The ceiling - discovery

MISI BRUNED

Discovery, recovery and first intervention of the ceiling in Els Munts

THE CEILING IS PART OF THE HOUSE OF CAIUS VALERIUS AVITUS, DUUMVIR OF

TARRACO, AND HIS WIFE, FAUSTINA, an important enough person to understand the characteristics and quality of the techniques used when executing the decoration. Up until now these characteristics remained unknown.

The ceiling was located in one of the secondary rooms of the domus no. 4700 during its excavations, and was in very poor condition, practically in ruins, due to the fire that caused its fall and destruction. It was very fragmented and mixed with structural remains from the living quarters, but retained its polychromy, as it was made with the fresco technique with lime paint finishes.

Although it was initially difficult to understand its structure, it is shaped like a coffered ceiling; the surface is flat and arranged in longitudinal, transversal and tangential planes, in three differentiated reliefs or levels. It presents 6 coffers: 2 quadrangular and 4 polygonal (octagonal), at various levels.

The support on which it is held up is made of several layers of trowelling of considerable thickness. These were originally made directly on a ceiling supposedly made of reeds and wood, with ropes and nails. When the ceiling fell down because of a fire, it fell to the ground, and remained there until its discovery, at which time it still remained in the room.

First, specialists in Roman paintings dated the material through chromaticity, iconographic information, and location. Also, a series of analyses confirmed that it could be dated to the 2nd century AD.

Given this, it was time to consider the intervention. The boxes, with all the material, were moved to the Central Services of the National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona (MNAT), in Tarragona, in the space prepared to receive all the fragments and the team of restorers.

We found fragments made with the fresco

Reception of boxes at the premises of the Central Services of the National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona. Photo: Misi Bruned

During the assembly of the fragments. Photo: Misi Bruned

Reverse. The marks of the reed and the rope can be observed. Photo: Misi Bruned painting technique with lime finishes, supported by two layers of plaster (plaster, sand and stone pebbles). The material did not reveal any source of moisture, but there were areas with alterations to the pictorial layer, due to fire, as well as calcifications and deposits of inorganic matter, soluble salts and occasional carbonations. Furthermore, there were also superficial fissures and deeper cracks, deformed surface layers compared to the support, as well as corners with disintegrated preparation layers. And the saddest part: significant losses of original parts. The structure of the support mortar was unstable and did not contain any moisture, which caused fragmentation and internal disintegration.

The restoration intervention is carried out in different stages. At the time of the excavation, the fragments were classified by colour, according to pictorial layer, textures and remnants of adhesives, but bearing in mind that the thickness of the mortars were not always indicative elements, since many supports had been lost.

First, we began to assemble the puzzle, a job of great difficulty that required the intervention of a team of restorers and specialised archaeologists.

Next, mobile modular counters with 15-cm high profiles were made, in which the fragments were introduced, on top of synthetic sand, which acted as a cushion to hold the pieces. This intervention was so complex, and we did not have

One of the coffers, presented. Photo: Misi Bruned During the making of the casts, in which all the information of each of the fragments will be marked. Photo: Misi Bruned

Removal of adhesives. Photo: Misi Bruned any information about a ceiling of this nature, that the decision was made to work the pieces upside down, to find some connection. When it was found, we understood that it was a threetiered decorative ceiling, better known as a coffered ceiling.

Casts were then made on acetate sheets, in which each fragment and its placement were marked. Next, all the information regarding the alterations to the pictorial layer was taken, especially those produced by the fire, the direction of the ropes of the reed, the types of mortars, etc.

Furthermore, work began on the fragments to stop their degradation. Initially, they were cleaned of dust and debris separately, individually. To be able to work on and handle them without harming them, they are joined with Imedio® reversible adhesive (28% cellulose nitrate and 72% ethyl acetate) and the small gaps are filled with mortar (1 with hydraulic lime + 3 with sand detached from the original mortar itself + sepiolite + Primal® AC 33). Once some fragments have been added, a first mechanical and solvent cleaning was performed (8% citric acid on the pictorial layer, where the deposit layer is thin, and with AB 57 on the most stable colours of the pictorial layer, except for the red. Some parts of mortar needed the application of a consolidating agent that penetrated well, so Tegovakon® V (monocomponent based on silicic acid esters) was used, with a magnificent result; and also Fakolit® 34 (silicate base) which was used on thick mortars. The very powdery pictorial layer of some fragments was consolidated with 3% Paraloid® B72 with acetone.

To have a final view of the ceiling, neutral synthetic sand was used to fill the gaps and have a full visual of the ensemble, awaiting its definitive restoration.

Cleaning the red pigment required a more delicate procedure. Photo: Misi Bruned

Final work. The gaps were filled with synthetic sand. Photo: Misi Bruned

DETAILS

GENERIC CLASSIFICATION: mural painting | OBJECT: ceiling | MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE: lime mortar and stone support, with fresco polychrome and dry finishes | TITLE / TOPIC: ceiling of room no. 4700 of the domus | DATE/ERA: 2nd century AD | SIZE: quadrangular floor plan of 16.10 m2 | PROVENANCE: Roman villa of Els Munts, Altafulla (Tarragonès) | LOCATION: National Archaeology Museum of Tarragona (MNAT). Central Services. Tarragona (Tarragonès) | CRBMC REGISTRY NO.: 9900 | TECHNICAL COORDINATION: Pere Rovira | RESTORATION COORDINATION: Misi Bruned (MNAT collaborator) | RESTORATION: Lorena Andino, Mireia Calaf, Núria Deu, M. Antònia Moreno, Margalida Munar, Clara Payàs, Elisenda Pedrosa, Luciana Pocostales and Cristina Pujante | ARCHAEOLOGISTS: Carmen Guiral (National University of Distance Education. UNED), Julien Boislève ( Centre d’Étude des Peintures Murales Romaines. CEPMR) and Veronica Provenzale | YEAR OF THE RESTORATION: 2006 | CATALOGUING: Archaeological ensemble of Tàrraco declared a UNESCO Human Heritage Site. 2000. Cataloguing BCIN 2044-ZA