A sample of oil coming from the case containing the relics of St. Nicholas the Great, preserved in the church of “San Nicolò al Lido” (Venice, Italy), has been characterised by the determination of its chemical composition, its age (radiocarbon dating) and the presence of particles of biological origin. Experimental results show that the sample is a vegetal oil, with a fatty acids composition modified by natural oxidation processes, containing pollen grains of plants from Northern Italy, and dating around 1300 A.D. These results together with an historical and artistic evaluation of the ceramic jar containing the oil, allow us to hypothesise that the jar was introduced into the case after the arrival of the relics in Venice (1100 A.D.) during one of the official inquisitions prior to that documented in 1399 A.D.
Chemical characterisation, plant remain analysis and radiocarbon dating of the Venetian "Manna di San Nicola"
TAPPARO, ANDREA;DI MARCO, VALERIO;BOMBI, GIUSEPPE GIORGIO;PAGANELLI, ARTURO
2002
Abstract
A sample of oil coming from the case containing the relics of St. Nicholas the Great, preserved in the church of “San Nicolò al Lido” (Venice, Italy), has been characterised by the determination of its chemical composition, its age (radiocarbon dating) and the presence of particles of biological origin. Experimental results show that the sample is a vegetal oil, with a fatty acids composition modified by natural oxidation processes, containing pollen grains of plants from Northern Italy, and dating around 1300 A.D. These results together with an historical and artistic evaluation of the ceramic jar containing the oil, allow us to hypothesise that the jar was introduced into the case after the arrival of the relics in Venice (1100 A.D.) during one of the official inquisitions prior to that documented in 1399 A.D.
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