Deconstructing Barisanus' medieval casting technology based on digital twins

Area of Science:

• Art History
• Archaeometry
• Digital Heritage

Background:

• The 12th-century copper alloy doors of Barisanus are significant medieval artworks.
• Previous art historical studies have focused on stylistic analysis.
• Recent advancements enable new forms of technical documentation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To digitally document and analyze the Barisanus doors using advanced technologies.
• To reconstruct the production sequence of the door panels and the doors themselves.
• To gain a deeper understanding of medieval bronze casting techniques.

Main Methods:

• Photogrammetric and archaeometric documentation of the Barisanus doors.
• Creation and open-access release of digital twins for the doors in Ravello, Trani, and Monreale.
• Precise measurement of metal components, accounting for metal shrinkage during casting.

Main Results:

• Reconstruction of the production sequence for all 20 single motif panels across the three doors.
• Establishment of the overall production sequence for the three Barisanus doors.
• Detailed insights into bronze casting techniques, including the use of molds and models, challenging traditional dichotomies.

Conclusions:

• Digital twins and precise measurements provide unprecedented data for analyzing medieval metalwork.
• The study offers a revised understanding of the Barisanus doors' creation process.
• This research advances the study of medieval casting technologies beyond simplified models.