Diagnostic investigation on a Sorel and Portland cement boiserie at Palazzo Fizzarotti (1850-1908, Bari)

This paper reports the results of the diagnostic investigation conducted on the boiserie of the Rococo Hall at Palazzo Fizzarotti (1850-1908) in Bari. The boiserie is an artifact made of faux marble with included seminato elements (marmette) and characterized by the presence of assembly plastering. The study aimed to identify its constituent materials, reconstruct the production technique, and understand its conservation state to carry out a critical restoration work which respected the boiserie from a material, historical and aesthetic point of view. Non-invasive analysis took place in situ (colorimetry, pXRF, UVF) and in laboratory (POM, SEM-EDS, µRaman, XRPD). The results revealed the use of Sorel cement for the faux marble elements (including the assemblage plastering) and the use of Portland cement in the seminato elements and in the structural layers of the panels, other than the alteration products. Macroscopic and petrographic observations made possible to reconstruct the technique of realization of the boiserie and guide restoration.