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This paper presents the results of the mineralogical, petrographic and chemical study of different archaeological samples related to terracruda sculptures and other elements that were part of the architectural decoration of the Buddhist sites of Tepe Narenj and Qol‐e‐tut (Kabul, Afghanistan; fifth to 11th centuries CE). The main objective of the study was to characterize the samples using an archaeometric approach. The study helped to better understand the materials involved in the modeling of Afghan sculptures and their processing, such as the different nature of the clay layers and the finishing 'stucco' coating. The results further indicate that similarities exist among the manufacturing process of the studied samples and that used today by an ancient caste of clay artists in West Bengal (India), suggesting the existence of a continuous technological tradition that deserves to be further explored in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study discusses the materials and traditional knowledge used in the manufacture and application of lime mortars and stuccoes by Romans and Arabs in Seville (southern Iberian Peninsula). All of the samples studied contain calcite as a binder, combined with aggregates based on river sand from the filling materials of the Guadalquivir River's depression, located in the vicinity of the Real Alcazar Palace in Seville, Spain, where the artefacts were discovered. The Romans used high-quality production technology, as evidenced by the careful selection of raw materials as well as by the adequate binder-to-aggregate ratio and the elevated homogeneity of the mortars and stuccoes. The suitable distribution of aggregates resulted in higher density values for Roman fragments than for Arabic ones. Results derived from Arabic samples suggest a decline in technology manufacture over time. This work provides useful information, particularly regarding the Roman and Arabic periods in the Iberian Peninsula. The analytical techniques employed in this study were X-ray diffraction ( XRD), X-ray fluorescence ( XRF)-using conventional and portable systems, scanning electron microscopy ( SEM), petrographic microscopy, differential thermal analysis/thermogravimetry ( DTA/ TG), particle-size analysis and mercury intrusion porosimetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is aimed at defining the artistic technique performed by the outstanding artist Isidoro Bianchi for the Baroque stucco decorations in the church of Santa Maria dei Ghirli (Campione d'Italia, Italy). Samples of stucco were examined by means of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with a microprobe, X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and laser ablation mass spectrometry equipped with plasma source spectrometry. On the basis of the results obtained, art historians have made new hypotheses on the biography of the artist and on the historical location of his birthplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the decayed decoration of the ' Vergine del Carmelo' chapel, with a particular interest in the residual gildings. Samples of the finishing layers were examined by VIS-UV optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled with EDX spectrometry, in order to evaluate the unusual degradation phenomena. Mineralogical composition of the stucco substrate was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR spectroscopy. The results showed the unexpected presence of a thick layer of brass flakes, applied without any binder, used as a substitute for the damaged original gold leaf, and highlighting a very uncommon selective corrosion process of the brass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty-six wall painting fragments and some plaster, ‘intonachino’ and stucco samples, discovered at Iulia Concordia, have been studied by different analytical techniques to gain information about the pigment nature and the composition of the materials. The presence of calcite, dolomite and aragonite allow the distinction of four groups of wall samples varying in the nature of pigments and in the application technique. These differences can be attributed to different execution times or, more probably, to the arrangement of the rooms in the building structure. The nature of the pigments found in the Thermae of Iulia Concordia appears similar to that found in other Roman villas of Venetia et Histria, with the use of precious pigments such as Egyptian blue and cinnabar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restoration requires the use of appropriate characterization methods and suitable new material preparation processes permit the reproduction of the original material to be as similar as possible in order to be an appropriate application method. The combination of these factors will facilitate a good restoration process. Different stuccos were taken from El Museo del Calendario, a building located in Querétaro, Mexico which was built in the 16th century. All the stucco samples were studied using the characterization process which is proposed in this article. The characterization method consisted of the use of analytical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopy. This characterization method made reproduction of the original material possible. The new material combined with new application techniques developed in situ will result in a high-quality restoration process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work illustrates the possible connections between the phenomenon of the seasonal emigration of lake masters and the production of artistic artefacts. Within the ambit of these dynamics, a stucco mantelpiece was taken into consideration. Nothing was known about the object: neither its origin, nor the artist who produced it, nor the period of execution. Historical, stylistic and formal analyses of the materials and of the technique with which the work was executed allow us to verify that the mantelpiece was produced using the stucco technique in the 17th century, in Rovio (southern Switzerland, Ticino), and that it comes from one of the exponents of the Carlone workshop, whose representatives were important in the tradition of itinerant artistic workers. Due to their good technical and professional specialization, the Carlone workshop served both public and private buyers. Tommaso Carlone is the principal representative artist of the Carlone workshop; it is certain that his workshop produced the stucco mantelpiece. The migrations of the artists were seasonal and they maintained a close bond with their country of origin. When they returned to the country of origin, they produced works of great artistic value, of which the mantelpiece represents a splendid example. Through the employment of conventional analytical techniques (optical and electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and porosity measurements), it has been possible to study the technique with which the work was executed, the materials used and the decay. The mantelpiece was produced using the stucco technique by means of a body layer (slaked lime and silicate and carbonate aggregates) and a marmorino finishing layer (slaked lime and pointed calcite crystals). Above this layer, whose thickness varies in relation to the executed result, there is a thin lime plaster whitewash, pigmented with the dispersion of yellow ochre particles; chromatic alterations are an oxalate patina caused by firm adhesion to the marmorino layer, due to the denaturation of the proteic substances employed. The final treatment was made with beeswax, which increased the marmoreal effect. Several additional layers of lime plaster whitewash have also been applied over the centuries. The figurative central square of the plastic decoration was made using red ochre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]