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• New insight on the journey of "Byzantine gems" from the East to the West of the Empire. • The gems of the relic of St. John the Baptist and its reliquary are analyzed for the first time. • The presence of a rare and exquisite example of Balas ruby was identified in the relic. • The investigation improves knowledge on ancient gems traveling across Europe. Gems, especially from remote areas, were highly demanded and valued in Byzantine times, often used for sacred Imperial purposes. Because of their imperishable nature, they were often re-used over time and many of them passed, one way or another, from East to Western Europe. The history of the gems set in Byzantine relics that survived in medieval Europe is often impossible to reconstruct. The exceptional opening of the relics of St. John the Baptist in Siena, 200 years after the last inspection, has made it possible to study the magnificent gems that adorn it. Spinels, rubies, sapphires and other gems from oriental geographies, along with high quality glasses used together regardless of their monetary value, were identified in the relic and its reliquary case through gemological analysis and portable Raman spectroscopy, once again demonstrating the vital contribution of the trans-disciplinary approach in the study of ancient art goldworkings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract 3D multi-band/multi-spectral reconstruction is a technique, which allows the use of images taken in different spectral bands for the reconstruction of spectrally-resolved 3D models of paintings. In this work, we propose a procedure for constructing and comparing 3D multi-band models obtained starting from a variety of input data (RGB and IR images, UV-induced fluorescence images, etc.) and/or acquired with different instruments. The procedure has been tested on two case studies, with the aim to highlight the critical issues associated to the specificities of the subject and of the environmental constrains: a 14th century panel painting signed by Barnaba from Modena, preserved at the Museum of San Matteo in Pisa, Italy and a 15th century panel painting preserved at the Regional Gallery of Palazzo Bellomo in Syracuse, Italy. RGB, IR and UV–VIS fluorescence models obtained with a conventional digital camera (RGB and UV) and a multisband camera (IR) were realized and compared, for revealing differences at sub-millimeter level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Man has always used writing to be able to communicate, express, and disseminate his thoughts. In time, many different coloured extracts of plant and animal origin have been used to produce inks; after the development of synthetic chemistry, artificial and synthetic dyes started to be widely exploited. The end of the 19th century marked great technological and industrial innovations in commercial production of artists' materials. To reveal ink formulations and build a database of red inks by different producers, we developed a multi-analytical approach and investigated a collection of writing inks produced in France in the late 19th – early 20th century. The materials used as binders, additives, dyes, and pigments have been investigated by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array and tandem mass spectrometric detectors (HPLC-DAD-MS2), in situ derivatisation pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py(HMDS)-GC/MS), surface enhanced Raman (SERS, TLC-SERS) and X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopies. Several dyes and pigments were detected, showing that the French ink's formulations of the early days of synthetic dye industry were based on rhodamine B and 6G , eosin Y , rose Bengal and methyl or crystal violet. Instead, as binder and additives only gum Arabic and shellac resin have been identified, respectively. Mass spectrometry also allowed us to detect possible by-products of the synthesis of ink's dyes and even early degradation products, that can be used for ink identification in historical writings and drawings. Our studies can pave the way to investigate inks in historical samples by introducing ultra-sensitive chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods in the array of analytical tools available to the chemist. [Display omitted] • We applied a multianalytical method to the analysis of historical red inks. • We applied Raman spectroscopy and TLC-SERS to study mixtures of organic pigments. • We investigated secondary components by HPLC-DAD-MS2. • We characterized binders and additives by Py(HMDS)-GC/MS. • We revealed a trend in French ink formulations from late 19th – early 20th cent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The chemical characterization of paint material is paramount for the understanding of painting techniques, provenance studies and for assessing conservation strategies. In particular, the chemical characterization of both the organic and inorganic fraction of lakes is fundamental to assess the technologies used in their production. In this short note, we present a pilot study by comparing several micro-destructive and non-destructive methods for the comprehensive characterization of the organic and inorganic fraction of reference madder lakes. In the final procedure, the chromophores-containing molecules were separated using a sample preparation procedure based on acid hydrolysis and solvent extraction, and analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography with UV-Vis detector (HPLC-UV/Vis). Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) were used for the study of the elemental composition. Multispectral Imaging was also applied in order to evaluate its potentialities to distinguish amongst different red lakes. The final multi-technique method allowed for the characterization of both organic and inorganic fraction from the same lake micro sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous researchers point out the emergence of human symbolism is related to the evolution of the complexity of human cognition. Red mineral pigments have been used extensively, particularly with anatomically modern humans, for various purposes. However, the management and supply of these pigments during prehistoric periods remains poorly investigated. Still today, the limited application of physico-chemical analyses often leads to a simplistic attribution of these pigments as ochre. The studies of data from recent literature presented in our paper show a progressive introduction and exploitation of cinnabar ore, to achieve a red pigment, from the seventh millennium BC. In this panorama, the new data obtained from the analyses of samples of artefacts from La Marmotta (Italy) show a wide use of cinnabar in central Italy from the early Neolithic and attest to the earliest use of this ore in the western Mediterranean area. • Pigments can provide insight into changes in the traditions and symbolic practices of human groups during prehistoric times. • XRF and Raman analyses are used to determine pigment composition. • Residues on personal ornaments at La Marmotta (Italy) attest to the first use of cinnabar in the Western Mediterranean. • The chrono-cultural diffusion of cinnabar in the Mediterranean basin follow the arrhythmic wave of the Neolithisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigated mural paintings covering 60 years of street art history. • μ-Raman and ED-XRF were used to characterize the organic and inorganic pigments. • HPLC-MS and HPLC-DAD were used to complement the characterization of organic pigments. • Py-GC/MS was used to study characterize the paint binders and additives. • We compared our results with the literature to draw a timeline of the materials. Street art murals are an artistic expression strictly interwoven in the urban landscape, and in recent years have received increasing attention as cultural heritage at risk. Today there is intense debate regarding the value assessment and choices related to the conservation of urban art; however, the evaluation of the stability of modern paint materials in outdoor environment is preliminary to any possible preservation strategy. In particular, the identification of the materials constituting a street artwork is critical for the preservation of these non-permanent heritage elements and to define the best restoration approaches. In this work, we performed a set of analyses of microsamples based on spectroscopy, analytical pyrolysis, gas and liquid chromatography, and mass spectrometry to identify paint materials (binders, pigments, additives, degradation products and conservation/restoration materials) of a selection of mural paintings, covering 60 years of history (1953–2014). The goal of this work was to identify the materials used to produce different mural paintings and to relate and compare their different compositions with previous studies in order to describe the evolution of the materials during the last 60 years. The collected knowledge and the limited data available in literature were exploited to increase the scientific background on the materials used by street artists, and to fill the lack of knowledge on this emerging topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A multi-technique approach has been used to study Max Ernst's masterpiece. • Vis-NIR imaging revealed a preparatory drawing and pentimenti. • Conscious use of colour palette which includes both traditional and synthetic pigments. • ER-FTIR analysis evidenced Zn oxalates and Zn metal soaps as degradation products. The Attirement of the Bride , painted by Max Ernst in 1940, is permanently on display in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (PGC) in Venice. Within the framework of a larger study of materials and techniques of works by Ernst at the PGC, researchers carried out a series of non-invasive analyses. A combined approach based on Vis-NIR multispectral imaging, Raman Spectroscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), and External Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ER-FTIR), was conducted insitu in the museum galleries. In addition, two micro-samples were analysed with SEM-EDS and μ-Raman. This approach produced vital information on the preparatory drawing, the pentimenti , the pigments, the extenders and the alteration products present in the painting. The results showed also the presence of a white preparatory layer, under the pictorial one and above the canvas, composed by lithopone (a mixture of zinc sulphide and barium sulphate), basic lead carbonate and calcium carbonate. The latter compound is probably present also as an extender. The palette included both traditional and new synthetic, commercial pigments, used as primary colours or in mixtures. Moreover, in several areas of the painting, zinc oxalates have been identified as alteration products and more rarely, zinc metal soaps, which could also be present as additives in the paint tube. These analyses revealed the masterful and innovative painting technique of this pioneer of Surrealism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report a multidisciplinary approach for the analytic study and the reconstruction of the ancient colour used for Roman sarcophagi. For this purpose, we adopted the three-dimensional (3D) digital technology and found it to be a valuable tool for the identification, documentation and reconstruction of the ancient colour. This technology proved to be an excellent link between archaeological knowledge and scientific analyses. Therefore, 3D digital technologies would effectively facilitate the exchange of information and collaboration between experts in various disciplines. This is extremely important in order to obtain demonstrable results in a new area of study, such as polychrome Roman sarcophagi (and the ancient polychromy and gilding on the marble). In this study, the digital 3D model of Ulpia Domnina's sarcophagus (National Roman Museum in Rome, inv. no. 125891) has been used to identify both the pigments and the techniques of application used, and to explore the potential of emerging technologies in the reconstruction and visualization of the ancient colour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a promising technique for in situ environmental analysis. The potential of this technique for accurate quantitative analysis could be greatly improved using an innovative experimental setup – based on the use of two laser pulses suitably retarded – and analyzing the results with a standard-less procedure which overcomes the problems related to matrix effects. A new mobile instrument for soil analysis, developed at the Applied Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory in Pisa, is presented, and some experimental results are given. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

PLA-based composites were prepared by mixing the polymer in the melt with organophilic Mg/Al LDH and Mg Stearate. The obtained materials were therefore characterized in comparison with the unfilled PLA with the aim of investigating the relationships between the morphology of the polymer composites and their thermal stability, crystallinity and mechanical properties. The degradative effects induced by the presence of O-LDH and its organic component (i.e. alkyl carboxylates used as surfactant) were evaluated by analysing the samples with SEC and TGA under standard and modulated conditions, in the presence of nitrogen and air. The collected results proved that the main effects on degradation are due to inorganic reactive species and to increased interfacial surface owing to intercalated/exfoliated morphology. The main thermal transitions of the composites were studied by XRD and DSC (even in modulated conditions) before and after annealing processes at different temperatures. The results inherent to the percentage of crystallinity, the content of rigid amorphous fraction (RAF), and the main size of crystalline domains were discussed by considering the filler nature/content, its dispersion degree in polymer matrix and the annealing temperature. By crystallization at 80 °C the filler promoted both RAF and crystallites size. Unlike unfilled PLA, the composites showed an increase of the stiffness and a general loss of ductility which were tentatively ascribed to annealing at 80 °C and to the extent of interfacial interactions. Image 1 • PLA-based nanocomposites were obtained by dispersing O-LDH in the melt. • Their thermal stability is mainly affected by the inorganic portion of (O-LDH). • Good dispersion of the filler and good adhesion at interface were evidenced. • Depending on annealing conditions, the filler may promote or inhibit RAF formation. • Filler addition effect is also reported regarding crystal size and nucleation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]