DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO DATE BRICKS FROM HISTORICAL BUILDINGS

Abstract The application of Thermally (TL) and Optically (OSL) Stimulated Luminescence on bricks used as building material has allowed solving an chronological issue in the field of historical building dating. The possibility to use one or more methodologies of dating is closely related to the luminescent and granulometric characteristics of the sample. Using some brick samples collected in the church of Sain Seurin in Bordeaux (France), this paper discusses the implications and the possibility to use different approaches and techniques for dating. With this aim luminescence measurements were performed on both polymineral fine grain and quartz inclusion phases extracted from each brick. For…

NDT for the detection and characterization of superficial treatments on stone material from archaeological sites of Merida (Spain)

Prime evidenze degli effetti delle nuove coperture sul microclima della Villa romana del Casale

In September 2011 has started a new in situ microclimatic monitoring to detect the environmental conditions created by the new covering system of the Villa del Casale di Piazza Armerina (Sicily). The investigation regards sample room, on which the new covering system has been completed, and rooms that still are covered by the methacrylate old system, realized in the 60s, and so many times modified in the following decades. The comparison between the environmental parameters related to the existing covering system that, such as is demonstrated by the previous survey, causes undesired effect both for fruition and for conservation, and the data related to the new covering system, allow to veri…

Nanostructured protective for historical-artistic stone materials: evaluation of effectiveness and persistence by non invasive techniques

Colour Specification of Terracotta Calatina Specimens

Non-invasive characterization of archaeological polychrome pottery and metallic artefacts: advantage and limits of XRF in situ analysis

"Historical pigments characterisation by quantitative X-ray fluorescence"

Abstract Most of the historical paints are mainly constituted by inorganic pigments, either pure or mixed, spread on the surfaces using different binding agents. The knowledge of the exact amount of different constituents of the paint, as well as of the mixing and pictorial techniques, is crucial for a careful program of conservation of polychrome works. Moreover, since the availability of these pigments has been changing through the centuries, their identification and chemical characterisation is useful to acquire or deepen information about the artist and his/her work. This information can also be useful for authentication purposes through relative dating because the identification of one…

Historical mortars dating from OSL signal of fine grain fraction enriched in quartz

Abstract In the last years the mortar dating through Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) techniques has become a viable support for chronological estimations (date of construction or restoration episodes) of historical buildings. However, the dating of mortar has still open issues mainly regarding the assessment of the bleaching degree of quartz, the analysis of the OSL processes for this type of samples and the need to do appropriate tests for the most correct evaluation of the equivalent dose. This paper discusses the results obtained by OSL dating (blue diode stimulation) on the polymineral fine grain phase, enriched in quartz, extracted from lime mortar samples collected from differ…

Integrated methodologies for qualitative and quantitative characterization of historical pigments

Analisi Quantitativa su miscele di pigmenti tramite XRF

Caratterizzazione di pigmenti storici singoli e in miscela

XRF ANALYSES ON MOSAIC TESSERAE OF THE PALATINE CHAPEL OF PALERMO

Tecniche spettroscopiche integrate per lo studio di pigmenti storici

Tra le tecniche spettroscopiche per lo studio dei pigmenti storici, la fluorescenza a raggi X (XRF) e la spettroscopia mediante ablazione laser (LIBS) risultano complementari per le informazioni fornite in termini composizionali e di spessori indagati. A differenza dell'analisi XRF, la LIBS permette l'identificazione degli elementi chimici a basso Z e, attraverso impulsi laser consecutivi, consente di ricostruire la stratigrafia caratteristica del campione. Sono state condotte analisi spettroscopiche su frammenti di pitture murali provenienti da diversi siti e su pigmenti in polvere. I risultati hanno permesso di valutare le potenzialità, in campo archeometrico, della tecnica LIBS rispetto …

Characterization of component pigments in a mixture

This work is part of Raman spectra database constitution of pigments and materials of Cultural Heritage interest for polychrome artworks characterization. The colours of paintings are often obtained mixing pigments of palette artist’s. The attribution of a work of art to an author and the individuation of fakes are related to the identification of used pigments and also to the detection of mixture constituents. The main research objective is the extension of PH3DRA laboratory database with information useful to detect not only each single pigment but also quantitative data regarding its relative ratio in the examined mixture. The availability of spectra as revealed represents the primary li…

Dal colore alla caratterizzazione ottica di pigmenti antichi: validità del metodo spettrofotometrico e Teoria di Itten

Applicazione Integrata di Tecniche Analitiche per la Caratterizzazione di Pigmenti Storici

VALUTAZIONE DELL'EFFICACIA E DURABILITÀ DI PROTETTIVI NANOSTRUTTURATI APPLICATI SU CAMPIONI DI MARMO DI CARRARA

An integrated analytical approach can be useful to study the effectiveness of preservation treatment for Carrara marble surfaces, carried out for testing commercial products which are based on nano-structured silica oxides. Variation in hydrophobic properties, porosity distribution, and chemical composition of treated surfaces have been studied. With this aim, contact angle evaluation, NMR, XRF measurements have been used. Changes of above mentioned physical and chemical characteristics have been evaluated before and after aging in saline chamber of the treated and untreated samples. Moreover, the effectiveness of ultrasonic treatment in “safe” removal of the products from treated surfaces …

Characterization of foxing stains in early twentieth century photographic and paper materials

The subject of this present work is a group of nine historical pictures shot in Palermo by the Sicilian photographer E. Interguglielmi in 1912. They are nine matte-collodion prints mounted on the original cardboard supports and all of them show foxing stains affecting the paper surface. In order to characterise the chemical composition of the supports and investigate foxing spots, non-destructive and micro-destructive analysis were carried out. X-rays fluorescence (XRF) analysis was used to characterise the elemental composition of all the mounting boards, allowing a comparison between the foxing spots and non-affected areas. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy was used to investigate the …

PRODOTTI NANOSTRUTTURATI PER LA PROTEZIONE DI SUPERFICI LAPIDEE: VALUTAZIONE DELL’EFFICACIA MEDIANTE TECNICHE FISICHE NON INVASIVE

The use of nanoproducts in the Cultural Heritage (CH) field requires great sensitivity and responsibility and, above all, analytical research and studies evaluating effectively their potential use. In order to evaluate the capability of nanostructured protective in the CH field, limestone materials of historical-artistic interest were treated and then studied. The study focuses on the non-invasive evaluation of samples stone, of interest in the CH field, their surface has been tested with nanostructured products. In particular, samples of limestone of Favara (Sicily) have been studied, before and after artificial aging. The analytical methodology involved X-ray fluorescence measurements, in…

Heavy metals analysis by non invasive techniques for fish food quality control

La Colorimetria nei programmi di Conservazione e Restauro: il ruolo della Spettroradiometria

Nanostructured products applications for the conservation of Cultural Heritage samples

Qualitative and quantitative characterization of historical pigment mixtures through non-invasive techniques

XRF analysis to identify historical photographic processes: The case of some Interguglielmi Jr.’s images from the Palermo Municipal Archive

Abstract In the early period, even though professional photographers worked with similar techniques and products, their artistic and commercial aims determined different choices and led them to follow different, often personal, recipes. For this reason, identification of the techniques through date and name of the photographer or through some visual features like colour, tonality and surface of the image layer, often needs further investigation to be proved. Chemical characterization, carried out in a non or micro destructive way, can be crucial to provide useful information about the original composition, degradation process, realization technique, in obtaining an indirect dating of the ph…

Historical Building Dating: The Multidisciplinary Study of the Convento de São Francisco (Coimbra, Portugal)

Historical buildings: luminescence dating of fine grains from bricks and mortar

In the framework of a research program aimed to define the chronology of the structures of the architectonic complex of San Francesco alla Collina (Paternò, Italy), two luminescence dating techniques were applied: Thermoluminescence (TL) on terracotta bricks and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) on mortars. Dating a historic building through the age of its bricks can be sometimes complex, for the possible gap between the age of the bricks themselves and that of the structure. Considering that the laying of mortar is contemporary to the construction, the principal objective of the work here presented is the verification of the possibility of solving chronological uncertainties of speci…

Datazione di malte storiche tramite OSL

L'applicazione della termoluminescenza (TL) alla terracotta, utilizzata come materiale da costruzione negli edifici storici, permette di risalire all'epoca di manifattura della stessa. Questo istante potrebbe, però, non coincidere con la data della fabbrica. Assume, a tal fine, un'importanza fondamentale la possibilità di datare le malte prelevate dalla struttura in esame la cui posa è, infatti, coincidente con l'edificazione. In questa occazione viene presentato il protocollo di misura messo a punto per la preparazione fisico-chimica dei campioni di malta da sottoporre a misure di datazione mediante Luminescenza Otticamente Stimolata (OSL) attraverso la presentazione dei risultati ottenuti…

Historical mortar: luminescence from fine grain quartz

Within the framework of a research programme aimed at the chronological reconstruction of the structures belonging to the architectonic complex of San Francesco alla Collina of Paternò (Catania, Italy), a procedure was carried out using thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, respectively on terracotta bricks and mortar from the same sampling points. The primary methodological aim was to extend the application of luminescence dating techniques to mortar from historical buildings. Because the TL dating method dates the last firing of bricks, it offers a terminus post quem: the results give the period in which they were manufactured. The possibility that th…

Interconfronto di datazione TL ed OSL su terracotta

Nell'ambito di uno specifico programma di datazione tramite luminescenza stimolata termicamente (TL) e otticamente (OSL) campioni di terracotta sono stati preparati e misurati con diverse tecniche allo scopo di minimizzare l'errore sull'età ottenuta. I valori di dose equivalente sono stati ottenuti, su aliquote preparate utilizzando il protocollo standard fine grain (4-11 micron), con la tecnica della doppia Single Aliquot Regeneration AR (d-SAR) nel caso dei segnali OSL. I risultati ottenuti verranno confrontati con le età OSL ottenute di quarzo di granulometria maggiore (90-150 micron).

Historical building dating: refinement of established sample preparation protocol

Abstract: The application of thermal (TL) and optical (OSL) stimulated luminescence on pottery and building materials has allowed to resolve numer-ous problems in both the fields of retrospective do-simetry and dating. Routine measurements request the registration of TL signals obtained on polymineral fine-grained frac-tion (FG) extracted from pottery sherds and bricks used as building material with the Added Dose (AD) technique. One of the reasons of the dispersion of the lumi-nescence measurements when using this fraction is the variability of relative contents of quartz and feld-spars, which due to their differing behaviour influ-encing the equivalent dose (ED) and therefore its uncertai…