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V Conferencia Internacional YOCOCU (Youth in conservation of cultural heritage), Madrid, 21-23 de septiembre, 2016, During the first decades of 19th century, the Commission for the Antiquities and Fine Arts supervised many excavations and restorations in the major archaeological sites of Sicily, discovering many important finds around the island. Several of them belong to the archaeological collection of Museo Archeologico Regionale (Regional Archaeological Museum) ¿A. Salinas¿ of Palermo. One of the most important finds from this site is the colossal statue of Zeus enthroned, a pseudo acrolithic statue, dated to the 2nd century B.C. and it is one of the few examples of large size statue in Sicily. The statue was discovered in 1825 in the site of the ancient city of Soluntum that is certainly one of the main important archaeological sites in Sicily, not so far from the modern town of Palermo (Sicily). In 1826, the neoclassical sculptor Valerio Villareale restored the colossal statue of Zeus that was found in fragments, for completing the missing parts with stucco. At the beginning, the state of conservation did not allow to distinguish the original matter from that one of the Villareale completing. The recent conservation gave the opportunity to investigate and to study the statue during each of the stages of the work. Thanks to a scientific approach, it was possible to investigate the history and to respect the original matter. The conservative activities were aimed to investigate also the restoration matter as a fundamental requirement for a suitable conservation. Several chemical and structural diagnostic analyses were carried out, both in situ and in laboratory, to deepen into the knowledge of restoration materials, their degradation state and the overlapping with the original surface. In particular, the Ultraviolet Induced Fluorescence imaging, Infrared termography, cover meter relief, X-Ray Fluorescence analysis, UV and Vis optical microscope were carried out in situ to mapping the different materials and to understand the junction method between the original parts and the restoration ones. Supported by the preliminary in situ information, the sampling was realized to deepen into the elemental and compositional characterization of the material used for each restoration stage documented over time. With this aim, optical microscopy (stereomicroscopy and polarizing optical microscopy) scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), FTIR-RAMAN spectroscopy and cross section UV light acquisition were carried out. The analytical results have given precious information to suggest the historical research for a better knowledge of the conservative history of the statue. This work permitted to increase the knowledge about the restoration process during the neoclassical period, in which it was fixed the basis for the modern process of conservation.

The Tomb of the Diver has been subject for many decades of fierce debate among archaeologists and classicists. Since its discovery in 1968, some scholars have considered it a unique example of the lost tradition of Greek painting, others have emphasized Etruscan or Italic parallels. More recently, a possible local production has been suggested. With the aim of trying to solve the archaeological question, an archaeometric comparison among this well-known artwork and several frescoed tombs coming from Hellenistic and Lucan necropolis was carried out. The multi-analytical study was focused on the identification of peculiar features of executive techniques and raw materials since the first period of the archaeological site. The analytical investigation has been preliminary based on a non-destructive approach, performed in-situ by portable equipment including imaging diagnostics and compositional spectroscopic techniques for identifying pigments and the conservation state of original painted surface; subsequently, a further deepening by using destructive techniques was performed in-lab for the mortar-based supports characterization. Archaeometric study suggested that technological choices slightly changed in a time span of about two centuries, highlighting important markers that allow clustering the contemporary artistic productions. Moreover, a comparison with mortars from temples decorations was provided to better understand the whole artistic context. The archaeometric data showed that the Tomb of the Diver could be traced back to a local artisanal tradition and therefore is neither Etruscan nor Greek, but the first and foremost an expression of the local elite culture of Paestum.

New innovative wireless sensors designed for specific needs of Cultural Heritage field have been developed and their effectiveness has been tested in the rooms of the Royal Palace of Carditello (San Tammaro, Caserta - Italy). The analyses are carried out in the context of the project “RE-SEMIRTO Network of wireless sensors for monitoring the microclimate on the Carditello Real site” funded by the Campania Region (FERS Operational Program Campania 2014-2020 – Axis III. Specific objective 3.3. Action 3.3.2.). The main goal of the ongoing project activities is to provide innovative and user-friendly methods for conservation and valorisation of Cultural Heritage, through simultaneously environmental and archaeometric analyses. Indeed, besides the evaluation e recording by remote system of the parameters related to temperature, moisture, air quality and mechanical vibrations and then the constant control and prevention of the degradation risk, also non-destructive investigations were carried out to identify original, restoration materials and/or degradation products for different kinds of works of art displayed in the monitored site. In particular, at this step, a XVII century oil painting, recently acquired by Italian Minister of Culture in favour of Royal Palace of Carditello, has been analysed and the results are here discussed. This simultaneous approach allows to assess the real conservation state under the current environmental conditions, highlighting which constituent materials (pigments, supports, etc.) of the analysed artwork are most sensitive to the recorded thermohygrometric variations or detected pollution. At last, the project also wants to underline how the scientific data appropriately presented and narrated can be collected into new multimedia tool aimed to visitors for an innovative valorisation of the whole historical site and its artworks.

Porcelain stone used at the early kilns of Arita, Japan, has never been identified due to the lack of written records. Ryumon and Shirakawa deposits are considered to have possibly been exploited before Izumiyama was discovered in the early 1630s, but there are no records or any previous scientific research aimed at resolving such crucial issue. This work presents the first systematic scientific study of clays from the three deposits and shards excavated at early kiln sites. Portable ED-XRF and SEM-EDS were used to identify the chemical compositions of bodies, glazes, and geochemical characteristics of clays. XRD, TG-DSC, and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy were also used for the mineralogical characterization of clay bodies. Results show that the earliest production was marked by the mineralogical characteristics of the available raw materials. A gradual improvement in material selection and processing will lead to the development of the nigoshide (milky-white) body in the mid-17th century.

This study aims to assess the different decay phenomena affecting the Cosenza Cathedral façade (Calabria, South Italy) through the evaluation of the relative damage indices. For this goal, a multidisciplinary approach was applied exploiting both nondestructive and microdestructive techniques. Such a combination enabled proposing an intervention priority scale that can be helpful to institutions when planning a prompt restoration intervention. The results suggest the efficiency of this approach to obtain a multidisciplinary diagnostic and conservation system for the management and valorization of the Cultural Heritage also in terms of monitoring, maintenance, and selection of the most suitable restoration procedures over time.

The Archaeological Museum of Palermo (Sicily) has recently presented the results of the restoration of three wall paintings from the House of the Masks of Solunto archaeological site. These significant paintings, dating back to the first century BCE, are the most significant examples of Pompeian style discovered in Sicily to date. The cycle of frescoes unearthed is the best preserved and most complete example of wall painting dating to the Republican Roman period in Sicily. This house was a luxurious private residence built on two floors and centred around a peristyle. This fresco cycle embellished the walls of a banquet room (oecus) discovered during an archaeological excavation carried out by Giovanni Patricolo in 1869. The House of the Masks definition was suggested by Salemi Pace in 1872 when he published the discovery of frescoes with colourful garlands and theatrical masks. In 1874, five panels were detached from the walls and moved to the National Museum of Palermo for conservation purposes. The recent careful cleaning of the pictorial surfaces and the new archaeological and archaeometric research revealed unusual details about the pictorial technique and newly painted subjects. The scientific investigation was preliminarily based on a non-destructive approach, performed in situ using portable equipment and subsequently, the further examination of a micro fragment using micro-destructive investigation. X-ray fluorescence analysis was carried out to identify the original pictorial palette, and electron microprobe analyses coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to define the alteration products. Finally, infrared imaging provided new data about the pictorial technique and iconography. The new archaeometric evidence sheds light on these rare examples of Roman wall painting in the Sicilian Roman province, which until today have not been systematically studied from the point of view of materials and execution techniques, confirming the dating and connections with contemporary workshops active in other Roman provinces.

The present paper discusses the importance of non-destructive and micro-destructive technology in forensic investigations in the field of cultural heritage. Recent technological developments and the wide availability of modern analytical instrumentation are creating new possibilities for performing scientific measurements and acquiring data directly on-site—thereby limiting, where possible, sampling activity—as well as learning about the technologies and materials that were employed in the past to create cultural assets. Information on periods, chemical composition, manufacturing techniques, etc., can be gathered more easily. Overall, the benefits of on-site forensic investigations are multiple, including the potential to increase substantially the speed and efficacy of the criminal justice system. However, such benefits are only realized when data quality is guaranteed and findings can be used as forensic evidence in court. The present paper shows data from the non-destructive and micro-destructive analysis of different artworks and objects provided by the Cosenza Carabinieri Unit for the Protection of Cultural Heritage and Anti-Counterfeiting (Calabria, Italy). In particular, two oil paintings on canvas depicting cherubs (Italian: putti), recovered as fragments of larger religious artworks, and two bronze belt and helmet fragments were investigated. In the first case, the research aimed to define the original pictorial layer, identify any reconstruction pictorial areas or pictorial retouching, assess the state of conservation, reconstruct the previous conservation treatments, and provide indications about the chronology of the artworks. In the second case, analysis was performed both to define the bronze chemical composition and the origin of the soil (earth) found within the objects during their recovery. For these purposes, the analytical approach involved the use of non-destructive and micro-destructive analysis as follows: infrared reflectography (IRR), ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence (UV), X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), digital optical microscopy (DOM), scanning electron microscopy equipped with EDX microanalysis (SEM-EDX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The results made it possible to collect valuable diagnostic information and answer questions posed by the institutions for the resolution of various doubts about forensic science and cases concerning the seizure, recovery, or return of archaeological or historical-artistic objects of cultural interest.

A monitoring campaign performed on the Real Site of Carditello (found in the commune of San Tammaro, province of Caserta, Italy) was aimed to evaluate the parameters related to air quality and then to control and prevent the degradation risk. The analyses were carried out in the context of the project &ldquo, Innovative methods and technologies for the conservation, valorisation and use of cultural heritage: environmental and archaeological analyses&rdquo, within the CULTURA CREA-MIBAC program, which aims to provide innovative methods for conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage through environmental and archaeometric analyses. Preliminarily, using field equipment, non-destructive investigations were carried out to identify constituent, restoration, and/or degradation materials belonging to the wall paintings on the main floor and to assess their conservation state under the current environmental conditions. Environmental monitoring was performed both outdoor (to assess the effects of atmospheric pollution and changes in the climate of the structure) and indoor the rooms of the site (to evaluate the conditions of conservation and fruition). The collected data are reported in a web platform, where one can check the real time monitoring data. The platform integrates both environmental data and information regarding the "health status" of site in order to provide a detailed analysis useful for its protection.

Thirty artefacts from the Archaeological Park of Paestum were investigated by means of scientific techniques on the occasion of the 2016 exhibition 'Possessione. Trafugamenti e falsi di antichita a Paestum'. The multi-analytic diagnostic campaign was aimed at identifying forgeries. Results provided a deeper understanding of both ancient technology and contemporary forgery techniques.