In November, academics, a research support officer and a postgraduate student from the University of Malta travelled to Tortorici (province of Messina) in order to undertake non-invasive diagnostic tests on Renaissance sculptures in the church of the Badia.
A total of five sculptures in marble were studied using Structure-from-Motion Photogrammetry, 3-D laser scanning, Hyperspectral imaging and XRF (X-ray fluorescence) and Raman spectroscopy.
The Annunciation sculptural groups are by Antonello Gagini and his uncle Giovanello, whilst the Madonna del Soccorso was executed by Antonello’s son Giacomo Gagini. Within the same church is another Renaissance marble sculpture of St Margaret of Antioch produced by an unknown Renaissance sculptor, which also merits to be studied in depth.
The aim of this project is also to compliment work that has been carried out in Malta on a 1504 Madonna and Child by Antonello Gagini in the Church of Santa Maria di Gesù or Ta’ Ä ieżu in Rabat, Malta. The results will help in broadening our knowledge of methods and techniques used to execute the sculptures in Renaissance Sicily, but also to build a database of facial features that could assist art historians in attributions.
A meeting was also held at the Museo Regionale di Messina in order for similar non-invasive tests to be carried out on a number of Renaissance sculptures in the collection, thus broadening the scope of the research. The analysis could also be adapted to Renaissance paintings at the Museo Regionale di Messina, particularly those by the nephews and followers of Antonello da Messina that have been the subject of research by Dr Charlene Vella in the last 15 years.
This project was made possible through the collaboration of Dr Charlene Vella from the Department of Art and Art History and postgraduate student in art history Jamie Farrugia, and Prof. Sebastiano D’Amico and Mr Emanuele Colica from the Department of Geosciences. The work was also conducted in collaboration with Dr Salvatore Foti from the Centro Storia Patria di Tortorici. The XRF and Raman measurements was undertaken by Giuseppe Paladini and Sebastiano Ettore Spoto, coordinated by Prof. Valentina Venuti (University of Messina).
