Physical-chemical characterization of leather from corami wall hangings of Chigi Palace using non-destructive and micro-destructive techniques.

The art of corami, generally known as gilt leather, cuir doré, guadamecil, goudleder, ledertapete, etc., is still little known and studied compared to the importance and diffusion that it reached in its period of maximum splendour, that is in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Italian word corami comes from the Latin corium (dermis) and refers to leather decorated with silver leaves and covered with a gold￾coloured varnish above which the decorative design was then transferred/impressed and painted using lacquers and pigments depending on the desired effect. This type of leather was introduced into Spain from the Arab world (Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria) with the Muslim invasion of the eighth century and reached its pinnacle of excellence under the Caliphate of Cordoba (929–1031). Thanks to imports from Spain and the Middle East, this type of leather has spread throughout Europe, mainly in Northern and Southern Netherlands, Germany, England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France [1–3]. In Italy, the major centres of production of corami were Bologna, Naples, Rome, Ferrara, Modena and Venice, which was the largest peninsular centre for the production of golden skins known as “cuoridoro” . Gilt leather artifacts are at risk for many reasons, including a lack of scientific expertise to support the conservation proves. However, given its complexity, gilt leather’s preservation and maintenance raises a number of issues such as mechanical properties and chemical degradation mechanisms at a molecular level. The relation￾ship between these aspects is not fully understood. Furthermore, studies focusing the leather, as a support for the decorative layers, are sparse, although it repre￾sents an essential factor for the structural integrity of gilt leather. In this chapter, the aim was to characterize the leather support using complementary techniques and addressing its elemental, molecular, microscopic and macroscopic features. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR-ATR) have aided to unveil the tanning and dying techniques.