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COMPLETING THE MOSAIC OF KNOWLEDGE. INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY OF PRAGUE SEPULCHRAL MOSAIC ARTWORKS.

Pavla Bauerova, M. K. Storkanova, M. Pavlikova, L. Scheinherrova, M. Keppert

Abstract

Mortar beds of three late 19th century sepulchral mosaics from two cemeteries in Prague, Czech Republic were investigated by SEM-EDS, DTG, XRD and FTIR. The materials had a very similar chemical and mineralogical composition – calcite, dolomite, portlandite and quartz were identified in all of them. Calcite was present both as the main constituent of the binder and in the form of angular grains. Moreover, the mortars contained 16 – 18 wt% oil, most probably linseed oil. Due to the rate of degradation and FTIR limitations the unambiguous identification of the concrete oil type was not possible. However, the spectrum of the samples fits to the spectrum of standoil. Moreover, the technology of the mortars (lime + carbonate filler + oil is based on traditional 17th century recipes after Giorlamo Muziano (c. 1532 – 1592) using linseed oil or a mixture of raw linseed oil and standoil. The general macroscopic and microscopic similarity of the mortars supports the art historians? hypothesis of their common provenance – Austrian company Neuhauser Innsbruck who is known to have been the first supplier of mosaics to the Czech market during the revival of mosaic art in the latter half of the 19th century.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgemsocial2019V/2.1/S04.002

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