Analyse des Stuckgipses der Abtei Villers / Analysis of Stucco from the Abbey of Villers

Interior plaster from the Abbot's Palace of the Abbey of Villers-la-Ville, Brabant Wallon province, Belgium has been investigated. It is done by using chemical analysis, x-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive electron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. It is found that the rendering was made with lime rich mortar and animal hairs. The sand used was very fine and the hairs were very short. The solid constituents and the hairs were uniformly dispersed, which could have been obtained by the addition of some other natural polymer, containing protein.