Dataset Information

Palaeoproteomic Profiling of Conservation Layers on a 14th Century Italian Wall Painting.

ABSTRACT: Ahead of display, a non-original layer was observed on the surface of a fragment of a wall painting by Ambrogio Lorenzetti (active 1319, died 1348/9). FTIR analysis suggested proteinaceous content. Mass spectrometry was used to better characterise this layer and revealed two protein components: sheep and cow glue and chicken and duck egg white. Analysis of post-translational modifications detected several photo-oxidation products, which suggest that the egg experienced prolonged exposure to UV light and was likely applied long before the glue layer. Additionally, glycation products detected may indicate naturally occurring glycoprotein degradation or reaction with a carbohydrate material such as starch, identified by ATR-FTIR in a cross-section of a sample taken from the painting. Palaeoproteomics is shown to provide detailed characterisation of organic layers associated with mural paintings and therefore aids reconstruction of the conservation history of these objects.

SUBMITTER: Mackie M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6032867 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Palaeoproteomic Profiling of Conservation Layers on a 14th Century Italian Wall Painting.

Mackie Meaghan M Rüther Patrick P Samodova Diana D Di Gianvincenzo Fabiana F Granzotto Clara C Lyon David D Peggie David A DA Howard Helen H Harrison Lynne L Jensen Lars Juhl LJ Olsen Jesper V JV Cappellini Enrico E

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) 20180426 25

Ahead of display, a non-original layer was observed on the surface of a fragment of a wall painting by Ambrogio Lorenzetti (active 1319, died 1348/9). FTIR analysis suggested proteinaceous content. Mass spectrometry was used to better characterise this layer and revealed two protein components: sheep and cow glue and chicken and duck egg white. Analysis of post-translational modifications detected several photo-oxidation products, which suggest that the egg experienced prolonged exposure to UV l ...[more]

PMID: 29603563

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Project description:OBJECTIVES:To see whether a collection of portraits depicting inhabitants of a defined geographical region and covering several centuries is a useful source for studying the sociocultural significance and epidemiology of particular visible diseases, such as goitre, which is known to have been common in this region. DESIGN:Systematic review of portraits and description of visible signs of illness. SETTING:The Burgerbibliothek (archives of the burghers' community) in Berne, Switzerland. DATA SOURCES:3615 portraits; 2989 of individuals whose identity is known and 626 of individuals whose identity is unknown. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:Visible signs of illness evaluated by means of a standardised visual assessment. RESULTS:Visible signs of illness in portraits were common and appeared in up to 82% (451/553) of paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. The most common findings were signs of goitre in women and overweight in men. In only the portraits where the neck region could be evaluated, 41% of women with known identities (139/343) had goitre compared with 24% of men with known identities (21/86). The prevalence of goitre was even higher in sitters whose identities were unknown: 63% in men (5/8) and 68% in women (82/121). Overweight in people with known identities was more common in men than in women (30%, 346/1145 v 44%, 811/1844). Overweight was most common in sitters aged >40 than in those aged 40 or younger. Other conditions, such as missing teeth, amputated limbs, or osteoarthritic deformations were surprisingly rare in the portraits under evaluation. CONCLUSIONS:Goitre and other diseases are under-represented in the people depicted in these portraits. Artistic idealisation is a likely explanation for this observation: what was reproduced depended on what was considered pathological or shameful at the time, and therefore depended on age and sex. Stigmatising details may have been omitted. Further, artistic skills and contemporary fashion may have influenced the way in which people were reproduced. People depicted are possibly not representative of the general Bernese population as they constituted a socioeconomically advantaged group.

Dataset Information

Palaeoproteomic Profiling of Conservation Layers on a 14th Century Italian Wall Painting.

Publications

Palaeoproteomic Profiling of Conservation Layers on a 14th Century Italian Wall Painting.

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