Highlights

prominent news to keep

Chinaware

MADE IN CHINA: GENUINE OR FAKE?

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Chinese porcelain is one of the great protagonists of the art market in recent years; but how do you prove that such pieces are worthy a relevant investment and are not fake?
Experience has taught that for great quality imitations, the traditional authentication methods based on the study of style, decoration, materials and trademarks, often proved to be inadequate. Even for porcelain artefacts scientific diagnostic is fundamental. For these artefacts chemical microsamples analyses are traditionally used, although in recent decades, advanced non-invasive techniques have developed that can limit (micro-) destructive sampling.
In this regard, we are pleased to remind you that on next 10 March, during “A bridge between art and science: past, present and future”, the 2016 National Congress of AIAr (Italian Association of Archaeometry of which Art-Test is a member), we will be guests of the University of Cosenza along with many scholars and professionals, teachers and researchers from universities and public research bodies, archaeologists and restorers to discuss diagnostic, restoration, preventive conservation and protection.
During the session “Characterization and Diagnostics” will present together with colleagues from S.T. Art-Test and one of the greatest experts of these artefacts, Riccardo Montanari, the intervention “A non-invasive approach for the authentication of oriental porcelain“. Our proposal is based on the integration of non-invasive fluorescence X-rays and computed tomography X-ray… more details on Thursday 10th!!
Our attention to the Chinese market does not stop there. It is an increasingly attractive market, especially now that the attention of Chinese collectors is turning also towards European paintings, as proven by the recent purchase at auction of a Modigliani by a Chinese tycoon for 170 million dollars. Art-Test is approaching this reality, following different paths… news on that will be coming soon!

Visi

No Photoshop, thanks! WIFS 2015

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During the “7th IEEE International Workshop on Information Forensics and Security (WIFS) 2015”, on November 19, a paper by L.Pronti, P. Ferrara, F.Uccheddu, A. Pelagotti and A.Piva entitled “Identification of pictorial materials by means of optimized multispectral reflectance image processing.” will be presented. The work relates to the analysis of the limits and the possibilities offered by multispectral imaging for a reliable identification of materials used in paintings, and stems from the increasingly active collaboration between the University of Florence, La Sapienza in Rome and Art-Test . The multispectral imaging is always a relevant topic, and an interesting non-invasive method, although recently abused by those who lack the necessary scientific basis. Art-test has been a pioneer of this field, with the paper  “Multispectral Imaging of Paintings: a Way to Material Identification” by A.Pelagotti, A. Del Mastio, A .de Rosa, A.Piva, , published in the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, Special Issue on Cultural Heritage, vol. 25 n. 4 in July 2008. Since its start, Art-Test develops and applies cutting-edge scientific methods for artworks analysis and diagnostics. We do not use PhotoShop or similar commercial software. The results of our research are usually presented in relevant scientific publications, except when prevented by confidentiality reasons. If you are interested in the scientific methods used in our investigations, please check http://www.art-test.com/pubblicazioni/

Madonna

The latest publications to which Art-Test contributed:

  • V.Raimondi at alii, The use of IR-based techniques in the PRIMARTE project: an integrated approach to the diagnostics of the cultural heritage AITA 215- Advanced Infrared Technology and Applications – 29 Sept. – 2 Oct. 2015, Pisa, Italy, SPIE Remote Sensing 2015 -1 – 24 September 2015 – Toulouse, France AITA
  • V.Raimondi at al A multi-disciplinary study on a late 14th-century Florentine Chapel: integrating information, from laser-based measurements to archive historical data, in a multi-medial tools for cultural heritage conservation, LACONA X 2014 – Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks, 9-13 June 2014, Sharjah, UAE
  • F.Uccheddu, A.Pelagotti, V.Cappellini and E.Massa. 3D Technology for Measurement of Surface Deformations Paintings: A Case Study, Electronic Visualisation and the Arts (EVA 2014) London, UK, 8-10 July 2014
  • F. Alberghina, M.F. Alberghina, L. Damiani, E. Massa, A. Pelagotti, L.Piccione, S. Schiavone, U. Copani, X-rays for diagnostic imaging of art -46 ° National Congress of the Italian Society of Medical Radiology (SIRM), Florence – Fortezza da Basso (22-25 May 2014) “The X-ray over the Medicine”
  • F.Alberghina, MFAlberghina, L.Damiani, E.Massa, A.Pelagotti, S. Schiavone, How many layers and of what? An integrated non-invasive approach for the understanding of painting’s stratigraphy, IV International Meeting “Youth in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage – YOCOCU”, 28 to 31 May 2014, Agsu – Azerbaijan.

 

Forthcoming:

  • The Pala del Carmine Santi di Tito, analysis of technique and materials used, Science and Technology for Cultural Heritage, Fabrizio Serra publisher, Pisa – Rome
  • The Rape of the Sabines by Giambologna and its restoration. And syllables, Livorno by Lia Brunori and Susanna Bracci
  • Beyond Gold: a database of underdrawings and material analyzes on Sienese paintings. Connections and dissimilarities of painting techniques across centuries and countries. Published by Bernard Coulie and Paul Dujardin
  • Above and below the painting: the results of scientific studies on the Madonna di San Luca in Bologna, curated by Dr. Franco Faranda
poster

Art and(is) Science

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We are happy to invite you to “Sotto-sopra, quando le indagini rivoluzionano la conoscenza di un’opera d’arte!” : an event conceived by S.T.Art-Test  and Art-test, and organized in collaboration with the Gallery of Modern Art and the Culture Department of the City of Palermo, and the “Youth Committee: Sicily region – Italian National Commission for UNESCO”. It  will be held on November 1st, 2015 at GAM in Palermo.

The event is part of the second National Festival dedicated to the interaction between art and science organized by the Italian Association of Archaeometry (AIAr).

After the success of the 12-13 December 2014 edition , which involved 11 locations across Italy and saw the participation of S.T.Art-Test at the Archaeological Museum of Himera (Termini Imerese, PA), AIAr makes a second edition with a new program of meetings, events and workshops focused on the link between art and science. The discussion topics will mostly be diagnostic and conservation. Private companies, university researchers and research organizations will provide the visitors information on the use of scientific methods applied to cultural heritage.

Do not miss, then, the day of November 1st, 2015 when seminars and workshops will animate the two scheduled sessions ( session I, 11:00 to 12:30 and session II 16:30 to 18:00) focused on scientific investigation to the knowledge of the paintings and the use of non-invasive equipment for the study of two paintings of the e\xhibitions which the management of GAM has made available for the occasion. Come and discover with us who it is!

 

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carlodolci

A hidden magician!

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The exhibition dedicated to ‘Carlo Dolci 1616-1687’ is in full swing at the Palatine Gallery in Florence, with about seventy works on display (including many from prestigious international museums, like the British Museum in London, the Musée du Louvre in Paris , and the Alte Pinakothek in Munich of Bavaria) in dialogue with works by other artists of his time and a small group of works of his followers.
For the occasion, the Palatine Gallery in collaboration with the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence will dedicate a conference to discuss the important campaign of study and restoration of numerous paintings that preceded the preparation of the exhibition and which has contributed to extend the knowledge of the style and modus operandi of the painter. The central theme will focus on the painting technique of Dolci.
Art-Test will gladly  participate with the restorer Miriam Fiocca with  the contribution “The hidden magician”: key findings emerged about the painting “Madonna tendering the Baby Jesus” (work n.79 int the catalog) that, under radiographic examination, revealed a surprising and substantial modification of the composition.
The event is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7 at the Theater of the Rondo di Bacco, Palazzo Pitti.
An unique opportunity not to be missed!!

Read more at: http://www.unannoadarte.it/carlodolci/main/

IO CARLO

artescienza

Art and(is) Science: together again

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Preparations are underway for the second edition and Art and(is) Science!

Following the success of last year, Aiar (Italian Association of Archaeometry) organizes for the first weekend of November, together with the initiative of Mibact “A Sunday at the Museum”, a new national meeting entirely dedicated to the interaction between art and science, culture, society and education, with special attention paid to the diagnostics, the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage.
The 2014 edition involved researchers from Universities, CNR, INFN, ENEA, and other research institutions and private companies that have been active in places of historical/artistic interest and museums scattered throughout the Italian territory, with study meetings and guided visits focused on technology applied to art and conservation issues.

Art-Test and S.T. Art-Test (which already participated to the last event, at the Archaeological Museum of Himera, Termini Imerese 12-13/12/2014), will be glad to meet you this year at the Gallery of Modern Art in Palermo.

We’ll provide soon the details of the event.

artescienza

Dolci: sweet name, icy brush

Dolci: sweet name, icy brush

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Carlo Dolci a patient technique

Carlo Dolci, said Carlino, a beloved and acclaimed artist by the critics of his time, considered the greatest Florentine painter of the seventeenth century, contended by European nobility (although he almost never left the Tuscan territory), is now back in the spotlight thanks to the monographic exhibition running until November 15 at the Galleria Palatina of Palazzo Pitti in Florence. The exhibition brings together works from numerous European museums: the British Museum in London, the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, the Alte Pinakothek of Monaco Bavaria, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, theAshmolean Museum in Oxford, the Burghley House in Stamford, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Brest, the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum in Madrid and the British Royal Collection, reflecting the international scope of his works.

Interior of the exhibition ” Io, Carlo Dolci “, Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence

The exhibition brings together nearly 100 paintings, of which seventy of Dolci, and the remainings by his contemporaries, to facilitate comparisons and show connections, in a sort of compendium of his descriptive style, rigorous and meticulously attentive to detail, smooth, icy but sensual, which has been called “hyperrealist” before its time. His almost obsessive rendering of details is exemplary: from the soft and almost palpable fabrics of the robes, to the splendid jewels, which, quoting the biographer Filippo Baldinucci, were “imitated in such a gorgeous (and realistic) fashion, that, as much as one touched and retouched the canvas to make sure they were painted, the eye was left in doubt.”
This exhibition has been a precious opportunity to kick off a major campaign of restoration and overhaul of 33 works of the Master, also important for the study of the unique painting technique used, which involved innovative wits to reach the coveted mimesis. Moreover, radiographic analyses have allowed to add completely unexpected insights to the knowledge also of well-known paintings of Dolci’s catalogue, such as in the case of the diagnostic tests on the “Madonna with Child” of the Palatine Gallery (performed by Art-Test, not yet published), which revealed substantial changes to the composition.

“Madonna with the Child”, Carlo Dolci, Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence

Goya Libro

Goya: positive test

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Recently published by Etgraphiae, the relevant book “Goya through his self-portraits” by Paolo Erasto Mangiante, already author of the fundamental book “Goya and Italy” (Palombi Editore).
In his latest book the author provides a new interpretation of the many self-portraits by Goya, identifying five categories, and through them tracing the often dramatic events of the life of the Aragonese painter.
The book is also an opportunity to present two new works. The analysis on the first self-portrait of Goya as a young man and the draft work for the altarpiece of San Bernardino have been granted to Art-Test. The text reads: “These tests have proven useful not only to ensure the authenticity of these works, but also to determine with certainty Goya’s signature. They also have provided very useful data on the materials used and the painting procedures by Francisco Goya in the elaboration of the paintings and on the drafting of the colors gradually applied. “
Also the introduction by Claudio Strinati reports that the author was “supported by a series of technical and scientific examination of exemplary clarity and concreteness.”
We are pleased that our analyzes have proved useful. We strive to support experts with certainties. After all we share the thought of Leonardo: “a little certainty is better than a big lie“.
Goya Libro
When technique matters: extraordinary effects, extraordinary losses.

When technique matters: extraordinary effects, extraordinary losses.

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Piero di Cosimo

On show this summer in Florence the monographic exhibition “Piero di Cosimo eccentric painter between Renaissance and Mannerism” (Uffizi, until 27/9), following the one recently concluded at National Gallery of Art in Washington.
Lent to Washington and now worth a visit in Florence, among others the extraordinary “Liberation of Andromeda“, as according to Vasari: “Piero never made a lovelier or more highly finished picture than this one“, (diagnostics by Art-Test, not yet published)

In the Florentine exhibition, paintings and drawings by Piero relate with works by artists such as Filippino Lippi, Fra Bartolomeo and Lorenzo di Credi, to highlight how the pupil di Cosimo stands out as an original painter, whose style was said to be more Flemish (or Venetian), rather than Florentine, as his paintings were more relying on color values ​​rather than on the preparatory drawing. But is this what emerges from the investigation?

A solitary painter, he was however greatly demanded by the most prominent families of Florence (including Strozzi, Capponi, Vespucci). He was an experimenter, one of the firsts, along with Leonardo, adopting the oil painting technique. The studies conducted byE. Walmsley reveal, in fact, how Piero was also eccentric in the way he was making use of his tools, with overlapping and peculiar brushstrokes and sometimes also of fingertips. It was in fact just uncovering the use of such a particular way of working that helped to solve several cases of dubious attributions.

Attempting new ways, away from the established traditional ones, however, could also be the cause of the difficult state of conservation faced by several of his works.

For example, the great altarpiece “Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine and Saints“, alongside the high quality of the original painting, revealed also significant losses under the multiple layers of repainting (diagnostic analyses by Art-Test, not yet published). This masterpiece was unexpectedly found, resurfacing in the antiquarian market, in a private collection. On special loan for the exhibition, you can now admire it during the challenging phases of restoration. Such a unique opportunity should also not be missed!

The top part of the altarpiece was missing, but a befitting fragment displaying two angels distributing incense and jointly carrying a crown, listed as “style of Piero di Cosimo” was identified at the National Gallery in Edinburgh. When it came to Florence to undergo the necessary conservation treatments, the examinations revealed on the altarpiece, concealed by overpainting and restoration, the feet of the angels of the top. The testing (performed by Art-Test, still to be published) left no doubt! The repainting has been removed and the two parts are now joined for the display. So the angels got their feet again, but only temporarily, since after the exhibition they will be separated by over 1700 km again!

“Angels holding a crown “, before restoration, Piero di Cosimo, National Gallery of Edinburgh

 

“Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine”, before restoration, Piero di Cosimo, private collection; currently on display at the Florentine exhibition in the course of the conservation treatment

technart da Archeomatica

“The great beauty” for the TECHNART 2015 Conference.

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 Researchers from more than 50 nations met in Catania debating on advanced diagnostics for the works of art.

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Different approaches to diagnostics and conservation of artworks, and new analytical methodologies were presented during a 3 day high level scientific international conference taking place in Sicily. These new devices mainly address the non-invasive study of original, restoration and degradation materials, targeting higher spatial resolution and the possibility to discriminate in depth. Many efforts are in fact made to know the stratigraphic sequence of the materials, in a non-invasive fashion.
New portable equipment is generally developed by research groups and not yet widely available, like Terahertz imaging, new spectrometers with high spatial resolution and the possibility to see at different depths in the artwork,  and integrated spectrometers (combining XRF-Raman or XRF-XRD ;. .). It became clear that, to date, the best possible approach is to integrate the available techniques, and also to assess their relative performance.
The case of a “Goya”, mistakenly attributed by another laboratory because of a misidentification of the materials, gave us the opportunity, in this context, to talk about the limits and possibilities of the various techniques. The use of the most reliable methods is in fact a must: wrong assessment of the artist’s palette, as in the case presented, can misplace the date of execution of centuries, greatly influencing its economic value ().
Faced with the amount of information that the most advanced techniques can provide nowadays, one more reflection shared between researchers, is certainly related to the need to compare data collected by the various laboratories in order to collect large-scale scientific evidence and better understand the results obtained for each specific case.
It is in line with this thinking the database of 100 paintings from the Pinacoteca di Siena “Under the gold” (http://www.art-test.com/it/database-it/), which was the topic of other contribution byArt–Test in collaboration with S.T.Art Test. An important tool for the study of evolution in Sienese painting (from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century) and for dating and authentication of works of art.
The international conference TECHNART 2015, was organized by the INFN-LNS departments, IBAM-CNR and the University of Catania (Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics and Astronomy) in collaboration with the group of scientific research of ‘ICOM-CC and the Italian Association of Archaeometry (AIAr).

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Is there work in science for cultural heritage?

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 In Ferrara to discuss the future of this discipline

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During the next edition of the Restoration Fair in Ferrara, held from May 6-9, 2015, Art-Test will be present in a stand shared with partners and collaborators of AIAr (Italian Association of Archeometry) as well as at a meeting on Friday, May 8th, titled: “Are there jobs in science for cultural heritage? A network between research, business and government. ”
The problem is strongly felt by the industry and by many who see in these disciplines an opportunity for growth for the protection of our cultural heritage, and also the scientific profile of a field where Italy has been for long a benchmark but is currently facing economic difficulties.
During this event the AIAr Network of companies will be presented, an initiative born last year to reduce the gap between institutions and companies, to promote cooperation, interoperability and joint research.
The meeting comes at the conclusion of a path where AIAr has been proposed as a reference point of a virtuous network of public and private entities operating in the cultural heritage sector, by promoting a program of meetings with companies, in order to increase the exchange of knowledge and expertise between the various players in the areas of diagnostics, conservation, enhancement and exploitation of cultural heritage and at the same time evaluate possible collaborations and joint projects.
We invite you to participate and support this initiative!

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