Tüskés Anna (szerk.): Omnis creatura significans - Tanulmányok Prokopp Mária 70. születésnapjára (2009)

Antik és középkori művészet

Eve Borsook

The Materials and Condition of the Last Judgement Mosaic ________ of Prague Cathedral*

F

or Maria with affection

The recently cleaned Prague mosaic (Figs. 1-4) presents a series of problems typical of medieval mosaics elsewhere. Although studies of style and meaning abound, too little has been done for an understanding of the nature of the materials and how they were used. The reason for this, as I am sure you are well aware, is that so few samples for analyses have been taken and at that, quite sporadically and often incompletely examined. For instance, for the Florentine Baptistry only 13 samples were analyzed—all from the early 14th century mosaics in the gallery.1 None were taken from the earlier vault mosaics. At the Sancta Sanctorum in

Fig. 1. Prague, Cathedral of St. Vitus. The mosaic after cleaning and regilding by Getty Conservation Center and

Czech conservators.

Fig. 2. Prague Cathedral. Central panel of the mosaic after regilding.

Rome, for the 13th century mosaics, elaborate studies were carried out for the identification of the pigments, but nothing at all was done to tell us what types of glass were involved.2 For the history of mosaics and their various states of conservation, as well as for the history of technology, the sources of raw materials and so on, this lack of information represents serious lacunae.

Fig. 3. Prague Cathedral. Detail of the central panel.

Christ o/Last Judgement.

Fig. 4. Prague Cathedral. Detail of the left panel. The

Blessed.

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