Revealing Underdrawings in Wall Paintings of Complex Stratigraphy with a Novel Reflectance Photoacoustic Imaging Prototype

Revealing precious hidden features by a completely non-invasive approach is one of the crucial issues in the Heritage Science field. In this regard, concealed fresco paintings still represent an analytical challenge. This paper addresses the specific issue in wall painting diagnostics by the photoacoustic (PA) imaging technique, already proven to be efficient in revealing underdrawings and internal stratigraphy in movable paintings on paper and canvas. A newly set-up reflection PA prototype was applied here for the first time to probe the charcoal, graphite and sinopia hidden sketch drawings in concealed (gypsum, limewash, overpainted) wall paintings. The results presented here push forward the frontiers of the PA imaging technique and point to its potential effectiveness of revealing hidden underdrawings in historical wall paintings with complex stratigraphy.

[1]  Giannis Zacharakis,et al.  First combined application of photoacoustic and optical techniques to the study of an historical oil painting , 2021, The European Physical Journal Plus.

[2]  Caitlin E. Smith.  CLEANING METHODS FOR THE REMOVAL OF LIMEWASH FROM PAINTED PLASTER SURFACES: UTILIZING ION EXCHANGE RESINS ON THE INTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL FINISHES OF THE CAPILLA DE NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL ROSARIO IN IGLESIA SAN JOSÉ, IN SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO , 2009 .

[3]  C. Kunz,et al.  Optical constants from the far infrared to the x-ray region: Mg, Al, Cu, Ag, Au, Bi, C, and Al 2 O 3 , 1975 .

[4]  J. Romberg,et al.  Terahertz time-gated spectral imaging for content extraction through layered structures , 2016, Nature Communications.

[6]  Peter Uhd Jepsen,et al.  Wall Painting Investigation by Means of Non-invasive Terahertz Time-Domain Imaging (THz-TDI): Inspection of Subsurface Structures Buried in Historical Plasters , 2016 .

[7]  Haida Liang,et al.  Advances in multispectral and hyperspectral imaging for archaeology and art conservation , 2012 .

[8]  C. Mazzoli,et al.  FRESCO AND LIME-PAINT: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY AND OBJECTIVE CRITERIA FOR DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN THESE PAINTING TECHNIQUES , 2012 .

[9]  Giannis Zacharakis,et al.  Uncovering the hidden content of layered documents by means of photoacoustic imaging , 2018, Strain.

[10]  J. Striová,et al.  Reflectance imaging spectroscopy in heritage science , 2020, La Rivista del Nuovo Cimento.

[11]  Livio De Luca,et al.  Development of a NDT toolbox dedicated to the conservation of wall paintings: Application to the frescoes chapel in the Charterhouse of Villeneuve-lez-Avignon (France) , 2013, 2013 Digital Heritage International Congress (DigitalHeritage).

[12]  George Filippidis,et al.  Nonlinear imaging and THz diagnostic tools in the service of Cultural Heritage , 2012 .

[13]  David Saunders,et al.  En-face optical coherence tomography - a novel application of non-invasive imaging to art conservation. , 2005, Optics express.

[14]  Parsin Haji Reza,et al.  Towards non-contact photoacoustic imaging [review] , 2020, Photoacoustics.

[15]  Anna Tonazzini,et al.  Recovery of archaeological wall paintings using novel multispectral imaging approaches , 2013, Heritage Science.

[16]  Luca Pezzati,et al.  Synchronized Hardware-Registered VIS-NIR Imaging Spectroscopy and 3D Sensing on a Fresco by Botticelli , 2021, Sensors.

[17]  Piotr Targowski,et al.  Optical Coherence Tomography: its role in the non-invasive structural examination and conservation of cultural heritage objects—a review , 2012 .

[18]  R. Fontana,et al.  Optical techniques for the characterization of surface-subsurface defects in painted layers , 2011, Optical Metrology.

[19]  P. Pagel,et al.  Potential Adverse Ultrasound-related Biological Effects: A Critical Review , 2011, Anesthesiology.

[20]  K. Melessanaki,et al.  Non-invasive photoacoustic detection of hidden underdrawings in paintings using air-coupled transducers. , 2019, Ultrasonics.

[21]  Kristalia Melessanaki,et al.  Revealing Hidden Features in Multilayered Artworks by Means of an Epi-Illumination Photoacoustic Imaging System , 2021, J. Imaging.

[22]  E. Hermens,et al.  Historical painting techniques, materials, and studio practice : preprints of a symposium, University of Leiden, the Netherlands, 26-29 June, 1995 , 1995 .

[23]  R. Fontana,et al.  Limewashed mural paintings as seen by VIS-IR reflectography , 2015, Optical Metrology.

[24]  C. Fotakis,et al.  Photoacoustic imaging reveals hidden underdrawings in paintings , 2017, Scientific Reports.

[25]  Cristiano Riminesi,et al.  Optical devices provide unprecedented insights into the laser cleaning of calcium oxalate layers , 2016 .

[26]  Gianluca Poldi,et al.  Dalla conservazione alla storia dell'arte: riflettografia e analisi non invasive per lo studio dei dipinti , 2006 .

[27]  Bruno Serio,et al.  Spatial resolution optimization of a cooling-down thermal imaging method to reveal hidden academic frescoes , 2017 .

[28]  Raffaella Fontana,et al.  Multispectral Infrared Reflectography to Differentiate Features in Paintings , 2011, Microscopy and Microanalysis.

[29]  E. Ruiz-Agudo,et al.  Crystallographic Control in the Replacement of Calcite by Calcium Sulfates , 2016 .

[30]  R. Fontana,et al.  Photoacoustic signal attenuation analysis for the assessment of thin layers thickness in paintings , 2018 .

[31]  John W. Bowen,et al.  Time‐domain imaging system in the terahertz range for immovable cultural heritage materials , 2018, Strain.

[32]  G. Calabrò,et al.  Surface and Interface Investigation of a 15th Century Wall Painting Using Multispectral Imaging and Pulse-Compression Infrared Thermography , 2021, Coatings.

[33]  A. Djurišić,et al.  Optical properties of graphite , 1999 .

[34]  C. Kunz,et al.  Optical Constants from the Far Infrared to the x-Ray Region: Mg, Al, Cu, Ag, Au, Bi, C, and Aluminum Oxide , 1974 .

[35]  Haida Liang,et al.  Non-invasive investigations of a wall painting using optical coherence tomography and hyperspectral imaging , 2011, Optical Metrology.

[36]  Luca Pezzati,et al.  Scanning multispectral IR reflectography SMIRR: an advanced tool for art diagnostics. , 2010, Accounts of chemical research.