Centre of excellence SMAArt – Scientific Methodologies applied to Archaeology and Art
Department of Chemistry, Perugia, Italy
www.chm.unipg.it
Within the University of Perugia is operating the Centre SMAArt, a national “centre of excellence” of the MIUR for the application of advanced scientific methodologies to the study and conservation of artworks. SMAArt promotes exchanges and cooperation between scientific and humanistic disciplines: in particular, inside SMAArt both competences in material science and art-history (or archaeology) are present which guarantees a correct approach to the scientific study of artworks.
The Centre SMAArt is cooperating with many of the most prestigious European institutions in the field of the conservation of cultural heritage, being the Coordinator of the Eu-ARTECH Integrated Infrastructure Initiative within the 6th F.P. (http://www.eu-artech.org). Eu-ARTECH is a Consortium including the CNRS-C2RMF laboratories at the Palais du Louvre in Paris, F; the Scientific Laboratories of The National Gallery of London, UK; the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, I; the Istituto per la Conservazione e Valorizzazione dei Beni Culturali of CNR in Florence, I; the Ormylia Art Diagnosis Centre in Ormylia, Gr; the Bayerische Landesamt für Denkmalpflege in Munchen, D; the Instituut Collectie Netherlands in Amsterdam, NL; the Laboratorio Nacional de Engenharia Civil in Lisbon, P; the Institut Royal du Patrimoine Artistique in Bruxelles, B; the University of Bologna, I; the University of Aachen, D; the Istituto Nazionale di Ottica Applicata in Firenze,I.
Within the planned Eu-ARTECH activities, SMAArt offers European Transnational Access to its unique collection of portable instrumentations for in-situ non-destructive investigations of artworks, directly in the same site where the artwork is located or is conserved, avoiding any risk and costs connected with the transportation of the artwork into a laboratory. Mobile laboratory (MOLAB) and experts, working with the specific portable instrumentations, are resources and competences available for the training of early stage researchers within the field of the present project. MOLAB include (all in portable version): x-ray fluorescence, FT-IR, micro-Raman, NIR, Vis spectroscopy, fiber optic UV-Vis fluorescence, video-microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy.
The staff of SMAArt is made by University Professors, Researchers, and Technicians. Some Researchers of CNR are also members of SMAArt through national and local agreements. These Researchers are also Teachers of specific Bachelor and Master Courses of the University of Perugia (Bachelor degree: “Technology for conservation and restoration of cultural heritage”; Master degree: “Science and technology for the conservation and restoration of art-historical heritage”). Within the University of Perugia are also held PhD courses on Chemistry applied to the conservation of cultural heritage (3 in the last three years).