Emanuela

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Posts by Emanuela Massa:

Rape of the Sabines: a 4,10 m tall bozzetto!

Rape of the Sabines: a 4,10 m tall bozzetto!

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It is not, and it was not, a common practice to make full size models for statues. But apparently Giambologna (Jean de Boulogne), at the time of this commission for Piazza della Signoria in Florence, was best known for “small” things, and he wanted to immediately silence who did not trust his abilities to work with bigger dimensions.

So he proved himself in large statuary already at the time of presenting a model, et voilat: a giant sculpture 4 meters tall was produced. But how did he do? What techniques and what materials did he use?

In 2013 Art-Test Florence, along with other research organizations and companies specialized  in diagnostic applied to cultural heritage, was involved in the campaign designed to provide the complex analyses of the model of the Rape of the Sabine Women, now at the Galleria dell’ Accademia in Florence, with the objective to answer such questions. The model is in terra cruda, i.e. raw clay, having indeed the same size of the marble work, you can admire the Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. However the model is not identical. Do you want to know more? It is now possible to access all the results of diagnostic tests performed and the history of its restoration. They are now all published by Syllables in the book “It ratto delle Sabine e il suo restauro “. Inside it there are notes on the history of the artwork and on the restoration performed. It is not easy to synthesize the amount of information contained in the volume so we invite you to read it and find out how a simple “bozzetto” is actually a work of refined technical inventiveness. Jean de Boulogne really knew his business.

http://www.sillabe.it/it/saggistica/627-il-ratto-delle-sabine-e-il-suo-restauro.html

http://www.accademia.org/it/esplora-il-museo/le-sale/sala-del-colosso/

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Art-Test moved!

Art-Test moved!

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We have chosen a new, more prestigious location. The new building ,Palazzo Frescobaldi, is way more central,with just a 5 min walk from Ponte Vecchio, but more importantly it offers an increased security level for our customers, thanks to a 24/7 guard at the entrance .

We will throw a party in spring to celebrate, as currently too many activities keep up busy and around the world… for your service!

The new address is:

Art-Test, Via Santo Spirito 11-13, 50125 Firenze.

Our telephone number will remain the same: 0039 055 2286478

Looking forward to welcoming you here!

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CARAVAGGIO OR NOT CARAVAGGIO?

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Aiar 2016

For Art-Test, the Aiar appointment is double. If you have missed the interesting workshop on Caravaggio last April in Empoli, you can take the opportunity to see the work of Art-Test in conjunction with S.T. Art-Test entitled “Caravaggio or not Caravaggio? Preliminary scientific evidence for the attribution of the St. John the Baptist of Empoli (Tuscany)”. How many of sensational discoveries news are given when it comes to names such as Caravaggio, however, without the support of an adequate system of preliminary studies? The infrared analysis on Empoli version of San Giovanni Battista discloses important factual discoveries; the debate is open: the scientific data can really make a difference and rewrite the entire history of a painting!
For the complete program of the congress AIAr:
http://www.associazioneaiar.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ProgrammaAIAr_web.pdf

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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!

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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

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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.

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“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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AN UNFORGETTABLE (OUT)LOOK

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Caravaggio or not Caravaggio? A report on the 11th April Study Day

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“The Mother of Caravaggio is always pregnant”, is the title of a provocative pamphlet by Tomaso Montanari, meant to emphasize how often we talk about discoveries without the support of adequate research. This is not the case of the painting from Empoli, for which the accomplished restoration was the occasion for a study day on “From Caravaggio. The St. John the Baptist and its copies “, attended by a large number of eminent scholars, including Professor Mina Gregori.( She,  an undisputed authority in the field at the opening declared to be  very interested and to be ready to learn more. What an enviable vitality and what an exemplary attitude!)
The scientific research (performed by Art-Test) on the painting now in Empoli, one of the known variants of this St John subject, provided rather interesting results which show e,g, that in fact it is not a nineteenth century copy as some speculated,  but a seventeenth century artwork. Moreover, IR reflectography allowed visualizing some interesting “pentimenti”, for example in the look.
Conference proceedings are due in September, but the communications given at the workshop are already available on line (http://ilraccontodellarte.com/) (in Italian). The talk by Art-Test is also on our YouTube channel (https: // www.youtube.com/channel/UCh8hj11mXK5ut4ajsT8V7kA).
After the greetings of the authorities, with the debate moderated by Bruno Santi, and the introduction to the works by Prof. Mina Gregori, Nicole Mayers’ communication related on the events that led the painting now in the collection to Kansas City, while Cristina Terzaghi focused on the collection Costa. The communication by Angela Cerasuolo explained the technical characteristics of the artwork now in Capodimonte, while Valfredo Siemoni reported on the evidence collected about the provenance of the painting now in Empoli. Cristina Gnoni and Sandra Pucci explained the restoration works and stressed the importance of them in reestablishing discernibility to the artwork. After the report of Art-Test on materials and techniques employed, Roberta Lapucci focused on iconographic aspects while Marco Masseti, archozoologoo, concluded with an interesting overview of animal furs employed for the iconography of St John.

( photo by: Marcantonio Perugino)

 

 

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