Preservation and usage: the Altar Machine in the Church Mother of Gangi (Palermo, Italy) and its microclimate.

Abstract

The aim of this work has been to study the correlation between delicate poli material artefacts, like painted wooden sculptures, and their microclimate. In particular the Altar Machine in the Church Mother of Gangi, a little town near Palermo (Italy), has been investigated. The Machine is constituted by carved and painted wood and a complex system of winch and pulleys allows to move various statues and parts of the Machine in accordance with the baroque scenographic machineries. The microclimate of the Machine has been investigated in order to verify if the thermoigrometric values fall within the tolerance intervals that, for wood and painted wooden sculptures, has been set between 19 and 24 °C (temperature) and between 45 and 60 % (relative humidity, RH%)[1]. Analyses for the identification of wood species and for the study of the painting materials have been also carried out. All images and data are at disposal on the web site www.dendrocronologia.org.