“Hearts of gold” (Cuori d'oro): The case study of the leather corami of Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia

Abstract

In this work we present the results obtained by different technical analysis in order to perform the characterization of the chromatic richness, the employed materials and the iconographic elements of different fragments of decorated and gilded leather corami coming from the archive of Palazzo Chigi of Ariccia (Rome) and employed, during the 17^th century, as wallcoverings. Different microscopic and spectroscopic analyses have been performed by means of Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) and Macro Area X-Ray Fluorescence (MA-XRF) techniques available at the INFN LABEC ion beam laboratory in Florence and the Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (SEM-EDX) of the Superconductivity Laboratory of the ENEA Frascati Research Center. The results aim to provide the scholar information about the manufacturing process and the materials employed for the production of these peculiar artefacts, also in order to plan the best and most appropriate conservation protocol. In particular, thanks to the SEM-EDX analysis it has been possible to characterize the layered structure of the samples and, specifically, the interface between the leather of the substrate, the metal foil of the so called meccatura and between these and the overlying pictorial layer. The IBA and MA-XRF techniques has helped in characterizing the painting palette employed while IBA has allowed to determine the conservation condition of the silver layer with the hypothesis of the incorporation of the silver leaf into the organic compound of the mecca as its main deterioration phenomena. These complementary techniques provide, therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the materials and iconographic elements of these leather-based artefacts, which is essential for their preservation and restoration as well as they contribute to a better understanding of the deterioration processes they incur.