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The Desana treasure is a remarkable assemblage of items made of gold, silver, gemstones and glasses found in north-western Italy. Most scholars agree on the fact that the core of the treasure might have belonged to a single deposit resulted from a long period of selection, accumulation and use. The treasure testifies to the evolution of goldsmiths' art in Ostrogothic Italy and represents an extraordinary material trace of the Italian elites of the 5th–6th centuries. The Desana treasure was investigated with non-invasive instrumental analytical techniques, namely optical microscopy, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry with optical fibres and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry in order to record the chemical features of gemstones, coloured glasses and precious metals employed to produce the items. As for the gemstones, besides identifying typologies, data suggested India as the source for a sapphire pendant and for most of the garnets, whereas the emeralds may belong to different sources, among which Pakistan, India and Egypt. The investigation revealed the colouring agents and compositional features of the glasses, and the composition of the gold alloys. The results of the investigation highlight that the raw materials used by Late Antique Italian goldsmiths did not differ significantly from other neighbouring European and Mediterranean regions, although the garnets show some differences if compared with coeval jewels recorded north of the Alps. The dataset produced in this work complements the stylistic approach for the study of these amazing traces of the past and deepens our knowledge on the role of the Italian "Ostrogothic" jewellery in the frame of the coeval Mediterranean, Central European and Northern Pontic metalwork traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An illuminated Book of Hours (in use in Chalon-sur-Saône) currently owned by the Museo Civico di Arte Antica and displayed in the prestigious Palazzo Madama in Torino (Italy) was investigated by means of optical microscopy, fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy, fibre optic molecular fluorimetry, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy. The aim of the scientific survey was to expand the knowledge of the manuscript itself and on the materials and techniques employed by Antoine the Lonhy, the versatile itinerant artist who decorated the book in the 15th century. The focus was to reveal the original colourants and to investigate the pigments used in rough retouches which were visible in some of the miniatures. The investigation was carried out in situ by portable instruments according to a non-invasive analytical sequence previously developed. It was evident that the use of different pigments by the master was ruled, at least partially, by a hierarchical scheme in which more precious materials were linked to the most important characters or details in the painted scene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Palazzo Madama – Museo Civico d'Arte Antica in Turin (Italy) owns nearly 300 ivories from the XII to the XVIIIth century, mostly coming from the Royal Treasure of the Savoy Palace in Turin. In March 2016 the museum completely renovated the ivories’ showcases. In parallel the curators went through a deep art historical research on the museum's ivories which converged in a systematic catalogue of the collection. Even being a “traditional” museum of ancient art, Palazzo Madama works on its collections with a wider and transversal approach, drawing in disciplines such as antropology, history of culture and chemistry and experiencing projects of storytelling. The museum has carried out in the last five years series of conferences, exhibitions and public education activities dedicated to the ritual and symbolic use of ivory over the centuries: with an overview from the past to the present and across the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, anthropologists, historians and representatives of the local communities have driven the dialogue to raise awareness on a medium which “walks” with humanity from its origin. The Museum believes that, in order to introduce policies to save elephants and to combat poaching, it is necessary for citizens to see and understand ivory artefacts duly explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]