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Laser irradiation enables the removal of unwanted surface deposits from different materials in a safe and controllable manner. Laser parameters should be carefully selected to achieve the removal of the target contaminants without inducing damage to the substrate. Ultra-short pulse lasers have opened new opportunities for safe and controlled decontamination of cultural heritage materials because the thickness of material that is affected by the laser is limited. In this study, an ultraviolet femtosecond pulsed laser was used for the removal of unwanted encrustation formed on the surface of an historical colourless stained-glass sample from the Cuenca Cathedral in Spain. One of the sides of this glass exhibits a reddish-brown grisaille that also has to be preserved. A laser cleaning process has been designed to avoid heat accumulation while controlling the thickness of ablated material. In this context, a multi-step process was selected in order to be able to eliminate, in a controlled way, the crust layer without damaging the grisaille layer, or the glass substrate. In this case, laser irradiation in beam scanning mode with a pulse repetition frequency of 10 kHz proved to be effective for the safe cleaning of the glass. The latter was analysed before and after laser cleaning by optical and confocal microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy, confirming that the crust layer was effectively eliminated without damaging the surface. This work was supported by H2020-MSCA-ITN-EJD/ED-ARCHMAT action under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 766311. Partial support is obtained from Gobierno de Aragón (research group T54_20R). The use of Servicio General de Apoyo a la Investigación at the University of Zaragoza is acknowledged. This work has been performed in the framework of the Unidad Asociada de I+D+I al CSIC “Vidrio y Materiales del Patrimonio Cultural (VIMPAC)”, by INMA (CSIC-University of Zaragoza) and University of Burgos. Peer reviewed

Hyperspectral imaging has recently consolidated as a useful technique for pigment mapping and identification, although it is commonly supported by additional non-invasive analytical methods. Since it is relatively rare to find pure pigments in aged paintings, spectral unmixing can be helpful in facilitating pigment identification if suitable mixing models and endmember extraction procedures are chosen. In this study, a subtractive mixing model is assumed, and two approaches are compared for endmember extraction: one based on a linear mixture model, and the other, nonlinear and Deep-Learning based. Two spectral hyperspaces are used: the spectral reflectance (R hyperspace) and the -log(R) hyperspace, for which the subtractive model becomes additive. The performance of unmixing is evaluated by the similarity of the estimated reflectance to the measured data, and pigment identification accuracy. Two spectral ranges (400 to 1000 nm and 900 to 1700 nm) and two objects (a laboratory sample and an aged painting, both on copper) are tested. The main conclusion is that unmixing in the -log(R) hyperspace with a linear mixing model is better than for the non-linear model in R hyperspace, and that pigment identification is generally better in R hyperspace, improving by merging the results in both spectral ranges. MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe” [grant number PID2021-124446NB-100] Ministry of Universities (Spain) [grant number FPU2020-05532]

[EN] This study, which is part of the project for the restoration of the pictorial set that Antonio Palomino painted on the vault of the central nave of the Church of the Santos Juanes in the city of Valencia (Spain), describes the complete geometric study for the digital restitution of these paintings, after their partial destruction in a fire caused during the Spanish Civil War.Two analogic black and white photographs taken before the fire (1920), will be the key to the reha-bilitation of these valuable paintings. 3D modelling with laser scanning systems of the vault provides the geometry with precision and a high level of detail of the surface on which the paintings were carried out, in addition to the structural elements that make up the architecture of the temple.The solution proposed approaches a new methodology for the digital reconstruction of the rectified image and its subsequent georeferencing, as well as the entire environment to determine the correct location of the artistic work. Today, digital or virtual restoration is considered a very useful technique for the restoration of old photographs, but it is also an excellent opportunity to develop possible solutions in restoration of paintings and frescoes.This paper describes the initial process of transferring the paintings of this Spanish artist, from a photographic image of the original frescoes (2D) to the irregular surface and volume (3D) of the current cover of this Valencian Royal Parish, through a restoration of the mural set.(c) 2022 Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

[EN] Biodeterioration is one of the most common alteration factors affecting cultural heritage, and its appear-ance responds to numerous factors. Awareness of the risk it poses to heritage material and the study of its development is essential. With the mass production evolution of widely accessible materials, the cri-teria for choosing the constituents of a work of art no longer respond to traditional premises, associating the conservation of these new materials with the flawed expectation of longevity and stable resistance to biological attack.This work aims to update the contemporary preventive conservation practice through the review of the biodeterioration risk of indoor poly-material artworks. It also means analyzing the potential incidence of biological agents deteriorating contemporary materials stored in art collections, characterized by their industrial origin, and frequently used in the pieces produced in the current art scene. Due to their char-acteristic agglomeration of components, the artistic object is subjected to complicated surveillance and problematic biological control and eradication, which can often be contraindicated for some constituents.The study encompasses four main points that make up the risk review analysis sequence: a brief art history exposition to understand poly-material creative values; a general definition of terms surrounding biodeterioration; a selection of most used contemporary materials and a study of their biodeterioration risks; and the basic preventive conservation considerations regarding biological attacks. The review con-cludes with a critical analysis of the complicated issue of preventive treatment compatibility, as well as a proposed model of action and consideration towards heritage pieces endangered or affected by biological attacks. The author of the work would like to thank the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage for their widely accessible resources that made this thorough exploration possible, as well as artist Sarah Meyers Brent (Fig. 6 right), book publisher house Akal (Fig. 2 right) and blog site AITIMinforma (Fig. 7) for granting photographic use permission.

This paper presents a digital resources ecosystem prototype of integrated tools and resources to support heritage-led regeneration of rural regions, thanks to a deeper understanding of the complexity of cultural natural landscapes throughout their historical and current development. The ecosystem is conceived as a distributed software platform establishing data ecosystem and open standards for the management of information, aimed at providing different services and applications to address the needs of the various end-users identified. The platform has been conceived and realised in the framework of a Horizon 2020 research project, with a view to building a set of holistic knowledge about rural regions and their cultural and natural heritage and making it available for long-lasting heritage-led territorial processes of change. It is the product of a multidisciplinary collaboration amongst heritage, digital humanities and ICTs ex- perts, and combines data and methodologies from a range of approaches to humanities together with the customisation of effective digital tools. It has been designed for deployment also in cloud systems compli- ant with the Infrastructure-as-a-Service paradigm. All data is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR data). It hosts and integrates different tools, making the data gathered with/for local stakeholders usable and making the same data re-usable within the tools’ functions, generating integrated heritage knowledge. It comprises data on 19 rural pilot territories, where the tools and their integration have been developed and tested, while 62 more are partially included as additional territories which partici- pate in certain activities within the project. The main testers for this platform and its functions are the local stakeholders of these territories. The paper describes and analyses the platform and its impact, dis- cussing the integration of tools as an innovative approach that goes beyond the use of individual tools in shaping a multidimensional vision. It also offers an analysis of the potential of an integrated digital ecosystem in evidence-based and place-based regeneration strategies. Some reflections for developments and cooperation during the pandemic are also presented.

[EN] Radiography is a non-destructive tool and offers the acquisition of detailed information on the internal features of sculptures as a cultural heritage. However, radiographs contain different levels of blurriness mainly caused by the detection of scattered X-rays. Reduction of image blurriness provides improved contrast in targeted areas which enhances the extraction of information from the selected regions and features of the radiographs. In this study, we applied a set of convolution methods to a group of radiographic images of historic sculptures. Radiographs of the objects were provided with the associated documentation from the collection of the Radiographic Inspection Laboratory of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. The selection of the particular objects was based on the difference in the materials used in their construction i.e. the objects were made of wood, paper, or wax. The Poisson Image Editing (PIE) based on L-2-norm was applied for image enhancement of digital radiography images. The results showed that the PIE method was effective in selective region enhancement of the radiographic image contrast enabling better visualization of the objects' internal structures. The application of the implemented algorithm enabled the conservators and radiographers involved in the study to improve the visualization of the sculptures' internal features and defects enhance the defects' evaluation.

The study of the potential use of essential oils in the field of Cultural Heritage has increased in the last decade due to their demonstrated antimicrobial potential and absence of toxicity. This work aimed at assessing, for the first time, the volatile antifungal activity of two essential oils (EOs) (Origanum vulgare and Syzygium aromaticum) against fungi isolated from biodeteriorated archaeological mummified skin. The object of study was a mummified Mustela frenata from the Tiahuanaco culture of Bolivia. The fungi found on the archaeological animal's skin were preliminarily isolated and identified by DNA-based analysis. Subsequently, the volatile essential oil biocidal activity was evaluated on parchments inoculated with the isolated fungi (Aspergillus tabacinus, Aspegillus tennesseensis, and Trichoderma longibrachiatum). Vapour tests were conducted in Petri dishes and parchment specimens to assess the fungicidal effect of volatile components of EOs. The volatile EOs used in this study showed antifungal activity against the tested fungi. The oregano showed to be the most effective EO in the in vitro and parchment tests for the three fungal strains. The use of EOs, particularly oregano EO, represents a promising green strategy for the sustainable conservation of organic-based cultural assets. 8 páginas.- 7 figuras.- 2 tablas.- 44 referencias.- Supplementary material associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi; 10.1016/j.culher.2023.02.006 Peer reviewed

The efficiency evaluation of cultural institutions is proving to be a highly fertile area for theoretical and applied research. Nevertheless, few studies have thus far focused on the dynamic analysis of efficiency and on estimating productivity to gauge how receptive these institutions are to technological progress. The present work provides an approach to these two goals for a sample of public museums in Spain by applying a non-parametric technique, the dynamic-network DEA model, and by calculating the corresponding dynamic Malmquist indices. This involves positing a production function broken down into production activities and time intervals, with inputs that are inter-related horizontally (production links) and vertically (time carry-overs). Results show that museum productivity remains practically stable over a long period of time, thus partly confirming the hypothesis of Baumol's cost disease adapted to these activities. Nevertheless, breaking down the indices into catch-up and shift-frontier effects reveals substantial growth in productivity at the stage involving the creation of the cultural supply, due to a displacement of the results frontier as well as significant improvements in museum efficiency at the stage involving the provision of services geared towards attracting visitors. This also reflects a change in museums’ functional priorities, where the goals related to visibility and activities involving dissemination and social impact prove to be particularly important. Junta de Castilla y León (project VA012G19) Producción Científica