-flash news- The portrait of Isabella d'Este (?) by Leonardo da Vinci (?)

Once more again scientific investigations shake the world of art. 

It is up to a painting that is supposed to portray Isabella d'Este. The iconographic features of Saint Catherine could have been added afterwards and under the wheel it is hidden a closed book as for the "cartone" surely attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and kept at Louvre Museum.  

Radiocarbon investigations are also involved, but its drawbacks are by now well known (the high associated error, the actual dating of the death of the organism).

Let's wait for some more news.

From:

*http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/oct/04/leonardo-da-vinci-lost-portrait-isabella-deste

September mornings #2 – The new Archaeological Museum of Egnazia (Southern Italy).

September is ending, it is time to meditate on last summer souvenirs. It is time to forget holidays and get moving. Still… There is a memory I am not able to say goodbye to this year: it is the visit to the National Archaeological Museum of Egnazia "Giuseppe Andreassi" that opened again after renovation works on 25^th July.

Egnazia… For those who studied the cultural heritage in the region, it is very well known, almost an obsession, a positive one bringing to devote attachment. Those who like me have worked on it, for a project in which to put all one’s passion, or for a thesis in which…Maybe a little less passion but still, so much work, cannot come back to Egnazia without a feeling of nostalgia, and the personal impression of the condition of the Museum and the Park will be not that objective.

For those instead who do not know Egnazia, it is worth saying that this Archaeological Park cannot be defined with a simple historical definition like: “Prehistoric Site” “Messapic Site” “Roman Site” “Medieval Site". All the history of the town is in fact displayed in the excavated part, like a small tessera of a much larger mosaic all to be discovered. Imagine how much can be stored in the annexed Museum! In the new set-up all these materials – pardon me the word- are organized in temporal sequence, in cabinets full of objects that all the world would like to have and accompanied by descriptive panels really well done and of impact.

There is the content, there is the container, the context is enchanting (welcome also to the tourists coming by chance because attracted by the wonderful sea!). Still…There something missing! Ok, to call “something” every kind of indication of the itinerary, guidebook, computer supported information, non-booked tourist guide, English, audioguide, archaeometric data (yes! Why not after years of work on the exposed objects?), but also bookshop and café it may seem not enough, but as I told you, this cannot be an objective review and, above all, I am sure it is only matter of time!

So, you are all invited to visit the Park and the Museum at the price of… 3€! (Please, please! Increase the ticket price!)

To learn more:

* http://www.egnaziaonline.it/index_file/Page413.htm

To learn more “archaeometrically speaking”:

*LC Giannossa, S Loperfido, M Caggese, GE De Benedetto, R Laviano, L Sabbatini, A Mangone, A systematic characterization of fibulae from Italy: from chemical composition to microstructure and corrosion processes, New Journal of Chemistry, 37, 2013, 1238-1251.

* A Mangone, MC Caggiani, LC Giannossa, G Eramo, V Redavid, R Laviano, Diversified production of red figured pottery in Apulia (Southern Italy) in the late period, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 14, 1, 2013, 82-88.

* MC Caggiani, M Ciminale, D Gallo, M Noviello, F Salvemini, On line non destructive archaeology; the archaeological park of Egnazia (Southern Italy) study case, Journal of Archaeological Science 39, 1, 2012, 67-75.

* A Mangone, LC Giannossa,  G Eramo,  R Laviano, CS Fioriello, V Redavid and A Traini,  Technological features of ‘gnathia’ pottery, X-Ray Spectrometry 38, 2009, 386–393.

* A Mangone, LC Giannossa, R Laviano, CS Fioriello, A Traini, Investigations by various analytical techniques to the correct classification of archaeological finds and delineation of technological features Late Roman lamps from Egnatia: From imports to local production, Microchemical Journal, 91, 2009, 214–221.

* A Traini, LC Giannossa, P Ubbrìaco, A Mangone, MD De Filippis and R Laviano, The reason of the collapse of an ancient kiln in Egnazia from mineralogical and thermal analysis of ceramic finds, Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 92, 1, 2008, 337–344.

September mornings #1 – RAA2013.

The 7th InternationalCongress on the Application of Raman Spectroscopy in Art and Archaeology ended last Friday, 6^th September 2013 in the pleasant context of Ljubljana castle.  

Since the first edition in Paris in 2007, it is a biennial important occasion for all the “ramanists” dealing with cultural heritage or, as in my case, vice versa.

The excellent organization guided by Dott. Polonca Ropret, of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia allowed, both in the oral and in the poster sessions, to range within the various application fields of this versatile technique (lacques, varnishes, minerals, fossils, pigments, pottery, metals, bio-deterioration, forensics etc etc…).

Furthermore it gave place, in two dedicated sessions, to the subjects on which the concentration is focusing in the present and and that will more and more develop in the future, that are SERS applications (Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy) and portability of instrumentation/ non-destructivity of the analyses.

One of the attractiveness of this meeting – and of others of the same sort- lays in the fact that researchers of a very specific field can meet: not simply archeometry, but Raman for cultural heritage! This leads, as in this case, to a highly fruitful exchange of ideas and problems among the participants!

See you for the next edition, in 2015!

To learn more:

Selections of the works presented at the meetings are collected every two years in special issue of the Journal of Raman Spectroscopy.

My personal point of view on a Materials Science Symposium

There's always something to be learned in a symposium.

Even if the 90% of the presentations deals with subjects far from that of our interest.

I was the photographer of the 9th National Symposium of the (Italian) National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology, held in Bari, Italy, last week.

The intelligence and open-mindedness of the organizers allowed to have a first day of the congress devoted to Cultural Heritage, but also to a consideration about the power of Nature and a lesson about Science communication. 

It was an inspiring day, of course (for example the importance of communicating through images, ok, photos number will increase in this blog!), but I speak also about the oral presentations and posters of the following days. They concerned disparate subjects far from those of my interest, but in many cases so well-done to give new ideas about contents, structure, planning...

All in all, a pleasant and variegated experience!

On the thread of time with the glass beads.

Glass beads are mentioned among the first discoveries of glass objects dated to the 2^nd millennium b.C in the Eastern Mediterranean. Despite their small dimensions they can be full of meaning and represent power, rituality, beauty. They raise admiration for their variegated colours and shapes and curiosity for the complex work at the basis of the production of these tiny and often elaborate marvels.

The Corning Museum of Glass (NY - USA) owns a rich collection of glass beads belonging transversely to different historic epochs and world regions. Thus, it built up a gorgeous exhibition, entitled “Life on a String: 35 Centuries of the Glass Bead”, starting today, 18 May 2013 and open up to 5 January 2014. It will include also objects coming from other institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History. Also pieces connected to the production will be displayed, such as a loom for beading and molds used to make powdered glass bodom beads. The program for children and families is also very interesting since, as usual for this Museum, it will include the observation of glassmaking and the possibility of producing a small jewel or artwork.

The glass beads, being colourful, opaque and elaborate in production, have always drawn the attention of archaeometrists. Several studies were conducted on glass beads, especially of Chinese and African provenance. Among the techniques used, the portable XRF and the micro-Raman spectroscopy are more and more being used, the latter due to its features of non destructiveness and sometimes portability, but above all thanks to the information that it gives regarding the nature of glass, opacifiers and pigments at the same time.  

Have a look to this limited selection of papers, and, if you can, enjoy the exhibition!

To learn more:

*http://www.cmog.org/collection/exhibitions/life-string-35-centuries-glass-bead

* AV Gennett, with contributions by T Oldknow: Glass Beads: Selections from the Corning Museum of Glass, 2013.

Just few ideas to learn more "Archaeometrically speaking":

* HX Zhao, QH Li, S Liu, FX Gan, Characterization of microcrystals in some ancient glass beads from china by means of confocal Raman microspectroscopy, Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 44, 4, 643–649, 2013.

* JRN Peake and IC Freestone, Cross-craft interactions between metal and glass working: slag additions to early Anglo-Saxon red glass, Proc. SPIE 8422, Integrated Approaches to the Study of Historical Glass, 842204 (September 21, 2012); doi:10.1117/12.973765.

* A Tournié, LC Prinsloo, Ph Colomban, Raman classification of glass beads excavated on Mapungubwe hill and K2, two archaeological sites in South Africa, Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 43, 4, 532–542, 2012.

* P Robertshaw, M Wood, E Melchiorre, RS Popelka-Filcoff, MD Glascock, Southern African glass beads: chemistry, glass sources and patterns of trade, Journal of Archaeological Science 37,8, 1898–1912, 2010.

* D Sokaras, A G. Karydas, A Oikonomou, N Zacharias, K Beltsios, V Kantarelou, Combined elemental analysis of ancient glass beads by means of ion beam, portable XRF, and EPMA techniques, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 395, 7, 2199-2209, 2009.

* LC Prinsloo and Ph Colomban, A Raman spectroscopic study of the Mapungubwe oblates: glass trade beads excavated at an Iron Age archaeological site in South Africa, Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 39: 79–90, 2008.

* N Welter, U Schüssler, W Kiefer, Characterisation of inorganic pigments in ancient glass beads by means of Raman microspectroscopy, microprobe analysis and X-ray diffractometry, Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 38: 113–121, 2007.

-flash news- Madonna di San Luca restoration

It is our pleasure to communicate the end of the restoration works on the Madonna di San Luca painting in Bologna, a good example in which the scientific analyses, in this case  carried out by Art-Test in Florence, were useful to contribute to the success of the restoration, thanks to a better knowledge of the work of art and its conservation condition. 

*http://corrieredibologna.corriere.it/bologna/notizie/cultura/2013/2-maggio-2013/madonna-san-luca-tornata-brillare-212945144614.shtml

Discovering the world of the Samurai.

Starting from 29^th March and up to 3^rd November 2013, an exhibition entitled “Samurai!” will be held at the Stibbert Museum in Florence: it gathers 70 masterpieces of the museum collection: they are fascinating Japanese armours, helms, blades, saddles, stirrups and other objects belonging to the life of a Samurai… The point of view is very interesting: particular attention is given to the artisan techniques and the materials employed like steel, silk, leather, lacquer.

The Stibbert Museum is not well known outside Florence, despite the fact that its Japanese collection is one of the most important beyond Japan. The Museum was created by Frederick Stibbert, an anglo-italian who inherited a large capital by his family of soldiers, and devoted his money to the collection that he transformed into a museum and left to the town of Florence. At present the collection, enriched by donation and purchase after his founder’s death, is made up of about 50000 objects. It includes not only a Japanese army, but also a European and an Islamic one, a picture gallery (portraits from the 16^th to the 18^th century), a section of porcelains (interesting for the 19^th century production) and one of costumes (European, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean clothes).

Recently, the rich and diversified Japanese collection of this museum, has drown the attentions of the archaeometrists, who could use non destructive and non invasive techniques such as portable X-rays Fluorescence and the neutron techniques like Diffraction and Imaging. The exploitable information goes from the elemental composition to the average bulk properties of the sample. For example, it is possible to reconstruct the sections or volumes of the blades, deducing interesting information about the forging methods of the different Japanese traditions and schools.

Now, I invite my readers to visit this exhibition and the hosting museum, and to be particularly careful to the discoveries of science and technology that will gradually unveil the details of this fascinating world.

To learn more:

* www.museostibbert.it

To learn more… ”Archaeometrically speaking”:

* F Salvemini, F Grazzi, A Agostino, R Iannaccone, F Civita, S Hartmann, E Lehmann, M Zoppi, Non-invasive characterization through X-ray fluorescence and neutron radiography of an ancient Japanese lacquer, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, February 2013, DOI 10.1007/s12520-013-0127-6.

* F Salvemini, F Grazzi, S Peetermans, F Civita, R Franci, S Hartmann, E Lehmann, M Zoppi, Quantitative characterization of Japanese ancient swords through energy-resolved neutron imaging, Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 2012, 27, 1494-1501.

* F Grazzi, LBartoli, F Civita, R Franci, A Paradowska, A Scherillo and M Zoppi, From Koto age to modern times: Quantitative characterization of Japanese swords with Time of Flight Neutron Diffraction, Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 2011,26, 1030-1039.