On May 8th at 4:30 PM, diagnostician Stefano Ridolfi will illustrate the non-invasive diagnostic tests performed in the restoration laboratory with portable equipment to ensure the integrity and safety of the artwork and to document its state of conservation, execution technique, and materials. A campaign was conducted using both Digital X-rays (XR) to study the execution method and state of conservation of the wooden support, investigate the possible presence of compositional variations and elements invisible to the naked eye, and analysis using a mobile X-ray radiograph (EDXRF) to define the elemental characteristics of the pigments present in the painting palette and the execution techniques.
Restorer Antonella Filiani of Coo.Be.C. of Spoleto will exhibit the operations relating to the conservative restoration of the work, which involved both the front and back of the panels, including the cleaning, consolidation and re-adhesion of all the constituent materials, the filling and the pictorial reintegration with reversible materials and recognizable technique.
Stefano Ridolfi holds a degree in physics. He is the Technical Director of Ars Mensurae, the first Italian spin-off company dedicated specifically to the development and use of portable systems for non-invasive analysis in the field of cultural heritage. He teaches at Sapienza University of Rome. He is the author of numerous scientific publications and book chapters on the optimization and use of portable ED-XRF systems applied to cultural heritage studies. A specific aspect of his research concerns the improvement and development of micro XRF systems for in situ analysis, macro XRF systems for elemental imaging (mapping the distribution of elements constituting an object’s surface), and the development of specific SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for the analysis of ancient metals, polychrome surfaces, and stone materials.
Antonella Filiani holds a degree in Literature with a major in Visual Arts and in 1996 obtained the title of Cultural Heritage Restorer in sectors 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-9 from the Central Institute of Restoration. Since 1997, he has worked with Coo.Be.C. in Spoleto, where he has served as Technical Director since 2011.
He focuses on the restoration of mural paintings and movable objects such as paintings on canvas, panels, wooden sculptures, polychrome terracotta sculptures, and paintings on paper. Following the 1997 earthquake, he worked in the areas of movement and emergency response on works in Umbrian storage facilities and, more recently, conducted emergency response activities on works in the storage facilities of the National Museum of Abruzzo. Numerous restoration projects have resulted in numerous publications.
Following the presentation, which will be attended by MuNDA Director Federica Zalabra, art historian Daniele Lauri will lead a guided tour of the restored works.
