Core material is the matter (clay, sand, etc.), of local materials, the part of the refractory mold used to create the inner void in a hollow bronze. Traces of core material typically remain inside cast bronzes; we collect samples where possible (90% to date). Thin-section petrography with polarized transmitted light microscopy and SEM-EDS are used to identify and quantify components of the core. Micro-CT scanning and Advanced 3D Analysis are then used to study the distribution of components and porosity within the samples.

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What the data can tell us: Core analysis has not been previously performed on Bernini’s bronzes. It will identify geographic and possibly foundry origin and help to group casts.