Imaging Cultural Heritage at Different Scales: Part I, the Micro-Scale (Manufacts)

Abstract

Applications of non-invasive sensing techniques to investigate the internal structure and surface of precious and delicate objects represent a very important and consolidated research field in the scientific domain of cultural heritage knowledge and conservation. The present article is the first of three reviews focused on contact and non-contact imaging techniques applied to surveying cultural heritage at micro- (i.e., manufacts), meso- (sites) and macro-scales (landscapes). The capability to infer variations in geometrical and physical properties across the inspected surfaces or volumes is the unifying factor of these techniques, allowing scientists to discover new historical sites or to image their spatial extent and material features at different scales, from landscape to artifact. This first part concentrates on the micro-scale, i.e., inspection, study and characterization of small objects (ancient papers, paintings, statues, archaeological findings, architectural elements, etc.) from surface to internal properties.

Evaluation of Calcarenite Degradation by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Analysis inside the Rupestrian Church of San Pietro Barisano (Matera, Southern Italy)

“…The state-of-the-art diagnostics and preservation of cultural heritage refers to the advancement of pioneering monitoring techniques and maintenance strategies based on the interrelation of green methodologies and new technologies respondent to the following overall requirements: monumental health and the accurate mapping of degradation; remote sensing and imaging at different scales and dimensions, digitization and data storage, and the dynamic use of technological databases; functional consolidation of monuments to prevent further deterioration and bioactivity; and enhancement from the perspective of safety and the circular cultural economy [10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

Materials and Technique: The First Look at Saturnino Gatti

“…First, after visualizing and identifying the areas affected by surface degradation, we aimed to map the different colored/pigmented areas in order to expand upon the amount of information available with regard to the materials used; this information was obtained using spectroscopic techniques [2][3][4]. The imaging techniques also allow us to obtain information concerning the primary technique used on the wall paintings, which provides art historians and conservators with useful information for historical reconstructions of the different phases of the artwork [5][6][7][8]. Imaging analysis has the advantage of making information accessible in a simple way, via the rendering of images and maps, which, through the use of colors, chromatic gradients, and the spatial distribution of values, allows for an immediate understanding of the data.…”