Application of Chemical Imaging Techniques for Characterization of Art Materials
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 4582
Special Issue Editors
Interests: heritage science; old master paintings; workshop practices; painting techniques; deterioration; chemical imaging
Interests: non destructive analysis; mobile instrumentation; scanners; photocatalysis; photodegradation; pigments; artists materials; X-ray methods; synchrotron radiation; micro analysis; hyperspectral imaging
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Over recent decades, the constructive interplay between analytical and conservation sciences has led to better documentation of the conservation state of cultural heritage (CH) artefacts and a more objective assessment of their authenticity. Though very precious to mankind, there is an increasing awareness that cultural heritage objects are not eternal: they deteriorate inexorably at a certain rate, according to their material composition, the environmental conditions they are subjected to, and the chemical reactions that are taking place within their structure or at their surface. Many of these phenomena are invisible to the naked eye, as they unfold at the micro or even the nanoscale, but they are potentially devastating for the physical integrity or macroscopic appearance of the artefacts involved; as such, their importance is often underestimated.
Yet, collecting reliable chemical information on the materials constituting CH artefacts is essential for developing new preservation and conservation strategies, as well as for distinguishing between genuine and counterfeit artefacts. However, to gather such data, some hurdles must be overcome: CH objects are hybrid (organic/inorganic) and hierarchically organized systems of high complexity. Their material components are often obtained either directly from nature or through elaborate synthesis procedures, resulting in chemical products of various degrees of purity to be used and mixed with the artists’ skill and expertise. The palette of materials used by an artist can have temporal and geographical specificities and may contain information about possible technical practices and commercial exchanges.
A continuous challenge for art historians and conservators is to precisely distinguish between the materials used by artists in the past and potentially non-original compounds that were applied later or that formed in-situ over time. In particular, past conservation treatments, often undocumented, can result in the presence of “foreign” materials within the analyzed artwork. Unexpected materials may also result from the interactions between mineral and organic compounds that take place over time and can potentially induce the formation of degradation products. The monitoring of these non-original compounds can be crucial, as they may threaten the integrity of the object by causing delamination phenomena, color changes, etc.
From an analytical point of view, the use of imaging techniques for the study of painted cultural heritage artefacts has followed a clear positive trend in the last decade. Several imaging techniques are now regularly employed to identify and map artistic materials, from the nano and micro scale to the macro scale. Two- and three-dimensional techniques are particularly rewarding considering the “heterogeneous hierarchy of cultural heritage materials”.
The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a contemporary overview of the advances in chemical imaging methods useful for the (non-invasive) analysis of works of art and related materials. From the fundamental aspects of instrumental development to applied studies, all contributions involving one or a combination of material-specific imaging methods used to solve a material-related cultural heritage problem are welcome. In particular, studies related to degradation phenomena involving molecular changes within or at the surface of CH artefacts are of major interest for this Special Issue.
Prof. Dr. Geert Van der Snickt
Prof. Dr. Koen Janssens
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- chemical imaging
- elemental imaging
- molecular imaging
- non-invasive analysis
- chemical degradation
- cultural heritage
- pigments
- paint
- paintings
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