scholarly journals Non-Invasive Technical Investigation of English Portrait Miniatures Attributed to Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver

Heritage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1165-1181
Author(s):  
Flavia Fiorillo ◽  
Lucia Burgio ◽  
Christine Slottved Kimbriel ◽  
Paola Ricciardi

This study presents the results of the technical investigation carried out on several English portrait miniatures painted in the 16th and 17th century by Nicholas Hilliard and Isaac Oliver, two of the most famous limners working at the Tudor and Stuart courts. The 23 objects chosen for the analysis, spanning almost the entire career of the two artists, belong to the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) and the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge). A non-invasive scientific methodology, comprising of stereo and optical microscopies, Raman microscopy, and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, was required for the investigation of these small-scale and fragile objects. The palettes and working techniques of the two artists were characterised, focusing in particular on the examination of flesh tones, mouths, and eyes. These findings were also compared to the information written in the treatises on miniature painting circulating during the artists’ lifetime. By identifying the materials and techniques most widely employed by the two artists, this study provides information about similarities and differences in their working methods, which can help to understand their artistic practice as well as contribute to matters of attribution.

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (17) ◽  
pp. 36-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria Vutan ◽  
Erwin-Christian Lovasz ◽  
Mihaela Amarandei ◽  
Valentin Ciupe

Abstract In recent years there multiple studies have been carried out on early diagnosis of scoliosis on school and preschool children. The diagnosis and evaluation of scoliosis is done by carrying out X-rays. A protocol is implemented for tracking the evolution of a scoliosis which involves both clinical control and imaging (X-ray) every 6 months, until the end of the growth period of the child. Because investigations such as X-ray and CT, can have harmful effects on the child's growing body (recent studies have shown that X-ray affects the skin, eyes, hematopoietic tissue, gonads and may cause cancer), new methods for diagnosing and tracking the evolution in time were researched. The present paper tries to present the current methods used in the diagnosis and assessment of scoliosis evolution in time, pointing out the main advantages and disadvantages of each method. There are a few methods developed in recent years in Germany by Zebris Medical Gmbh (using mapping with ultrasonic digital equipment), in Canada by InSpeck (using three-dimensional mapping through digital image acquisition) but used on a small scale. The newly developed methods have the advantage of being non-invasive, painless, non-irradiating and they can be used regardless of health status or gender. Although medical technology has developed very rapidly in recent years, radiology remains the most common method of investigation used for scoliosis. Certainly, in the near future the methods presented in this paper could be used more widely, for the benefits arising from their use.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana Gasanova ◽  
Nikolas Bakirtzis ◽  
Dominique Levif-Martos ◽  
Sorin Hermon

Abstract The small panel of the ‘Crucifixion’ attributed to Giovanni (da Rimini) Baronzio is a perfect example of the artistic achievements of the so-called School of Rimini. Baronzio, active between 1320 and 1350, was one of the most important painters of a group of artists working in Rimini during the first half of the 14th-century whose work was heavily influenced by the work of Giotto di Bondone (1267–1337), characterized by Gothic and Byzantine influences. The panel, with an estimated date in the end of the 1320 s, represents a popular iconographic theme during this period and was painted in tempera and gold on wood. Non-invasive analytical approaches have revealed a rich history of interventions, re-touching and restorations, which allows for some interesting observations and considerations in regard to the work’s history. The applied analytical methods and the related art historical observations and interpretations are the focus of the present article. In order to avoid micro-sampling, a non-invasive methodological approach integrating spectroscopic (μ-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), imaging (UV, X-ray radiography, infrared reflectography) and digital microscopy techniques was applied. This study aimed at the identification of the work’s original materials and techniques, its state of preservation and the complex history of interventions. Results showed that while original materials of the painting conform with those used by artists in fourteenth century Renaissance Italy, there are multiple later interventions both as small-scale inpainting as well as extensive overpainting of various parts of the original Crucifixion composition. Careful consideration of these interventions can shed light to aspects of the panel’s history of preservation as well as on issues of stylistic or compositional ‘corrections’- always an interesting dimension of the changing perceptions of works of art through time.


Author(s):  
H.W. Deckman ◽  
B.F. Flannery ◽  
J.H. Dunsmuir ◽  
K.D' Amico

We have developed a new X-ray microscope which produces complete three dimensional images of samples. The microscope operates by performing X-ray tomography with unprecedented resolution. Tomography is a non-invasive imaging technique that creates maps of the internal structure of samples from measurement of the attenuation of penetrating radiation. As conventionally practiced in medical Computed Tomography (CT), radiologists produce maps of bone and tissue structure in several planar sections that reveal features with 1mm resolution and 1% contrast. Microtomography extends the capability of CT in several ways. First, the resolution which approaches one micron, is one thousand times higher than that of the medical CT. Second, our approach acquires and analyses the data in a panoramic imaging format that directly produces three-dimensional maps in a series of contiguous stacked planes. Typical maps available today consist of three hundred planar sections each containing 512x512 pixels. Finally, and perhaps of most import scientifically, microtomography using a synchrotron X-ray source, allows us to generate maps of individual element.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 184-190
Author(s):  
Muhammad Irfan ◽  
Abdul Rasheed Qureshi ◽  
Zeeshan Ashraf ◽  
Muhammad Amjad Ramzan ◽  
Tehmina Naeem ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Background: Conventionally Pleural effusions are suspected by history of pleuritis, evaluated by physical signs and multiple view radiography. Trans-thoracic pleural aspiration is done and aspirated pleural fluid is considered the gold-standard for pleural effusion. Chest sonography has the advantage of having high diagnostic efficacy over radiography for the detection of pleural effusion. Furthermore, ultrasonography is free from radiation hazards, inexpensive, readily available  and feasible for use in ICU, pregnant and pediatric patients. This study aims to explore the diagnostic accuracy of trans-thoracic ultrasonography for pleural fluid detection, which is free of such disadvantages. The objective is to determine the diagnostic efficacy of trans-thoracic ultrasound for detecting pleural effusion and also to assess its suitability for being a non-invasive gold-standard.   Subject and Methods: This retrospective study of 4597 cases was conducted at pulmonology  OPD-Gulab Devi Teaching Hospital, Lahore from November 2016 to July 2018. Adult patients with clinical features suggesting pleural effusions were included while those where no suspicion of pleural effusion, patients < 14 years and pregnant ladies were excluded. Patients were subjected to chest x-ray PA and Lateral views and chest ultrasonography was done by a senior qualified radiologist in OPD. Ultrasound-guided pleural aspiration was done in OPD & fluid was sent for analysis. At least 10ml aspirated fluid was considered as diagnostic for pleural effusion. Patient files containing history, physical examination, x-ray reports, ultrasound reports, pleural aspiration notes and informed consent were retrieved, reviewed and findings were recorded in the preformed proforma. Results were tabulated and conclusion was drawn by statistical analysis. Results: Out of 4597 cases, 4498 pleural effusion were manifested on CXR and only 2547(56.62%) pleural effusions were proved by ultrasound while 2050 (45.57%) cases were reported as no Pleural effusion. Chest sonography demonstrated sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and diagnostic accuracy 100 % each. Conclusions: Trans-thoracic ultrasonography revealed an excellent efficacy that is why it can be considered as non-invasive gold standard for the detection of pleural effusion.


Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 807
Author(s):  
Ilya V. Kornyakov ◽  
Sergey V. Krivovichev

Single crystals of two novel shchurovskyite-related compounds, K2Cu[Cu3O]2(PO4)4 (1) and K2.35Cu0.825[Cu3O]2(PO4)4 (2), were synthesized by crystallization from gaseous phase and structurally characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The crystal structures of both compounds are based upon similar Cu-based layers, formed by rods of the [O2Cu6] dimers of oxocentered (OCu4) tetrahedra. The topologies of the layers show both similarities and differences from the shchurovskyite-type layers. The layers are connected in different fashions via additional Cu atoms located in the interlayer, in contrast to shchurovskyite, where the layers are linked by Ca2+ cations. The structures of the shchurovskyite family are characterized using information-based structural complexity measures, which demonstrate that the crystal structure of 1 is the simplest one, whereas that of 2 is the most complex in the family.


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