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The so - called "monochromes on marbles" are ten white marble slabs, most of them showing mythological scenes. At first glance, all the scenes appear to have been drawn only with a red colour line. However, closer observation and archaeometric analyses revealed traces of residual polychromy.

This study is concerned with recent analyses of seven marble statues from the imperial cycle of the Augusteum of Rusellae, in the south of Tuscany, Italy. The sculptures represent the deified couple Augustus and Livia, Livilla, Claudius, an anonymous young girl and a headless cuirassed emperor (maybe Domitian). In addition, a fragment of a leg, from another cuirassed statue, was also considered. All of them are preserved in the city of Grosseto, in the Maremma Archaeology and Art Museum. Still preserved traces of polychromy and gilding were investigated both in situ, using non-invasive portable techniques, and in laboratory, taking two micro-samples. The non-invasive approach was based on multi-band imaging techniques (Vis, UVL and VIL) integrated with analyses (XRF, reflectance spectroscopy). A portable optical microscopy was also used for documenting the analysed areas. Two micro-samples from the gilding decoration of the headless cuirassed statue were also analysed using EDS-SEM. Comparing the results from the analytical survey, important information about the use of ochres and Egyptian blue on the cuirassed headless Emperor statue has been highlighted with the presence of gilding in the cuirasses and in the mantle, enriching the knowledge of this important imperial cycle, in addition to contributing to the archaeological point of view.

The most important and rich collection of wooden sculptures in Italy is conserved at the National Museum of Palazzo Venezia in Rome. Some years ago, the study of this collection was carried out by the University of Urbino in collaboration with the Institute for Conservation and Valorization in Florence (ICVBC-CNR) thanks to funding by the Getty Foundation. This was an extraordinary opportunity for interdisciplinary research, between art history and technical-material scientific analysis, concerning the almost two hundred works preserved there, of different dating and provenance. Among them is the so-called Madonna di Acuto, one of the most fascinating wooden sculptures of the Romanesque period in Italy, remarkable for its stylistic quality and state of preservation. And it is precisely the interest aroused by this Madonna at the origin of a new research project, just started by the same team, dedicated to the polychrome sculpture of the Romanesque era in Italy; a subject that is still little frequented by scholars. The aim is to collect data concerning the historical-artistic and technical-material aspects, with particular attention to polychromy, and to create a digital database, to verify if, between the 11th and the third quarter of the 13th century, existed a “typical behaviors" by the masters of lumber operating in a specific geographical area. This will help to establish the relationship, which was certainly created, between the nature of pigments, iconography, and symbolism of colors., A mais importante e rica colecção de esculturas de madeira em Itália encontra-se conservada no Museu Nacional do Palazzo Veneza em Roma. Há alguns anos, o estudo desta colecção foi levado a cabo pela Universidade de Urbino em colaboração com o Instituto de Conservação e Valorização em Florença (ICVBC-CNR), graças a um financiamento por parte da Getty Foundation. Tratou-se de uma extraordinária oportunidade de investigação interdisciplinar, entre história da arte e análise científica técnico-material, sobre as quase duzentas peças aí preservadas, com datas e proveniências diversas. Entre elas, encontra-se a chamada Madonna di Acuto, uma das esculturas de madeira mais fascinantes do período românico em Itália, notável pela sua qualidade estilística e pelo seu estado de preservação. E é precisamente o interesse suscitado por esta Madonna que está na origem de um novo projeto de pesquisa, iniciado pela mesma equipa, dedicado à escultura policromada na era românica em Itália; um tema que continua a ser pouco visitado pelos académicos. O objectivo é reunir dados sobre aspectos histórico-artísticos e técnico-materiais, com particular atenção à policromia, e criar uma base de dados digital, para verificar se, entre o século XI e o terceiro quarto do século XIII, existiam “comportamentos típicos” por parte dos mestres das madeiras a operar numa área geográfica específica. Isto ajudará a estabelecer a relação, que certamente se criou, entre a natureza dos pigmentos, iconografia e simbolismo das cores.

The so-called Villa of Poppaea in Oplontis (Torre Annunziata, Naples – also known as “Villa A”) was destroyed after the Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 A.D. It is nowadays one of the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO. The building, one of the richest in marble furnishing in the Roman world, was excavated mostly during the second half of the 20th century. In this paper, only part of the sculptures and reliefs were studied. The furnishing were analysed in situ by means of portable and totally non-invasive techniques. By comparing the results obtained through imaging techniques with analytical data and archaeological research, some new information about the pigments and conservation history were obtained.

The paper deals with a group of Etruscan nenfro sculptures found in Tuscania (Viterbo) and kept in the Archaeological Museum of Florence, where some of them were already displayed at the end of the 19th and early 20th century. After the flood of Florence in 1966, the Museum was heavily damaged, causing the dismemberment of many contexts, including those from Tuscania. The artefacts were then cleaned, restored and most of them were moved into the depository of the Museum and to the Villa Corsini, where they are currently kept. The sculptures were analysed by means of a totally non-invasive analytical protocol through imaging and single spot analysis. Traces mostly of yellow and red iron-based pigments for the skin tone as well as few traces of Egyptian blue were evidenced. The comparison of the obtained analytical results joined with the archaeological studies has provided new information about the sculptures, their conservation state and artistic technique as well as deepened the knowledge about their original contexts.