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Xray imaging an old but gold technique for art analysis. Let’ discover it together
Did you know that X-rays imaging is the oldest physical analysis technique used in art?It’s been 130 years since it was first applied, and it’s become so established that the phrase “X-ray scanned” has even entered everyday language — meaning something has been...
Not everybody in Germany has come to terms with the Nazi period. As evident also in the case of art restitutions
In recent years, the debate over the restitution of artworks stolen during the Second World War has taken on a central role in European cultural politics.Germany, in particular, is at the center of much controversy, due to the obvious role it played during the Nazi...
A tale of heroes and villains: 50 years of the Italian Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Environment was born on December 14, 1974, with a decree of urgency. The "superintendence" system already existed, more or less in the form we know them now, but the competences were divided among various ministries: the Ministry...
The Hidden Hour: Unraveling the Mystery of Vermeer’s View of Delft
The Secret of Vermeer’s “View of Delft”: A Masterpiece of Light and Time Once hailed by Marcel Proust as the most beautiful painting in the world, View of Delft by Johannes Vermeer remains one of the most celebrated artworks of the Dutch Golden Age. Vermeer, often...
Art World
All’s well that ends well?
Picasso painting missing in Spain has been found Tiny in size — about 13 x 10 cm — Pablo Picasso’s Still Life with Guitar (Naturaleza muerta con guitarra) mysteriously disappeared during its transport from Madrid to Granada. Was it stolen? Lost? Or just handled...
Databases and Archives as Tools to Combat Crimes Against Cultural Heritage
Mark Your Calendar: November 14 in Rome for a Landmark Cultural Heritage Event On November 14, 2020, amid the global pandemic, UNESCO established the first International Day against the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property — marking exactly 50 years since the...
5% VAT at last: a game changer for Italy’s art and antiques market?
The recent reduction of VAT on transactions from 22% to 5% has been welcomed by industry professionals. It is a long-awaited measure that could reinvigorate a market which, in Italy, has experienced glorious seasons but also decades of decline. Yet, support from...
Taxes have gone down and now what?
The recent reduction of VAT on transactions from 22% to 5% has been welcomed by industry professionals. It is a long-awaited measure that could reinvigorate a market which, in Italy, has experienced glorious seasons but also decades of decline. Yet, support from...
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Discoveries and attributions
The Baptism of Christ’s secret revealed by AI
A New AI Model to Distinguish the Master’s Hand from That of TheirPupils For years, art historians have debated the attribution of The Baptism of Christ: how much of it was painted by the master’s own hand, and how much was done by the workshop, assistants, or later...
Bid at Your Own Risk
Imagine encountering a painting of extraordinary merit—one that captivates your interest and is offered at an enticing reserve price. The auction catalog presents it as an antique work from the correct historical period, and you are prepared to bid. Yet, a lingering...
Join the Fight Against Art Crime: Enroll in SAG’s Forensic Archaeology® Program
In today’s complex landscape, the protection of cultural heritage demands increasingly advanced and specialized expertise. To meet this need, the SAG (Scuola di Archeologia Giudiziaria®) was established several years ago. SAG trains experts, consultants, and...
Can you buy a Poussin for 2000 euros?
At the online auction “Dipinti Antichi” (Old Master Paintings) held April 10–16 by Pandolfini in Florence, a battle scene in poor condition—catalogued as the work of an anonymous 17th-century Lombard artist and estimated at €2,000–3,000—was sold for a remarkable...
In Memoriam
As we were preparing the articles for our newsletter, we received the sad news of Carlo Frittelli’s passing. We are not entitle to recount Carlo’s career or the significance of his gallery, but we feel compelled to share a memory of him. Carlo was a gentle soul, a...
A great opportunity for those interested in conservation and scientific analyses
As announced in our previous newsletter, Florence Heri-Tech returns to Florence from 26 to 30 April. This event is dedicated to technologies applied to cultural heritage, to diagnostics, conservation, and to the valorisation of cultural assets. Art-Test has always...
Art-Test in action
Acrobatic Diagnostics
In San Gimignano with a team of acrobats to conduct complex structural diagnostics for the Italian National Trust Also known as the "Manhattan of the Middle Ages," San Gimignano is located along the Via Francigena, in Tuscany, Italy. During its peak, the city saw the...
A 12 years old Modigliani, on video
Could it have been a very young Amedeo who painted this portrait of a girl? This artwork, which admittedly does not look like the famous Modigliani, but supposedly was painted when the artist was only 12, has been studied for years and has been subjected to numerous...
Getting the colours back, in 3D
Ancient sculptures were not generally white, in bare marble, as we see them today, but they were painted, colored. It is probably due to natural deterioration processes that most of those that have survived and we can see today have not preserved their polychromy....
How many treasures still in private collections!
In recent months, we have collaborated with the Fitzwilliam Museum (UK), particularly with Dr. Flavia Fiorillo, an expert researcher in non-invasive investigations of paintings, books, and manuscripts, for a study on a highly significant early-period painting, now in...
Florence Heri-Tech is back in town, and Art-Test will be part of it
The biannual Future of Heritage Science and Technologies International Conference will be held in Florence on 29-30 April 2024, for its 4th edition. The final programme can be downloaded from the website: https://www.florenceheritech.com/. Art-Test in collaboration...
Exploring the human body, among ancient cadaver dissectors, draftsmen, modelers, and… modern restorers.
Finally, the Museum of La Specola finally reopened its grand doors after nearly 5 years of restoration. At the onset of its 250th year, dating back to 21 February 1775, when it was inaugurated by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo di Lorena as the "Imperial and Royal Museum...