HSG-DB

The DIAGnostica NOn invaSIva e conservazione di daghErrotipi e altri materiali fotografici (DIAGNOSE) project aims to innovate diagnostic systems and conservation methodologies for photographic heritage — including daguerreotypes, photographic plates, and films — held in prestigious Italian archives such as the Commissione Vinciana fund at Museo Galileo, the Fondazione Alinari fund at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (OPD), and the OPD photographic collection. Recognizing the irreplaceable historical and artistic value of these materials, the project develops non-invasive optical techniques for the analysis of composition, surface morphology, and stratigraphy, minimizing the need for physical sampling. The diagnostic protocols developed within DIAGNOSE integrate advanced imaging and spectroscopic technologies, 3D micro- and macro-surveying, and coherent optical tomography, and are coupled with innovative conservation methods such as laser cleaning of daguerreotypes and consolidation of protein-based materials. The project is carried out by a multidisciplinary partnership including CNR-INO, OPD, Museo Galileo, and the company El.En., fostering the training of early-career researchers and producing transferable protocols applicable beyond photographic heritage, including contemporary art. The project is cofunded by the Tuscany Region POR FSC 2014-2020 Axis A Employment, Giovanisì (Grant Agreement: CUP B53D21008070008), and it was conducted between 2022 and 2024.

The CNR-INO Spectral Database includes data collected by researchers of the CNR-INO Heritage Science group (HSG). Since 2020, HSG CNR-INO has been working on the application of Raman spectroscopy – a vibrational spectroscopic technique widely employed in Heritage Science- to the study of a wide variety of materials, from pigments to organic binders and conservation materials. The database is being built using common Raman scattering techniques and new technologies such as sequentially shifted excitation (SSE). Please cite the CNR-INO Spectral Database when applicable. To reference the Database, use the following citation: Innocenti, Silvia, Diego Quintero Balbas, Monica Galeotti, Andrea Cagnini, Simone Porcinai, and Jana Striova. 2024. "Historical Pigments and Paint Layers: Raman Spectral Library with 852 nm Excitation Laser" Minerals 14, no. 6: 557. https://doi.org/10.3390/min14060557

“Le apparenti ragioni” is a contemporary painting created by the Italian artist Gastone Novelli in 1967. The work belongs to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice (Italy) and is currently undergoing conservation treatment at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence (Italy). The painting was executed on canvas using a vinyl-based binder and measures 296 × 300 mm. The analytical measurements were performed using a modular platform developed at the laboratories of the CNR-INO, designed to integrate multiple optical techniques and generate hardware-registered datasets. The system combines 3D topography, Reflectance Imaging Spectroscopy (RIS), and Sequentially Shifted Excitation™-based macro-Raman mapping within a single spatially co-registered framework. Permission for the publication of the dataset and research results was kindly granted by Archivio Gastone Novelli (https://www.gastonenovelli.it/).

This Renaissance steel shield, dated between 1550 and 1553 and preserved at the Museo Civico Medievale in Bologna, stands as a premier example of mid-16th-century North Italian craftsmanship and military heritage. Historically attributed to Captain Francesco Bernardo, the artifact is currently the subject of an advanced diagnostic study that prioritizes its physical integrity through the use of non-invasive analytical techniques.