Hyperspectral Investigation Methods and the Development of a Digital Toolbox for the Research of Fragmentary Wall Paintings

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Ursula Schädler-Saub
• Subject Area: Art History ; Architecture, Building and Construction History, Construction Research, Sustainable Building Technology
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 346794980

By means of digital visualization and partial reconstruction, this follow-up project will complete the interdisciplinary research of the fragmentary mural painting cycle on the sciences and the arts from the 1440s in the former library of the Brandenburg cathedral cloister, using and further advancing the innovative methods and techniques developed for this purpose in the first part of the project. The findings are significant for the art and cultural history of the Mark Brandenburg in the fifteenth century. In addition, scientifically based models for the communication of these results to a broader audience will be developed, using augmented reality and 3D simulation, with a clear distinction between real existing findings, analogy-based additions, and "narrative" elementOn the basis of further case studies of fragmentary fifteenth-century mural painting cycles in the choir room of the Johanniskirche in Brandenburg an der Havel and in the abbey of Kloster Zinna near Jüterbog, we intend to test and evaluate the previously developed, largely non-invasive approach under other conditions (in relation to the verifiable historical materials and painting techniques, to earlier revisions, and to the present state of preservation). As in the Brandenburg cathedral cloister, it is anticipated that this will yield important insights into the complex pictorial programs and their artistic implementation, as well as into the functional history of the painted rooms.The developed digital toolbox will be methodically and technically optimized through broader scientific investigations, with the use of additional equipment and technical possibilities, in close cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute IFF Magdeburg and the TUM Technical University of Munich. This digital toolbox is designed for use in interdisciplinary projects for research on cultural heritage, integrating various procedures and investigation methods. In its further development, it will also be made usable for "low budget" projects in heritage conservation, because it uses non-invasive methods to provide an initially "coarse-meshed" overview investigation. In this way, it is able to provide knowledge that can be used as a decision-making tool and promote a careful, substance-preserving conservation approach.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Angela Weyer