Thermographic Imaging in Cultural Heritage: A Short Review

Abstract

Over the recent period, there has been an increasing interest in the use of pulsed infrared thermography (PT) for the non-destructive evaluation of Cultural Heritage (CH). Unlike other techniques that are commonly employed in the same field, PT enables the depth-resolved detection of different kinds of subsurface features, thus providing helpful information for both scholars and restorers. Due to this reason, several research activities are currently underway to further improve the PT effectiveness. In this manuscript, the specific use of PT for the analysis of three different types of CH, namely documentary materials, panel paintings–marquetery, and mosaics, will be reviewed. In the latter case, i.e., mosaics, passive thermography combined with ground penetrating radar (GPR) and digital microscopy (DM) have also been deepened, considering their suitability in the open field. Such items have been selected because they are characterized by quite distinct physical and structural properties and, therefore, different PT (and, in some cases, verification) approaches have been employed for their investigations.

Diagnosis, Photogrammetry and Conservation Treatment with Nanomaterials of Sacidava Fortress

“…The microclimate analysis was carried out via thermographic evaluation of the main analyzed pieces [14,15]. This method allows for the identification in situ of temperature and humidity variations, physico-chemical parameters that allow us to understand the specific distribution and variation of biota [16].…”

Using computed tomography to recover hidden medieval fragments beneath early modern leather bindings, first results

“…Both methods depend upon the semi-transparency of the parchment or paper covering the hidden fragments and are limited in the depth below the surface to and from which IR radiation travels (in these studies, 0.1 mm). In combination, pulsed and lock-in IRT revealed the binding structures and visualized the writing on manuscript fragments beneath several bindings’ endleaves, although developing a process to correct for edge distortion for improved legibility of detected writing remains ongoing [ 18 – 22 ].…”

Simulation-aided infrared thermography with decomposition-based noise reduction for detecting defects in ancient polyptychs

“…Using IRT to evaluate artworks is often perceived as more advantageous than using traditional inspection methods, owing to its non-destructive and inexpensive nature, as well as good ability to identify potential defects [ 14 , 15 ]. In contrast to IRT [ 16 – 19 ], ultrasonic testing, which is another commonly used inspection method, requires a couplant (usually liquid) material added between the probe and the surface to be inspected. However, it is not advised to use such technique for precious/brittle test subjects, because liquid couplings can cause damages to the artwork.…”