The mission of the Cultural Heritage Network of the Italian Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN-CHNet) is presented here through a “virtuous” example: the activity related to the Macro-X-Ray ...Fluorescence (MA-XRF) scanner. The main focus of INFN-CHNet is the collaboration and sharing of knowledge among the network members, to better address the issues of Cultural Heritage operators, while the fields of activity are research (instrumental development and data management), analysis of cultural objects, education of young scholars and professionals, and dissemination to the general public. In this context, the MA-XRF scanner exemplifies the objectives of INFN-CHNet, being the first instrument developed, tested and optimised jointly by several INFN-CHNet partners. It was designed to be an open (free access to information on processes, components and materials), low-cost system, based on sustainability and interoperability, and modular. All these features allow for easy replication of instruments in any node of the network or reuse of system/subsystem also in different projects. Moreover, for the MA-XRF scanner, the whole path from data acquisition to their storage, management and visualisation/reuse has been addressed. The activities related to the scanner clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach of CHNet in all the issues that arise in conservation and study of CH.
Abstract
Scientific investigations of artworks are crucial in terms of preservation since they provide a measurable evaluation of the materials and the state of conservation. This is the case of ...Antonello da Messina’s painting “Ecce Homo”: its delicate state of conservation, with the need for constant monitoring, required a broad and in-depth diagnostic campaign to support the restorers. The project was carried out entirely in situ using non-invasive cutting-edge techniques and proposes a multimodal and data-centric approach, integrating 3D and 2D methodologies. The surface irregularities and the support were analysed with a structured-light 3D scanner and X-ray tomography. The painting materials were investigated with X-ray fluorescence scanning (MA-XRF) and reflectance hyperspectral imaging (HSI). Primarily, the data were jointly used for a scientific scope and provided new knowledge of the painting in terms of materials and painting techniques. In addition, two web-based interactive platforms were developed: one to provide restorers and experts with a new perspective of the hidden geometries of the painting, and the other targeted at the general public for dissemination purposes. The results of the Ecce Homo scientific analysis were exhibited, using a touch-screen interface, and developed for different user levels, from adults to kids.
At present, macro X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) is one of the most essential analytical methods exploited by heritage science. By providing spatial distribution elemental maps, not only does it allow ...for material characterisation but also to understand, or at least to have a likely idea of, the production techniques of an analysed object. INFN-CHNet, the Cultural Heritage Network of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics, designed and developed a MA-XRF scanner aiming to be a lightweight, easy to transport piece of equipment for use in in situ measurements. In this study, the INFN-CHNet MA-XRF scanner was employed for the analysis of a painting by the Flemish artist Rogier van der Weyden. The painting belongs to the collection of the Uffizi gallery in Florence and was analysed during conservation treatments at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, one of the main conservation centres in Italy. The research aims were to characterise the materials employed by the artist and to possibly understand his painting technique. Although MA-XRF alone cannot provide a comprehensive characterisation, it nonetheless proved to be an invaluable tool for providing an initial overview or hypothesis of the painting materials and techniques used.
The Madonna with Child by Andrea Mantegna owned by the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan is painted on canvas with an unusual distemper technique. During the period of 1863–1865, the painting was restored ...by Giuseppe Molteni. The identification of potential retouchings by Molteni, possibly covering part of the original layer, was the object of this work carried at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure. To evaluate the extent of both Molteni’s intervention and Mantegna’s original layer, the MA-XRF spectrometer developed by CHNet-INFN was used to discriminate between the two paint layers and identify the materials and the extension of both “artists”. Indeed, the elemental maps showed that Molteni’s work entirely covered the mantle of the Virgin, even changing the fold of the draperies and enriching the red robe with shell gold highlights, giving a different appearance to the painting. Moreover, MA-XRF also revealed that the original Mantegna was still mostly intact underneath Molteni’s layer, thereby providing a decisive guide for conservation works. These results indeed formed the basis for the technical decision to remove the varnish and Molteni’s version, unveiling the original Mantegna. A second MA-XRF campaign was then carried out to fully characterise the materials of this unusual painting technique.
This paper discusses a cross-disciplinary, international collaboration aimed at researching a series of 15th century choir books at the abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore on the homonymous island in ...Venice. Produced for the abbey itself, the books have never left the island during their 500-year history, thereby allowing a unique opportunity to analyse historic artefacts, which have undergone little modification over time. Prompted by ongoing cataloguing work on the manuscripts, a week-long analytical campaign using a combination of non-invasive analytical methods used in portable configuration allowed the comprehensive characterisation of ten volumes. The manuscripts’ palette and painting techniques were analysed using near-infrared imaging, reflectance spectroscopy in the UV-vis-NIR range, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence mapping and digital microscopy. The paper will discuss the challenges linked to the fragility and the large dimensions of the volumes as well as the most interesting results of the investigation. These include the detection of unusual painting materials such as bismuth ink, as well as the discovery of a less homogeneous palette than originally expected, which prompted a partial revision of the attribution of the decoration in one of the volumes to a single artist.
Raffaello is renowned as one of the Old Renaissance Masters and his paintings and painting technique are famous for the details and naturality of the characters. Raffaello is famous in particular for ...the then-new technique of oil painting, which he mastered and perfected. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the death of Raffaello (2020), there was a large exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome, where many paintings and drawings by the Old Master were on show. One of these paintings was the portrait of Leo X with two cardinals belonging to the collection of the Uffizi galleries in Florence. Before going to Rome, the painting underwent conservation treatments at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, where a comprehensive diagnostic campaign was carried out with the aim of understanding the painting materials and technique of the Old Master. In this paper, the results of macro X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) analysis, carried out exploiting the instrument developed by INFN-CHNet, are shown. Among the results, “bismuth black” and the likely use of glass powders in lakes are discussed.
At present, the use of non-destructive, non-invasive X-ray-based techniques is well established in heritage science for the analysis and conservation of works of art. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) plays a ...fundamental role since it provides information on the elemental composition, contributing to the identification of the materials present on the superficial layers of an artwork. Whenever XRF is combined with the capability of scanning an area to provide the elemental distribution on a surface, the technique is referred to as macro X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF). The heritage science field, in which the technique is extensively applied, presents a large variety of case studies. Typical examples are paintings, ceramics, metallic objects and manuscripts. This work presents an uncommon application of MA-XRF analysis to furniture. Measurements have been carried out with the MA-XRF scanner of the INFN-CHNet collaboration at the Centro di Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale”, a leading conservation centre in the field. In particular, a chinoiserie lacquered cabinet of the 18th century and a desk by Pietro Piffetti (1701–1777) have been analysed with a focus on the characterisation of decorative layers and different materials (e.g., gilding in the former and ivory in the latter). The measurements have been carried out using a telemeter for non-planar surfaces, and with collimators of 0.8 mm and 0.4 mm diameter, depending on the spatial resolution needed. The combination of the small measuring head with the use of the telemeter and of a small collimator has guaranteed the ability to scan difficult-to-reach areas with high spatial resolution in a reasonable time (20 × 10 mm2 with 0.2 mm step in less than 20 min).
The Hebrew Scroll, catalogued as Magliabekian Manuscript III 43 and belonging to the National Central Library of Florence (BNCF), is a membranous richly decorated scroll, with colorful depictions of ...sacred sites through the Holy Land to Lebanon along with handwritten texts in Hebrew and notes in Italian. Despite the fact that the manuscript was originally catalogued as an “object of no artistic or scientific value”, recent paleographic studies dated it to the XIV century and highlighted it as the oldest scroll still available, depicting holy places from Egypt to Lebanon. Nevertheless, precise dating, authorship, and the interpretation of its original function are still uncertain. A suite of complementary techniques was used, including photographic documentation in visible (VIS) light in diffuse light, grazing light, and transillumination, luminescence induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, imaging spectroscopy (IS), Macro Area X-ray Fluorescence (MA-XRF), and spot analyses such as fiber-optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) in the UV, VIS, and near-infrared (NIR) regions, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) in external reflectance mode (ER), and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The results of the non-invasive diagnostic campaign enabled the identification of several constituting materials (parchment, pigments, binder, and inks). The identified materials were consistent with the proposed dating and geographical manufacturing area of the artefact.
Analytical techniques play a fundamental role in heritage science. Among them, Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) techniques are widely used in many laboratories for ...elemental composition analysis. Although they are well-established, a strong effort is put on their upgrade, making them suitable for more and more applications. Over the years, at the INFN-LABEC (the laboratory of nuclear techniques for the environment and cultural heritage of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics), the INFN-CHNet group, the network devoted to cultural heritage, has carried out many technological improvements to the PIXE and XRF set-ups for the analysis of works of art and archaeological finds. Among the many, we recall here the scanning external microbeam facility at the TANDEM accelerator and the MA-XRF scanner. The two instruments have shown complementary features: the former permits quantitative analysis of elements heavier than sodium, which is not possible with the latter in most of the case studies. On the contrary, the scanner has the undeniable advantage of portability, allowing it to work in situ. In this framework of technological developments in heritage science, INFN, CERN, and OPD are jointly carrying on the MACHINA (Movable Accelerator for Cultural Heritage In-situ Non-destructive Analysis) project for on-site Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) studies on cultural heritage.
A concise insight into the outputs provided by the latest prototype of visible‐near infrared (Vis‐NIR) multispectral scanner (National Research Council‐National Institute of Optics, CNR‐INO, Italy) ...is presented. The analytical data acquired on an oil painting Madonna of the Rabbit by É. Manet are described. In this work, the Vis‐NIR was complemented with X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) mapping for the chemical and spatial characterization of several pigments. The spatially registered Vis‐NIR data facilitated their processing by spectral correlation mapping (SCM) and artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm, respectively, for pigment mapping and improved visibility of pentimenti and of underdrawing style. The data provided several key elements for the comparison with a homonymous original work by Titian studied within the ARCHive LABoratory (ARCHLAB) transnational access project.
Your greatest shade of blue: Mapping blue pigments in Manet's painting Madonna of the rabbit and of Titian's homonymous painting by spectral correlation of Vis‐NIR multispectral data complemented with XRF mapping. The comparative study demonstrates that not only the palettes used by the two artists were different but also that the colours of the two paintings differ. Manet used Prussian and Cobalt blues whereas Titian employed azurite and natural ultramarine blue.
PDF
