How Many Secret Details Could a Systematic Multi-Analytical Study Reveal About the Mysterious Fresco Trionfo della Morte?

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Non-Invasive Investigation of Pigments of Wall Painting in S. Maria Delle Palate di Tusa (Messina, Italy)

The characterization of materials used in the archaeological field needs an experimental approach in order to avoid the destruction or perturbation of artworks. In order to afford this purpose, a multi-analytical spectroscopic approach is regularly used. We combined non-invasive analysis by using handheld spectroscopic instrumentations (mainly XRF and Raman spectrometers) in order to characterize the wall painting preserved in the church of S. Maria delle Palate at Halaesa Arconidea archeological site (Tusa, Messina, Italy). The aim of the work is the characterization of the nature of pigments used for the realization of the wall painting. The wall painting, probably representing St. Franci…

Effectiveness of some protective and self-cleaning treatments: a challenge for the conservation of temple G stone in Selinunte

Abstract The Temple G of the Archaeological Park of Selinunte (Italy), the largest in Europe, is one of the most impressive temples in the Magna Grecia. Today, it is completely destroyed due to a strong earthquake occurred in the Middle Ages. The used stone is a calcarenite coming from the ancient and renowned quarries of Cusa near the acropolis. This work comes from the today’s proposal of Temple G anastylosis. The goal of the work is to provide the results relating the protective effectiveness of three polymer formulations, appropriately selected, on stone samples taken from the “Capitello” quarry, part of “Cusa quarries”. The formulations functionality was deployed by adding TiO2 nanopar…

Attività e proposte progettuali sulla conservazione e il trattamento delle opere cartacee

Identifying the Unknown Content of an Ancient Egyptian Sealed Alabaster Vase from Kha and Merit’s Tomb Using Multiple Techniques and Multicomponent Sample Analysis in an Interdisciplinary Applied Chemistry Course

This article highlights the multianalytical study of exuded liquid from an ancient Egyptian sealed alabaster vase by Master's students in an applied chemistry for cultural heritage course. Master students are introduced to the field of Archaeometry that see the collaboration of experts in different areas of research such as conservators, curators of museums, physicists, chemists, etc. The sample is a residue exuded on the linen strip sealing an ancient Egyptian alabaster vase (inventory number S.8448) from the collection of the Museo Egizio in Turin (Italy). The students start to plan the noninvasive investigation by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ener…

Estimating minimum adult HIV prevalence: A cross-sectional study to assess the characteristics of people living with HIV in Italy

In 2012, we conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study to assess the number of people living with HIV linked to care and, among these, the number of people on antiretroviral therapy. The health authority in each of the 20 Italian Regions provided the list of Public Infectious Diseases Clinics providing antiretroviral therapy and monitoring people with HIV infection. We asked every Public Infectious Diseases Clinic to report the number of HIV-positive people diagnosed and linked to care and the number of those on antiretroviral therapy during 2012. In 2012, 94,146 people diagnosed with HIV and linked to care were reported. The majority were males (70.1%), Italians (84.4%), and aged betw…

Investigation on four centuripe vases (late 3rd-2nd cent. B.C.) by portable X-ray fluorescence and total reflectance-FTIR

Abstract Four Centuripe vases dated back to the late 3rd-2nd centuries B.C. were analysed using imaging under visible and ultra-violet illumination as well as complementary non-invasive and non-destructive portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Total Reflectance – Fourier Transform InfraRed (TR-FTIR) spectroscopies. The vases are of great importance since they represent a rare expression of the Hellenistic vase painting. Four specimens, a “pyxis”, a “lebes gamikos” and two “lekanides” decorated with figures of different type, are exhibited in the Antonino Salinas Archaeological Museum in Palermo-Italy. The investigation was aimed to identify the used pigments and the painting technique, to r…

Assessment of protection treatments for carbonatic stone using nanocomposite coatings

In this paper the effect of the application of four kinds of polymer dispersions containing nanoparticles, used as protectives, on two type of carbonatic lithotypes, White Noto and Comiso stone, is reported. The study was conducted by analysing the contribution of each component of the system. After the structural characterization of the coating itself, the performance of those colloidal systems has been studied upon application on the calcarenites, preferring non-invasive techniques and microdestructive techniques. Effect of the nanoparticles presence on hydrorepellency and roughness of the stone surface and on chromatic changes has also been considered. The tests conducted have proven tha…

A multivariate statistical approach of X-ray fluorescence characterization of a large collection of reverse glass paintings

We present an X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) study combined with a multivariate approach that allow to detect compositional differences and similarities among the glass supports of a large set of reverse glass paintings belonging to the collection of the Mistretta museum. Reverse painting on glass is an old decorative technique used since the Roman time consisting in applying a cold paint layer on the reverse side of a glass support. The collection shows a large spreading of provenience and dating of the items. In consideration of the current classification solely based on stylistic criteria, we applied a multivariate analysis on the XRF measurements data set to find a more objective…

A combination of portable non-invasive techniques to study on reverse glass paintings at Mistretta museum

Abstract Reverse painting on glass is an old decorative technique used since the Roman time consisting in applying a cold paint layer on the reverse side. The Sicilian Regional Museum of forestry and pastoral traditions in Mistretta (Messina, Italy) houses the largest collection of reverse glass paintings in Italy with a total of 195 artworks. The artworks are attributed to the different Italian geographic area from north to south Italy. A combination of non-invasive analysis by using complementary portable spectroscopic instrumentations (mainly XRF and Raman Spectrometers) was applied on some selection of reverse glass paintings. The goal of the work is the characterization of the nature o…

La diagnostica chimico-fisica a supporto della conservazione e del restauro delle opere cartacee

Questo contributo è stato prodotto a seguito dell’intervento del Prof. Caponetti e della sessione laboratoriale guidata dalla Dott.ssa Saladino in collaborazione con il Dott. Renda e la Dott.ssa Chirco in cui è stata realizzata una dimostrazione pratica di come si possano eseguire le indagini di materiale cartaceo con strumentazione portatile. Nel presente contributo sono presentate e illustrate alcune delle tecniche di indagine idonee per l’analisi di opere cartacee, ed in particolare alcune di quelle che possono essere applicate mediante strumentazione portatile. Queste tecniche forniscono informazioni complementari e consentono la conoscenza dell’opera stessa (tipologia di carta, tecnica…

Organic-inorganic nanocomposites prepared by reactive suspension method: investigation on filler/matrix interactions and their effect on the nanoparticles dispersion

Epoxy resin/TiO2 nanocomposites prepared by both reactive suspension method, based on in situ synthesis, and conventional mechanical mixing are analysed by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and transmission electron microscopy in order to have a deeper insight into the nature of interactions at the polymer/particle interface and their effect on the nanoparticles dispersion. Specifically, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments showed that the nanoparticles, synthesized by reactive suspension method, can efficiently link the matrix by hydrogen bonds forming a hybrid organic-inorganic 3D network. Such evidences strongly supports our previously reported theory, in which the nan…

Alcoholic nanolime dispersion obtained by the insolubilisation-precipitation method and its application for the deacidification of ancient paper

Abstract Nanolime dispersions for the deacidification of ancient paper constitute a valid alternative to the lime traditional ones. Their efficacy depends on particles size, polydispersity and agglomeration that can be controlled depending on the preparation method. In this work, nanolime preparation by insolubilisation-precipitation method is reported. Nanoparticles dispersed in a water-isopropanol mixture were obtained without any manipulation of the dispersion. The stability of the dispersion together with particle size and morphology were found to be dependent on water to isopropanol molar ratio and on the synthesis temperature. One of the dispersion was applied on a manuscript to asses…