Opificio delle Pietre Dure

The Opificio delle Pietre Dure is an Italian centre for conservation and restoration belonging to the Ministery of Cultural Heritage (MIBACT). Both the conservation and scientific archives are made available to access: they store a huge amount of reports since the 70s (scientific archive) and earlier (conservation archive). The conservation archive contains detailed information on conservation projects of paintings, paper and parchment, wooden sculptures, mural paintings and plasterworks, stoneworks, metal objects, textiles, tapestries, mosaics, wax, ceramics, glass and majolicas carried out by the Opificio over the years. Reports on old conservation processes are available, as well as on innovative procedures implemented and tested by the Opificio. In the scientific archive, data on objects investigated by the Scientific Laboratory are stored. Raw analytical data are available in the form of optical and electron microscope images, FTIR spectra (reflection, ATR and transmission), color and gloss data, EDX probe spectra, X-rays Fluorescence Spectroscopy, X-rays radiographies and different kinds of images (with visible, UV and IR light). Not only are data available, but it is also possible to interview conservators, technicians and conservation scientists, who can help understand the restoration methods applied and the outcome of investigation. It is also possible to have access to mock-ups, historical reconstructions and reference samples (either artificially and naturally aged or not aged), made for previous experiments, and to old samples from artworks, embedded in resin and prepared as cross-sections. These samples are available for simple tests and analyses (optical microscopy, FTIR), to be carried out in the premises of the Scientific Laboratory for reference and comparison purposes. Part of the data and documentation is not in digital form. Language used is Italian, but help for translation is made available.