The Contribution of Microchemical Analyses and Diagnostic Imaging to the Conservation and Identification of the Degraded Surfaces of Hellenistic-Roman Wall Paintings from Solunto (Sicily)

Abstract

The Archaeological Museum of Palermo (Sicily) has recently presented the results of the restoration of three wall paintings coming from the House of the Masks of Solunto archaeological site. These precious paintings, dating back to the first century BC, are the most considerable examples of Pompeian style discovered in Sicily until today. The whole unearthed cycle of frescoes is the better preserved and complete example of wall painting dated to Republican Roman period in Sicily. This house was a luxurious private residence built on two floors and articulated around a peristyle. These frescoes cycle embellished the walls of a banquet room (oecus) discovered during an archaeological excavation carried out by Giovanni Patricolo in 1869. The definition House of the Masks was suggested by Salemi Pace in 1872 when he published the discovery of those frescoes with colourful garlands and theatrical masks. In 1874, only five panels were detached from the walls and moved to the National Museum of Palermo for conservative purposes. The recent careful cleaning of the pictorial surfaces and the new archaeological and archaeometric researches revealed unusual details on the pictorial technique and newly painted subjects. The scientific investigation has been preliminary based on a non-destructive approach, performed in situ by portable equipment and subsequently, a further deepening on a micro fragment by the micro-destructive investigation. In particular, X-Ray fluorescence analyses have been carried out to identify the original pictorial palette and Electron Microprobe analyses coupled with Energy-Dispersive Spectrometry allowed to define the chromatic alteration products. Finally, the infrared imaging technique provided new data about the pictorial technique and iconography readability. The new archaeometric evidences light on these rare examples of Roman wall painting of the Sicilian Roman province until today not systematically studied from the point of view of materials and execution techniques, confirming the dating and the connection with contemporary workshops active in other Roman provinces.