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Brancaccio R, Albertin F, Seracini M, Bettuzzi M, Morigi MP. A Geometric Feature-Based Algorithm for the Virtual Reading of Closed Historical Manuscripts. J Imaging 2023; 9:230. [PMID: 37888337 PMCID: PMC10607176 DOI: 10.3390/jimaging9100230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
X-ray Computed Tomography (CT), a commonly used technique in a wide variety of research fields, nowadays represents a unique and powerful procedure to discover, reveal and preserve a fundamental part of our patrimony: ancient handwritten documents. For modern and well-preserved ones, traditional document scanning systems are suitable for their correct digitization, and, consequently, for their preservation; however, the digitization of ancient, fragile and damaged manuscripts is still a formidable challenge for conservators. The X-ray tomographic approach has already proven its effectiveness in data acquisition, but the algorithmic steps from tomographic images to real page-by-page extraction and reading are still a difficult undertaking. In this work, we propose a new procedure for the segmentation of single pages from the 3D tomographic data of closed historical manuscripts, based on geometric features and flood fill methods. The achieved results prove the capability of the methodology in segmenting the different pages recorded starting from the whole CT acquired volume.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Brancaccio
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “Augusto Righi”, University of Bologna, 6/2, Viale Carlo Berti Pichat, 40127 Bologna, Italy; (R.B.); (M.B.); (M.P.M.)
| | - Fauzia Albertin
- National Institute of Nuclear Physics & Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, CHNet, Division of Bologna, Via Berti Pichat 6/2, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Seracini
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “Augusto Righi”, University of Bologna, 6/2, Viale Carlo Berti Pichat, 40127 Bologna, Italy; (R.B.); (M.B.); (M.P.M.)
| | - Matteo Bettuzzi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “Augusto Righi”, University of Bologna, 6/2, Viale Carlo Berti Pichat, 40127 Bologna, Italy; (R.B.); (M.B.); (M.P.M.)
| | - Maria Pia Morigi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy “Augusto Righi”, University of Bologna, 6/2, Viale Carlo Berti Pichat, 40127 Bologna, Italy; (R.B.); (M.B.); (M.P.M.)
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Albertin F, Ruberto C, Cucci C, Callieri M, Potenziani M, Siotto E, Pingi P, Scopigno R, Bettuzzi M, Brancaccio R, Morigi MP, Castelli L, Taccetti F, Picollo M, Stefani L, de Vita F. "Ecce Homo" by Antonello da Messina, from non-invasive investigations to data fusion and dissemination. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15868. [PMID: 34354126 PMCID: PMC8342594 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95212-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Scientific investigations of artworks are crucial in terms of preservation since they provide a measurable evaluation of the materials and the state of conservation. This is the case of Antonello da Messina's painting "Ecce Homo": its delicate state of conservation, with the need for constant monitoring, required a broad and in-depth diagnostic campaign to support the restorers. The project was carried out entirely in situ using non-invasive cutting-edge techniques and proposes a multimodal and data-centric approach, integrating 3D and 2D methodologies. The surface irregularities and the support were analysed with a structured-light 3D scanner and X-ray tomography. The painting materials were investigated with X-ray fluorescence scanning (MA-XRF) and reflectance hyperspectral imaging (HSI). Primarily, the data were jointly used for a scientific scope and provided new knowledge of the painting in terms of materials and painting techniques. In addition, two web-based interactive platforms were developed: one to provide restorers and experts with a new perspective of the hidden geometries of the painting, and the other targeted at the general public for dissemination purposes. The results of the Ecce Homo scientific analysis were exhibited, using a touch-screen interface, and developed for different user levels, from adults to kids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fauzia Albertin
- Enrico Fermi Historical Museum of Physics and Study and Research Center, 00184, Rome, Italy.,INFN - National Institute of Nuclear Physics, 40126, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Physics and Astronomy "Augusto Righi", University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Chiara Ruberto
- INFN - National Institute of Nuclear Physics, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy. .,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy.
| | - Costanza Cucci
- CNR - IFAC - National Research Council, Institute of Applied Physics "Nello Carrara", 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy.
| | - Marco Callieri
- CNR - ISTI - National Research Council, Institute of Information Science and Technologies "Alessandro Faedo", 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Marco Potenziani
- CNR - ISTI - National Research Council, Institute of Information Science and Technologies "Alessandro Faedo", 56124, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Eliana Siotto
- CNR - ISTI - National Research Council, Institute of Information Science and Technologies "Alessandro Faedo", 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paolo Pingi
- CNR - ISTI - National Research Council, Institute of Information Science and Technologies "Alessandro Faedo", 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Roberto Scopigno
- CNR - ISTI - National Research Council, Institute of Information Science and Technologies "Alessandro Faedo", 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Matteo Bettuzzi
- INFN - National Institute of Nuclear Physics, 40126, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Physics and Astronomy "Augusto Righi", University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Rosa Brancaccio
- INFN - National Institute of Nuclear Physics, 40126, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Physics and Astronomy "Augusto Righi", University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Pia Morigi
- INFN - National Institute of Nuclear Physics, 40126, Bologna, Italy.,Department of Physics and Astronomy "Augusto Righi", University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lisa Castelli
- INFN - National Institute of Nuclear Physics, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Francesco Taccetti
- INFN - National Institute of Nuclear Physics, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Marcello Picollo
- CNR - IFAC - National Research Council, Institute of Applied Physics "Nello Carrara", 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Stefani
- CNR - IFAC - National Research Council, Institute of Applied Physics "Nello Carrara", 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
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Di Turo F, Moro G, Artesani A, Albertin F, Bettuzzi M, Cristofori D, Moretto LM, Traviglia A. Chemical analysis and computed tomography of metallic inclusions in Roman glass to unveil ancient coloring methods. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11187. [PMID: 34045535 PMCID: PMC8160351 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90541-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper describes the analysis of two near-spherical metallic inclusions partially incorporated within two Roman raw glass slags in order to elucidate the process that induced their formation and to determine whether their presence was related to ancient glass colouring processes. The theory of metallic scraps or powder being used in Roman times for glass-making and colouring purposes is widely accepted by the archaeological scientific community, although the assumption has been mainly based on oral traditions and documented medieval practices of glass processing. The analysis of the two inclusions, carried out by X-ray computed tomography, electrochemical analyses, and scanning electron microscopy, revealed their material composition, corrosion and internal structure. Results indicate that the two metallic bodies originated when, during the melting phase of glass, metal scraps were added to colour the material: the colloidal metal-glass system reached then a supersaturation condition and the latter ultimately induced metal expulsion and agglomeration. According to the authors' knowledge, these two inclusions represent the first documented and studied finds directly associated with the ancient practise of adding metallic agents to colour glass, and their analysis provides clear insights into the use of metallic waste in the glass colouring process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Di Turo
- Center for Cultural Heritage Technology (CCHT), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 30175, Venice, Italy
| | - Giulia Moro
- Department of Molecular Science and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, 30172, Venice, Italy
| | - Alessia Artesani
- Center for Cultural Heritage Technology (CCHT), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 30175, Venice, Italy
| | - Fauzia Albertin
- Historical Museum of Physics and the Enrico Fermi Study and Research Center - CREF, 00184, Rome, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, 40127, Bologna, Italy
- INFN - National Institute of Nuclear Physics, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Matteo Bettuzzi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, 40127, Bologna, Italy
- INFN - National Institute of Nuclear Physics, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Davide Cristofori
- Department of Molecular Science and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, 30172, Venice, Italy
- Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Centre for Electron Microscopy "Giovanni Stevanato", 30172, Venice, Italy
| | - Ligia Maria Moretto
- Center for Cultural Heritage Technology (CCHT), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 30175, Venice, Italy
- Department of Molecular Science and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, 30172, Venice, Italy
| | - Arianna Traviglia
- Center for Cultural Heritage Technology (CCHT), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 30175, Venice, Italy.
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Albertin F, Balliana E, Pizzol G, Colavizza G, Zendri E, Raines D. Printing materials and technologies in the 15th–17th century book production: An undervalued research field. Microchem J 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2017.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Albertin F, Patera A, Jerjen I, Hartmann S, Peccenini E, Kaplan F, Stampanoni M, Kaufmann R, Margaritondo G. Virtual reading of a large ancient handwritten science book. Microchem J 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2015.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Albertin F, Astolfo A, Stampanoni M, Peccenini E, Hwu Y, Kaplan F, Margaritondo G. Ancient administrative handwritten documents: X-ray analysis and imaging. J Synchrotron Radiat 2015; 22:446-451. [PMID: 25723946 PMCID: PMC4786057 DOI: 10.1107/s1600577515000314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2014] [Accepted: 01/07/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Handwritten characters in administrative antique documents from three centuries have been detected using different synchrotron X-ray imaging techniques. Heavy elements in ancient inks, present even for everyday administrative manuscripts as shown by X-ray fluorescence spectra, produce attenuation contrast. In most cases the image quality is good enough for tomography reconstruction in view of future applications to virtual page-by-page `reading'. When attenuation is too low, differential phase contrast imaging can reveal the characters from refractive index effects. The results are potentially important for new information harvesting strategies, for example from the huge Archivio di Stato collection, objective of the Venice Time Machine project.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Albertin
- Faculté des Sciences de Base, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - A. Astolfo
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Villigen, Switzerland
| | - M. Stampanoni
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Villigen, Switzerland
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETHZ, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Eva Peccenini
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy
- Laboratory TekneHub, Technopole of Ferrara, Italy
| | - Y. Hwu
- Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - F. Kaplan
- Laboratoire d’Humanités Digitales, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
| | - G. Margaritondo
- Faculté des Sciences de Base, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Peccenini E, Albertin F, Bettuzzi M, Brancaccio R, Casali F, Morigi MP, Petrucci F. Advanced imaging systems for diagnostic investigations applied to Cultural Heritage. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/566/1/012022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Re A, Albertin F, Bortolin C, Brancaccio R, Buscaglia P, Corsi J, Cotto G, Dughera G, Durisi E, Ferrarese W, Gambaccini M, Giovagnoli A, Grassi N, Lo Giudice A, Mereu P, Mila G, Nervo M, Pastrone N, Petrucci F, Prino F, Ramello L, Ravera M, Ricci C, Romero A, Sacchi R, Staiano A, Visca L, Zamprotta L. Results of the Italian neu_ART project. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1088/1757-899x/37/1/012007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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