Research on the Organic Binders in Archaeological Wall Paintings

Wall painting realized using organic binders is the oldest form of parietal painting and precedes the birth of the affresco by about 20,000 years. This paper reports the results obtained from the main studies in the field of archaeological wall paintings. The attention was paid to the study of organic binders used for the application of the color, as well as on the instrumental techniques chosen to obtain such information. Different techniques can be used for the study of organic material in archeological paintings: non-destructive techniques, which can be applied directly in situ without sampling, and laboratory micro-invasive techniques for a more in-depth characterization. Among these, the chromatographic techniques represent a potential tool to acquire as much information as possible about chemical composition of binders.

Reflectance Measurements on Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage is a valuable and characteristic symbol of every country. It should be handled with care and it must be exhaustively investigated and measured with non-destructive techniques. In this chapter, we will talk about different reflectance measurement techniques to obtain the conservation state of the artwork. With this reflectance characterization, conservators, and curators could soon determine the best maintenance procedures for restoration purposes. Also, a new technique for lighting will be discussed, where the artwork can be also photonically restored illuminating with the correct light in the desired area of the artwork using a spectrally selective projection system.

Non-destructive characterization of bronze objects from Ráksi and the Pusztasárkánytó depot find

Eight ornaments and a dagger were analyzed using completely non-destructive techniques to determine their alloy compositions and to draw conclusions about the production technology. Prompt-gamma activation analysis and time-of-flight neutron diffraction proved that the studied objects are tin-bronzes. Difference was observed in the amounts of ore-related minor components (arsenic, silver, nickel) of the objects belonging to the two distinct archaeological sites. Based on the diffraction analysis of the microstructure, the objects are casts that were exposed to different degrees of manufacturing to reach their final forms.