A. Staiano

X-ray tomography of large wooden artworks: the case study of "Doppio corpo" by Pietro Piffetti

IntroductionX-ray computed tomography (CT) is now used in the cultural heritage field because it is non-invasive and it can give a large amount of information on the inner structure of the object under study. Until recently mainly medical CT scanners or micro-CT setups have been used, limiting the analysis to relatively small artworks or requiring multiple acquisition and difficult image-joining for objects larger than detector dimensions.ResultsTo overcome the limitations of ordinary CT devices, a facility for the X-ray tomography of large size artefacts has recently been designed and installed in a protected area of the Fondazione Centro Conservazione e Restauro La Venaria Reale, a Centre for Preservation and Restoration. This facility, based on a X-ray source, a linear X-ray detector and a high precision mechanical system, has been and will be used to gather information on materials, manufacturing techniques and conservative conditions of artworks undergoing the restoration process.In this paper the results of the tomography of the first analyzed large artistic object are presented, giving an idea of the wealth of information obtained from the CT scan. The presented artwork is the writing cabinet called doppio corpo, a masterpiece of furniture more than 3 m high, inlaid for Savoy Residences by Pietro Piffetti, the most famous cabinet-maker in Piedmont in the XVIII century. The artwork is now housed in the Quirinale Palace, the official residence of the Italian President in Rome.ConclusionsThe CT analysis permitted us to obtain valuable information about the conservative conditions, the presence of previous interventions, the distribution of various materials and the dimensions and arrangement of several wooden pieces, thus allowing for interesting hypotheses about the building technique of this masterpiece.Graphical AbstractThe wooden writing cabinet called doppio corpo by Pietro Piffetti and some CT results.

Results of the Italian neu_ART project

The neu_ART project aims at developing state of the art transmission imaging and computed tomography techniques, applied to art objects, by using neutrons as well as more conventional X-rays. In this paper a facility for digital X-ray radiography of large area paintings on canvas or wooden panels and for the X-ray tomography of large size wooden artifacts, recently installed in a protected area, is presented. The results of a K-edge radiography facility that will soon be installed in the same area are also shown.

A new digital radiography system for paintings on canvas and on wooden panels of large dimensions

Within the neu_ART project, funded by Regione Piemonte (Italy), a team of specialists in different scientific fields coming from Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Physics Department of University of Torino and Centro Conservazione e Restauro (CCR) “La Venaria Reale” has developed a new digital X-ray apparatus expressly designed for painted canvas and panels up to about 3 m × 4 m. Compared to all other systems scanning time is faster, the procedure to obtain the whole radiography is easier and images are available in real time. This apparatus has been widely tested on artworks restored at CCR “La Venaria Reale”, allowing to study and optimize the operating parameters and to evaluate its performance, thanks to the feedback provided by professionals involved in the activities of conservation. Supported by the results presented in this work, restorers had the possibility to investigate the materials characteristics and to plan the operating strategy in advance: indeed, radiographs revealed areas with losses of paint, repainted areas, canvas damages, hidden pictures, writings and previous restorations. The X-Ray system for Digital Radiography is integrated in a more complex apparatus that can be used also for computed tomography of voluminous objects up to 2.5 m in height and 2 m in width, making the apparatus developed in the neu_ART project a unique and comprehensive tool at conservators disposal.

Leading Baryon Production at HERA

Leading baryon production in ep interactions at Q2 ∼ 0 and Q2 ≥ 2 GeV2 has been studied at HERA by the H1 and ZEUS Collaborations. Energy and momentum spectra are shown and preliminary determinations of t-slopes and inclusive structure functions are presented.