DIAGNOSTICS AND PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE
cod. 1007829

Academic year 2024/25
3° year of course - First semester
Professor
Antonella CASOLI
Academic discipline
Chimica dell'ambiente e dei beni culturali (CHIM/12)
Field
A scelta dello studente
Type of training activity
Student's choice
55 hours
of face-to-face activities
6 credits
hub: PARMA
course unit
in ITALIAN

Learning objectives

The course intends to give the student, within the framework of the
European descriptors for the three-year degrees (Dublin descriptors), the
tools to develop the knowledge and the capacity to understand the
artistic good, through the study of the materials Original, Degradation
and restoration (1st descriptor-Knowledge and ability to understand).
At the end of the course the student must be able to: • Apply such
knowledge and comprehension skills in addressing, with a professional
approach and through the conception of arguments, different questions
of knowledge of constituent materials A work of art, • Knowledge of the
original materials constituting a cultural good, • The processes of
degradation that afflicge the artistic and cultural works,
• Appropriate materials and techniques of intervention conservatively of
an artistic and cultural work,
• Elaboration of a conservative intervention protocol on the work of Art
(2nd descriptor-Knowledge and comprehension skills applied);
• Independently collect and interpret articles, protocols of conservative
interventions (3rd descriptor-autonomy of judgement);
• Communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions of
conservation interventions of pictorial Works (4th Descriptorcommunicative
skills);
• Develop further learning skills necessary to undertake successive
studies with a high degree of autonomy in the field of cultural heritage

Prerequisites

- - -

Course unit content

The polychrome works of art
Stone Materials
The glassy materials
Ceramic Materials
Metallic materials

Full programme

The program is for frequenters and non-attending people is the same
The polychrome works of art
The mural Paintings.
Pictorial techniques. Structure and materials constitutive of polychrome
works of art.
Pigments.
Painting media.
The Stratigraphic investigations.
Methods of investigation of pictorial surfaces.
The conservative treatment of polychrome surfaces.
Presentation and discussion of case studies.
Stone Artifacts.
Black crusts
The vitreous materials. Interest to the study of the glass. Formation of
natural glass. The precursors of glass.
Stained glass windows.
Ceramics definition. Ceramic Ceramics in the history of the man. Raw
materials. The properties of the clay. The cooking process. Classification
of the ceramics. Technological classification. Cooking. The color of the
ceramics. The coatings.
Analytical techniques for the study of ceramics. Metallic materials.
Interest in the study of metals.
Analytical techniques for the study of metallic materials.
Copper.
Bronze.
Pond.
Lead.
Zinc.
Iron.
Gold.
Silver

Bibliography

L. Campanella, A. Casoli, M.P. Colombini, R. Marini Bettolo, M. Matteini, L.
M. Migneco, A. Montenero, L. Nodari, C. Piccioli, M. Plossi Zappala’, G.
Portalone, U. Russo, M. P. Sammartino, Chimica per l'arte, Zanichelli
editore, 2007

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures, accompanied by PowerPoint projections (documents,
works of art, videos, documentaries). The digital dossier that collects the
material projected during the lessons is available at the end of the course
on the distance learning platform Elly

Assessment methods and criteria

The interview (about 30 minutes) focuses on the entire exam program
and intends to verify the knowledge acquired by the student.
According to the Italian university system, the evaluation will be
expressed in thirtieth (30/30). The minimum assessment threshold shall
be 18/30; The votes obtained below this threshold are not recorded and
the student is invited to reintroduce themselves to the next call.
A failure assessment is determined by: 1. Lack of knowledge of the
minimum contents of the course; 2. The inability to express themselves
adequately; 3. The lack of autonomous preparation; 4. The inability to
solve problems related to information retrieval and analysis; 5. The
inability to make judgements autonomously and to communicate the
contents relating to the course. A sufficient assessment (18-23/30) is
determined by an acceptable level of performance by the student of the
evaluation indicators listed above. The average scores (24-27/30) are
attributed to the student who proves that they have a more than
sufficient (24-25/30) or Good (26-27/30) level of the evaluation indicators
listed above. The highest scores (from 28/30 to 30/30 and Lode) are
awarded to students who demonstrate an excellent to excellent level
based on the rating indicators listed above.

Other information

Expected Learning Outcomes
To be able to evaluate the possibilities present in the chemical field for a
suitable knowledge and valorization (preservation, recovery) of the
historical-artistic cultural heritage. Know how to distinguish materials
according to the chemical composition. Know how to understand the
strengths (inertia, stability) and weakness (reactivity, instability) of the
materials. From the physico-chemical properties of the substances
constituting the study materials know how to recognize and evaluate the
state of preservation and the potential causes of degradation.

2030 agenda goals for sustainable development

Contacts

Toll-free number

800 904 084

Student registry office

T. +39 0521 905116

E.  segreteria.scienze@unipr.it

Quality assurance office

Education manager
Ms Gabriella Cavalli

T. +39 0521 906087
Office E. didattica.scvsa@unipr.it
Manager E gabriella.cavalli@unipr.it 

President of the degree course

Prof. Alessandro Chelli

E. alessandro.chelli@unipr.it

Faculty advisor

Prof. Paola Monegatti

E. paola.monegatti@unipr.it

Career guidance delegate

Prof. Emma Petrella

Eemma.petrella@unipr.it

Quality assurance manager

Prof. Teresa Trua

E. teresa.trua@unipr.it