Explore the vast range of titles available.

The material characterization of nineteenth-century artifacts is of great interest, due both to the breakthrough technological advances and to the unprecedented spread of forgeries of antiquities which took place in that period. However, this type of artifacts has been largely overlooked in the past. In this paper we present the compositional analysis of gold jewels by the Castellani, one of the most important families of goldsmiths in nineteenth-century Europe. The use of a portable micro-XRF spectrometer, specifically developed for jewellery analysis at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (Seville), allowed us to analyse, in a completely non-invasive way, the alloys, joining techniques and surface treatments of the jewels of the Castellani collection at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia in Rome. The addition to the spectrometer of a second X-rays detector with a zinc filter allowed us to check the possible presence of low amounts of cadmium, a metal added to gold soldering only from the nineteenth century and often used in authenticity studies. Moreover, the relative intensities of the Au X-ray lines were studied in order to check non-invasively the presence of surface enrichments in gold.

The Special Issue entitled “Geomaterials and Cultural Heritage” serves as a platform to gather contributions at the intersection between Heritage Science, Earth Sciences, Materials Science, and Museum Studies [...]

An ultraportable hyperspectral camera operating in the Vis–NIR range (400–1000 nm) was used in this study for the non-invasive analysis of a selection of Italian maiolica wares and sherds from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, Italy. The studied objects included authentic archaeological sherds, nineteenth-century forgeries, and ceramics of uncertain origin. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) spectroscopy combined with multivariate analysis for examining highly refractive and three-dimensional glazed ceramic artefacts within the constraints of a museum environment, including imperfect lighting conditions. Two data processing pipelines were tested: one based on principal component analysis (PCA) with score plots and the other on spectral angle mapper (SAM) classification obtained through the ENVI Spectral Hourglass Wizard (ENVI-SHW). The analyses enabled the discrimination between original parts and/or restored parts and additions. Among others, a complex assemblage of original sherds, restored parts, and non-ceramic parts was observed in a Renaissance pastiche vase. Furthermore, the method enabled the identification of the various chromophores providing clues on the artistic colour palette. In particular, the identification of chromium in the blue and green glazes of two objects of uncertain chronology suggested that they were not made before the nineteenth century. The acquisition of a larger and more detailed database of HSI data on maiolica glazes is strongly encouraged to improve the applicability of this method in authenticity, art-historical and archaeological studies.

The manufacturing of Italian maiolica (tin-glazed pottery) was extremely appreciated during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, leading to the production and collection of a rich cultural heritage. This pilot study aims to characterize the production technique and the origin of the lead used as a flux in a set of samples of maiolica glazes made in the area of Florence over a wide time span, ranging from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. In particular, this is the first study that applies provenance analysis, using lead isotopes, to tin-glazed artefacts made in the site of Montelupo Fiorentino and by the Ginori manufactory in Doccia (Florence, Italy), both important production centres of ceramics in Italy. The samples were first analysed by scanning electron microscopy to characterize their layer structure and chemical composition. Lead isotope analysis was then performed by thermal ionization mass spectrometry and showed that the samples tend to be distributed into distinct groups according to their period of production. Moreover, the comparison with the lead isotope composition of the deposits of the European and circum-Mediterranean area from which lead was historically extracted showed that the isotopic composition of the samples differs from that of the Italian deposits, suggesting that lead was imported from abroad. The isotopic composition of all the investigated maiolica glazes is compatible with German ore deposits, in agreement with what is reported by the historical sources relating to the lead supply areas.

The initial nucleus of gemstones at the Natural History Museum of the University of Florence (Italy) is linked to the significant collection of the Medici family, who began it as early as the 15th century. The present research aims to study this collection in order to (1) comprehensively review the archival and catalogue information available; (2) identify the mineralogical species correctly; and (3) gather information on the potential provenance of the gem deposits. To address these objectives, fifty gems were investigated using entirely non-invasive methods, ensuring the preservation of the collection’s precious and historical value. All specimens underwent autoptic observation and micro-Raman analysis, while a selection was further examined using PIXE-PIGE to characterise their chemical composition, including trace elements. The gems were attributed to seven mineral species: emerald, topaz, grossular, cordierite, quartz, orthoclase, and tourmaline. One gem was identified as a fake, made of glass and likely produced in the 17th century. Twenty-nine of the historical attributions in the catalogue were found to be incorrect and were subsequently revised. In some cases, the trace elements and mineral inclusions identified in the gems enabled the determination of potential provenance deposits, which were then compared with the available archival information.

The characterization of the layered structure is of paramount importance for the study of maiolica wares (tin-glazed pottery). This paper presents the potentialities of Terahertz Time-Domain Imaging (THz-TDI) as a tool to perform non-invasive stratigraphic analysis of the maiolica objects under test. Samples with different types of stratigraphy, as testified by preliminary SEM-EDS analysis, were investigated by THz-TDI in laboratory conditions. The collected THz data were processed by means of noise filtering procedures and a time-of-flight-based imaging approach and the achieved results corroborate the ability to identify glaze layers, whose electromagnetic properties, i.e., the refraction index and the dielectric permittivity value, were estimated by taking into account both THz-TDI and SEM-EDS data. However, layers applied over the white glaze (namely, a transparent overglaze and a luster decoration) were not detected, probably since their thickness is below the range resolution of the adopted THz-TDI system. Morphological features hidden under the surface were also identified and they provided information about the manufacturing technique.

Archaeological investigations of the Colline Metallifere district (Southern Tuscany, Italy) have highlighted several Medieval sites located close to the main Cu-Pb-Fe (Ag) ore occurrences. This study is focused on the investigation of late-medieval slags from Cugnano and Montieri sites using both geochemical and mineralogical methods to understand slag heterogeneities as result of ore differences and technological processes. Matte-rich slags present in both sites (with abundant matte ± speiss and frequent relict phases) represent waste products related to primary sulphide ore smelting to obtain a raw lead bullion. The distribution of slags between the Ca-rich or Fe-rich dominant composition, and the consequent mineralogy, are tracers of the different ore–gangue association that occurred in the two sites. Silver is present only in very small matte-rich slags and ores enclosed within the mortar of the Montieri site; wastes derived from silver-rich mineral charges were probably crushed for the recovery of silver. Matte-poor slags found at Montieri represent a second smelting; raw lead bullion obtained from matte slags (both Fe- and Ca-rich) was probably re-smelted, adding silica and Al2O3-phase-rich fluxes, under more oxidizing conditions to reduce metal impurities. This second step was probably employed for Zn-rich lead ores; this process helped to segregate zinc within slags and improve the quality of the metal.

Dolia are large pottery containers used in Roman times for the storage and fermentation of wine. They were produced in specialized pottery workshops ( figlinae ) and were typically marked with specific epigraphical stamps, which represent a major tool to unravel their provenance and trade. In this work we present the preliminary results of a study of two dolia defossa , recently found at San Giovanni (Portoferraio, island of Elba, Italy) during 2012–2014 archaeological excavations in a Roman farm (late 2nd cent. BC-1st cent. AD), devoted to wine production and probably constituting the antecedent archaeological phase of the adjacent “Villa delle Grotte”. Based on archaeological (epigraphic) evidence, five different production areas have been hypothesized: 1) Elba island, where the dolia have been found; 2) the municipal figlinae in the Pisa territory; 3) the middle catchment of the Tiber river (central Latium) where “urban” figlinae occurred; 4) the figlinae of Minturno (southern Latium), a locality known both for wine production and exportation and for the presence of ancient figlinae ; 5) the municipal figlinae in the Volterra territory. Archaeometric analysis of tempering agents intentionally added to the clay for the manufacturing of the dolia , particularly magmatic lithic fragments and clinopyroxene crystals, allowed us to suggest that the watershed of the central Tiber Valley - including different volcanic centres belonging to both Tuscany Magmatic Province (Monti Cimini) and Roman Magmatic Province (Monti Vulsini and Vico volcano) - could have been the most likely sites of production of the dolia found at San Giovanni. Alternatively, the site of Minturno (southern Latium) could be proposed.

. The Leman Album is Europe’s earliest group of dated designs for woven silk known to survive. For the past two years it has been studied by scientists, conservators, curators, archivists, makers and historians, using a truly interdisciplinary approach under the auspices of the V&A Research Institute (VARI), generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This paper focuses on the scientific analysis of the designs, which pursued multiple targets, such as investigating the nature of degradation processes, e.g. , fading or darkening of the pigments and dyes; uncovering the underdrawing and any amendments; and identifying the artists’ materials, in order to inform conservation, storage and handling procedures. The analyses took place at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and involved V&A staff as well as researchers from other institutions through the EU-funded consortium IPERION-CH. Selected results will be made available to the wider public through a web-based platform: the “enhanced facsimile”.