Special Session 12

Artists’ pigments are a source of information for understanding and safeguarding art objects. They are key elements in dating paintings and painted objects, attributing them to artists, and detecting fakes and forgeries. Their chemical identification is also crucial for finding safe conservation treatments and environmental conditions for display, storage, and transport of valuable art. Again, when modern synthetic pigments need to be used in restoration, their characterization, along with their synthetic binders and additives, becomes an essential prerequisite before problems such as aging, cracking, fading can arise. This session focuses on conventional and advanced techniques used in the analysis of pigments in order to reconstruct pictorial techniques, so allowing conservators and restorers to make important decisions regarding the type of intervention to perform in the case of important historical-artistical objects.

Topics particularly welcomed include:

• Conventional techniques applied to pigments analysis (OM, SEM-EDS, μFTIR, Raman spectroscopy, GC/MS, Py/GC/MS…);
• Synchrotron based techniques applied to pigments analysis (SR-XRF, SR-XAS, SR-XRD, SR-FTIR, SR-Raman, imaging…);
• Ion-based techniques applied to pigments analysis (RBS, PIXE,…).

Domenico Majolino: Degree in Physics, PhD - Full Professor in the sector 02/D1– Applied Physics, Teaching and History of Physics. Co- author of 220 publications on ISI rated journals and more than 160 communications at international conferences. Citations 3079, H-index: 29. His research interests are focused on: 1) Development of experimental techniques for studies in the field of physics applied to cultural heritage. 2) Experimental investigation of hydrogen-bonded liquids in "bulk and confined within nano-porous matrices.

Vincenza Crupi: Degree in Physics, PhD - Full Professor in the sector 02/B1–Experimental Physics of Matter. Co- author of 174 publications on ISI rated journals and more than 150 communications at international conferences. Citations 2258, H-index: 26. Her research interests are focused on: 1) Neutron and synchrotron radiation techniques, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopies applied to cultural heritage; 2) Experimental investigation of hydrogen-bonded liquids in "bulk and confined within nano-porous matrices.

Valentina Venuti: Degree in Physics, PhD - Associate Professor in the sector 02/D1– Applied Physics, Teaching and History of Physics. Co-author of 152 publications on ISI rated journals and overall 150 communications to congresses. Citations 2124, H-index: 24. Her research interests are focused on: 1) Neutron and synchrotron radiation techniques, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopies applied to cultural heritage; 2) Spectroscopic study of biological and drug/carriers systems and their application in pharmaceutical field.