Cultural goods and non-invasive diagnostics (...these unknown topics)

Written by Tiziana Pasciuto

Translated by Sarah Fortunée Tabbakh

Italian version here

Before giving voice to the thousands of subjects this blog was created for, I believe it is necessary to start with the one and only protagonist: the cultural goods. 

There are many definitions that try to give a complete meaning; as an example, I invite you to read the Article 2, clauses 1-4 of the Codice dei Beni Culturali e Del Paesaggio, issued with the D.Lgs. the 22/01/2004, n. 42, better known as the Codice Urbani, as named by the ex-Minister of Cultural Heritage. From this excerpt, contained in the bibliography for anyone who would want a deeper understanding of the subject, it is clear that cultural goods are not limited to movable or immobile cultural objects, but also expands to landscapes. In both cases, full access to the public should be guaranteed. 

Even though Italy owns the bigger part of the World Cultural Heritage (let us not get lost in the various percentages we read on the Internet), the wider audience only considers cultural goods the sleeping “objects” forgotten in museums, which are, in their turn, seen as dusty storages and artworks’ graveyards. 

The main obstacle that stands between the cultural goods and the public is the fact that these are “mute objects”: their voice is faint and/or hardly audible, when in reality they could enchant us with their stories. And so, what we all wonder is: “Is there a way we could make cultural goods talk?” The answer is yes! You say: “How?” And I say: “With research and diagnostics.” Obviously, this is but one of the many duties of diagnostics, however it is certainly one of the most interesting ones. 

When we say diagnostic analysis, the first thing that comes to mind is a medical clinic. In a way, we could consider cultural goods to be patients, with a historical and medical past that need to be studied and assessed. Once the results are out, we can then decide on if and how to cure the patients through operations of restoration, in order for the public to benefit from them once more. 

Therefore, the expression “diagnostic analysis” englobes all the scientific technologies aimed at the study, the restoration and the valorization of cultural goods. The analogy with the medical field is strengthened by the tools we use. Indeed, the diagnostic field has taken advantage of the technology that had originally been created for other purposes (for example, radiography, that was born for medical purposes but is today widely used in conservation). 

To preserve the integrity of the artworks, research aims at carrying out diagnostic analysis defined as ‘non-invasive’, meaning they do not require a sample from the artwork and could also be realized in situ with portable tools. The analysis on the field not only prevents eventual damages (physical, chemical, thermal and hygrometric) that could be caused by the movement of a cultural good, but they also give the possibility to include in the analysis all that cannot be moved (frescoes, large statues, precious artefacts, etc.). 

The non-invasive diagnostics use various techniques, of which the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), the Raman Spectroscopy, the Diffraction and X-Ray Fluorescence (respectively XRD and XRF), the Multispectral Imaging, and so on. These are all technologies we will see in depth, provided you have the patience and the will to follow us.