The botanical species in the marquetry decorations in the wooden choir of San Ruffino Cathedral in Assisi

Abstract

In cultural heritage, the identification of the botanical species is a necessary process for the correct and complete characterization of wooden artefacts. During a recent restoration of the wooden choir of the Cathedral of San Ruffino in Assisi, some erratic wooden elements with marquetry decorations were found under the choir stalls. The choir is attributed to Giovanni di Pier Jacopo from San Severino Marche that made it in the first decades of the 16th century. In the present short paper, the main results concerning the identification of the botanical species from these decorative elements are reported. The marquetry decorations are composed of wood from Euonymus europaeus (European spindle tree), Quercus spp. (probably European oak), a wood belonging to a species of Rosaceae family (probably Pyrus sp.), Juglans regia (European walnut), Fagus sylvatica (European beech) and two broadleaf species not better identified for the lack of diagnostic elements. The structure that houses the marquetry decorations is made of walnut.