Abstract
Multispectral imaging systems are used in art examinations to map and identify pigments, binders and areas of retouching. A monochromatic camera is combined with an appropriate wavelength selection system and acquires a variable number of spectral images of a scene. These images are then stacked into a reflectance imaging cube to reconstruct reflectance spectra from each of the images’ pixels. This paper presents an affordable multispectral imaging system composed of a monochromatic CCD camera and a set of only 12 interference filters for mapping pigments on works of art and for the tentative identification of such pigments. This work demonstrates the versatility of this set-up, a versatility enabling it to be applied to different tasks, involving examination and documentation of objects of varying size. Use of this multispectral camera for both panoramic and macro photography is discussed, together with the possibilities facilitated from the coupling of the system to a stereomicroscope and a compound microscope. This system is of particular interest for the cultural heritage sector because of its hardware simplicity and acquisition speed, as well as its lightness and small dimensions.
Highlights
Reflectance imaging spectroscopy is used within art examinations to visually enhance old documents (Kim et al 2011; Lettner et al 2008; Padoan et al 2008); to map and identify pigments (Delaney et al 2014; Melessanaki et al 2001; Ricciardi et al 2009), as well as binders such as animal glue and egg tempera (Dooley et al 2013); and to detect damage and areas of retouching (Pelagotti et al 2008a)
Panoramic Photography of a Large Panel Painting Multispectral imaging documentation was conducted on a large panel painting (163 (w) cm, 170 (h) cm, the top lunette 21 (h) cm): the Visitation between Saint Joseph and Saint Zachary (1480–1490) by Antonino Giuffrè (Figure 2)
This paper has illustrated the application of a simple multispectral imaging system for the documentation and examination of works of art and historical objects of a wide range of dimensions
Summary
Reflectance imaging spectroscopy is used within art examinations to visually enhance old documents (Kim et al 2011; Lettner et al 2008; Padoan et al 2008); to map and identify pigments (Delaney et al 2014; Melessanaki et al 2001; Ricciardi et al 2009), as well as binders such as animal glue and egg tempera (Dooley et al 2013); and to detect damage and areas of retouching (Pelagotti et al 2008a). The solution illustrated instead considers a multispectral camera (SpectroCam VIS CCD) coupled with an automatic panoramic head (GigaPan Epic Pro) to acquire the images using the panoramic photographic method (Cosentino 2013) (Figure 3).
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