Articles

Guangzhou Tongcao painting in late China Qing Dynasty (1840–1912 AD): technology revealed by analytical approaches

Guangzhou Tongcao paintings in Qing Dynasty of China witnessed the exchange of economy, culture, art and technology between China and foreign countries, which were an important export product in historical China....

Authors: Chan Zhang, Jianbin Huang, Tiequan Zhu and Rongling Zhang

First insights into the archaeometric analysis of the Los Amores Mosaic in Cástulo (Linares, Spain): the Judgement of Paris

This paper discusses results obtained from in situ analysis of the tesserae of the Roman mosaic of Los Amores (Cástulo site, Linares, Spain) dating back to the turn of the 1st to the 2nd century AD. Specifical...

Authors: Alberto Sánchez, José Tuñón, Manuel Montejo, Pilar Amate, Bautista Ceprián, Anatasia Rousaki, Mafalda Costa, Delphine Saelens, Sylvia Lycke and Peter Vandenabeele

Influence of grass lawns on the summer thermal environment and microclimate of heritage sites: a case study of Fuling mausoleum, China

The thermal environment and microclimate of heritage sites has been severely impacted by rapid urbanization. This study collected various meteorological measurement data as a reference for computational fluid ...

Authors: Xiaoyu Wang, Peng Liu and Gongwen Xu

Restoration of non-structural damaged murals in Shenzhen Bao’an based on a generator–discriminator network

Shenzhen is a modern metropolis, but it hides a variety of valuable cultural heritage, such as ancient murals. How to effectively preserve and repair the murals is a worthy of discussion question. Here, we pro...

Authors: Jiao Li, Huan Wang, Zhiqin Deng, Mingtao Pan and Honghai Chen

Nanorestart: Nanomaterials for the restoration of works of art

Authors: P. Baglioni, D. Chelazzi and R. Giorgi

Effects of sticky rice addition on the properties of lime-tile dust mortars

The present study focused on the characteristics of lime-tile dust mortars with sticky rice addition, which were prepared according to historic Chinese accounts. Results showed that addition of sticky rice int...

Authors: Kun Zhang, Ying Sui, Liqin Wang, Fude Tie, Fuwei Yang, Yan Liu and Yue Zhang

The interaction of water with archaeological and ethnographic birch bark and its effects on swelling, shrinkage and deformations

The aim of this study is to gain specific information on the water vapour interaction with archaeological and ethnographic birch bark. Water is involved in a number of curative and preventive conservation meas...

Authors: Johanna Klügl and Giovanna Di Pietro

Analytical study of Buddha sculptures in Jingyin temple of Taiyuan, China

With exquisite design and unique style, the painted sculptures of Tutang Buddha and two attendants Buddha in Jingyin Temple are precious cultural heritages of China. The sculpture of Tutang Buddha, which was c...

Authors: Xiaojian Bai, Chen Jia, Zhigen Chen, Yuxuan Gong, Huwei Cheng and Jiayue Wang

Soot removal from ancient Egyptian complex painted surfaces using a double network gel: empirical tests on the ceiling of the sanctuary of Osiris in the temple of Seti I—Abydos

In this study, we evaluated the ease of removal of soot layers from ancient wall paintings by employing double network gels as a controllable and safe cleaning method. The ceiling of the temple of Seti I (Abyd...

Authors: Ehab Al-Emam, Abdel Ghafour Motawea, Joost Caen and Koen Janssens

The chemical composition and manufacturing technology of glass beads excavated from the Hetian Bizili site, Xinjiang

The Hetian Bizili site in Lop County, located on the southern route of the Silk Road in Xinjiang, China, was a trade and cultural hub between the East and the West in ancient times. In 2016, a large number of ...

Authors: Dong Wang, Rui Wen, Julian Henderson, Xingjun Hu and Wenying Li

Formation of zinc oxalate from zinc white in various oil binding media: the influence of atmospheric carbon dioxide by reaction with ¹³CO₂

The formation of metal oxalates in paintings has recently gained a great deal of interest within the field of heritage science as several types of oxalate compounds have been identified in oil paintings. The p...

Authors: Kim Pilkjær Simonsen, Josephine Niemann Poulsen, Frederik Vanmeert, Morten Ryhl-Svendsen, Jesper Bendix, Jana Sanyova, Koen Janssens and Francisco Mederos-Henry

Discovery of Vespasiano Bignami paintings at the National Theatre of Costa Rica through technical photography and UV–Vis spectroscopy

Establishing and understanding large format paintings are key to provide accurate information about the artist’s palette and developing conservation strategies. Therefore, investigating the artworks of a popul...

Authors: Geraldine Conejo-Barboza, Eduardo Libby, Carmen Marín and O. A. Herrera-Sancho

Plasticiser loss in heritage collections: its prevalence, cause, effect, and methods for analysis

Plasticiser loss is a topic frequently mentioned in discussions on the degradation of plastic artefacts in museum collections, particularly for plasticised poly (vinyl chloride) and cellulose acetate. Plastici...

Authors: Rose King, Josep Grau-Bové and Katherine Curran

Integrated analytical approach to unveil the secrets of the recently discovered “Sphinx Room”: a new piece of Domus Aurea puzzle

The recent discovery of the Sphinx Room, belonging to the Domus Aurea Esquiline wing, thanks to the framework given by the project “Non-destructive analytical studies at Parco Archeologico del Colosseo (Rome, Ita...

Authors: Maria Cristina Caggiani, Alessia Coccato, Paolo Mazzoleni, Alessandro D’Alessio, Alfonsina Russo and Germana Barone

Revealing the organic dye and mordant composition of Paracas textiles by a combined analytical approach

The object of this study is a wide selection of dyed cotton and camelid samples from an important collection of 2000-year-old Paracas textiles, now at the Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia...

Authors: Francesca Sabatini, Martina Bacigalupo, Ilaria Degano, Anna Javér and Marei Hacke

Material characterisation of a painted beehive panel by advanced spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques in combination with hyperspectral imaging

In this study, a painted beehive panel from the collection of the Slovene Ethnographic Museum was examined with respect to its material composition with the aim to reveal the painting technique. Due to the sta...

Authors: Klara Retko, Maša Kavčič, Lea Legan, Polonca Ropret, Bojana Rogelj Škafar, Yingwang Gao, John Gilchrist, Matija Strlič and Irena Kralj Cigić

Does substrate colour affect the visual appearance of gilded medieval sculptures? Part II: SEM–EDX observations on gold leaf samples taken from medieval wooden sculptures

In the previous paper (Part I), the colorimetry and interferometric microscopy measurements on modern gold leaf models have revealed that the visual appearance of a gilded surface, both burnished and unburnish...

Authors: Qing Wu, Max Döbeli, Tiziana Lombardo, Katharina Schmidt-Ott, Benjamin Watts, Frithjof Nolting and David Ganz

Mural classification model based on high- and low-level vision fusion

The rapid classification of ancient murals is a pressing issue confronting scholars due to the rich content and information contained in images. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been extensively appli...

Authors: Jianfang Cao, Hongyan Cui, Zibang Zhang and Aidi Zhao

Does substrate colour affect the visual appearance of gilded medieval sculptures? Part I: colorimetry and interferometric microscopy of gilded models

In the history of medieval gilding, a common view has been circulated for centuries that the substrate colour can influence the visual appearance of a gilded surface. In order to fully understand the correlati...

Authors: Qing Wu, Meret Hauldenschild, Benedikt Rösner, Tiziana Lombardo, Katharina Schmidt-Ott, Benjamin Watts, Frithjof Nolting and David Ganz

Modeling of Bohemian and Moravian glass recipes from Gothic to Baroque periods

The Bohemian historical glasses have been neglected and have not been in focus of Archaeometric studies so far. Potassium-calcium wood ash glasses, produced in Bohemia and Moravia, from the beginning of the 14...

Authors: Karolína Pánová, Dana Rohanová and Simona Randáková

Characterization of the materials and techniques of a birthday inscribed lacquer plaque of the Qing Dynasty

In this study, in order to analyze the materials and techniques used for the production of the inscribed plaques, multi-analytical scientific approach, including optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron micr...

Authors: Liping Zheng, Liqin Wang, Xing Zhao, Jiali Yang, Mengxia Zhang and Yunfu Wang

Identifying VOCs in exhibition cases and efflorescence on museum objects exhibited at Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian-New York

Two mass spectrometry (MS) methods, solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography (SPME–GC–MS) and direct analysis in real time (DART-MS), have been explored to investigate widespread efflorescence observed o...

Authors: Alba Alvarez-Martin, John George, Emily Kaplan, Lauren Osmond, Leah Bright, G. Asher Newsome, Rebecca Kaczkowski, Frederik Vanmeert, Gwénaëlle Kavich and Susan Heald

Evaluation of metadata describing topographic maps in a National Library

Nowadays, map users come from a diverse disciplines and use maps for different purposes, but they all are confronted with the same task: finding the maps they need. Searching systems, used by museums or archiv...

Authors: Marta Kuźma and Albina Mościcka

Revealing lost 16th-century royal emblems on two Andrea Amati’s violins using XRF scanning

A key issue in understanding artefacts from the past is the loss of readability of the signs they may have borne. The two 16th-century musical instruments studied here—rare Italian violins made by Andrea Amati (c...

Authors: Marie Radepont, Jean-Philippe Échard, Matthias Ockermüller, Hortense de la Codre and Oulfa Belhadj

Exploring the transition from natural to synthetic dyes in the production of 19th-century Central Asian ikat textiles

This study focuses on the dye analysis of 26 ikat textiles present in the collection of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and originally collected by Dr. Guido Goldman with the aim to gain additional information abou...

Authors: Diego Tamburini, Eric Breitung, Chika Mori, Tomoko Kotajima, Matthew L. Clarke and Blythe McCarthy

In situ virtual restoration of artifacts by imaging technology

The restoration of incomplete artifacts is important for presenting the value of artifacts. Even though the existing methods provide rich solutions for the restoration of artifacts, they may not be the ultimat...

Authors: Chengquan Qiao, Wenwen Zhang, Decai Gong and Yuxuan Gong

Trace element distribution in human cortical bone microstructure: the potential for unravelling diet and social status in archaeological bones

Variation in the trace element chemistry of cortical bone microstructure is delineated for interred and non-interred human femora. This was done to investigate the range of element concentrations that might oc...

Authors: Kaare Lund Rasmussen, George R. Milner, Thomas Delbey, Lilian Skytte, Niels Lynnerup, Jørgen Lange Thomsen, Simone Schiavone, Marielva Torino, Lars Agersnap Larsen and Jesper Lier Boldsen

Unmasking a wild man: scientific analysis of Bertoldo di Giovanni’s Shield Bearer in The Frick Collection

Bertoldo di Giovanni (ca. 1440–1491) was the primary sculptor and medal worker for Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449–1492). Despite being one of the most prominent Italian Renaissance artists working in Florence, ...

Authors: Elena Basso, Federica Pozzi, Julia Day and Linda Borsch

What factors contribute to high mechanical strength of tabia? Case study of the tabia from coastal forts sites at Zhejiang, China

Tabia is one of the most widely used construction materials in ancient China. In this work, the tabia samples from three coastal defense fort sites at Zhejiang Province, China, we analyzed to determine their c...

Authors: Cuisong Zhang, Bingjian Zhang, Biao Cui and Guocong Lin

The influence of commercial primed canvases in the manifestation of metal soaps protrusions in Georgia O’Keeffe’s oil paintings

During a routine condition survey in 2007 at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, micro-protrusions were found scattered across the surfaces of the artist’s oil paintings produced between 1920 and 1950. In...

Authors: Annette S. Ortiz Miranda, Dale Kronkright and Marc Walton

Survey on Van Gogh’s early painting technique through the non-invasive and multi analytical study of Head of peasant

The strong lighting of the face against a dark background, the bold brushstroke and the model’s expressiveness that characterize Van Gogh’s Head of peasant, belonging to the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium ...

Authors: Catherine Defeyt, Dominique Marechal, Francisca Vandepitte and David Strivay

Characterization of polyvinyl alcohol-borax/agarose (PVA-B/AG) double network hydrogel utilized for the cleaning of works of art

Since cleaning of artworks may cause undesirable physicochemical alterations and is a nonreversible procedure, it is mandatory to adopt the proper cleaning procedure. Such a procedure should remove undesired m...

Authors: Ehab Al-Emam, Hilde Soenen, Joost Caen and Koen Janssens

Noncontact restoration of missing parts of stone Buddha statue based on three-dimensional virtual modeling and assembly simulation

Three-dimensional (3D) digital technology is an essential conservation method that complements the traditional restoration technique of cultural artifacts. In this study, 3D scanning, virtual restoration model...

Authors: Young Hoon Jo, Seonghyuk Hong, Seong Yeon Jo and Yoon Mi Kwon

Historical scarf and splice carpentry joints: state of the art

This paper summarises the current state of knowledge related to scarf and splice carpentry joints in flexural elements, also providing some examples of tensile joints. Descriptions and characteristics of these...

Authors: Anna Karolak, Jerzy Jasieńko and Krzysztof Raszczuk

In search of Humboldt’s colors: materials and techniques of a 17th-century lacquered gourd from Colombia

In 2014 the Hispanic Society Museum & Library, New York, acquired a viceregal Spanish American lacquered gourd, dating to 17th-century Colombia, which was decorated using an indigenous technique known as barniz d...

Authors: Federica Pozzi, Elena Basso and Monica Katz

Composition and techniques of the Ticinese stucco decorations from the 16th to the 17th century: results from the analysis of the materials

This work investigated the techniques used for creating a three-dimensional stucco decoration. During the multidisciplinary project "The art and industry of Ticino plasterers from the sixteenth to the seventee...

Authors: Marta Caroselli, Stefan Zumbühl, Giovanni Cavallo and Thierry Radelet

Safety risk assessment of heritage buildings in metro construction based on SPA theory: a case study in Zhengzhou, China

While the urban rail transit systems have been developed rapidly, the nearby heritage buildings and historic sites are facing possible threats of unexpected damages. In particular, a rail project has a potenti...

Authors: Qian Wang, Changming Yang, Lin Tian, Jiguang Lu, Fengwen Wu and Jianyong An

Giovanni Baronzio's 'Crucifixion': analytical approaches and art historical considerations

The small panel of the ‘Crucifixion’ attributed to Giovanni (da Rimini) Baronzio is a perfect example of the artistic achievements of the so-called School of Rimini. Baronzio, active between 1320 and 1350, was...

Authors: Svetlana Gasanova, Nikolas Bakirtzis, Dominique Levif-Martos and Sorin Hermon

Listening to laser light interactions with objects of art: a novel photoacoustic approach for diagnosis and monitoring of laser cleaning interventions

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging is a novel, rapidly expanding diagnostic technique, which has been predominately developed in the context of contemporary biomedical research studies. In this review, we demonstrate ...

Authors: George J. Tserevelakis, Paraskevi Pouli and Giannis Zacharakis

The treatment of microbubble disease of 20th century cellulose acetate microfilm: application of ethyl cellulose and microrepair method

Microbubble disease observed in cellulose acetate microfilm is accompanied by the production of vinegar syndrome, which affects the image integrity. In the present study, samples of cellulose acetate microfilm...

Authors: Zhihui Jia, Jing Li, Yuhu Li, Yunpeng Qi, Daodao Hu, Huiping Xing and Xiaolian Chao

Back protection of canvas paintings

In this paper different scenarios for back protection of a canvas painting and their effect on the stability of the relative humidity behind the painting are tested. A painting on canvas, stretched on a wooden...

Authors: Tim Padfield, Nicolas Padfield, Daniel Sang-Hoon Lee, Anne Thøgersen, Astrid Valbjørn Nielsen, Cecil Krarup Andersen and Mikkel Scharff

Textiles and environment in the showcase containing Saint Canute the Holy († AD 1086): Radiocarbon dating and chemical interactions

The cathedral in Odense, Denmark, has for nine centuries held the relics of the Danish King St Canute the Holy and his brother Benedikt. They were both murdered in the predecessor church at the site in AD 1086...

Authors: Poul Grinder-Hansen, Ulla Kjær, Morten Ryhl-Svendsen, Maria Perla Colombini, Ilaria Degano, Jacopo La Nasa, Francesca Sabatini, Johannes van der Plicht and Kaare Lund Rasmussen

Correction to: The analysis of the Saltzman Collection of Peruvian dyes by high performance liquid chromatography and ambient ionisation mass spectrometry

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Ruth Ann Armitage, Daniel Fraser, Ilaria Degano and Maria Perla Colombini

Identification of pigments in artworks by inverse tangent derivative of spectrum and a new filtering method

Employing an economical and non-destructive method for identifying pigments utilized in artworks is a significant aspect for preserving their antiquity value. One of the non-destructive methods for this purpos...

Authors: F. Fazlali and S. Gorji Kandi

Verifying the feasibility of using Hand-Held X-ray fluorescence spectrometer to analyze Linqing brick: evaluation of the influencing factors and assessing reliability

Linqing brick is quite popular in Chinese history. Currently, identifying the origin of Linqing brick is an important issue to be studied in the field of archeology and architectural history in China. Hand-Hel...

Authors: Zexuan Chen, Long Zhang, Feng Hou and Jialiang Xie

An imaging and spectroscopic methodology for in situ analysis of ceiling and wall decorations in Colonial missions in Northern Mexico from XVII to XVIII centuries

Almost three hundred Spanish colonial missions—or their remains—are scattered over the vast state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. A few of them still display painted decorations on the wood ceilings and walls...

Authors: Edgar Casanova-González, Miguel Ángel Maynez-Rojas, Alejandro Mitrani, Isaac Rangel-Chávez, María Angélica García-Bucio, José Luis Ruvalcaba-Sil and Karla Muñoz-Alcócer

The role of smalt in complex pigment mixtures in Rembrandt’s Homer 1663: combining MA-XRF imaging, microanalysis, paint reconstructions and OCT

As part of the NWO Science4Arts REVISRembrandt project (2012–2018), novel chemical imaging techniques were developed and applied to the study of Rembrandt’s late experimental painting technique (1651–1669). One o...

Authors: A. van Loon, P. Noble, D. de Man, M. Alfeld, T. Callewaert, G. Van der Snickt, K. Janssens and J. Dik

Non-destructive collection survey of the historical Classense Library. Part II: Conservation scenarios

The effects of environmental and conservation management scenarios on the permanence of the historical book collections housed at the Classense Library (Ravenna, Italy) were investigated. Non-destructive mater...

Authors: Floriana Coppola, Natalie Brown, Floriana Amicucci, Matija Strlič and Alberto Modelli

Non-destructive collection survey of the historical Classense Library. Part I: Paper characterisation

An innovative survey was conducted of the collections of the historical Biblioteca Classense, located in the urban area of Ravenna (Northern Italy). The survey aimed to evaluate the current conservation state ...

Authors: Natalie Brown, Floriana Coppola, Alberto Modelli, Floriana Amicucci, Dirk Lichtblau and Matija Strlič

Taya Caves, a Buddhist marvel hidden in underground Japan: stone properties, deterioration, and environmental setting

The Buddhist sacred site of Taya Caves is a gem hidden underground in Yokohama, Japan. The caves were excavated and sculpted into bare rock by Shingon Buddhist monks from the Kamakura until the Edo period (thi...

Authors: Luigi Germinario, Chiaki T. Oguchi, Yasuhiko Tamura, Sohyun Ahn and Momoko Ogawa