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Our knowledge about Greek philosophical schools is mostly second-hand and based on Diogenes Laërtius' Lives of Eminent Philosophers (3rd century AD) and Philodemus' Arrangement of the Philosophers (75-50 BC), a treatise in several books which represents the earliest 'history of philosophy' to have reached us directly from antiquity. From this work exclusively preserved by the Herculaneum papyri we may derive a virtually systematic account of the history of Greek philosophical schools, which is unique in its kind.

Il capitolo si configura come un percorso nell'area delle scienze del patrimonio culturale, dalle sperimentazioni pionieristiche avviate negli anni Sessanta all'esigenza attuale di realizzare una classificazione dei settori della ricerca coinvolti e un'anagrafe delle competenze. Un'indagine, avviata nel 2020, ha previsto: la raccolta della documentazione prodotta dai ricercatori dell'Istituto di Scienze del Patrimonio Culturale (ISPC) nell'ultimo decennio (pubblicazioni e progetti di ricerca); l'identificazione e la classificazione dei documenti afferenti al dominio "Cultural Heritage"; l'estrazione automatica dei topic emergenti; la mappatura delle competenze (tematiche di ricerca e collaborazioni); la valutazione quantitativa dei prodotti dell'ISPC in rapporto al CNR, alle università e agli attori della ricerca nazionali e internazionali. I risultati relativi a un settore di studio specifico, l'informatica applicata all'archeologia, vengono analizzati in dettaglio, con le relative risultanze. L'obiettivo è di mostrare il ruolo svolto dal CNR per favorire l'interazione tra scienze esatte e scienze umane e per promuovere un approccio interdisciplinare allo studio del patrimonio culturale, favorendo la diffusione della cultura scientifica.

In this study a multi-analytical approach has been performed to characterise the constitutive materials of an ancient painted barkcloth or Tapa. Originating from Wallis Island, Polynesia, this cloth likely served utilitarian or ceremonial purposes and is part of the Felice Junck collection at the Pigorini, Muciv museum of Rome. During a recent conservation project, some micro-samples were taken from the support, brown and black painted areas and were investigated using the complementarity of SEM-EDX, FT-IR, Raman/SERS and solid-state C NMR and H HR-MAS spectroscopy. The combination of these techniques allowed the chemical characterization of the constitutive materials, from distinguishing the lignin and cellulose content of the support to the use of organic materials including condensed tannins (catechin, anthocyanidins, alkaloids), phlobaphene and vegetal anthraquinone based Morinda genus dyes for the decorations. A primary focus was placed on an understanding of its state of conservation where data of alteration products collected, namely metal carboxylates and oxalates can serve to formulate apt restoration efforts for this specific artefact.

This chapter lays out a conservation timeline, from past to future, for the Amsterdam version of Van Gogh's Sunflowers. It starts by considering the restoration history of the painting in order to assess its current physical state, and looks ahead to formulate an appropriate strategy for future conservation treatment and display. Due attention is paid to the two recorded episodes of restoration performed in 1927 and 1961 by the Dutch restorer, Jan Cornelis Traas. Based on physical and chemical investigation of Sunflowers we attempt to reconstruct what these former treatments (which are barely documented) entailed and consider the repercussions for the present condition of the painting. The former interventions by Traas also serve as a benchmark to reflect on current choices made, highlighting the extent to which ideas and methodologies have continued to evolve over the past century as conservation has moved further away from being a singularly craft-based activity to become an established historical and scientific discipline underpinned by ethical guidelines. Jan Cornelis Traas (1898–1984) As mentioned, the two main recorded interventions to the Amsterdam Sunflowers may be associated with the Dutch restorer, Jan Cornelis Traas, who treated the picture in 1927, close to the start of his career, and again in 1961, shortly before he retired. Traas was the first restorer to be appointed at the Mauritshuis in The Hague where he worked from 1931 to 1962 and treated hundreds of paintings, including iconic masterpieces such as Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer. Yet despite the magnitude and importance of his restoration oeuvre, J.C. Traas (as he is usually referred to in surviving documents), has remained somewhat obscure. He is shown here in the only known surviving photograph of him at work, shortly before he retired (fig. 7.1). Unlike his illustrious contemporaries, A. Martin de Wild (1899–1969) and Helmut Ruhemann (1891–1973), for example, Traas did not publish anything, he appears to have kept no records of his work and no personal archive is known. However, the study of some newly discovered historical documents, combined with physical examination of Sunflowers and a large number of other works he treated, allows us to recover an idea of his working practices and approaches viewed within the context of his day.

Chapter 1 presents the history of research on Van Gogh's Sunflower paintings as context for the most recent study. It explains current approaches and the state-of-the art methods used during the last campaign of investigation.