Spectroscopic Techniques in Cultural Heritage Conservation

A special issue of Heritage (ISSN 2571-9408). This special issue belongs to the section "Cultural Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 15777

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Enea (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) - Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory (FSN-TECFIS-DIM), Via Enrico Fermi, 45, 00044 Frascati, RM, Italy
Interests: development and application of laser spectroscopies; laser induced fluorescence; laser induced breakdown spectroscopy; Raman spectroscopy; reflectance and colorimetry; light-matter interaction; diagnostics; cultural heritage health status; environmental monitoring
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Protection, conservation and study of Cultural Heritage are necessarily central objectives for a sustainable civil, social and economic development of our Countries. Cultural Heritage represents a common good of extraordinary richness and complexity, as well as the bond with the past, that shapes people way of thinking and identity.

However, our heritage faces the risks due to the passage of time and to the many environmental and human-driven threats to its security. Fortunately, scientific and technological advancements give, now, new and wider opportunities for preserving, sharing cultural heritage and better interpret its history, both in terms of manufacturing and past restoration actions. Among modern analytical techniques, those based on spectroscopies play a fundamental role. The aim of this Special Issue is to present state-of-the-art spectroscopic techniques applied in the complex field of Cultural Heritage, highlighting peculiarities and complementary. We invite both reviews, providing an up-to-date and critical overview of state-of-the-art, and original research articles dealing with techniques based on x-ray, UV-visible, mid-infrared, near-infrared, terahertz, microwave absorption and/or emission, fluorescence and phosphorescence, Raman, PIXE, NMR, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopies, neutron activation analysis. Moreover, topics include, but are not limited to, theory of optical spectra and their interpretation, instrumentation design and operational principles. Manuscript on data processing and chemometrics are welcome.

Dr. Valeria Spizzichino
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Cultural Heritage conservation
  • Cultural Heritage monitoring
  • Cultural Heritage Diagnostics
  • Laser spectroscopies
  • Emission spectroscopies
  • Absorption spectroscopies
  • Nuclear, atomic and molecular spectroscopies
  • Chemometrics

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3667 KiB  
Article
Fast and In-Situ Identification of Archaeometallurgical Collections in the Museum of Malaga Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and a New Mathematical Algorithm
by Francisco J. Fortes, Luisa M. Cabalín and Javier J. Laserna
Heritage 2020, 3(4), 1330-1343; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/heritage3040073 - 10 Nov 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1891
Abstract
This paper reports the use of an advanced statistical algorithm for the recognition and classification of a set of 30 archaeological metallic objects from the Museum of Malaga. In-situ laser-induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS) analysis was performed using a portable analyzer. The coordinate-obtaining method [...] Read more.
This paper reports the use of an advanced statistical algorithm for the recognition and classification of a set of 30 archaeological metallic objects from the Museum of Malaga. In-situ laser-induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS) analysis was performed using a portable analyzer. The coordinate-obtaining method provided the statistical weights of each element in the sample. A comparative study between the coordinate-obtaining method and the linear correlation method is also discussed in order to corroborate the applicability of the proposed approach to the field of cultural heritage. The possibility of fast identification based on the simultaneous comparison of all the spectra in the reference LIBS library while allowing the analysis of heterogeneous materials is the main advantage of the method. In addition, statistical analysis (Euclidean distance analysis and binary diagrams) suggested that differentiating between archaeological sites is feasible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopic Techniques in Cultural Heritage Conservation)
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28 pages, 16428 KiB  
Article
Portable X-ray Fluorescence (p-XRF) Uncertainty Estimation for Glazed Ceramic Analysis: Case of Iznik Tiles
by Belgin Demirsar Arli, Gulsu Simsek Franci, Sennur Kaya, Hakan Arli and Philippe Colomban
Heritage 2020, 3(4), 1302-1329; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/heritage3040072 - 10 Nov 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4924
Abstract
The aim of this study is to estimate the uncertainty of a portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) instrument for the (semi-quantitative) analyses of tiles with underglaze decoration. Before starting the campaign of on-site measurements, the optimum acquisition time and the most accurate calibration mode [...] Read more.
The aim of this study is to estimate the uncertainty of a portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) instrument for the (semi-quantitative) analyses of tiles with underglaze decoration. Before starting the campaign of on-site measurements, the optimum acquisition time and the most accurate calibration mode were selected. For this purpose, the elemental composition of two glass standards of NIST (SRM610 and SRM612) and a Corning A standard were measured with varied times (5–360 s) and in different calibration modes (Mining, Mining Light Elements, Soil, and Rare Earth Elements). Afterwards, a set of blue-and-white tiles that was unearthed at Iznik Tile Kilns Excavation between the dig seasons of 2015 and 2019 was examined with p-XRF by selecting ten points of measure from each layer (body, transparent glaze, and blue coloured areas). The elemental composition of different layers was evaluated by means of the intragroup and intergroup data. They were also compared to the previous studies and found that the corrosion-free, homogeneous, and non-porous surfaces decrease the relative standard deviation (RSD) by increasing the consistency of the compositional data. The major elements found in the matrix of each layer (Al and Si for the body, Pb and Sn for the glaze) have the lowest value of RSD, as expected. However, the comparison of the data with the analysis of the reference materials showed that the content of Mg and also Si, which belong to the low-Z elements group, is shifted relatively towards the higher compositional values. The impossibility of measuring the elemental composition of sodium does not hinder the classification of the samples. Although the transition metals have very low concentrations, p-XRF measurements appear rather consistent and the intrinsic scattering of the data observed for a single artefact is largely smaller than those observed for the tiles of different historical buildings. Thus, it allows the classification to be made related to the different techniques used. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopic Techniques in Cultural Heritage Conservation)
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10 pages, 2439 KiB  
Article
Non-Invasive Study on the Sinope Gospels
by Maurizio Aceto, Elisa Calà, Angelo Agostino, Gaia Fenoglio, Maria Labate, Christian Förstel, Charlotte Denoël and Abigail Quandt
Heritage 2020, 3(4), 1269-1278; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/heritage3040069 - 28 Oct 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2251
Abstract
The 6th century Codex Sinopensis or Sinope Gospels (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France) is one of the most precious purple codices that survive from the Late Antique period. Together with the Vienna Genesis (Wien, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) and the Rossano Gospels (Rossano Calabro, Museo [...] Read more.
The 6th century Codex Sinopensis or Sinope Gospels (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France) is one of the most precious purple codices that survive from the Late Antique period. Together with the Vienna Genesis (Wien, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) and the Rossano Gospels (Rossano Calabro, Museo Diocesano), it has an unusually rich decorative apparatus with scenes representing biblical episodes. It can be, therefore, considered one of the most important preserved artistic productions of the early medieval era. The manuscript has been subjected to a non-invasive diagnostic campaign to evaluate the quality of the colourants used in its decoration, to understand how the parchment was coloured, and to carry out a comparison with the Vienna Genesis and the Rossano Gospels. The techniques used were UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry with optical fibres (FORS), X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), spectrofluorimetry, and optical microscopy. Analyses highlighted the presence of ultramarine blue, which, besides the use of pure gold for the ink and paint, certifies the high value of the manuscript. In addition, this must be seen as one of the earliest examples of its use in paintings. The purple colour of the parchment was identified as orchil, a dye extracted from lichens, similar to the results of analytical investigations carried out on other purple codices, and not the expected Tyrian purple dye. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopic Techniques in Cultural Heritage Conservation)
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14 pages, 5151 KiB  
Article
Raman Spectroscopic Analysis of an Early 20th Century English Painted Organ Case by Temple Moore
by Christopher Brooke, Howell Edwards, Peter Vandenabeele, Sylvia Lycke and Michelle Pepper
Heritage 2020, 3(4), 1148-1161; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/heritage3040064 - 21 Oct 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2676
Abstract
An organ case from Lincoln, England, designed by the architect Temple Moore in 1907 was examined during conservation work using Raman spectroscopy in order to analyze the decorative paint composition. Samples from the six principal colours were extracted and examined using a Bruker [...] Read more.
An organ case from Lincoln, England, designed by the architect Temple Moore in 1907 was examined during conservation work using Raman spectroscopy in order to analyze the decorative paint composition. Samples from the six principal colours were extracted and examined using a Bruker Senterra R200-L spectrometer. The results are the first known formal analysis of a painted scheme by this architect, and they reveal a mixture of commonly used pigments for the period and the unexpected use of simpler, earth pigments, along with an unusual admixture in the red, along with an organic additive. The findings are of importance to both the conservation of Temple Moore’s artwork, in understanding the experimentation used in early twentieth-century England, and in furthering our knowledge of ecclesiastical decorative artwork of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopic Techniques in Cultural Heritage Conservation)
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11 pages, 2535 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Archaeological European White Elm (Ulmus laevis) for Identifying and Characterizing the Kind of Biological Degradation
by Amir Ghavidel, Jana Gelbrich, Aldi Kuqo, Viorica Vasilache and Ion Sandu
Heritage 2020, 3(4), 1083-1093; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/heritage3040060 - 26 Sep 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3032
Abstract
The current work aims at the study of the biological degradation of archaeological European white elm via microscopy and chemical analysis in order to identify the kind of biological degradation and characterize the state of preservation of this type of wood. Profound knowledge [...] Read more.
The current work aims at the study of the biological degradation of archaeological European white elm via microscopy and chemical analysis in order to identify the kind of biological degradation and characterize the state of preservation of this type of wood. Profound knowledge of the chemical constituents and biological degradation in fresh-cut and archaeological elm wood will simplify the process of restoration and conservation of the investigated artifacts. Therefore, fresh-cut and archaeological elm were compared in terms of extractive, chlorite holocellulose, α-cellulose, lignin, and ash contents. In the fresh-cut elm wood, the contents of Kürschner–Hoffer cellulose, chlorite holocellulose, α-cellulose, and hemicellulose were significantly higher than that of the archaeological elm, confirmed by the degradation of native wood hemicelluloses by erosion bacteria during soil contact. Naturally, the mass percentage of lignin increases as the amount of chlorite holocellulose in the wood decreases. These wet chemistry results were also confirmed by FTIR analysis, where bands mainly attributed to hemicellulose and cellulose decreased significantly and bands belonging to lignin display higher intensity for the archaeological specimens. Ash and cyclohexane–ethanol extract contents of archaeological elm wood were significantly higher due to the movement of mineral components arising out of the soil into the wood specimens. Based on the microscopic investigation and given the fact that wood decay fungi need oxygen to degrade wood and the investigated archaeological elm specimens were buried to a 10 m depth in the soil, we might conclude that the wood degradation was caused by erosion bacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spectroscopic Techniques in Cultural Heritage Conservation)
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