Results of the II National Research Project of AIAr

Members of the Italian Association of Archaeometry (AIAr) are conducting an archaeometric study of the frescoes by Saturnino Gatti (1463-1518) in the apse of the Church of San Panfilo in Villagrande di Tornimparte (L'Aquila) as part of a second National Research Project. The research was as part of a 2020 scientific agreement between the AIAr and the Abruzzo Regional Secretariat of the Ministry for Culture and Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of L'Aquila and Teramo. This reprint aims to illustrate the results of this study. The macro-objectives were: To document the state of conservation of architectural building and painted surfaces; To analyse microclimate and inertia level of the church with respect to outdoor conditions; To understand degradation phenomena of pictorial surfaces and the mural structures; To identify non-original materials overlapping with pictorial surfaces during previous restoration works; To characterize original materials of the frescoes and "a secco" mural paintings; To identify the artistic technique and typical features of Saturnino Gatti and the other painters who worked on the frescoes in San Panfilo.