Lead soaps formation and biodiversity in a XVIII Century wax seal coloured with minium.

A multidisciplinary approach was carried out in order to study the biodeterioration and the associated microbiome of a XVIII Century wax seal coloured with minium. A small wax seal fragment was observed by scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy in non-destructive mode. The same object was analysed by Raman and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.

Newly Developed Nano-Calcium Carbonate and Nano-Calcium Propanoate for the Deacidification of Library and Archival Materials.

Paper-based cultural heritage objects are subject to natural deterioration due to internal and external factors, that is, the presence of heavy metals, incorrect conservation, humidity, exposure of the artifacts to pollutants, light, and high temperatures. To contrast the decay of the original objects, it is necessary to study and apply innovative specific techniques, set up novel preservation methodologies, and implement or synthesize new products. As the nanomaterial science field developed over the last decades, the usage of nanomaterials in cultural heritage gained a prominent role.

Microbial Life and Death in a Foxing Stain: a Suggested Mechanism of Photographic Prints Defacement.

The gelatin-silver halide black and white prints represent an enormous photography heritage with a great value. Unaesthetic phenomena, the foxing stains that are caused by microbial growth on surface, have been described in stamps, drawings, books, and tissues but, until now, scarcely for photographic materials. In this study, a combination of various techniques, including culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches (RNA and DNA analysis), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and μ-Raman spectroscopy supported by X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), permitted to describe the microbial contamination dynamics of foxing stains present on the surface of two gelatin-silver halide photographs.

The purple Codex Rossanensis: spectroscopic characterisation and first evidence of the use of the elderberry lake in a sixth century manuscript.

This paper presents the results obtained during the measurements campaign started in June 2012 and ended in November 2013 on the invaluable purple Codex Rossanensis, sixth century, one of the oldest surviving illuminated manuscripts of the New Testament. The tasks of the chemistry laboratory were to answer a variety of questions posed both by historians and restorers, concerning the materials used in a previous restoration, the composition of the pictorial palette and the different inks and to determine which colouring material had been applied to dye the parchment support. It was also requested to determine the state of preservation of the manuscript, as a result of its interactions with the environment in which the manuscript had been stored and the vicissitudes experienced during its life (fire, previous restoration, exhibition).

Biodegradation of ivory (natural apatite): possible involvement of fungal activity in biodeterioration of the Lewis Chessmen.

Fungal biodeterioration of ivory was investigated with in vitro inoculation of samples obtained from boar and walrus tusks with the fungi Aspergillus niger and Serpula himantioides, species of known geoactive abilities. A combination of light and scanning electron microscopy together with associated analytical techniques was used to characterize fungal interactions with the ivory, including changes in ivory composition, dissolution and tunnelling, and the formation of new biominerals. The research was aimed at providing further understanding of the potential roles of fungi in the colonization and deterioration of ivory in terrestrial environments, but also contributes to our knowledge regarding the possible origins of the surface damage observed on early medieval sculptures made largely from walrus tusks, referred to as 'the Lewis hoard of gaming pieces', that were presumably produced for playing chess.

The Indian drawings of the poet Cesare Pascarella: non-destructive analyses and conservation treatments.

The Italian dialect poet Cesare Pascarella travelled all around the world, noting down in notebooks his keen and caustic observations, and drawing sketches that are a visual reportage of his journeys. The sketches were mounted as a random collage over acidic cardboards that were exposed to direct sunlight in his studio. Their poor state of conservation is related to the use of modern paper: chemical instability of raw materials caused acidification and strong oxidation of the support, with intense yellowing of the surfaces and brittleness of the paper.

Modifications of the mesoscopic structure of cellulose in paper degradation.

Paper is the main component of a huge quantity of cultural heritage. It is primarily composed of cellulose that undergoes significant degradation with the passage of time. By using small angle neutron scattering (SANS), we investigated cellulose's supramolecular structure, which allows access to degradation agents, in ancient and modern samples.

The Assisi Chartula by the hand of Saint Francis: non-destructive characterization by spectroscopic spectrometric and optical methods.

Just two examples of writings by the hand of S. Francesco are known to exist: a letter to Brother Leone, kept in the archives of Spoleto cathedral and the Chartula, displayed in the Hall of Reliquaries at Assisi's Sacro Convento. For the first time in its history the Chartula has undergone a series of non-destructive analyses, with the object of establishing its current state of conservation and the types of inks used in its making.