A study on a set of drawings by Parmigianino: integration of art-historical analysis with imaging spectroscopy

Due to the extreme fragility of paper-based artefacts, few techniques are available for scientific investigation and characterisation of ancient drawings or paper-based artefacts. Image reflectance spectroscopy represents an almost unique tool for scientific analysis on precious drawings, for which even micro-invasive techniques of analysis cannot be used. Indeed, beside the high fragility of the support, drawings and graphical works are typically characterised by a very limited number of artistic materials, which in principle could give information on the work of art. In this paper an interdisciplinary study on a set of drawings by Parmigianino (1503–1540), selected from the collection of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, is presented. Non-invasive measurements of image spectroscopy (IS) have been employed to support the work of art-historians in the critical re-examination and interpretation of the graphical work of the artist. The multispectral analysis has been carried out over the extended spectral region (400–1700 nm), in order to provide simultaneous indications both on the pictorial materials and on possibly underlying hatches. The data processing has been performed by means of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the elaboration of each case has been addressed to specifically respond to questions related to the art-historical problem.     

La Medusa by Caravaggio: characterisation of the painting technique and evaluation of the state of conservation

The oil painting “La Medusa” executed by Caravaggio at the end of the XVI century on a wooden shield, was investigated by integrated physical–chemical and analytical methodologies in order to obtain scientific data capable of elucidating the state of conservation and the painting technique. Optical (OM) and electronic (SEM-EDS) microscopy, micro-FT-IR spectroscopy, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and pyrolysis GC–MS were applied on two microfragments and some organic samples obtained by solvent extraction using the swab cleaning technique. The obtained results indicated that Caravaggio probably reused an old shield as a previous gypsum preparation layer has been detected under the original painting layers. He used white lead, natural earths, verdigris and lead–tin yellow type I mixed with drying oils to paint. The considerable amount of amorphous particles of copper chlorides found in the green pigment verdigris suggests that it could have been produced according to the ancient recipe of verde salsum described by Theophilus. Mordant gilding has been identified on the upper part of the shield that can be related to an abandoned experiment to give the painting a mirror-like reflecting effect. Three different varnishes layers have been detected above the painted surface. The original and restoration varnishes have been identified and they contain a mixture of drying oil, mastic and turpentine and some beeswax. Cleaning tests, performed with different organic solvents, suggest the use of isopropyl alcohol as cleaning agent because it is less efficient in comparison to others solvents; thus it ensures a careful and controlled removal of the varnishes.     

Archaeometric and geological constraints for the provenance of carbonatic breccias used in monumental works along the Flaminia Consular Road (Umbria-Marche, Central Italy)

Along the Umbria-Marche stretch of the Flaminia Consular Road (220 B.C.) several archaeological finds of the most important monumental works, are well preserved. The stones, employed to build many bridges, substructions and sewerages, are represented by carbonatic breccias whose geological environment of formation and source areas had never been established. On the basis of mineralogical, petrographic and micropalaeontological analyses, two groups of these lithotypes employed in Roman age were distinguished: “monogenic carbonatic breccias” only constituted by clasts of the Maiolica Unit (Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous) and “polygenic carbonatic breccias” made of fragments (in different proportions) of Calcare Massiccio (Early Jurassic), Corniola (Early Jurassic), Maiolica (Late Jurassic – Early Cretaceous) and Scaglia Rossa (Late Cretaceous – Early Paleogene) Units. The possible source areas of the breccias are compatible with stratified slope-waste to scarp-base deposits of periglacial origin belonging to the Upper Pleistocene. In particular, among the seven investigated areas, we pointed out the most probable provenances (Monte Faeto-Colle, Costacciaro, Scirca, Foci, Secchiano) along the flanks of the Apennine Mesozoic chain of the Umbria and Marche regions. Although the Romans could have exploited the whole thickness of some outcrops (now disappeared) of these carbonatic lithotypes at the deepest part of the valleys, we have constrained a local provenance of the breccias so commonly used in the monumental works of the Flaminia.     

The scientific approach to the restoration and monitoring of mural paintings at S. Girolamo Chapel – SS. Annunziata Church in Florence

The scientific approach to the restoration and monitoring of mural paintings, at S. Girolamo Chapel – SS. Annunziata Church in Florence, is reported as a fruitful example of the synergic collaboration between restorers and scientists in the planning and development of conservative interventions. Before restoration, the painting technique and the state of preservation of the pictorial cycle have been investigated firstly by close examination of the painted surfaces and then by optical and/or SEM-EDS microscopy and μFT-IR spectroscopy on appropriately selected samples. In particular, the original constituent materials and those belonging to subsequent restorations were characterized together with those originating from decay processes. In this mural painting cycle, a peculiar “fresco” technique has been used although an auxiliary binder for pigment distemper has been also employed. The use of this technique, sometimes in an improper way together with uncorrected restoration interventions, are the main responsible of the unsatisfactory state of conservation of many painted areas. Preliminary conservation trials and scientific studies were carried out to design the most convenient restoration intervention and to verify the correctness and non-invasive of the necessary operations. Special attention was devoted to cleaning procedures, continuously monitored by a physico-chemical methodology, mainly based on microinvasive, microscopic and spectroscopic investigations, to evaluate the efficiency, advantages and drawbacks of the proposed cleaning procedures and define the most appropriate ones. Finally, specific decay markers have been recognized, by a comparison of the results obtained from the detached samples with those deriving from artificially aged models, to be used for a correct future monitoring and maintenance of the wall paintings.     

Chemical and lead isotope compositions of lead artefacts from ancient Thracia (Bulgaria)

Using inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) the concentration of Ag, As, Au, Bi, Cu, Fe, Ga, In, Ni, Sb, Sn, and Zn in 53 samples taken from archaeological finds dated to 4th–2nd century BC and found in the territory of ancient Thracia was determined. Additionally using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and MS for determination of the lead isotope ratios in the samples was carried out. On the basis of these analytical results using cluster analysis for grouping the samples on the bases of the similarity in chemical and isotopic content and the available data from the literature for lead ore deposits in the Balkan Peninsula, the geological origin of the investigated archaeological finds was evaluated. That confirms the expectation that sources of lead might be almost all possible deposits of lead ores on the Balkan Peninsula—from Lavrion through Chalkidiki to the Rhodope mountain. The result indicates that the Thrace did not utilize one single lead source continuously but that lead was provided according to availability from different production centers.     

The binding media of the polychromy of Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army

The “Terracotta Army” is a worldwide known archaeological finding in China. It is a part of the burial complex of the emperor Qin Shihuangdi (259–210 BC), which is still under excavation and study. The fact that the sculptures, chariots and weapons of the First Chinese Emperor's Terracotta Army were originally all painted in bright colours is still not widely known. The chemical characterisation of the paint medium was performed through an analytical procedure based on GC-MS. The proteinaceous binder was identified for the first time through a desalting procedure used in proteomics. The identification of egg as a paint binder is extremely interesting in terms of the historical significance of the work of art itself and important in terms of the method of conservation. Moreover it represents one of the first steps towards an understanding of the painting technique used on ancient sculptures in China, of which – despite their fame – nothing is yet known.     

Monitoring detaching murals in the convent of Müstair (Switzerland) by mirror micrometry

In a parallel study, it has been shown by comparison of successive TV-holography campaigns that murals in the convent of Müstair (Switzerland) have progressively detached from their substrate over a time interval of 5 years (J Cult Herit 2009). Here, we focus on the dynamics of the ongoing detachment processes. In order to regularly measure small surface displacements in situ over a long duration of several years, a new method that we call Mirror Micrometry (MM) has been designed and implemented. This method monitors the reflection of a light beam by a mirror that is mounted to the surface of interest for the duration of the experiment. The mirror is designed to rotate about a pivot as small displacements in the detaching surface occur, thus deflecting the reflected light beam. Measurements over more than three years in the Convent Church and in the Holy Cross Chapel reveal various types of surface displacement perpendicular to the wall surface. These are correlated with relative humidity (RH) changes in the room climate. Reversible short-term variations of approximately ±5–10 μm occur with periods of one to several weeks and relate primarily to weather changes. Reversible long-term variations of ±5–10 μm correspond to averaged seasonal humidity changes. Irregular and irreversible movements in increments of 20–30 μm record very localised progressive detachment steps. A semi-quantitative correlation of approximately 1 μm surface displacement per 1% RH change is calculated. Based on the fact that nearby measuring points can simultaneously move in opposite directions, a geometric model is drawn to explain deformation by hygric swelling and shrinking of different shapes of detached layers.     

Noninvasive physicochemical characterization of two 19th century English ferrotypes

The present work was one of the first attempts to analyze the conservation status of two ferrotypes, ancient photographic plates realized on a support made of iron. The photographic material was constituted of collodion as binder for the photosensitive silver halides grains. The two ferrotypes studied belonged to a private collection of a family from Durham, UK, and were made at the end of the 19th century. The analytical techniques used for the morphological and physicochemical characterization were noninvasive. The surface morphology was studied by means of optical microscopy (OM) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) coupled with an energy dispersive X-rays (EDX) system for the elemental analysis. These techniques, together with microreflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μ-FTIR) and contact angle, allowed to obtain information on both the chemical – elemental – composition of the materials constituting the ferrotypes, and the conservation status of these photographic plates. The study showed that the physicochemical diagnostics allowed to characterize the two ferrotypes that, despite their similar age and provenance, showed different conservation status, surface properties, and elemental composition.     

Review on the characterisation of ancient stringed musical instruments varnishes and implementation of an analytical strategy

For the last 60 years, varnishes of ancient musical instruments, particularly stringed instruments of the violin family dating 17th and 18th centuries, have been analysed to establish their chemical composition and multi-layered structure. The objective was to rediscover the technology for making the varnish of esteemed Italian violins and to reconstitute it. This paper reviews the physico-chemical studies published on such varnishes and also focuses on a research project carried out since 2002 at the Musée de la musique in Paris. It aims to apply in a comprehensive way different non-destructive or micro destructive methods (Py-GC/MS, IR microscopy, SEM/EDX, EDXRF, synchrotron radiation-based techniques, …) to the study of a large and representative number of ancient varnished musical instruments from a museum collection.     

The Theory and Practice of the Virtual University: Working Through the Work of Making Work Mobile

The coming of new Information CommunicationTechnologies (ICTs) has prompted muchcontroversy in higher education. Scholars andadministrators have been excited by thepotential – perhaps the threat – of the`virtual' university. But whilst much has beenwritten about `virtual higher education', lesshas been said about the actual `work' involved.Drawing upon insights from the sociology oftechnology, this paper reports on the attemptsof one university to reconcile ideas about`virtuality' with the more established networksand infrastructures of traditional universitylife. This research is based upon aparticipant-observation study carried out inthe UK.     

Welfare economics and public subsidies to the Arts

Reprinted from Manchester School of Economics and Social Studies, December 1969, pp. 323–35 with the permission of Basil Blackwell Ltd. Professor Sir Alan Peacock (born 1922) has a distinguished career as an academic economist and public servant, chairing, among other things, the Arts Council Enquiry on Orchestral Resources 1969–70, the Committee on Financing the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) 1985–86; and the Scottish Arts Council 1986–92. He has written widely on cultural economics, includingThe Composer in the Marketplace (with Ronald Weir, 1975) and his autobiographicalPaying the Piper (1993) reviewed in thisJournal 18(1), 1994. He has been a member of the Editorial Board of theJournal of Cultural Economics since its inception. Reprinting this article is a tribute to his long and much valued involvement in our field.     

Medieval and renaissance glass technology in Valdelsa (Florence). Part 1: raw materials, sands and non-vitreous finds

A significant number of archaeological finds of the 13th–16th century from the Tuscan sites of Germagnana and Gambassi in Valdelsa—FI, was studied by different physico-chemical investigations (SEM–EDS, ICP, Mössbauer spectroscopy, XRD, XRF, TG-DTA) in order to contribute to clarify the production methodology and the pre-industrial glass manufacture technology. The studied samples are mainly non-vitreous finds as production waste, refractory materials, crucibles and raw materials; also vitreous finds as frits, skims, glasses (glass masses, glass working waste and finished products) have been taken into consideration. The obtained petrographic and physico-chemical data strongly suggest that both Gambassi and Germagnana glass manufactures were strictly connected with the sources of vitrifiable materials, situated in Tuscan sand quarries. In particular a comparison between sands from the neighbouring quarries and appropriate finds of the two archaeological sites evidences that the employed vitrifiable materials possibly belong to La Casina La Cava resort. The archaeological classification, based on macroscopic observation and stratigraphic position, was compared and verified with the scientific classification of the examined finds of Germagnana and Gambassi sites based on their composition, morphology and physico-chemical properties.     

The characterization of commercial artists’ alkyd paints

There is little information in the conservation literature with respect to artists’ alkyd paints; thus, artists and conservators are somewhat at a loss about how to use and treat alkyds. Recently, analytical methods have been developed to identify the components in these polymers (oil modified polyesters), rates of cross-linking and mechanical properties. Presented in this paper are some of the characterization results of artists’ alkyd paints using THM (thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation) gas chromatography– mass spectrometry (THM–GC/MS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy–attenuated total reflectance (FTIR–ATR). Four brands of artists’ alkyd paints containing alkyd resin have been analysed; one containing a phthalic anhydride and pentaerythritol based alkyd resin, two containing isophthalic acid and pentaerythritol based alkyd resins, and the final one containing both phthalic anhydride and isophthalic acid and pentaerythritol based resins among the colours studied.     

Desalination characteristics for ceramics excavated from Taean shipwreck,Korea

The ceramic artefacts, excavated from ancient shipwrecks, are generally saturated with soluble salts, mainly NaCl, within the porous structure of ceramics. The salinity contents typically exhibit ionic and osmotic pressures to the ceramic microstructures, thus causing significant damages to the integrity of ceramic artefacts. While the utilisation of aqueous soaking methods is commonly accepted for effective desalination processes of ceramics, the relationships between the structural characteristics of ceramics and the desalination efficiency have not been demonstrated. In this study, we examined the desalination processes of various ceramics excavated from the Taean shipwrecks in South Korea to identify major controlling factors for the desalination processes. Our results indicated that the physical properties of ceramics including the water absorption and the pore size distribution greatly influence on the desalination process time and efficiency. It is also found that the surface condition of ceramic samples such as microstructural cracks on the glaze layer is a crucial component of the desalination characteristics. Nevertheless, the small residue of salts such as NaCl crystals were found in the microstructures of some ceramics after prolonged desalination periods. Therefore, it is important to control the humidity and temperature in the conservation environment for desalinated ceramic artefacts even after desalination.     

Environmentally-induced stone decay: the cumulative effects of crystallization–hydration cycles on a Lincolnshire oopelsparite limestone

An investigation has been undertaken at St Andrew’s church, Walpole St Andrew, Norfolk, to establish the underlying causes of the observed stone decay to the upper parts of the six stone piers. The stone decay was first recorded in the early 1930s. The salt-contaminated masonry within the church has been shown to undergo severe salt decay during the summer, with little damage occurring over the winter months. The south aisle piers have been shown to decay 2.5 times faster than the north aisle piers. Although crystallization–hydration cycles have been identified, the rate of decay is at its greatest when the cycling is relatively infrequent. This was not the expected trend. Furthermore, it has been shown that during extended periods where the ambient relative humidity is less than 75%, the rate of decay reaches a maximum. It is the length of this ‘drying’ period that apparently has the greatest influence on the rate of decay and could explain the significant difference in the rate of decay between the south and north aisle piers. The results have serious implications for passive conservation, where it is often recommended to lower the ambient relative humidity to well below the equilibrium relative humidity of the salt contaminant, to avoid crystallization–hydration cycles. Since, at the time of building, the church was situated on the coast, it is possible that the sodium chloride contamination occurred during the building process (1440–1520), particularly since the area was prone to sea-flooding at this time. Alternatively, the salt could have been applied as a treatment during the general restoration of 1897. Whatever the source of the salt, it seems likely that the ambient environment was changed by the insertion of a sealed floor in 1897, which could account for the onset of the salt decay.     

A color image segmentation method as used in the study of ancient monument decay

In the cultural heritage area, it is of fundamental importance to characterize and classify the conservation state of the materials constituting ancient monuments, in order to study and monitor their decay. Generally, the decay diagnosis is provided by “naked eye” analysis done by expert scientists “walking around” the artifact and recording the conservation state of each individual element they observe. In this paper, a color image segmentation approach, based on histogram threshold and edge detection techniques is presented, to extract degradation regions, characterized by holes or cavities, from color images of stone-materials. The goal is to provide an aid to the decay diagnosis by segmenting degraded regions from color images, computing quantitative data, such as the area and perimeter of the extracted zones, and processing qualitative information, such as various levels of depth detected into the same zones. Since color is a powerful tool in the distinction between objects, a segmentation technique based on color, instead of intensity only, has been used to provide a clearer discrimination between regions. The study case concerns the impressive remains of the Roman Theatre in the city of Aosta (Italy). In particular, we have processed and analyzed some color images of the theatre puddingstones, acquired by a camera.     

Unsettled questions in the political economy of the arts

Reprinted fromThe Three Banks Review September 1971 pp. 3–19, by kind permission of the Royal Bank of Scotland plc. Lionel (Lord) Robbins (1898–1984) was Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics from 1929–1961 and Emeritus Professor unit 1980. He was actively involved in the arts, higher education and journalism, holding a number of prestigious posts.     

Mechanical behavior of leaning masonry Huzhu Pagoda

The paper has been developed in the framework of a larger research program, in which the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” (Italy) and the Yangzhou University (China) are jointly involved to study and preserve historic towers. The research aims to evaluate the risk of collapse of the Huzhu Pagoda in Songjiang County, a leaning tower built in the XI century. Mechanical properties of the masonry material have been obtained by experimental tests on small specimen and the mechanical behaviour of the structure has been evaluated via numerical models. The static analysis of this ancient pagoda constitute a prerequisite base for the evaluation of its structural behavior leading to a suitable maintenance program. The architectural characteristics and damage conditions of the pagoda are key parameters in the preparation of a complex analytical model. The pagoda leans more than six and half degrees, and exhibits some bad structural conditions. Static analysis is carried out via finite-element method in order to establish a reliable numerical model and assess the static risk.     

A new family of high viscosity polymeric dispersions for cleaning easel paintings

The procedures for making and applying a new family of high viscosity aqueous polymeric dispersions based on poly(vinyl alcohol)-borax (PVA-borax) matrices are presented. A specific system of this type has been used to remove an oxidized varnish coating from the surface of “Coronation of the Virgin with Saints”, a 15th century egg tempera painting on wood by Neri di Bicci (Florence, 1418–1492). FTIR spectra showed that the oxidized varnish was constituted of highly aged shellac resin. Good cleaning performance was attained when the liquid portion of the dispersion consisted of a mixture of water and acetone. Rheological investigations indicate that the acetone content does not affect the mechanical properties of the polymeric dispersion. Those mechanical properties permit easy removal of the cleaning agent simply by peeling it from the surface by means of a forceps or spatula once it has carried out its cleaning function. Optical microscopic and FTIR investigations show that the cleaning agent is able to remove the oxidized varnish coating from the surface of the Neri di Bicci painting without leaving detectable residues.