Results of the II National Research Project of AIAr: Archaeometric Study of the Frescoes by Saturnino Gatti and Workshop at the Church of San Panfilo in Tornimparte (AQ, Italy)

Dear Colleagues,

The archaeometric study of the frescoes by the painter Saturnino Gatti (1463-1518) in the apse of the Church of San Panfilo in Villagrande di Tornimparte (L'Aquila) is the subject of the II National Research Project conducted by members of the Italian Association of Archaeometry (AIAr). The research activities were carried out as part of a scientific agreement of the AIAr, signed in 2020  by 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. Several in situ non-destructive investigations and laboratory analyses on micro-fragments sampled from the different levels of pictorial cycle were carried out thanks to the co-working of 21 Research Groups with more than 60 AIAr researchers involved in the different stages of scientific studies of pictorial materials and of the environmental conditions in which the frescoes are now preserved. The present Special Issue represents an important opportunity to illustrate for the first time the results of the pre-restoration diagnostic study. The macro-objectives followed by the working groups coordinated by the Governing Council AIAr members were:

• To document the state of conservation of the architectural building and the painted surfaces;
• To analyse microclimate and inertia level of the church with respect to outdoor conditions;
• To understand the degradation phenomena of the pictorial surfaces and the mural structures;
• To identify and map non-original materials overlapped to pictorial surfaces during previous restoration works;
• To characterize the original materials of the frescoes and “a secco” mural paintings;
• To identify the artistic technique and typical features of Saturnino Gatti and the others painters who worked at the frescoes in San Panfilo.

Dr. Anna Galli
Dr. Mauro Francesco La Russa
Dr. Maria Francesca Alberghina
Dr. Alessandro Re
Dr. Donata Magrini
Dr. Celestino Grifa
Dr. Rosina Celeste Ponterio
Guest Editors

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