INNOVATIVE ANALYTICAL TOOLS FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE STUDIES.

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CHARISMA (Cultural Heritage Advanced Research Infrastructures. is a consortium of 22 European institutions that develop and promote advanced research in conservation/restoration. The consortium combines research laboratories with leading technology institutes on cultural heritage, to facilitate profitable interactions among scientists, conservators-restorers and curators.

Within CHARISMA, three different types of activities are jointly carried out by the consortium partners, as: research, networking and transnational access. Through transnational access, facilities of the consortium are open to European scientists, conservator/restorers and curators, in order to let them carry out their research and use advanced tools.

Technology

Works of art and artifacts that constitute our cultural heritage are subject to deterioration. Their surfaces interacting with the environment are the most prone to aging and decay; accordingly, soiling is a prime factor in the degradation of surfaces, chemical and mechanical degradation are often associated to soiling and lead to the disfigurement of a piece of art. The effects of these processes are usually strongly amplified if protective coatings (mainly acrylic and vynil resins polymers), applied in previous restoration treatments, are present.

In the past years the application of several advanced systems for the cleaning and consolidation of works had been developed. For example, two main systems have been developed: nanoparticles, microemulsions and chemical/physical gels.

- Nanoparticles.

Calcium and barium hydroxide nanoparticles offer versatile and highly efficient tools to invert the degradation processes altering wall paintings, or to de-acidify and protect cellulosic materials (paper, wood).

- X-Ray digital radiography and computed tomography for cultural heritage

The technique enable diagnostic for three-dimensional imaging with X-rays, which are able to cover most of the range of Cultural Heritage interest especially great works of art , and metallic handworks (such as statues of bronze). Also require computing systems very rapid because, sometimes, it is necessary to process thousands of images with a large number of pixels.

- Innovative conservation approaches for monitoring and protecting ancient and historic metals collections from the Mediterranean Basin

The Project aims to establish and to promote a conservation strategy to protect Mediterranean archaeological or historical metals collections exhibited or stored in buildings without the benefit of a controlled environment.

CHAPTER 3

APPLIED STUDIES

- Tools of cultural heritage science

Cultural heritage scientists study a wide range of materials that can include metals and corrosion products; textiles and dyes; mineral and organic pigments; gems; composite biomaterials, such as leather, vellum, parchment, and wood; paper and papyrus; natural and synthetic polymers; and even biofilms and biodeterioration. Perhaps the materials of greatest interest to the American Ceramic Society community would include fired ceramics, glazes, adobe, enamels, mortar, glasses, and ceramic nanocoatings.

Cultural heritage scientists assume various roles depending on the circumstances surrounding an artwork or a particular issue—a doctor one day, a detective the next, or even an explorer the following day. For example, if crystals spontaneously appear on a ceramic artwork, museum curators may ask scientists:

“What is it? Where did it come from? Why is this happening? How can this be prevented?” Alternatively, scientists may be asked to address questions of authenticity. If an art museum plans to acquire an object, a scientist might be asked to confirm that the materials used for the object’s fabrication are consistent with the date of attribution. Sometimes, a scientist is asked to reverse engineer a work of art to determine how it was made or what technology was used to make it.

Therefore, is important the knowledge of the material composition of the original handwork and the physical properties (porosity, pores size distribution, colour, permeability to water and vapour, surface properties, etc...) because allows to plan restoration treatments, establish the best conditions for the preservation of the goods and evaluate the efficacy and durability of protective and consolidating treatments. For example; the study of the physical characteristics of a porous medium before and after the treatment can be done through physical investigations such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and X-ray microtomography.

CHAPTER 4

ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES

- X-Ray digital radiography and computed tomography for cultural heritage

Although the methods - from the theoretical point of view - are identical to those applied in the medical field, in practice is very different apply the diagnostic mentioned in a human body rather than bronze statues or marble. As a result, effective diagnostics in the field of cultural heritage requires sophisticated instrumentation and experimental apparatus designed and developed ad hoc, almost never available on the world market, mainly dedicated to the medical application.

To overcome this deficiency, the Fermi Centre, in collaboration with other Italian and foreign institutions, aims at the development of advanced instrumentation in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-ray tomography (CT).

The diagnostic instruments cited, having characteristics more "pushed" to those used in the medical field, May also be used in the industrial one, with a significant return on the quality and product certification. This latter possibility, recently much in demand by the Italian industries, also matches the aims of the new Programmed for Research and Innovation of the European Commission.

Among the priorities of the project we can mention:

- Study of the properties of porous materials (well preserved, degraded and consolidated) and the analysis of archaeological finds, often hidden from the public, which, instead, can be revalued and valorized if "rediscovered" thanks to the modern technologies. The knowledge of the material composition of the original handwork and the physical properties (porosity, pores size distribution, colour, permeability