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.
Artificial Intelligence for digital REStoration of Cultural Heritage (AIRES-CH) is a project focused on a creation of a cloud-native web application for the digital restoration of pictorial artworks ...through computer vision technologies applied to nuclear imaging raw data. In a previous work,it was shown that the task of associating an RGB colour image to a X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging raw data is feasible by means of a multidimensional neural network, and it was performed hyperparameter optimisation of the models. In this contribution we describe how the trained neural network is employed in the cloud-native web application for XRF raw data real time analysis. The RESTful API offering the Neural Network(s) has been developed using three frameworks and two languages, and a benchmark of its performances has been conducted. In the end, we comment the different outcomes of the benchmarking for the two different neural network branches. In the end, we comment the different outcomes of the benchmarking for the two different neural network branches.
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.
In this paper, we have studied an additively manufactured metallic component, intended for ultra-high vacuum application, the exit-snout of the MACHINA transportable proton accelerator beam-line. ...Metal additive manufacturing components can exhibit heterogeneous and anisotropic microstructures. Two non-destructive imaging techniques, X-ray computed tomography and Neutron Tomography, were employed to examine its microstructure. They unveiled the presence of porosity and channels, the size and composition of grains and intergranular precipitates, and the general behavior of the spatial distribution of the solidification lines. While X-ray computed tomography evidenced qualitative details about the surface roughness and internal defects, neutron tomography showed excellent ability in imaging the spatial density distribution within the component. The anisotropy of the density was attributed to the material building orientation during the 3D printing process. Density variations suggest the possibility of defect pathways, which could affect high vacuum performances. In addition, these results highlight the importance of considering building orientation in the design for additive manufacturing for UHV applications.
Graphical Abstract
We performed high-temperature luminescence studies of silicon-vacancy color centers obtained by ion implantation in single crystal diamond. We observed reduction of the integrated fluorescence upon ...increasing temperature, ascribable to a transition channel with an activation energy of 180 meV that populates a shelving state. Nonetheless, the signal decreased only 50% and 75% with respect to room temperature at 500 K and 700 K, respectively. In addition, the color center is found highly photostable at temperatures exceeding 800 K. The luminescence of this color center is thus extremely robust even at large temperatures and it holds promise for novel diamond-based light-emitting devices.
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).
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.
This work presents the interdisciplinary research and intervention of a big format painting attributed to Salvator Rosa. In addition to the challenging nature of the restoration, due to its format ...and state of conservation, the painting is a good example of the proliferation of art commerce in Argentina by the end of nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Art collection and art dealing in this particular period has been studied from the historical point of view; however, extensive material investigation on the paintings that arrived in Argentina in this period of time has not been performed yet. When these pieces go from the private sphere to the collections of public institutions, it is important to conduct an in-depth investigation about them, to offer accurate information and to insert cultural heritage pieces into historical and national context. Restoration led to a deeper comprehension of the painting’s historical and technical features; the pigment samples analyzed by Raman spectroscopy and polarized light microscopy, together with the contributions of the restoration field, cast a doubt over the Salvator Rosa attribution. However, considering technical aspects like the artisanal grinding of pigments, how the color was applied and the absence of synthetic pigments in the original layers, as well as the relationship between iconography and format, the piece can be identified as a no later than eighteenth century European painting. It is doubtful that the piece was made with intentions of forgery; however, it is more likely that the attribution comes from fraudulent documents and registration when the painting was sold.
Graphical Abstract
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