Plasters in the Cellars of the Visconti Castle in Pavia. Physico-chemical characterization

An archaeometric investigation on plaster samples taken from the cellars of the Visconti Castle in Pavia has brought out the existence of several layers and colour films of various periods. The oldest plaster spread over the masonry is formed with three main layers. Above them, one film of bluish-black colour can be found on the arcs and on the bearing walls. On this black layer, a white film of calcitic composition, containing also apatite fragments, was spread. These ancient materials were subsequently covered in more recent times with plasters having different compositions and textures. In the present paper the properties of the three main plaster layers and those of the black film are reported in detail. The thermal behaviour of these materials was studied by means of differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The study was completed with scanning electron microscopy,microprobe analysis and X-ray diffraction on powders. The results obtained provide interesting clues for advancing reasonable hypotheses both on the methods adopted in ancient building yards, and on the techniques for the production of the pigments employed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.