The Recent Discovery, Research, and Restoration of Medieval and Renaissance Frescoes in Riga Castle—A Treasure to the Baltic Region

Recent restoration work at Riga Castle, a significant medieval Teutonic Order stronghold, has uncovered and studied previously unknown frescoes from the 13th century chapel and 17th-century decorative paintings in the refectory. Analysis revealed that the frescoes were primarily created using local plaster and imported pigments, including azurite, malachite, and cinnabar. The study combined art historical expertise with material science to determine the techniques used and the iconographic significance of the fragments. This research provides new insights into the materials and artistic practices of the Baltic region during this period.

Rasiņa, M., Spārītis, O., Přikrylová, J., Racek, M., Kopecká, I., Svobodová, E., & Přikryl, R. (2023). The Recent Discovery, Research, and Restoration of Medieval and Renaissance Frescoes in Riga Castle—A Treasure to the Baltic Region. Heritage, 6(3), 2435–2452. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6030128