman spektroskopisi ve X-ışını floresan spektroskopisi (μ-XRF ve PED-XRF) içeren çoklu analitik metotlar ile analiz edilmiştir. Mikroskobik incelemeler, duvar resimlerinin iki katmanlı (intonaco ve arriccio) olduğunu göstermiştir. Secco tekniği kullanılarak uygulandığı tespit edilen duvar resmi parçalarına ait sıva tabakalarının kimyasal bileşimleri oldukça benzerdir. Duvar resimlerinin pigment paleti literatür ile uyumlu olup, kırmızı ve sarı aşı boyası, kalsit, yeşil toprak (seladonit) ve karbon siyahından oluşmaktadır. Arkeolojik pigmentlerin tanımlanmasına yönelik arkeometrik çalışmalar mikro-Raman spektroskopisi ile beraber çoklu analitik tekniklerle gerçekleştirilmektedir. Bu çalışmada da aynı metodoloji uygulanmıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlar duvar resimlerinin konservasyon/restorasyon çalışmalarına da katkı sağlayacaktır.

Keywords

Arkeometri, duvar resimleri, Demre Aziz Nikolaos Kilisesi, malzeme karakterizasyonu, Raman spektroskopisi

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