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2024 | Buch

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Advanced Technologies for Cultural Heritage Monitoring and Conservation

The Collection of Chigi Palace in Ariccia, Italy

herausgegeben von: Sofia Ceccarelli, Mauro Missori, Roberta Fantoni

Verlag: Springer Nature Switzerland

Buchreihe : Digital Innovations in Architecture, Engineering and Construction

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

This book provides the results of an extensive scientific measurements campaign using advanced technologies and innovative non-invasive approaches carried out for the first time in such large numbers inside one of the most important baroque residences in Italy, the Chigi Palace in Ariccia, near Rome (Italy), with the aims of monitoring, characterizing and documenting several kinds of heritage items with different conservative and artistic issues. The analyses involved several research groups from regional universities (Sapienza, Tor Vergata, Roma 3) and research institutions (ENEA, INFN, CNR) and they were performed within the ADAMO project, which was addressed to technologies of analysis, diagnostics and monitoring for the preservation and restoration of Cultural Heritage. The project was proposed by the Centre of Excellence at the Technological District for Cultural Heritage (DTC) financed by the Lazio Region. At the Chigi Palace, important collections of paintings, documents, statues and wall decorations are preserved, dating back from the 16th up to the 18th centuries. The purpose of this book is twofold: it provides an overview of methodologies and technologies currently available in the field of heritage science, through the presentation of their in situ applications for the study of different artworks and materials; furthermore, it shows how the non-invasive analyses and the integration of diagnostic results are useful and sometimes crucial, for the overall understanding of heritage items, their conservation status, and for their correct conservation. This book is addressed at a large audience with both humanistic and scientific backgrounds, focusing the reader's attention on the information gained from multidisciplinary studies, also allowing a curious look at scientific methodologies applied to an art-historical context.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia: A Precious Gem of the Italian Baroque Architectural Panorama

Abstract

The Chigi Palace in Ariccia is one of the most outstanding and well-preserved testimonies of the Italian Baroque both for its architecture designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and for the unique masterpieces preserved inside. This paper presents the historical and artistic overview of the artworks investigated within the scientific regional project ADAMO which had the aim of characterise, document and monitor several kind of objects. Among the artworks here presented, there are paintings on canvas, marble busts, handwritten letters, the unique leather wall covering, wall frescoes and the only drawing on wall signed by Bernini itself.

Francesco Petrucci, Sofia Ceccarelli

Paintings

Frontmatter

Multispectral Remote Digitalisation of Large-Scaled Paintings in Palazzo Chigi of Ariccia

Abstract

The multispectral study and the digitalisation of large-scaled artworks is often a critical procedure due to the movement of the instrumentation, which need scaffolds, long timing and long data acquisition time, especially when artworks are also placed at large heights, such as painting hung on walls. This is the case of a series of paintings located at the Chigi Palace in Ariccia (Rome, Italy), studied with two prototypal laser scanner systems developed by ENEA. By the use of laser sources in the visible/infrared ranges and the double-amplitude modulation technique, the scanners detect the reflected signals from the investigated object working remotely for the colour-accurate digitalisation and the detection of subsurface features. The Red Green Blue-Imaging Topological Radar (RGB-ITR) system was employed on a large canvas depicting angels with symbols of the Passion of Christ for the remote 3D digitalisation in the visible range, while the Infrared Imaging Topological Radar (IR-ITR) system was endorsed on two paintings belonging to the Four Seasons series for the infrared analysis aimed at the identification of hidden elements and the recovery of features not clearly visible. The obtained results provided precious information on the conservative state and the artistic techniques of large-scale artworks, not studied before by advanced technologies.

Massimiliano Guarneri, Sofia Ceccarelli, Massimo Francucci, Massimiliano Ciaffi, Mario Ferri De Collibus

Multi-sensor Imaging Approach to Highlight Hidden Pentimenti and Underdrawings: The Case of “the Spring” Painting at Chigi Palace of Ariccia

Abstract

The study of paintings using a multi-sensor approach allows obtaining information on details not visible to the naked eye, such as pentimenti and preparatory drawings. The possibility to concatenate multispectral images, coming from different devices and spectral ranges (from visible to short-wave infrared), allows the creation of hypercube data that can be analysed with chemometric approaches, such as Principal Components Analyses (PCA). Moreover, the use of X-Ray radiation performing radiographic images allows us to reach the inner layers and to detect details of the paintings that are not accessible using optical radiations. In this work, “The Spring” painting, realised by Mario de’ Fiori e Filippo Lauri, was analysed by using a multi-sensor approach: a full spectrum Nikon camera, an InGaAs camera and an Image Plate detector for X-rays to recover hidden details of the artists’ creative process.

Lucilla Pronti, Martina Romani, Ombretta Tarquini, Gianluca Verona-Rinati, Marcello Colapietro, Augusto Pifferi, Marco Marinelli, Francesco Colao, Mariangela Cestelli Guidi

Statues

Frontmatter

Laser-Based Spectroscopic Systems to Investigate Marble Busts in the Chigi Palace of Ariccia

Abstract

The application of laser-based spectroscopic systems in the field of cultural heritage is now well established. In particular, LIF (Laser-Induced Fluorescence)-based instruments present some features that make them particularly valid in the field of cultural heritage, where the respect and the conservation of the target must be maximum. In fact, they have the ability to work in situ at several meters of distance from the target, they are non-destructive, don't require sampling and can be portable while providing first results in real time. The technique’s effectiveness as a diagnostic tool for cultural heritage materials, like paintings, wood and stone, has been demonstrated widely. As part of the ADAMO project, three marble busts, preserved in the Chigi Palace of Ariccia, attributed to the Bernini school have been analysed by LIF to obtain information on constituent materials and on previous restoration processes, not available in this case. Two different LIF systems developed by ENEA have been used, to reduce the time for measurements and to limit the number of measurement points. Data post-processing has highlighted areas with treatments completely invisible to the naked eye as well as some differences on the surfaces of the various busts. Moreover, Raman measurements have been carried out in situ on the same busts by using a high-performance laboratory Raman system coupled with optical fiber head confirming the LIF results on the investigated samples.

Luisa Caneve, Valeria Spizzichino, Adriana Puiu, Armida Sodo, Marco Sbroscia

Frescoes and Wall Drawings

Frontmatter

Integrating Diagnostic Tools in the Ariosto Room

Abstract

At the Noble floor of the Chigi Palace in Ariccia, the left wing of the building hosts the Ariosto Room (Sala dell’Ariosto), characterised by the decorative cycle painted by Giuseppe Cades in 1788 with scenes inspired to the famous Ludovico Ariosto’s poem the Raging Roland (Orlando Furioso). In addition, two large monochrome paintings on opposite walls by the same author enrich the room, representing The Antique Greece (Graecia Vetus) and The New Italy (Italia Nova). The Ariosto Room and its decorative paintings are the object of the present investigation. In particular, the Graecia Vetus and its supporting wall was studied integrating image-based data from photogrammetric survey and acoustic imaging diagnostics, for investigating the masonry structure beneath the painting surface. Integrating complementary information from many available technologies represents a tool of primary importance, since the cultural assets and the historical buildings where they are placed often show a complexity requiring the development of appropriate data fusion procedures. The authors wish to propose a suitable approach for treating multi-source data from image-based methodologies, where heterogeneous datasets gather in a multi-layer map, each layer representing a type of defects or anomalies, in order to provide a set of simple and intelligible information to the end users.

Paola Calicchia, Sara De Simone, Antonio Camassa, Angelo Tatì

Mid-Wave Infrared Analysis of the Wall Drawing “Saint Joseph with the Child” by Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Abstract

In this work, Mid-Wave Infrared imaging techniques are applied to the investigation of the Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s masterpiece “Saint Joseph and the Child” preserved at the Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia (Rome, Italy). In order to study this artwork, consisting in a drawing on wall, an integrated approach based on the use of Pulsed Thermography and Mid-Wave Infrared Reflectography is proposed. The combined use of these techniques enables the non-destructive characterization of sub-surface and structural features, such as inhomogeneities and restored areas on the plaster, and also of the materials used to obtain the drawing, thus revealing information on the preservation status of the artwork.

Sofia Ceccarelli, Noemi Orazi, Fulvio Mercuri, Ugo Zammit, Stefano Paoloni

Characterization of Bernini’s Mural Drawing Preserved in Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia (Rome) Using a Multi-Analytical and Chemometric Approach

Abstract

Nowadays, the capability to analyse artworks in their conservation site, by using portable and non-destructive technologies, has become mandatory, especially for the unmovable artworks (mural paintings, frescoes, artworks of large dimensions, fragile artworks that cannot be subjected to material withdrawals, etc.). In the field of Cultural Heritage this aspect is recurring, and it is often related to the artworks’ value or their state of conservation. In this chapter, an excursus about the most used techniques for in-situ characterization of wall paintings’ constituent materials are presented. Finally, the results obtained on the mural drawings of “San Joseph with the Child” by Gian Lorenzo Bernini are reported as an example of a multi-technical and multi-group campaign where the immovability of the artwork has involved the adoption of dedicated logistics solutions.

Martina Romani, Lucilla Pronti, Marco Sbroscia, Ombretta Tarquini, Gianluca Verona-Rinati, Maria Antonietta Ricci, Armida Sodo, Marcello Colapietro, Marco Marinelli, Augusto Pifferi, Mariangela Cestelli Guidi

Leather Wall Coverings

Frontmatter

Physical–Chemical Characterisation of Leather from Corami Wall Hangings of Chigi Palace Using Non-destructive and Micro-Destructive Techniques

Abstract

In this study, the results of a campaign of measurements by non-destructive and micro-destructive techniques on gilt and painted leather hangings from Chigi Palace (Ariccia, Italy) are reported. Both in-situ and laboratory analyses were performed to draw a comprehensive description of the manufacturing of leather, the support of such a delicate and complex sandwich artifact. The wall hangings in gilt, painted and embossed leather (in Italian, corami, cuoi d'oro or cuoridoro) are luxurious decorations used all over Europe between the sixteenth and eighteenth century. Despite this widespread use, most of them have disappeared. Those preserved at Chigi Palace, dating back to the seventeenth century, are therefore very important for understanding the Italian technique of corami. Although the leather support of the decorative layers is essential for corami’s conservation, its characterization and diagnostic are still a challenge. An integrated assessment procedure as a trustworthy, non-destructive, or minimally destructive tool for discovering more about the tanning and dying of leather was developed based on XRF, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, and solid state ¹³C CP-MAS and ²⁷Al NMR spectroscopy. The results showed that the leather used for the Chigi Palace wall hangings was made from goatskin using sumac tannin and red dyed with a brazilwood extract obtained in accordance with medieval recipes that include alum as a mordant and chalk/gypsum and white lead as extenders.

Noemi Proietti, Valeria Di Tullio, Cristina Carsote, Elena Badea

Decorated Corams of Palazzo Chigi: Characterisation and Preservation Treatment

Abstract

With the aim of the care and preservation of collagen-based objects, a study was conducted on the leather wallpapers adorning the Palazzo Chigi rooms. Several rooms of the building are enriched with decorated corams of the seventeenth century while numerous fragmented and incomplete wallpapers are, instead, preserved in the archives of the palace. As all the collagen-based artefacts, these aged leather fragments can be easily damaged by natural causes or by incorrect treatments/preservation conditions. Altered conditions of humidity and temperature can generate serious effects on the artefacts, accelerating their deterioration and increasing the possibility to incur in bio-deterioration agents causing permanent damage to the leather. Improper handling or exposure to light can also fade dyes and pigments, inducing cumulative irreversible damage up to the loss of the decoration itself. Generally, the methods used to treat bio-deteriorated historical leather objects are always under review and many of the former results might be obsolete. Thanks to the availability of Palazzo Chigi's heritage and samples, the application of ionizing radiation produced by ENEA's REX machine, as a method for reducing the bio-deterioration of these leather objects while preserving their characteristics and their historical and artistic value, has been investigated. In the course of this study, it has also been possible to perform different characterizations of these interesting artefacts with the aim of analysing their chromatic richness, the employed materials and the iconographic elements in order to improve the knowledge of peculiar decorations of the Palazzo Chigi rooms.

Monia Vadrucci, Cristina Cicero, Massimo Chiari, Giovanni De Bellis, Claudia Mazzuca, Anna Mazzinghi, Fulvio Mercuri, Emily Schifano, Leonardo Severini, Daniela Uccelletti

Paper-Based Artefacts

Frontmatter

Multispectral Imaging and Optical Spectroscopy of Two Letters of St. Francis de Sales

Abstract

Multispectral imaging (MSI) in ultraviolet (UV), visible (Vis) and near-infrared (NIR) spectral regions is mainly used for in-situ qualitative identification of writing media and substrate alterations of artworks on paper. Reflectance spectroscopy in the UV–Vis-NIR, also known as Fiber Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS), is able to provide qualitative spectra of inks, dyes and pigments. Quantitative information is also accessible through FORS by means of a suitable sampling method and analysing the reflectance data by Kubelka–Munk theory. Punctual fluorescence spectroscopy provides qualitative information for the identification of materials. All these diagnostics methods are based on inexpensive techniques characterized by ease of use and portability for in-situ measurements and were employed for a diagnostics study of two letters written on paper by St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622) preserved at Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia (Rome, Italy). FORS measurements were interpreted by comparing the acquired spectra with Time Dependent-Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT) computational simulations of the chromophores’ optical spectra. Results showed that letters are affected by an intense degradation whose spatial extension was imaged by using MSI. FORS results and subsequent analysis by using the TD-DFT simulations provided the concentration of oxidative functions acting as chromophores. The presence of gelatin was detected throughout the whole document by MSI and fluorescence spectroscopy. In addition, starch glue was detected in specific regions of the letters and in the remedies, suggesting its use in a past restoration. MSI and FORS also allowed identifying iron-gall ink. Such clear insight into the letters current state of preservation represents invaluable information to conservators to plan restoration interventions.

Claudia Marconi, Adriano Mosca Conte, Olivia Pulci, Mauro Missori

Titel: Advanced Technologies for Cultural Heritage Monitoring and Conservation
herausgegeben von: Sofia Ceccarelli
Mauro Missori
Roberta Fantoni
Verlag: Springer Nature Switzerland
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-031-52497-4
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-52496-7
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-52497-4