Special Session 1

Preserving wooden works of art, such as panel paintings and carvings, is still a challenge. The procedure normally adopted in Cultural Heritage of a diagnostic investigation that precedes conservation is particularly important in the case of wooden artworks. In these cases, in fact, it is necessary to evaluate the set of technological properties of the artefact to define the characteristics of the material to be treated. Consolidation, therefore, requires products that take into account the specificities of wood (which is hygroscopic and variable in size with varying humidity) to arrive at conscious and lasting treatment methods. The aim of this special session is to discuss multidisciplinary approaches to the conservation and diagnosis of wooden works of art focusing on the latest products, advanced analytical methodologies applied to investigations on wooden artefacts and future perspectives for wooden artworks.

Sveva Longo, post-doc researcher at the Institute of Heritage Science of the National Research Council (CNR-ISPC). She obtained a master’s degree in cultural heritage conservation science in 2016 at Sapienza University of Rome and a PhD in Physics in 2020 at the University of Messina. Her main research activity concerns the use of biomedical imaging techniques such as Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for the study of wooden artworks and archaeological waterlogged wood remains.

Cristiano Riminesi, researcher at the Institute of Heritage Science of the National Research Council (CNR-ISPC). He received the MSc. in electronic engineering and the PhD in Electronic Devices and Circuits. His research interests are devoted to the study and development of techniques and systems for the diagnosis and conservation of materials of cultural heritage based on physical methods such as radio frequency (RF) and microwave.

Benedetto Pizzo, researcher at CNR-IBE, the Institute of Bioeconomy of the National Research Council of Italy. He received his M.Sc. with honours in Chemical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Technology of new materials. His research interests concern the study of the interactions between lignocellulosic materials (including wood) and other systems (environments and materials, with the main emphasis on macromolecules of natural origin). His expertise covers various aspects of the diagnosis and conservation applied to the preservation of wood artefacts and structural timber elements of Cultural Heritage. He has published over 190 works as papers in scientific journals, monographs and proceedings of international and national conferences.

Nicola Macchioni, research Director at the Institute of BioEconomy of the National Research Council. Degree in Forestry Sciences and PhD in Wood Sciences at the University of Florence. At the CNR since 1994 he is responsible for the laboratory of Wood Anatomy. The research interests concern the characterization of wood in cultural heritage, with particular insights into historical timber structures, waterlogged archaeological wood and wood carvings.