1,720,998 research outputs found
The case study of an Italian contemporary art object: Materials and state of conservation of the painting "Ragazzo seduto" by Remo Brindisi
No full textThis paper deals with the scientific survey of Remo Brindisi's painting “Ragazzo seduto” (Seated boy), made at the end of the 1950s, that is a symbolic figure of both his personal artistic solitude and the crisis of values determined by the economic boom in the post-war period. In a period of great changes and economic regrowth, the need to find a new style that could be the most authentic and personal as possible pressed the artist to experiment innovative products, including non-conventional support. Photographic and analytical techniques demonstrated the use of innovative products as an experimentation tendency, that pressed the artist to use non-conventional support, industrially treated with plasticized PVC and primed with acrylate polymers and to paint with traditional and industrial pigments mixed with an oil-modified alkyd resin. In the span of a few years, an unexpected and extended degradation on the whole surface of the painting took place, with the consequent formation of lifting and detachment of the paint film. The detected alteration is mainly due to the fast ageing of the employed polymeric materials, actually responsible of the impermanence of many contemporary works of arts. Clarifying the unknown aspects of the Remo Brindisi's stylistic choices together with the deterioration processes of the employed painting materials, this paper highlights the general problems related to the conservation of contemporary art, a neglected area of research in Italy, where more efforts are committed to the enormous and more ancient cultural heritag
Study of materials and techniques in painted ceiling panels from a palace in Cremona (Italy, 15th century)
No full textBackground: This study concerns the analysis of four painted wooden panels from the second half of the 15th century which embellish the ceiling of a palace situated in Cremona (Northern Italy). This type of painting was generally used to decorate the top of the walls and the ceilings of the rooms in aristocratic palaces and they usually portray the owner’s ancestors, family members or important visitors. The paintings are of historical importance since they enable us to study the clothing and hair styles which were in fashionable in Italy during the Renaissance. These panels were heavily damaged and required a lot of restoration including the cleaning of the paint layers. This enabled us to carry out a thorough examination of the materials and techniques used for creating these paintings.
Results: Various micro-samples were taken in order to distinguish the materials and, in particular: (i) to analyze the ground layer and study its function; (ii) to typify the organic binders and the pigments of the polychrome films. The stratigraphic sequence of micro-samples was analyzed using optical microscopy, the elemental composition was determined by means of the SEM-EDX technique while the organic binders were analyzed by means of μFT-IR spectroscopy. The main component of ground layer proved to be clay. The organic binder was probably composed of a protein-based material such as animal glue. This type of ground layer is similar to the traditional 15th century Flemish formula and seems to confirm the strong influence of that artistic technique in Northern Italy. Cross-section investigation showed a primer layer over the ground layer made of white lead pigment. In fact, a white primer was used to cover the ground layer of yellowish clay common in Central Europe. The importance of this research is also confirmed by the study of paint films, for which pigments such as azurite or cinnabar were used. Red lake pigment for painting the subjects’ complexions was emphasized.
Conclusions: The analyses provide new detailed information concerning the materials used for painting the ceiling panels, the layer sequence of the paints and Northern Italian 15th century painting techniques
Le vernici e i trattamenti superficiali di strumenti musicali ad arco prodotti a Cremona tra il XVII e il XVIII secolo: indagini non-invasive e micro-invasive
No full textGiacomo Fiocco, Monica Gulmini, Tommaso Rovetta, Curzio Merlo, Marco Malagodi
No full textEight fragments obtained from historical
instruments produced in Cremona (Italy) during the
17th and 18th century have been considered. Both noninvasive
and micro-invasive instrumental techniques
were carried on to directly highlight the treatments
employed on the wood before varnishing. Scanning
Electron Microscopy performed on cross sections
highlights the presence of two different methods of
wood treatment, in order to inhibit the penetration of
the varnish into the porous structures. In one set of
fragments, the wood was treated with a filler made
with gypsum dispersed in an organic medium. A
mechanical treatment or a digestion of the wood
structures with a basic solution, which caused a
collapse of superficial tracheary elements, was
employed on the other fragments
The golden age of the neapolitan lutherie (1750–1800): new insights on the varnishes and decorations of ten historic mandolins
No full textThis paper reports the results of several scientific
analyses carried out on ten mandolins made in the
second half of the eighteenth century by the most important
Neapolitan mandolin manufacturers such as the Filano,
Fabricatore, Gagliano and Vinaccia families. Various elements
of decoration were characterized for each mandolin:
the resins of the sound hole decorations, the black wood
strips of the purflings, the varnishes and the glues. Thanks
to microscopy observations SEM-EDX, lFT-IR and
lRaman analysis, a multi-technique approach was used in
order to fully characterize and compare some of the decoration-making
techniques peculiar of each family of
makers. Shellac was the main organic material used both in
the sound hole decorations and in the varnishes. Inorganic
fillers such as aluminosilicates, particles of iron oxides/
hydroxides and microfossils of diatoms were found within
the false inlays. Black iron-based dyes were identified as
dyes for the black wood strips of the purflings
A multi-analytical non-invasive approach to violin materials: The case of Antonio Stradivari “Hellier” (1679)
No full textThe study and characterization of the materials of historic musical instruments, especially violins, represent an
important aim for scientists and conservators. In particular, the varnishes have been often investigated, even to
correlate their chemical characteristics with the sound produced by instruments. However, in the last years,
the attention has moved to the study of those materials (inlays, pigments, binders, fillers, glues) used by important
ancient violin makers, as Antonio Stradivari, to decorate the musical instruments in order to confer a higher
aesthetic value. Because of the importance of the ancient violins, the analytical investigations have to be performed
more and more with non-invasive methodologies, and this could be a strong shortcoming for the complexity
of the materials to study. Therefore, the scientific research has improving new methodological
approaches that could provide several results without touching the violins. The “Hellier” violin (1679), actually
held in Museo del Violino of Cremona (Italy), is one of the most important violin made by Antonio Stradivari
and represents a perfect example for the study of both varnishes and decorations. This contribution focuses on
the materials' characterization through different totally non-invasive diagnostic techniques: UV-induced visible
fluorescence imaging, optical microscopy, reflection FTIR spectroscopy, and XRF spectroscopy. In particular, reflection
infrared spectroscopy has been applied for the characterization of several organic substances historically
used to make the musical instruments, with the aim of achieving a correct interpretation of the violin varnish
spectra. The varnishes, the black strips of the purflings, the black fillers, and the white decorations of the inlays
were investigated. The preliminary results suggest the presence of (i) supposed resinous drying oil varnish, (ii)
metal-based ink used to dye the black filler of the inlays and the black strips of the purflings, and (iii) bone or
ivory as material for the white decorative elements of the inlays
IL MANDOLINO A NAPOLI ALLA FINE DEL XVIII SECOLO: STUDIO DEGLI ELEMENTI DECORATIVI E CARATTERIZZAZIONE DEI MATERIALI
No full textThis work provides for the first time several scientific analyses performed on micro-samples from eleven mandolins produced in the second half of the 18th century in Naples. The mandolins, currently held in the National Museum of Musical Instruments of Rome, were built by the most important mandolin maker families in Naples, such as the Filano, the Fabricatore, the Gagliano and the Vinaccia. Different components of each mandolin were characterized: the varnishes (organic binders and pigments), the purflings, the resins of the sound hole decorations and the glues of the junctions. The goal was to define the production and decoration techniques used to make the mandolins and, if possible, to highlight different technical skills used by each luthier family. A multidisciplinary approach has been followed in order to fully characterize the materials, including stereoscopic and optical microscopy investigations, SEM – EDS, micro FT-IR, Raman analyses and Py-GC procedures. This research represents a contribution to the knowledge of the traditional building techniques of a class of musical instruments still to be studied by the scientific community
Surfing through the coating system of historic bowed instruments: a spectroscopic perspective
No full textNON INVASIVE ANALYTICAL METHODS FOR THE STUDY OF MATERIALS OF ANCIENT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
No full textDuring the last decades many researchers have tried to understand what has most influenced the extraordinary sound and beauty of the masterpieces made by the ancient violin makers, and this still represents a challenge for the coming future. Due to the fact that historical written documents about the making process are scarce, the current knowledge is mainly based on the rediscover of the ancient know-how through scientific analyses performed on the materials. This article focuses on the research activities and the methods developed in the Arvedi Laboratory of Non-Invasive Diagnostic of the University of Pavia. The lab, hosted in the prestigious Museo del Violino in Cremona, has the privilege to get in contact with some of the most important musical instruments of the violin making history. Many admirable works of famous violin makers such as Stradivari, Amati and Guarneri are analyzed through many different non-invasive and non-destructive techniques. The research team uses standardized methods according to an analytical protocol specially developed for this purpose. These activities aim to enrich a basic knowledge focused on Antonio Stradivari and his contemporaries violins' materials and bring us closer to the enigma surrounding the beauty and the sound of their masterpiece
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