1/27/2024 0 Comments Folio magazine logo![]() ![]() “Further research steps are needed to assess the chemical process that led to the formation of metacinnabar in the conservation condition of the Codex Atlanticus,” the team concluded. It’s still unclear exactly how metacinnabar arose from these components, but the new study provides the strongest explanation for the worrisome marks. The sulfur component may have also been introduced through adhesives, though the POLIMI researchers propose that air pollution could have been a factor, given that Milan had high levels of sulfur dioxide in its air until the late 20th century. The glue used by the Grottaferrata restorers may have contained a white mercury salt that was added to prevent microbiological infestations, according to the study. An analysis performed at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, revealed that these particles are made of the special crystalline compound metacinnabar, which is made from mercury and sulfur. In addition, the team detected small particles in the stains that measured about 100 to 200 nanometers. These glues were used to connect the folios to the passepartout papers as part of a project conducted by the Laboratory for the Restoration of Ancient Books at the Abbey of Grottaferrata between 19. The researchers studied the folio using hyperspectral photoluminescence imaging and UV fluorescence imaging, which exposed the presence of various glues on the margins. Prior work on the document had established the presence of mercury in the stains, but the POLIMI researchers were able to hone in on the nature of the blackening phenomenon on Folio 843 in much more detail. “The goal of this multi-analytical study is to characterize the materials and the deterioration patterns of Folio 843 and propose a hypothesis on the formation of the black stains,” the researchers added.Īfter the stains were discovered, the Codex was unbound and its 1,119 leaves were stored individually on new passepartout mounts in acid-free boxes. “Microbiological studies have been conducted since 2008, which allowed to rule out any type of microbiological attack on the Codex (both passepartout and folio) as the cause of the black stains.” ![]() “This blackening phenomenon of the passepartout, observed on approximately 210 pages of the Codex starting from folio 600 onward, raised great concern,” the POLIMI team said in a recent study published in Scientific Reports. This approach revealed that the stained sections are contaminated with metacinnabar, a compound containing mercury and sulfide that may be linked to glue used in past restoration efforts, along with ambient air pollution. Now, scientists from the Polytechnic University of Milan (POLIMI) think they may have finally cracked the case after analyzing a single page of the Codex, known as Folio 843, with sophisticated and non-invasive techniques. Still, the origin of the marks remained a mystery for more than a decade, leaving scholars baffled. Fortunately, these dark stains have only been observed on “passepartout” paper that was attached to the Codex during 20th century restoration efforts the original folios that da Vinci scribbled on have not been stained.
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