User report - Eu-ARTECH

CNRS - UMR 171
14, quai François Mitterrand
75001 Paris
RAPPORT D’EXPERIENCE
EXPERIMENT REPORT
October 22 nd -25 th 2007
Titre du projet / Project Title:
Study of materials and techniques used by the great Renaissance Masters :
Mastro Giorgio and his lustered majolicas
Responsable du projet / Project Leader: Dr Giuseppina Padeletti
N° de la proposition
Affiliation : ISMN-CNR, via Salaria Km 29,5, C.P. 10 Monterotondo Staz., 00016
Monterotondo (Roma), Italy
Phone: +39.06.90672.346
Fax: +39.06.90672.372
E-mail : pad@mlib.cnr.it
This report concerns a series of experiments performed in October 2007 (4 days, 22 rd – 25 th April).
Scientific context, methods
The aim of the present investigation is to identify through physical criteria the evolution of the
production technology of lustered ceramics during the first part of the 16 th century in Italy, but referring
to the Islamic production too.
In this framework, in the present experiment seven plates from the Petit Palais Museum have been
studied. These plates were lustred in the Mastro Giorgio workshop, but they were painted by different
artists, all working in the Urbino Duky.
In order to obtain results comparable with the previous studies, the experimental conditions previously
used were applied to this new set of samples too. PIXE under 3 MeV proton beam is used for the
elemental analysis of the glazes, and of the bulk pastes. PIXE analysis is not much informative for the
knowledge of the lusters as these are constituted of very thin (a few 100 nm thick) layers of a glassy
glaze containing a limited amount of metallic (generally copper and silver) nanometric particles. The
in-depth analysis of the lustred region has been carried out by RBS (Rutherford backscattering
spectrometry) under 3 MeV alpha particle beam.
Results
Owing to the experimental necessities justified above, half of the time has been devoted to PIXE
analyses under 3 MeV protons, and the other half to RBS acquisitions under 3 MeV α beam. On each
object, a minimum of 20 PIXE analyses and of 20 RBS analyses have been performed.

In the majority of cases, the glazes have been precisely characterised by PIXE, and the different
pigments, blue, green, black, yellow, etc. could be identified.
It was possible to analyse:
- the ceramic body of the objects in some parts;
- the glazes, that are showing common characteristics
- the pigments. On this particular aspect very interesting information have been acquired that
seems to indicate that different painters could use different “palette” . This could be very
interesting, thus permitting the attribution to a painter on a scientific base too (not only
stylistic). A problem arises due to the fact that only 3 or 2 plates for each painter were
observed and this number is not enough to draw a serious conclusion, but we estimate that
this aspect should be carried on.
The RBS spectra are simulated by the SIMNRA code. The layers containing copper and/or silver are
of the order of a few hundred nanometres thick and contain a relatively high amount of metals.
The comparison between those data obtained on the different objects and fragments should provide
enough parameters to identify characteristics of the technological evolution of the workshops all along
the considered period.
The RBS analyses revealed that the lusters present a different and complex succession of layers and
differences in chemical composition, from a plate to another plate. Probably other variables than
datation have to be taken into account in order to explain these variations (different workshops? etc)
This aspect too, in our opinion needs further investigation.
Bibliography
- Padeletti G. and Fermo P. (2003) (invited): How the masters in Umbria, Italy, generated and used
nanoparticles in art fabrication during the Renaissance period, Applied Physics A, 76, p.515-525
- Padeletti G. and Fermo P. (2003): Italian Renaissance and Hispano-Moresque lustre decorated
majolicas : imitation cases of Hispano-Moresque style in central Italy, Applied Physics A 77, p.125-133
- Padeletti G., Fermo P. (2003): Italian Renaissance and Hispano-Moresque luster decorated
majolicas: imitation cases of Hispano-Moresque style in Central Italy, Applied Physics A, 77 (1), 125-
132
- Padeletti G., Fermo P., Gilardoni S., Galli A (2004) : Technological study on ancient ceramics
produced in Casteldurante (central Italy) during Renaissance, Applied Physics A 79, 335-339
- Padeletti G., Fermo P. (2004): Bismuth knowledge during Renaissance strengthened by its use in
Italian lustre production, Applied Physics A 79, 277-281
- Bouquillon A., Padeletti G., Aucouturier M., (2005), Glaze and pigment analyses of Mastro Giorgio
masterpieces; Symposium “Mastro Giorgio da Gubbio. Art, Science and Technology of Lustred
Majolicas”, Gubbio (Italie), 9 th – 11 th November 2005.
- Aucouturier M., Bouquillon A., Roehrs S., Padeletti G., (2005), Luster analysis of Mastro Giorgio
masterpieces; Symposium “Mastro Giorgio da Gubbio. Art, Science and Technology of Lustred
Majolicas”, Gubbio (Italie), 9 th – 11 th November 2005.

- Aucouturier M., Darque-Ceretti E., Hélary D., Chabanne D., (2005), Les céramiques lustrées, de
l’orient islamique à la Renaissance italienne, Symposium “Mastro Giorgio da Gubbio. Art, Science and
Technology of Lustred Majolicas”, Gubbio (Italie), 9 th – 11 th November 2005.
- Giuseppina Padeletti
“Maestro Giorgio da Gubbio”
Ceramics Art and Perspection, 64, 44-45 (2006)
- G. Padeletti, A. Bouquillon, M. Aucouturier
“Bellezza e tecnologia delle maioliche a lustro”
on “Tecniche di analisi di materiali nei Beni Culturali”, 2007 , pag 11-16, Carbone Editore-Palermo
- M. Aucouturier, A. Bouquillon, D. Chabanne, F. Mathis, G. Padeletti
“Application of ion beam techniques for cultural heritage knowledge and conservation”
on “Tecniche di analisi di materiali nei Beni Culturali”, 2007 , pag 3-10, Carbone Editore-Palermo
- Padeletti G. , Ingo G.M., Aucouturier M., Bouquillon A., First-time observation of Mastro Giorgio
masterpieces by means of non-destructive techniques; Applied Physics A 83, (2006), 475
- Chabanne D, Bouquillon A, Aucouturier M., Padeletti G, Physico-chemical analyses of Hispano-
Moresque lustred ceramic: a precursor for Italian majolica?
accepted on Applied Physics A 2008
- G. Padeletti (su invito)
“La Scienza dei Materiali per la Conoscenza e la Conservazione del Patrimonio Culturale”
Dalla Ricerca al Business, 3 Marzo 2008, Catania
- G.M. Ingo, G. Padeletti
“Prospettive di ricerca ed innovazione nelle ceramiche artistiche”
Materiali Ceramici tra Tradizione e Innovazione, Ginori-CNR, 3 Aprile 2008, Sesto Fiorentino
Rome, January 30 th 2008
Giuseppina Padeletti