Professional paper
The arch of the Master Otto under the vault of the bell tower of the cathedral of St Domnius in Split The documentation of the conservation treatement
Veronika Meštrović Šaran
Abstract
The construction of the Bell Tower of the Cathedral in Split lasted from the 13th until the 16th century, and its radical reconstruction was made at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The architectural arch showing the scenes of hunting is situated on the west side under the vault of the Bell Tower of the Cathedral of St Domnius in Split. The Romanesque arch is attributed to Master Otto who made the relief showing St Peter, St Domnius and St Anastrasius, built in on the east side of the foot of the Bell Tower, and on which the author signed his name. The arch has been protected from the direct influence of rain, because of which the dirt from the atmosphere settled in on the stone surface. Besides the aesthetic degradation of the stone, the film in its composition also contains harmful and soluble salts which, through chemical and physical processes cause damage. The soluble salts (sulphates, chlorides, nitrates) enter the structure of the stone through the activity of moisture where, through the successive processes of drying and moisturizing, powerful crystallization and hydration pressures are created, causing damage in the form of flaking and crumbling of the stone.
The aim of this work was to research the influence of the environment on the state and the changes on the stone surface of the architectural arch showing hunting scenes under the vault of the Bell Tower of the cathedral of St Domnius, as well as its conservation and restoration. In order to determine the state of the stone, to make a precise diagnosis and to choose the proper conservatory and restoration methods, some diagnostic tests were made. The test for the micro structure of the stone, micro – chemical analysis of proving plaster crystals in the film, as well as a qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis of soluble salts were made. Through studying the current state of the stone and by gaining the results of the chemical analysis, “Neir d.o.o.”, a company from Split, made the conservation treatement during 2009 and 2010, under the guidance of the author of this article.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
64064
URI
Publication date:
15.8.2010.
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