The Study of Ornamental Gildings in Old Tempera Icons from the XVIII-th Century

Abstract

The paper presents the study of old ornamentation techniques used into making of two icons from the XVIII-th century, part of the heritage of Tazlau monastery, Neamt County. In order to do this, the materials used to create the polychrome layers and their current conservation state was analyzed. The data obtained by investigating the two mentioned elements have allowed for the identification of different traditional techniques, used for ornamental gilding. Optical microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) were employed in the analyses. The archaeometrical characteristics of the pigments and binders, collaborated with the aesthetic analyses, allowed the dating of the two icons for the end of the XVIII-th century.