Il rilievo 3D per la caratterizzazione morfologica dell'opera di Raffaello
Pingi P., Siotto E., Palma G.
Tra le analisi diagnostiche non invasive effettuate in supporto al restauro della tavola raffigurante Papa Leone X de' Medici tra i cardinali Giulio de Medici e Luigi de' Rossi di Raffaello è stato eseguito un rilievo tridimensionale (3D) dell'intera opera. Il rilievo 3D, oltre ad essere usato per effettuare misure sulla forma della superficie ed essere un valido supporto per la conoscenza e lo studio dell'opera, si configura anche come un efficace mezzo per monitorarne lo stato di conservazione nel tempo. In questo caso, l'acquisizione 3D era volta alla valutazione della deformazione del supporto ligneo e allo studio del deterioramento della superficie pittorica. Per tale motivo l'intera opera (fronte, retro e bordi) è stata acquisita con un passo di campionamento medio pari a 0.3 mm. Alcune zone sono state acquisite anche ad una risoluzione di 0.16 mm al fine di mettere a punto un metodo automatico in grado di evidenziare le micro-fratture dello strato pittorico.Source: Raffaello e il ritorno del Papa Medici: restauri e scoperte sul Ritratto di Leone X con i due cardinali, edited by Marco Ciatti, Eike D. Schmidt, pp. 145–149. Firenze: Edifir - Edizioni Firenze s.r.l., 2020
See at:
CNR ExploRA 
Una Loggia digitale al tempo del COVID-19
Palma G., Siotto E.
Il capitolo dopo aver illustrato il concepimento e l'evoluzione del progetto "Una loggia digitale per Raffaello e collaboratori in Villa Farnesina, Roma" per conto dell'Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei e del CNR-ISTI, descrive le fasi di progettazione e sviluppo del sistema digitale interattivo, come sono stati acquisiti i dati e come è stato creato il modello e, infine, offre una guida all'uso del sistema interattivo organizzato su due livelli di dettaglio (http://vcg.isti.cnr.it/farnesina/loggia/).Source: Raffaello in Villa Farnesina: Galatea e Psiche, edited by A. Sgamellotti, V. Lapenta, C. Anselmi, C. Seccaroni, pp. 89–96. Roma: Bardi Editore, 2020
See at:
CNR ExploRA | vcg.isti.cnr.it
A digital Loggia at the time of COVID-19
Palma G., Siotto E.
The chapter starts illustrating the conception and evolution of the project "A digital loggia for Raphael and collaborators in Villa Farnesina, Rome" on behalf of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and ISTI-CNR. After it describes the design and development phases of the interactive digital system, how the data were acquired and how the model was created and, finally, offers a guide to the use of the interactive system organized on two levels of detail (http://vcg.isti.cnr.it/farnesina /loggia/).Source: Raphael in Villa Farnesina: Galatea and Psyche, edited by A. Sgamellotti, V. Lapenta, C. Anselmi, C. Seccaroni, pp. 91–98. Roma: Bardi Editore, 2020
See at:
CNR ExploRA | vcg.isti.cnr.it
Analisi dei frammenti di Sectilia vitrei dalla Villa romana di Aiano-Torraccia di Chiusi (si) e studio della tecnica d'esecuzione
Cavalieri M., Landi S., Manna D., Giamello M., Fornacelli C., Bracci S., Palma G., Siotto E., Scopigno R.
The consistent amount of sectilia fragments from the late Roman Villa of Aiano (4th-5th century AD)provides important insights on the study of the diffusion of opus sectile during the Late Roman period.
The extent of the corpus of glass slabs, in particular, immediately suggests interesting perspectives on both the archaeological and technological issues. Thanks to cooperation between archaeologist, conservators, IT
and scientists, an in-depth study of the repertory is in progress to provide important information about the technologies and the raw materials used to produce a number of selected samples. High-resolution images have been obtained via Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) to better understand all the different phases characterizing the manufacture of the more complex slabs. Due to their flexibility
and low analytical costs, portable and non-invasive analytical techniques provided a fast and quite accurate definition of the chemical and mineralogical properties of each sample and the first classification of
a large number of slabs in compositional clusters. Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (p-XRF) and Fiber Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) allowed a first definition of the chemical variability within the repertory
and provided indications about both manufacturing and coloring techniques.Source: Atti del XXIV Colloquio dell'associazione italiana per lo Studio e la Conservazione del Mosaico, pp. 605–617, Este, Padova, Italy, 14-17 marzo 2018
See at:
CNR ExploRA | www.aiscom.it
Deformation analysis of Leonardo da Vinci's "Adorazione dei Magi" through temporal unrelated 3D digitization
Palma G., Pingi P., Siotto E., Bellucci R., Guidi G., Scopigno R.
3D scanning is an effective technology for dealing at different levels the state of conservation/deformation of a panel painting, from the micro-geometry of the craquelure to the macro-geometry of the supported used. Unfortunately, the current solutions used to analyze multiple 3D scans acquired over time are based on very controlled acquisition procedures, such as the use of target reference points that are stationary over time and fixed to the artwork, or on complex hardware setups to keep the acquisition device fixed to the artwork. These procedures are challenging when a long monitoring period is involved or during restoration when the painting may be moved several times. This paper presents a new and robust approach to observe and quantify the panel deformations of artworks by comparing 3D models acquired with different scanning devices at different times. The procedure is based on a non-rigid registration algorithm that deforms one 3D model over the other in a controlled way, extracting the real deformation field. We apply the method to the 3D scanning data of the unfinished panel painting "Adorazione dei Magi" by Leonardo da Vinci. The data were acquired in 2002 and 2015. First, we analyze the two 3D models with the classical distance from the ideal flat plane of the painting. Then we study the type of deformation of each plank of the support by fitting a quadric surface. Finally, we compare the models before and after the deformation computed by a non-rigid registration algorithm. This last comparison enables the panel deformation to be separated from the structural changes (e.g. the structural restorations on the back and the missing pieces) of the artwork in a more robust way.Source: Journal of cultural heritage 38 (2019): 174–185. doi:10.1016/j.culher.2018.11.001
DOI: 10.1016/j.culher.2018.11.001
See at:
ISTI Repository 
| Journal of Cultural Heritage | Journal of Cultural Heritage | Journal of Cultural Heritage | CNR ExploRA | www.sciencedirect.com | Journal of Cultural Heritage
Identification of gilding techniques on Roman marble sarcophagi
Siotto E.
Several Roman marble sarcophagi (2nd-4th centuries AD) have been investigated in a first systematic research effort to detect (pigments and) gilding techniques employed in the Imperial Rome. A comparative study was performed on a conspicuous group (no. eighty) of Roman sarcophagi identified in the Vatican Museums, the Capitoline Museums and the National Roman Museum collections. A focused in situ campaign of non-invasive analytical investigations have performed by multispectral imaging, spectroscopic and elemental analysis, followed by aimed micro-invasive techniques. As for the main issue of the gilding and its application techniques, the microscopy still remains one of the most efficient tools for their characterization. Therefore, some micro-samples of three sarcophagi chosen as case studies were examined by means of optical petrographic microscopy (OPM) and scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS). The results of archaeological data and scientific analyses show that the leaf gold was applied by two different techniques. In the most attested method, the gold leaf was applied on a ground layer of colour (yellow and/or red ochre, Egyptian blue, etc.); on the other hand, in the other technique, the gold leaf was applied directly onto the marble surface or more probably on top of a thin ground layer of kaolin.Source: Journal of cultural heritage 38 (2019): 186–194. doi:10.1016/j.culher.2018.11.017
DOI: 10.1016/j.culher.2018.11.017
See at:
ISTI Repository | Journal of Cultural Heritage | Journal of Cultural Heritage | Journal of Cultural Heritage | CNR ExploRA | Journal of Cultural Heritage | www.sciencedirect.com
Realizzazione del sistema interattivo 'Loggia digitale'
Siotto E., Palma G., Scopigno R.
The VC Lab has developed, in collaboration with the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the Interactive Digital System of the Loggia of Cupid and Psyche within the exhibition 'The Loggia of Cupid and Psyche - Raffaello and Giovanni da Udine - Colours of Prosperity: Fruits from the Old and New World' Villa Farnesina, Rome April 20 - July 20 2017. The system allows access to the 'digital Loggia' and permits the visitor to navigate freely through the high-resolution panoramic image of the painted ceiling, to admire it from a closer point of view and to consult the results of historical, botanical and scientific analyses performed on the selected species. The system is available online and with an interactive kiosk in the Farnesina building.Source: La Loggia di Amore e Psiche - Raffaello e Giovanni da Udine - I colori della prosperità: Frutti dal Vecchio e Nuovo Mondo, pp. 74–77, 2017
See at:
CNR ExploRA | vcg.isti.cnr.it
Development of the interactive system 'digital Loggia'
Siotto E., Palma G., Scopigno R.
The VC Lab has developed, in collaboration with the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the Interactive Digital System of the Loggia of Cupid and Psyche within the exhibition 'The Loggia of Cupid and Psyche - Raffaello and Giovanni da Udine - Colours of Prosperity: Fruits from the Old and New World' Villa Farnesina, Rome April 20 - July 20 2017. The system allows access to the 'digital Loggia' and permits the visitor to navigate freely through the high-resolution panoramic image of the painted ceiling, to admire it from a closer point of view and to consult the results of historical, botanical and scientific analyses performed on the selected species. The system is available online and with an interactive kiosk in the Farnesina building.Source: The Loggia of Cupid and Psyche - Raffaello and Giovanni da Udine - Colours of prosperity: Fruits from the Old and New World, pp. 74–77, 2017
See at:
CNR ExploRA | vcg.isti.cnr.it
Documentazione e analisi delle deformazioni del supporto ligneo e della superficie pittorica mediante rilievo 3D
Pingi P., Siotto E., Palma G., Scopigno R.
Un dipinto su tela o su tavola, contrariamente a quanto si potrebbe pensare, non è un oggetto con una superficie perfettamente planare, ma è caratterizzato da una complessa tridimensionalità. Il colore che l'artista pone sul supporto ha una propria corposità materica, uno spessore, che, seppur millimetrico o sub-millimetrico, può essere rilevato con strumenti e applicativi di misurazione tridimensionale (3D). Allo stesso tempo, il supporto ligneo può presentare deformazioni legate a vicissitudini storiche e conservative, che possono essere facilmente rilevate e documentate.
Nella fase di analisi di un'opera soggetta ad un importante intervento di restauro, come è avvenuto per l'Adorazione dei Magi di Leonardo da Vinci, un'accurata documentazione 3D della superficie pittorica è pertanto strettamente legata a quella del suo supporto ligneo.
Pertanto, una scrupolosa acquisizione geometrica 3D del tavolato e dei suoi elementi di collegamento (farfalle e cavicchi) e di sostegno (traverse) può fornire elementi utili non solo per una maggiore conoscenza della fattura dell'opera e del suo stato di conservazione, ma anche per un suo monitoraggio nel corso del tempo o in fase di restauro.
Inoltre, un uso appropriato delle moderne tecnologie di Computer Grafica 3D non rappresenta soltanto un valido ausilio diagnostico per la conoscenza dell'opera, ma anche un mezzo per raccogliere informazioni di carattere scientifico-divulgativo (ad esempio dati storico-artistici, tecnici, risultati di analisi chimico-fisiche) e renderle facilmente fruibili on-line agli addetti del settore e ad un pubblico più vasto, grazie a sistemi multimediali appositamente sviluppati.
Nel caso del capolavoro non concluso di Leonardo, una sua completa acquisizione 3D ad alta risoluzione è stata eseguita con lo scopo di evidenziare e misurare - in fase di restauro pittorico - una mappa di deviazioni della planarità causata dalla curvatura e deformazione delle tavole lignee, consentendo di documentare la deformazione spaziale subìta dalla pittura e monitorare il suo stato di conservazione.Source: Il restauro dell'Adorazione dei Magi di Leonardo - La riscoperta di un capolavoro, edited by Marco Ciatti, Cecilia Frosinini, pp. 281–286. Firenze: Edifir - Edizioni Firenze s.r.l., 2017
See at:
CNR ExploRA
La policromia sui sarcofagi Romani. Catalogo e risultati Scientifici (foreword by Guntram Koch)
Siotto E.
La monografia si occupa della policromia sui sarcofagi romani in marmo prodotti a Roma dall'inizio del II secolo alla fine del IV secolo d.C. Essa affronta in modo sistematico le problematiche del colore e della doratura per temi, in modo discorsivo, ma sempre da un punto di vista tecnico e pragmatico, riportando risultati e dati derivanti da osservazioni sul campo, da analisi scientifiche unite a ricerche archivio-bibliografiche mediante l' uso di tecnologie emergenti in supporto all' iter corrente. Per la prima volta, lo studio della policromia è affrontato in modo nuovo e la ricerca si è concentrata esclusivamente su una classe specifica di manufatti archeologici. Questo approccio, naturalmente, non toglie al testo del manoscritto un' ampia e complementare disamina dei materiali studiati sotto il profilo storico-archeologico. In tal modo, la ricerca si configura per la sua transdisciplinarità costituendo, per la materia in oggetto, un prodotto pionieristico, quindi innovativo per contenuti e metodo.Source: Roma: L'Erma di Bretschneider, 2017
See at:
CNR ExploRA | www.lerma.it
MeshLab e Blender: software open source in supporto allo studio e alla ricostruzione virtuale della policromia antica
Siotto E., Callieri M., Dellepiane M., Scopigno R.
The paper proposes our experience with the reconstruction of the ancient polychromy of the Roman sarcophagus dedicated to Ulpia Domnina (MNR-TD inv. no. 125891) through the use of open source digital technologies. In particular, MeshLab (an open source mesh processing tool) was used to better understand the styles and techniques used to apply the colour on the sarcophagus, and to create its virtual reconstruction; while Blender (an open source modelling and rendering tool) was used to render the different layers of paint and display their final effect. The combination of the two open-source software has also been tested on a selected area of the Ulpia Domnina's sarcophagus that presents an interesting layering of colours. Their combination (necessary to overcome some of their intrinsic limitations) proved to be able to produce realistic results.Source: Free, libre and open source software e open format nei processi di ricerca archeologica: VIII Edizione Catania 2013, pp. 210–219, Catania, Italy, 18-19/06/2013
See at:
CNR ExploRA | www.archaeopress.com
Sperimentazione del Sistema Ministeriale SICaR w/b per la gestione e la consultazione informatizzata dei dati sulla policromia
Siotto E., Baracchini C., Santamaria U., Scopigno R.
The need for integration and sharing of data on ancient polychromy requires common working methods and tools. This paper illustrates the first effort in this direction thanks to the testing of the web-based Information System documentation for the Restoration of Yards (SICaR) of Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism (MiBACT). This testing activity has generated some proposals of change that have been implemented to enable the archaeological and scientific information to document and manage the standardized data about the ancient polychromy in Cultural Heritage.Source: Archeologia e calcolatori 27 (2016): 131–151. doi:10.19282/AC.27.2016.07
DOI: 10.19282/ac.27.2016.07
See at:
ISTI Repository | CNR ExploRA | www.insegnadelgiglio.it
ProgettISTI 2016
Banterle F., Barsocchi P., Candela L., Carlini E., Carrara F., Cassarà P., Ciancia V., Cintia P., Dellepiane M., Esuli A., Gabrielli L., Germanese D., Girardi M., Girolami M., Kavalionak H., Lonetti F., Lulli A., Moreo Fernandez A., Moroni D., Nardini F. M., Monteiro De Lira V. C., Palumbo F., Pappalardo L., Pascali M. A., Reggianini M., Righi M., Rinzivillo S., Russo D., Siotto E., Villa A.
ProgettISTI research project grant is an award for members of the Institute of Information Science and Technologies (ISTI) to provide support for innovative, original and multidisciplinary projects of high quality and potential. The choice of theme and the design of the research are entirely up to the applicants yet (i) the theme must fall under the ISTI research topics, (ii) the proposers of each project must be of diverse laboratories of the Institute and must contribute different expertise to the project idea, and (iii) project proposals should have a duration of 12 months. This report documents the procedure, the proposals and the results of the 2016 edition of the award. In this edition, ten project proposals have been submitted and three of them have been awarded.Source: ISTI Technical reports, 2016
See at:
ISTI Repository | CNR ExploRA
Musealizzazione di un dipinto pompeiano: la Venere nella Conchiglia
Siotto E.
A careful analysis of some documents preserved in the Historical Archive of the Naples Archaeological Superintendence and the printed Guides of the Museum allows to recreate the museum itinerary of the so-called Venere nella Conchiglia (Venus in the Shell) mural painting from the Herculaneum Museum of Portici to the current location in the Gabinetto Segreto (Secret Cabinet) of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.Source: Rivista di studi pompeiani (Testo stamp.) XXVI-XXVII (2016): 73–83.
See at:
CNR ExploRA | www.lerma.it
A multidisciplinary approach for the study and the virtual reconstruction of the ancient polychromy of Roman sarcophagi
Siotto E., Dellepiane M., Callieri M., Scopigno R., Gatziu C., Moscato A., Burgio L., Legnaioli S., Lorenzetti G., Palleschi V.
In this paper, we report a multidisciplinary approach for the analytic study and the reconstruction of the ancient colour used for Roman sarcophagi. For this purpose, we adopted the three-dimensional (3D) digital technology and found it to be a valuable tool for the identification, documentation and reconstruction of the ancient colour. This technology proved to be an excellent link between archaeological knowledge and scientific analyses. Therefore, 3D digital technologies would effectively facilitate the exchange of information and collaboration between experts in various disciplines. This is extremely important in order to obtain demonstrable results in a new area of study, such as polychrome Roman sarcophagi (and the ancient polychromy and gilding on the marble). In this study, the digital 3D model of Ulpia Domnina's sarcophagus (National Roman Museum in Rome, inv. no. 125891) has been used to identify both the pigments and the techniques of application used, and to explore the potential of emerging technologies in the reconstruction and visualization of the ancient colour.Source: Journal of cultural heritage 16 (2015): 307–314. doi:10.1016/j.culher.2014.05.011
DOI: 10.1016/j.culher.2014.05.011
See at:
ISTI Repository | Journal of Cultural Heritage | Journal of Cultural Heritage | Journal of Cultural Heritage | CNR ExploRA | Journal of Cultural Heritage
The Ulpia Domnina's sarcophagus: preliminary report about the use of digital 3D model for the study and reconstruction of the polychromy
Siotto E., Callieri M., Dellepiane M., Scopigno R.
This work documents the current condition of the polychromy of a Roman marble sarcophagus, and proposes a reconstruction hypothesis of its original state. The sarcophagus inv. no. 125891 of the Museo Nazionale Romano - Terme di Diocleziano has been chosen since the state of preservation of its ancient colour can reveal the original painting techniques. As a part of this work, a high-resolution digital 3D model of the artefact has been obtained using a triangulation laser scanner. Moreover, a photographic campaign has been performed for the acquisition of the surface appearance (colour). The resulting sampled data have been processed and integrated using the MeshLab open source tool, to obtain a faithful representation of the current state of the artefact. This digital model has been integrated in the pipeline of a project which main aims are: to clarify the pigments and techniques used, and to explore the potentialities of emerging technologies for the reconstruction and presentation of the ancient colour.Source: ASMOSIA X - Association for the Study of Marble and Other Stones In Antiquity. Tenth International Conference Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone, pp. 911–922, Roma, Italy, 21-26 May 2012
See at:
digital.casalini.it | CNR ExploRA
Ancient polychromy: study and virtual reconstruction using open source tools
Siotto E., Callieri M., Dellepiane M., Scopigno R.
Digital reconstruction of ancient polychromy is a relatively recent phenomenon in the history of archaeological and architectural heritage documentation. It has emerged as a result of new interest in the experimental archaeology and the technological development of computer graphic tools. Therefore, this article presents a project aimed at the scientific reconstruction of the original polychromy and the realistic rendering of an ancient sarcophagus, obtained with the use of some open source tools. In particular, starting from the accurate study of a polychrome Roman sarcophagus (National Roman Museum in Rome, inv. no. 125891), we show how the MeshLab tool was used to support the polychrome reconstruction stage and how Blender (or, rather, a combination of MeshLab and Blender) was used to achieve a more sophisticated visual presentation of the current and reconstruction ancient colour. A central role has been given to the rendering of different and overlapped layers of paint.Source: ACM journal on computing and cultural heritage (Print) 8 (2015). doi:10.1145/2739049
DOI: 10.1145/2739049
See at:
ISTI Repository | Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage | Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage | Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage | Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage | Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage | CNR ExploRA | Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage
The use of colour in roman marble sarcophagi
Siotto E.
This study aims to improve the knowledge of polychrome Roman sarcophagi by showing the first observations about the colour palette detected and the painting techniques by combining archaeological research with scientific results. These results are the base to understand the ancient colour and to improve the virtual reconstruction through the use of 3D Computer Graphic.Source: International Conference ASMOSIA XI, pp. 241–242, Split, 18-22/05/2015
Project(s): ARIADNE 
See at:
CNR ExploRA | repozitorij.svkst.unist.hr
Digital Study and Web-based Documentation of the Colour and Gilding on Ancient Marble Artworks
Siotto E., Palma G., Potenziani M., Scopigno R.
Greek and Roman marble artworks have been deeply studied from a typological and stylistic point of view, while there is still a limited knowledge on the pigments, dyes, binders and technical expedients used by Roman artists. In a renewed scientific interest towards the ancient polychromy (colour and gilding), a digital methodological and multidisciplinary approach can provide valuable information to better investigate and understand this fundamental aspect and to get a complete sense on Greek and Roman marble artworks. Following this research direction, the paper proposes a systematic methodological process defined to detect, document and visualize the preserved (and in some cases the digital reconstructed) original colour and gilding on Roman marble sarcophagi (II-IV century AD). The process defines a working pipeline that, starting from the selection of the artefact to study, proposes a set of investigation steps to improve our knowledge of its original painting. These steps include the direct virtual inspection, the archaeological and historical research, the on-site scientific investigation by multispectral imaging, spectroscopic and elemental analysis (eventually supported by micro-invasive techniques performed in laboratory), the accurate polychrome surface acquisition by colour calibrated 2D images. All the data produced are integrated with a high-resolution 3D model to support enhanced analysis and comparison and to create a digital 3D polychrome reconstruction by virtual painting. Finally, all those data are also made accessible on the web by using a cutting edge platform for visual media publication and interactive 3D visualization. This systematic and multidisciplinary process was tested on the so-called 'Annona sarcophagus' (Museo Nazionale Romano - Palazzo Massimo, inv. no. 40799).Source: Digital Heritage International Congress, pp. 239–246, Granada, 28/09/2015-02/10/2015
DOI: 10.1109/digitalheritage.2015.7413877
Project(s): ARIADNE
See at:
academic.microsoft.com | diglib.eg.org | ieeexplore.ieee.org | ieeexplore.ieee.org | CNR ExploRA | vcg.isti.cnr.it | xplorestaging.ieee.org
Usi e riusi di alcuni immobili storici in Toscana
Benassi L., La Monica D, Parri A., Siotto E., Callieri M., Pingi P., Scopigno R.
Il volume, esito del Progetto Artesalva (POR-FSE Regione Toscana 2007-2013), offre una riflessione sul tema del riuso, prendendo spunto da singoli esempi presenti in Toscana, riferibili a diverse tipologie architettoniche e a funzioni differenziate. Tra i casi analizzati la Certosa di Calci (Pisa), un complesso monastico certosino abbandonato dai padri negli anni Settanta del Novecento e oggi sede di due musei; la villa medicea L'Ambrogiana di Montelupo Fiorentino (Firenze), trasformata alla fine dell'Ottocento in manicomio e poi in ospedale psichiatrico giudiziario; la Rocca delle Verrucole a San Romano in Garfagnana (Lucca), sottoposta a partire dagli anni Ottanta del Novecento a interventi di recupero.Source: Roma: Aracne, 2015
See at:
CNR ExploRA | www.aracneeditrice.it