Measurement campaign on the historical metallic construction tools and metallic elements of the Brunelleschi's Dome in Florence

This paper presents the results of a measurement campaign aimed at the elemental characterisation of various metallic tools used in the construction of the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence, as well as several metallic elements inside the Dome. The analysed construction tools, part of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore collection, are currently exhibited at the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, and include turnbuckles, pulleys, three-legged lewises, and pincers. Despite their historical significance, this study is the first to investigate their alloy composition. The metallic elements part of the Dome include both metallic joints used in the chestnut chain and metallic rods on the second and third floors of the Dome. Understanding the chemical composition of the materials used during the construction of the Dome provides valuable insights to deepen our knowledge of Renaissance-era production techniques and the complex history of Brunelleschi’s masterpiece. To achieve this, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis was employed to determine the elemental composition of the artefacts. Data were processed by chemometric techniques, specifically Principal Component Analysis (PCA), to identify patterns among different alloys. These findings contribute to the historical knowledge of these tools and the Dome itself.