New Proposed Solution for the Safeguard of
                 Artworks

                          Lisa Volpe1 and Carmela Vaccaro1,2
   1
       TekneHub, University of Ferrara, Dept. Physics and Earth Science, Ferrara (IT),
           2
             University of Ferrara, Dept. Physics and Earth Science, Ferrara (IT)
                                     lisa.volpe@unife.it


        Abstract In the field of Cultural Heritage, the safeguard of artworks
        contends new and complex problems linked not only to
        conservative condition, maintenance, etc. but also to the
        introduction of fakes and problems linked to this aspects. In last
        years, dating and authentication studies, mainly based on historical-
        artistic-stylistic studies, have been supported by scientific world
        both through identification of materials and artistic techniques and
        proposing new anti-counterfeiting marks. Unfortunately, these
        solutions do not always solve doubts about counterfeits and the
        fight against fakes continues developing further research aimed to
        discover and to prevent the introduction of forgery. The current
        study shows a new possible solution in order to safeguard the
        artworks, creating an artwork’s identity card that can be useful to
        control replacement of artworks, especially for paintings and during
        Fine Arts transportation.



During the centuries, the great interest, which has always been aroused by Art
commerce, has caused often an increase of the demand for art-works that
changes according to fashions and times. For this reason, the introduction on the
market of art-fakes or counterfeit works is unfortunately a common practice that
has continued up nowadays.
Among the new form of sly Art-thefts, the replacement of original paintings
with perfect copies is one of most difficult to recognize. Moreover, considering
that a painting or a mobile artwork increases its value also in correlation to the
number of art-exhibitions around the world [BG06], [Goo06], [LL06], in which
it takes part, artworks’ handling can stand up for the masterpieces’ substitution,
increasing the problems linked to fine art transportation.
In the last years, scientists have tried to propose new solutions for the safeguard
of artworks (i.e., Elettra-Synchrotron light source mark) [BBD+12], but the
impossibilities to mark always surface or to apply tags, barcodes, RFID systems,
etc. suggests to look for other possible solutions. The study, developed in a
recent Ph.D. research [Vol13b], could be considered among new possible
solution proposed to prevent forgeries and unpleasant replacements: through a
multi-analytical approach, it is possible to identify artworks’ characteristics that
are helpful to establish the uniqueness of a particular artwork. In addition to
draw up a sort of “artwork’s identity card”, these characteristics are useful to
support authentication and dating studies integrating historical-artistic-stylistic
information, designed for false artworks’ identification. The features that are
collected in a particular database are searched among the morphology of




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pictorial layer and the chemistry of pigments’ composition identified by pigment
analysis.
The current paper shows some results obtained by the suggested multi-analytical
procedure tested on modern and contemporary artworks made by important and
renowned artists (A. Modigliani, P. Picasso, S. Sargent, F. De Pisis, G. Boldini)
and on minute samples taken from them [Vol13a].
For each artwork (artistic techniques, materials, etc.), it was selected analytical
methods that will be less invasive and more appropriate according to studied
artwork (Figure 1).




Figure 1. Caffè Orientale sulla Riva degli Schiavoni (J.S. Sargent, oil on
canvas): schematic representation of the different penetration depth and layers
probed by various analytical techniques that employ diverse radiation and
particle source (reworked from Leonardi, 2005).

For some of the analysed painting, the results demonstrated to be also important
to support authentication and dating studies. For instance, the study carried out
on some white samples taken from artworks brought interesting results (Figure
2, 3), especially for the White titanium dioxide pigment, considered dating for
ancient and modern artworks. The researches highlighted different morphology
of pigment based on identified anatase or rutile phases [Vol13a]; according to
the history of use of Titanium White Pigment, it was possible to suggest
different post-quem achievement date according to the purity and morphology
of pigment [EWCS08], [McC94], [Leo05], [Lew87], [Fit97].




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 Figure 2. Cubist Figure (oil on canvas, 1909 - P. Picasso), sampling point: a)
  microphotograph of sample; b) SEM image of sample [Bruni 2012, Volpe
                                    2013].




Figure 3. Caffè Orientale sulla Riva degli Schiavoni (oil on canvas, 1880/1882?
- J.S. Sargent), sampling point: a) microphotograph of sample; b) SEM image of
                        sample [Bruni 2012, Volpe 2013].

Several analytic techniques allow to identify pictorial characteristics of artistic
technique through morphological studies of painting’s surface (Figure 4b, 4d)
and artistic palette through pigment analysis (Figure 4c, 4e), etc. [Vol13a].




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Figure 4. Dama che legge ed anziano signore by G. Boldini (oil on canvas, 1914? –
private collection): a) detail of studied paitings; b) d) microphotographs of color painting
and µ-craquelures captured by stereomicroscope (mag. 60x; normal light and grazing
light); c) pigment analysis (Micro-Raman analysis); e) pigment analysis (SEM/EDS
analysis) [Vol13].

Other artworks, instead, shows particularities in the pictorial layers highlighting
the relationship between color and material (Figure 5), that is one of the most
interesting aspects in the field of Cultural Heritage, fascinating both scientist for
the creativity and technical knowledge of the past, which origin are in Alchemy,
and historians, restorers to better understand artistic flair and for restoration
interventions.




Figure 5. Vase of Flowers by F. De Pisis (oil on wood, date unknown – private
collection): a) detail of studied paitings; b) c) d) e) microphotographs of color
painting captured by stereomicroscope (different mag.; normal light and grazing
light [Volpe 2013].

In conclusion, the proposed solution allowed to draw a card identity for the
analysed painting, supporting also dating and authentication studies currently in
progress.




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   Acknowledgements
Owners of the studied paintings are gratefully acknowledged for their
availability and great interest in testing the present research on their artworks.

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