Integrated methods for reconstructing the decoration and production process of the frigidarium wall-paintings, at the Sarno Baths, Pompeii

Abstract

Abstract This paper explores the potentiality of investigating Roman wall decorations by integrating the visual examination of the technical aspects of wall paintings and plasterworks, to the virtual reconstruction. It also aims at reconstructing the process of making wall decorations and at identifying the decorators, as an occasional group of workers or a properly organized workshop. The frigidarium (i.e. the room with a cold-water pool) in the Sarno Baths was selected as case study, to apply this approach. The presence of several missing parts allowed the observation of the full stratigraphic sequence of paintings and plasterworks. The visual analysis and the identification of the tool-marks provided the necessary elements, to reconstruct the sequence of operations performed by the artisans, during the process of making. Features suitable to identify the contribute of different artisans to the decoration project were also identified. The accurate survey of the preserved portions of decoration and the archival records allowed to reconstruct the geometry of the decorative scheme, completing the missing parts, both on the walls and the vaults. The fully reconstructed decorations were subsequently elaborated in a sequence of intermediate stages, corresponding to the main phases of the productive process. A sample of the surviving wall-paintings was selected to test the application of virtual conservation, digitally cleaning the surface from salt deposits, and integrating small abrasions in the paint layers. Lastly, the potentiality of virtual reconstruction was stretched further, reconstructing a set of plaster-workers’ tools, on the basis of tool marks. The investigation identified the decorations of the frigidarium as a high-quality product, reflecting the technical skills mastered by a well-organized workshop, active at Pompeii, during the last two decades of its life.