Nuove tecnologie per lo studio della policromia sui sarcofagi romani: proposte per una standardizzazione metodologica

This research aims to identify the scientific method and use digital technologies to acquire information about pigments, painting techniques, and procedures for the color and gilding application on metropolitan Roman marble sarcophagi (2nd - 4th cent. AD). The study covers the analytical work and cataloging, performed according to the standardized norms, of the polychrome sarcophagi identified in the Musei Vaticani, the Museo Nationale Romano, and the Musei Capitolini collections. Moreover, it identifies, tests, and assesses a set of open-source software, suggesting some amendments designed to increase their effectiveness toward ancient polychromy study. The research was divided into three main groups: 1. Identification and classification of polychrome and gilded traces preserved on Roman marble sarcophagi of the three mentioned museums collections, after the standard ICCD - Central Institute for Cataloguing and Documentation of Italy. Further development of an analytical investigation method is supported by the results of scientific analyses to identify the used pigments and dyes, their application techniques, and the gold leaf. 2. Testing of the Ministerial web-based Information System documentation for the Restoration of Yards - SICaR, to create a standard method for the acquisition, comparison, and subsequent use of the information on the polychromy and gilding, with particular attention to the scientific analysis results. 3. Creation of a photorealistic 3D digital model of a sarcophagus that has been chosen as a case study. Polychrome knowledge acquisition by scientific analyses and identification of digital open-source tools (e.g., MeshLab). Finally, testing the system to assess the effectiveness and limitations to visualize a hypothesis of the original color on the digital reconstruction.

L'obiettivo principale di questa ricerca consiste nella definizione di un metodo analitico per arrivare a conoscere i pigmenti, le tecniche di stesura e di applicazione del colore e della doratura sui sarcofagi romani di produzione urbana mediante l'impiego di tecnologie digitali. In particolare questo studio, oltre a un lavoro di analisi puntuale e di catalogazione secondo norme standardizzate dei sarcofagi policromi conservati presso i Musei Vaticani, il Museo Nazionale Romano e i Musei Capitolini, si propone di sperimentare alcuni software open source e di suggerire le modifiche da apportare al fine di renderli un efficace ausilio per lo studio della policromia antica. Infatti, come le architetture e le sculture greche e romane, anche i sarcofagi erano stati pensati e realizzati tenendo in considerazione l'aspetto cromatico: un'unione di tinte differenti donava presumibilmente gradazione ai fondi e restituiva ai rilievi una maggiore plasticità, naturalezza e armonia compositiva.