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A petrographic study of the casting core of the Lupa Capitolina bronze sculpture (Rome, Italy) and identification of its provenance *
Author(s) -
Lombardi G.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
archaeometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-4754
pISSN - 0003-813X
DOI - 10.1111/1475-4754.t01-1-00088
Subject(s) - provenance , bronze , archaeology , casting , sculpture , bronze age , petrography , homogeneous , geology , art , core (optical fiber) , materials science , mineralogy , geography , geochemistry , visual arts , composite material , physics , thermodynamics
Within the framework of a major project of investigations on the Lupa Capitolina (Capitoline She‐Wolf) bronze sculpture, samples of the casting core collected from its interior were analysed. The results of X‐ray diffractometry, thermal analyses, chemistry and thin sections revealed that the casting core is homogeneous, as if it came from the same microenvironment. The composition of the casting core led to circumscription of the provenance area of the material used in the preparation of the sculpture's inner mould, and thus the location of the bronze foundry area in the lower Tiber valley, close to Rome.