Maestà mariana (view from the back)

Clear traces of early polychrome work and evidence of gold leaf on the throne and in the repository behind the statue have been studied and the findings are available in the Proceedings of the 12th IGIIC National Conference. The investigations, carried out using Raman microscopes, identified materials and techniques used in the coloring: the surface was prepared using ceruse and, for the pigments, red lead and cinnabar for the red tones used on the back of the Christ Child and the garments of the Virgin Mary, while the blue palette includes both azurite and ultramarine for the exterior of Mary’s cloak.