Conferences

lucca 2

“The scientist and the forger workshop”: we need a shared protocol to identify fakes

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How to authenticate a work of art? How to reveal forgeries?

On 2 and 3 December 2021, as a result of an excellent initiative of the Italian Group of the International Institute for Conservation, the workshop “The scientist and the forgery – Scientific methodologies to identify fakes in art”  was held in Lucca.

It is becoming increasingly clear that there is the need to tackle this issue in a structured way. During the conference, the many angles from which to address it were discussed: art market, authentication, attribution, dating, stylistic analyses.

At the center of the discussion is the false / falsified / misattributed / authentic object, studied by many, intersecting but not superimposable, professional disciplines that must be able to communicate in a constructive way, to the benefit of the whole community, not just the scientific one.

In fact a forgery, if not recognized as such, not only causes economic losses to those who are defrauded, but can also cause a broader, social damage: it modifies the course of things, the real history of art, providing a distorted version which impacts on all possible conclusions from it.

Art–Test presented the case study of a panel by Bruegel the Younger, wishing to contribute by bringing attention to what we now consider an urgency that can no longer be postponed. A shared protocol for a scientific study of artefacts, structured in a pyramidal manner that adds layers of in-depth analyses depending on previous results.

In addition, the minimum characteristics of the instrumentation to be used for the analises need to be defined, as well as which methodologies are useful and in which order they should be applied. This approach is essential to enable an accurate interpretation and a possible replicability of the measurements.

Furthermore, there is a lack of shared guidelines for the reports provided by the laboratories after carrying out the analyses. Often what is provided is only a generic description of the results, but the raw data obtained are not included, nor the description of the instrumentation and methodology used.

At the same time, we wanted to highlight that there are still too few public databases from which to draw scientific information.

By sharing data we should not be afraid of favoring counterfeiters, as although they may become increasingly aware of the techniques used by the great masters; it is equally true that science, as amply demonstrated, will always be one step ahead.

What we should be concerned of, once again, is the anti-scientific attitude that currently afflicts so many parts of our society, and the narrative that sees the self-declared connoisseurs capable of producing expertise only on the basis of their “eye”.

The workshop ended with the desire to create a technical workgroup to discuss, based on the different perspectives and experience, a base protocol to be applied for investigations and instruments.

The proceedings of the conference will soon be available.

(Emanuela Massa)
(Emanuela Massa)
Caravaggio-Ecce-Homo-Madrid-Ansorena-812x1024

Who decides if it is a Caravaggio?

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Tomorrow is Caravaggio’s 450th birthday.

There will not be celebrations, except for something almost improvised. Nothing to do with what had been organized for the 400 years since his death. 

In that occasion, Art-Test analysed several paintings of undisputed autography, including the Bacchus of the Uffizi, the 7 works of mercy of Naples, the Resurrection of Lazarus of Messina, and others that are still discussed, such as the Boy bitten by a green lizard from the Longhi collection.

The lack of official celebrations is probably due to the prolonged pandemic, which made it impossible to plan and above all to have a sufficient return on investment, given the fact that it was not possible to predict whether any exhibitions could remain open.

As  such, we lost the opportunity of a debate on a painter who nevertheless continues to fascinate, with his art so “instagrammable”, and with the somewhat gloomy charm of his personal events.

And whose mother “continues to be pregnant”, paragraphing the fortunate title of an essay by T. Montanari.

In fact, there are several paintings that have been proposed as autographs in recent years.

On the last one, the Ecce Homo of Madrid, the scientific article by Cristina Terzaghi has just been published, in the proceedings of the conference held in Naples in 2020.

While the recent Caravaggio’s Cardsharps on Trial: Thwaytes v. Sotheby’s, written by one of the protagonists of the long trial on a copy of “the Bari”, that ended in 2015, describes in detail what happens when experts disagree on the autography of a painting. And on the role to be assigned to technical and historical analyses.

In the absence of a live confrontation, the battle is fought with publications. And as for how and who decides if it is a Caravaggio, while waiting for shared protocols to be agreed upon, it is not over yet.

(Anna Pelagotti)
(Anna Pelagotti)
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See you in New York

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In silence in front of Her

Our work is made up of many silences, those due to the concentration while we work and those due to the beauty of an artwork and the reflectographic image that we see while our scanner acquires the necessary data. This is the thought we dedicate to Bronzino’s portrait of an extraordinary woman: Laura Battiferri. She was an intellectual and literate woman, of whom we have already spoken here.

In this difficult year, the diagnostic, reflectographic and radiographic campaign on this painting represented a precious gift. The restoration and investigations were carried out in a special laboratory, Palazzo Vecchio.

This time, even the transport of our equipment alone was enchanting, because it allowed us to enjoy the journey between the rooms of Palazzo Vecchio in total solitude. In retracing the road that separated us from the painting we stopped many time to appreciate the details that often remain invisible, when we are distracted by the crowd.

At the end of the road there was her, standing still in time. A figure so authoritative that it seemed a pity to interrupt her thoughts even with the noise caused by the assembling our devices.

Laura has been “reflectographed” several times. Thanks to the several diaphragms at our disposal, we found the one which was right for her. It is always like this, the Art–Test Scanner adapts to the painting, follows the inclinations and allows for different transparencies of the pigments. A unique gift, which allows us to obtain the best results, where others fail and “see nothing”.

Two days in Palazzo Vecchio, in which these investigations were also the moment in which together with the restorers, Lucia and Andrea Dori from “l’Officina del Restauro” and Dr. Pini for the Municipality of Florence, we talked about her as a very precious object to take care of. And it must be said that it is thanks to Friends of Florence that much of our Florentine heritage actually finds a “cure”.

The only painting by  the hand of Bronzino of a figure in a profile pose, reminiscent of numismatic works but also of cameos of the classical age, which inspired him, flies to the United States, to the MET. It will be one of the spearheads of the exhibition “The Medici. Portrait & Politics, 1512-1570 “. 

We just wish a good trip to “Laura Battiferri”, certainly the longest in her life. Who knows what she will think.

She, who married in 1550 with Bartolomeo Ammannati, who frequented Michelangelo assiduously, and the other Florentine intellectuals, and was in correspondence with other poetesses, whose fame crosses borders and is known from Madrid to Prague, but who probably did not expect to become a New York star.

(Emanuela Massa)
(Emanuela Massa)
florence heritech

Time to squeeze your brains

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The Florence Heritech international conference, characterized by the particular formula that sees a scientific conference taking place together with a restoration and conservation fair, has opened the Call for Papers, for the edition to be held in May 2022.

Here the deadlines:

July 16, 2021 | Deadline to submit abstract
September 30, 2021 | Abstract acceptance notification
December 17, 2021 | Deadline to submit draft paper
January 31, 2022 | Submission of final paper

These are the macro areas:

Materials Science, Diagnostics and Monitoring, Engineering, ICT and digital heritage, Environment and Cultural Heritage, Sustainable Architecture for Cultural Heritage.

Florence Heritech’s idea is to create a synergy between the artistic, artisan and entrepreneurial world, and the university and research world, offering an overview of current developments on a global level, promoting links between students and the conservation industry, and disseminating the most advanced scientific discoveries.

Here the link to the proceeding, published in a indexed Open Access journal (IOP), of past editions.

The city of Florence, chosen as the venue, will therefore once again be a place of meeting and discussion for experts, operators and enthusiasts from all over the world.

Art-Test will participate, as it has already done in past editions, presenting its works and new discoveries. Do not miss it!

(Anna Pelagotti)
(Anna Pelagotti)
copertina modigliani

Modigliani under Investigation

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Life, death, his fortune, the inheritance he left, the history of the “Archives”, fakes, foundations, exhibitions.

Already in January we discussed the innovative exposition that the Museum of Lille created for Amedeo Modigliani. An exhibition with an investigative approach. But, given the pandemic we are in, it was not possible to open it, and also the related Symposium did not take place.

But the scrutiny of the Labronian painter and his work, does not stop. “L’affare Modigliani” published by Chiarelettere is a book rich of information, all supported by references to sources. It tackles all the hot topics, including fakes and the role of foundations. Three hundred pages where the story is organized into “crime scenes“. where each topic is treated with scientific rigor.

Our favourite chapter is of course the one where Modigliani’s technique is illustrated through material analysis. Of course, we would have liked it to be even more detailed but we realize that a substantial appendix would have been necessary.

If you haven’t read it yet, waiting for the French exhibition, Art-Test recommends it.

(Emanuela Massa)
(Emanuela Massa)
picture heritech 2

Florence Heritech conference

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What if, instead of the artworks, are the diagnostics tests to be falsified?                                                                                                     

At the long-awaited Florence Heritech conference, Art-Test in collaboration with two departments of the University of Florence, with S.T.Art-Test, and with the National Optical Institute of the CNR, will present “Forensic Imaging for Art Diagnostics. What evidence should we trust?“.
   The work presents the first results on the scientific analysis of the integrity of diagnostic images, and in particular X-rays images.This is a relevant topic since more and more often these imagines are, rightly so, used to support or dismiss an attribution. This is a totally new subject that is being addressed for the first time in the scientific literature. For this year the conference will be held online from 14 to 16 October, and the proceeding, subject to rigorous review by experts, will be published by IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, an indexed journal, and as always, in open access mode, therefore accessible to all.
   We will miss direct interaction with other participants but we hope that this format will allow a good number of people to follow remotely. Don’t miss it! The event calendar will be announced on October 14th here

  (AP)

lubec

LuBeC 2019: the possible future of Culture: musea as metropolitan hub to resist against barbarism?

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Among fairs dedicated to cultural heritage, Lucca Cultural Heritage (LuBeC), now in its fifteenth edition, has found a specific place. Its original and original vocation is to participate in the debate between public administration and business and to generate concrete actions for a culture that produces not only economic but also social results.

The landscape of public cultural heritage management is inevitably changing and LuBeC focuses on this transformation in different areas.

The increasing digitization, with new tools and ways of management, is addressed in the “digitalization, archive and open data” area.

The reflections proposed in the other spaces, examine the need to adapt to this change and manage it in the best way, guaranteeing its economic, social and environmental sustainability and promoting public participation in cultural activities.

It becomes relevant to question how much the culture industry can be incisive on the economic and social balance of a city or how much making everything “usable” to tourists, especially in some places already saturated, won’t let citizen feel extraneous to their territory. This reflection inevitably binds the vision of a museum as a cultural hub and a center of social education and therefore a place in which to form the conscience of citizens. This, in particular, could be the mission of civic museums. The defense of the territory and its enhancement inexorably pass through the shared knowledge of its history. An objective that can be achieved using, for example, new tools such as gamification, which are appealing, especially for new generations.

All the themes proposed in this edition are also in line with the European Agenda for Culture. LuBec will thus contribute to the international debate on what are the synergies to be implemented to contribute to the smooth functioning of culture as a fundamental cog in gears of society.

The LuBec awaits us on 3 and 4 October. The program and info on inscriptions at this link: https://www.lubec.it/en/exhibiting-lubec-digital-technology.html

lubec
saloni

That’s fair!

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Even if the sector in general appears to be in a bit of a crisis, there are still quite a number of fairs organized on conservation, in Italy and in the world. In our country, this year there will be two within a few months.

In the International Restoration Fair in Ferrara, (18th to 20th September), the eye-catching theme is the project RESTAURO MADE IN ITALY
The goal is to maintain international visibility and reiterate Italy as one of the world’s reference points. The fair will also be associated with the first edition of the Restoration Week, which will see the launch of the APT (Association of Preservation Technologies) – European Chapter. A new European network for the restoration and enhancement of cultural heritage. We also signal the interesting conference “The meaning and marketing of restoration in Italy and target Countries: an overview”, on Thursday 19th, where the meaning of the term “restoration” in the various countries and cultures will be discussed.

The appointment with the Florence Art and Restoration Fair is from 13 to 15 May 2020, at Palazzo dei Congressi.
Also this year Heritech – the Future of Heritage Science and Technology – scientific conference, will be organized in the same period and place of the trade show and this is why Art-Test has chosen to participate in this event.

The 1st edition of FLORENCE HERI-TECH – The Future of Heritage Science and Technologies, two years ago, welcomed leading researchers and scholars from all over the world to present and discuss innovative techniques and technologies. The proposed contributions were 180, with the involvement of public institutions, universities, companies and museums. Art-Test Florence, which has always actively participated in research, had presented 4 papers, and was awarded “for the commitment and constant study in the search for new scientific approaches” with the Palazzo Spinelli Award “Research and Development of new technologies qualified for cultural heritage“.
We are still preparing the contribution for the 2020 edition, and knowing that Florence will become the international heart of restoration and cultural heritage, we will be proud to be part of it.

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Art conservation meets science at Florence Heri-Tech

Art conservation meets science at Florence Heri-Tech

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The next Salone dell’Arte e del Restauro will be on 16-18 May ’18 at the Palazzo dei Congressi, Florence (I). This year’s edition presents an important new element: alongside the usual event, an international conference Florence Heri-tech has been organized (deadline for abstracts submission 15 Nov ’17). The international scientific community will gather to discuss about conservation, diagnostic and fruition strategies for cultural heritage. Thus a novel approach, never attempted before by a conservation fair where usually only talks about case studies or new devices are presented.
This new combination will give conservators and museum personnel, who generally attend conservation fairs, the opportunity to be confronted with the newest research results and for scientists to get to know better their end-users. We genuinely hope that this cross will further develop so as to help this field which would certainly benefit from an increased shared scientific approach in conservation and authentication issues.
A small island with big plans!

A small island with big plans!

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Procida, a small island in the bay of Naples, became the protagonist of a conference focused on the possibility for it of being a recuperation model in the broadest sense. Its historical heritage could in fact become the engine of economic and cultural wealth.

“The Island of Procida: the sustainable rebirth and the beauty economy” is the title of the conference, to which Art-Test participated, and during which speakers explained the developments and possible variations of that aspiration.

The starting point is a huge historical and architectural complex dating back to 1200, including the hunting lodge of Ferdinand II of Bourbon, who later became a maximum security prison of the Italian State, unfortunately abandoned since 1988, because it did not comply with the new safety standards.

In recent years, the property ownership was transferred to the City itself, and today Procida attempts to revive this “piece” of the island’s history, proposing it as a possible model of sustainable development. This ambitious project aims at making the complex attractive for research organizations, universities and …  individuals, making Palazzo d’Avalos, and the former penitential home, models of cultural and economic evolution.

Already during the first intervention at the conference, the importance of diagnostics tests was underlined as being the initial moment of knowledge but also an undisputable means for the future prominence of it. Understanding and awareness raising through art diagnostics.

Procida, and its place for “locking down”, the former prison, wants to become a place of great openness to the various forms of culture.

With Cultural Heritage mingled with contemporaneity. A contemporary artist, Alfredo Pirri, had, in fact, already chosen the island last year for “7.0”, a suggestive creation with which to bring to the memory of the viewers “the same look , identically dreamy or painful that once ran through the very same window and headed for the sea and far away places once only imagined”. The window is one of many in this complex looking towards Vesuvius, behind which in the morning you can enjoy the romantic tones of a special sunrise, with colors that fascinated so much the Grand Tour painters.

And it is this landscape, seen from the highest point of the island, allowing to embrace in a single sight the whole territory of the Campi Flegrei, to create a unique added value for a place which is meant to be a point from which to observe, but that it now also under the spot light.

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