Science and Heritage Programme RSS

Science uncovers the hidden secrets of world-famous paintings

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:55:37 +0100

The hidden secrets of some of the world's most famous paintings have been revealed thanks to a partnership between EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) and the National Gallery.

Culminating in the first major exhibition of its kind in summer 2010, scientists at the Gallery have been using the latest equipment to shed new light on the history behind some of the Gallery's priceless works of art.

A state-of-the-art, EPSRC-funded gas-chromatography-mass-spectrometer (GC-MS) has helped specialists in the National Gallery's scientific department study the organic chemistry of old master paintings to understand how paintings were made and how they have changed over time. In painstaking investigations, the scientists used GC-MS to study the characterisation and composition of paint binding media, additions to paint media such as resins, and the composition of old varnishes.

The results of this work have raised complex questions of disputed authorship and authenticity, such as period copies or modern forgeries, and shed light on the original colour balance of paintings.

One example is The Virgin and Child with an Angel, which was originally attributed to the Renaissance painter-goldsmith Francesco Francia and dated about 1490. The painting's authenticity was queried in 1954 when another version appeared on the market and years of uncertainty ensued. Finally in 2009 a renewed campaign of scientific examination and comparative testing, including GC-MS testing on the paint media and varnish, proved beyond a shadow of doubt that the gallery's painting was indeed a fake that was painted in the 19th century.

As well as needing a meticulous approach, working on highly valuable paintings is also technically demanding.

Ashok Roy, Director of Science at the National Gallery explains: "Firstly only tiny quantities of material are available for analysis as samples, plus the organic content can be very complex. In addition, these materials have generally changed over time so that analysis may be of degraded materials the results of which have to be translated into assessments of the original chemical composition when the painting was first produced."

All these analyses are challenging in the sense that every picture presents new problems and subtle variations of chemistry and GC-MS is the ideal way of exploring these problems."

Roy describes uncovering something that no one else has seen for perhaps hundreds of years as "both fascinating and exhilarating".

Close Examination explores the pioneering work of the National Gallery's Scientific Department by presenting the varied and fascinating stories behind more than 40 paintings in the National Gallery's collection. The exhibition is arranged over six rooms, representing some of the major challenges faced by Gallery experts: Deception and Deceit; Transformations and Modifications; Mistakes; Secrets and Conundrums; Redemption and Recovery; and a special focus room relating to Botticelli. The exhibition features works by Raphael, Dürer, Gossaert, Rembrandt and others.

The partnership between the National Gallery and EPSRC has highlighted the contribution that science and scientists make in the world of art and shows the intellectual value that emerges when scientific and artistic traditions come together. EPSRC, together with Arts and Humanities Research Council, funds a Science and Heritage Programme which aims to increase knowledge and the resilience of our cultural heritage in the face of twenty first century challenges.

David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science said: "People come from throughout the country and all over the globe to enjoy the National Gallery's sublime collection of paintings. This unique partnership with the UK's world-leading research base is prising open art's hidden secrets, illustrating the vital contribution science brings to our everyday lives."

Witnessing the Past: Expressions of Interest

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:31:21 +0100

The AHRC/EPSRC Science and Heritage Programme and the Centre for Contemporary British History are planning four half-day seminars on 8th-9th December 2010 in London. The aim of the seminars is to create an oral history of the development of heritage science between 1947 and 2007 when the
Science and Heritage Programme was launched. The events will be recorded, transcribed and published.

The seminars will address the following themes:

How have concepts of time and change matured?
How has our use of evidence changed?
How has the way we work been transformed?
How has the emergence of heritage science come about?

Expressions of interest to participate in one or more of these seminars are invited from researchers and practitioners in the field covered by or associated with, heritage science including preservation, conservation, conservation science, archaeological science and architectural science. Please indicate
whether you would like to be considered as a primary witness or an audience witness.

The events will be by invitation only. Places are limited and they will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Please send an email to May Cassar at m.cassar@ucl.ac.uk explaining your interest.

Deadline for expression of interest: 30th July 2010.

UK Heritage Science Research Receives £6.5m Boost

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:42:18 +0100

Sixteen new awards for Science and Heritage interdisciplinary research projects and post doctoral research fellowships have been announced today, all aimed at protecting the cultural fabric of the UK and further developing our understanding of it.

Worth over £6.5m in total and co-funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), through the Science and Heritage Programme, these awards are intended to ensure that knowledge and innovation in cultural heritage research is strengthened and that early career researchers emerge to lead the heritage science in the future.

Research projects will explore the following themes:

TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATIONS

· Remote sensing: from the detection of archaeological residues to transcontinental monitoring of World Heritage Sites

· Non-invasive imaging: from spectroscopic imaging and the use of Optical Coherence Tomography on subsurface microstructure of objects to the virtual reconstruction of Renaissance monuments

· Advanced technologies: from Synchrotron techniques for historic metals to the development of electronic noses to detect heritage smells

ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES OF DETERIORATION

· Climate change: from value based flood resilience to protect historic buildings to assessing the effect of climate on decorative furniture surfaces in historic properties

· Salts: from characterising salts and synthetic coatings on wall paintings to understanding their contribution to deterioration

HISTORIC MATERIALS

· Inorganic materials: from condition monitoring of heritage iron to the discovery of Europe's hidden wall paintings

· Organic materials: from structural change and perceived damage of parchment to the study of cultural objects worked in skeletal hard tissues

· Synthetic materials: from the application of surface science to artists' acrylic emulsion paint films to interpreting the surface of objects

ENSEMBLES

· Collection management: on the dynamic evolution of populations of objects.

Professor May Cassar, the Director of the UK Science & Heritage Research Programme, said "These awards demonstrate the resurgence of heritage science as a result of the investment of the UK Research Councils. They will go a long way towards building the capacity of a robust heritage science research base for the future. The quality and range of the collaborative research projects and the individual post graduate fellowships will ensure that the UK maintains its global position in heritage science."

END

Professor May Cassar ACR FIIC FRSA,

AHRC/EPSRC Programme Director for Science and Heritage

Tel: +44-(0)20-7679-1780, E: m.cassar@ucl.ac.uk

Media Contact: Jake Gilmore, AHRC Communications Manager; T: 0797 099 4586, E: j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk

Editors Notes

UK Science & Heritage Research Programme: The Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council are managing this research programme that will run, initially, for five years. The programme is led by Programme Director, Professor May Cassar of UCL. Professor Cassar leads on the programmes development, external coordination and outreach as well as on extensive networking with the national and international research community including non-academic sectors. In addition she is also establishing the base line level of funding across all the research councils and developing a comprehensive map of recent and current research and training activity in heritage science. www.heritagescience.ac.uk

Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC): Each year the AHRC provides approximately £102 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,350 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. www.ahrc.ac.uk

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK’s main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. The EPSRC invests more than £750 million a year in research and postgraduate training to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. More at www.epsrc.ac.uk

UK Heritage Science Research Receives £6.5m Boost

The awards are as follows:

Large Research Grants (Science and Heritage) Scheme

Professor AG Cohn £534,833.00 Studentship £146,887.51

School of Computing , University of Leeds

The Detection of Archaeological residues using Remote Sensing Techniques (DART)

Dr D D'Ayala £531,289.00 Studentship £146,887.51

Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering, University of Bath

PARNASSUS: Ensuring integrity, preserving significance: value based flood resilience for protection of cultural heritage from climate change impact

Dr L Gibson £537,123.00 Studentship £97,781.34

Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde

Heritage Smells!

Dr H Liang £661,419.00 £0.00

School of Biomedical and Natural Sciences, The Nottingham Trent University

The Next Generation of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for Art Conservation - in situ non-invasive imaging of subsurface microstructure of objects

Dr PG Lindley £497,907.00 Studentship £152,397.01

Department of History of Art and Film, University of Leicester

The UCL Centre for Sustainable Heritage is pleased to announce the launch of a new Masters programme, the Master in Research: Heritage Science.

Starting in September 2010, this interdisciplinary programme takes an innovative approach to the teaching of 'hard' science subjects within a heritage research context. The aim is to develop among researchers and practitioners, a broad understanding of state-of-the-art science and its application to conservation, interpretation, management and access to cultural heritage.

The programme is designed to include a significant research component with intensively linked laboratory-based and field-based projects and the Heritage Science Masters Dissertation. It is aimed at highly versatile science graduates and professionals who can demonstrate an aptitude for science. Three years' work experience or a minimum of 5 years' professional experience is desirable, with demonstrable experience in scientific research. The graduates may wish to continue their career with an interdisciplinary PhD or pursue a career in the heritage sector.

More information is available on the UCL Centre for Sustainable Heritage website: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sustainableheritage/

EUROPEAN HERITAGE TECHNOLOGIES CATALOGUE

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:11:10 +0100

The EU Framework Programmes for Research have funded collaborative research since the 1980s and particularly since the 5th Framework Programme for Research starting in 1998. This research has delivered a decade of innovation in technology applied to the protection of cultural heritage. A European Heritage Technologies catalogue was produced for an exhibition of products and services organised as part of the 8th European Commission Conference on Sustaining Europe’s Cultural Heritage: Cultural Heritage Research meets Practice in Ljubljana, Slovenia in November 2008. Please click here to download the catalogue.

TSB LAUNCH KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:07:57 +0100

The Technology Strategy Board has launched the Knowledge Transfer Partnership Programme designed to promote effective collaboration among business, third sector organisations and academia. Anyone active in the field of science and heritage is eligible to apply. Further information can be found here.

Chemistry and Materials Research at the Interface between Science and Art

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:57:52 +0100

In July 2009, NSF and the Mellon Foundation co-sponsored a workshop aimed at examining and improving the state of the science used to study, preserve and protect cultural patrimony.

The goals of the workshop were to explore the basic scientific questions relating to cultural heritage materials; define priorities for research; frame promising research initiatives that could be implemented in the short and long term; and enhance cross-disciplinary collaborations among scientists in cultural heritage institutions and their peers in academic, national, and industrial laboratories.
The full report, Chemistry and Materials Research at the Interface between Science and Art can be downloaded here

COST D42 Short-Term Scientific Missions - funding available

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:18:14 +0100

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is an intergovernmental framework allowing the coordination of nationally-funded research on a European level. COST contributes to reducing the fragmentation in European research investments and opening the European Research Area to cooperation worldwide and strives to support European scientists in their networking activities. Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) allow scientists to learn from an institution or laboratory in another COST country - a concept of particular interest to young scientists. The COST D42 action has set aside 15.000 Euro for short term scientific missions. The call is open for the entire budget year until 31 March 2010 (i.e. there are no specific deadlines).

Applications need to be submitted 6 weeks prior to the mission. Missions need to be completed before 31 May 2010. Additional information about STSMs can be found at the following link - http://www.cost.esf.org/about_cost/cost_stories/Short-Term-Scientific-Missions and below.

Introduction to STSM

Aim: To contribute to the scientific objectives of COST Action D42.

To carry out measurements or to use methods not available in house.

Target group: Young scientists/specialists

Countries: From one COST D42 member country to another

(COST member countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom)

Duration: Between 5 days and 3 months

Financing: Fixed grant for travel (max. 300 Euro) and daily allowance (60 to 90 Euro per day) - typically around 1000 Euro, maximum 2500 Euro

Open call: Last application should be submitted by 31 March 2010.

STSMs need to be finished before 31 May 2010.

Steps to be taken before the STSM:

1. Applicant prepares a 1-2 pages research proposal. At the end of the proposal, the following text is included:

In the name of the host institution, ……. (insert the name of the host institution), the undersigned … (insert the name of the host scientist) invites …… (insert the name of the applicant) to undertake the proposed STSM within the COST D42 action. The mission will take place between ….. (insert dates).

…. (name of the host scientist)

…. (signature of the host scientist)

…. Name of the host institution

In the name of the home institution, ……. (insert the name of the home institution), the undersigned … (insert the name of the senior scientist) supports the proposed STSM to be undertaken by …… (insert the name of the applicant) within the COST D42 action.

…. (name of the home scientist)

…. (signature of the home scientist)

…. Name of the home institution

2. The proposal is sent to the host institution to obtain the required invitation to undertake the STSM.

3. Applicant registers at http://www.cost.esf.org/stsm and downloads the registration pdf file.

4. The applicant sends the application consisting of the proposal, approved by the host and the home institution, registration file and a CV by email to the STSM coordinator Ira Rabin (rabin@fhi-berlin.mpg.de) and the MC chair (john.havermans@tno.nl). The documents should be submitted 6 weeks prior to scheduled mission. The mission should take place no later than 45 days after the next published deadline had passed.

Evaluation

The COST D42 assessment panel (Ira Rabin, John Havermans and Annemie Adriaens) will make the scientific and budgetary assessment and decision of the application. The following criteria are adopted:

relevance to the COST D42 action
quality of the proposal

The decisions and assessments regarding all STSM applications will be reported at the next MC meeting and recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Details of the Call for Post-doctoral Fellowships now available

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:15:05 +0100

Details of the Science and Heritage Programme Call for Post-doctoral Fellowships are now available for download from the Calls for Proposals page and from the AHRC website.

This Call for Post-doctoral Fellowships seeks to support outstanding early career researchers to develop an independent research career in heritage science. Details of the Fellowship are as follows:

Duration equivalent to 3 years full-time
Open to researchers with no more than 5 years post-doctoral or equivalent experience
Funding will cover Fellow’s salary and a small amount of travel and subsistence, equipment and consumables

The deadline for this Call is 4pm on Thursday 10th September 2009

The full Science and Heritage Programme Specification, including further details of the Programme's key themes, is now available for download on the Current Calls for Proposals page.

Full Programme Specification Now Available

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:19:50 +0100

The full AHRC/EPSRC Science and Heritage Programme specification has now been released and is available for download from the Current Calls for Proposals page and from the Science and Heritage Progamme section of the AHRC website.

NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES ANNOUNCED

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:15:02 +0100

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) are taking forward a joint £8.1m programme entitled Science and Heritage to support leading-edge research which will explore new ways to understand the cultural and physical nature of heritage and to prepare society for the challenges that cultural heritage will face in the 21st Century.

The AHRC / EPSRC Science and Heritage Programme would like to announce two new competitions for funding:

Interdisciplinary Research Grants

Up to £800,000 fEC
Duration 1-3 years
Must involve at least two collaborating organisations
Open call for outline proposals, followed by request for full applications from short-listed candidates

Outline stage deadline: Thursday 14th May 2009
Full proposal stage deadline: Thursday 17th September 2009

Further information and details of the call for outline proposals can be found here.

Post-doctoral Fellowships

To support outstanding early career researchers to carry out research and so establish an independent research career in heritage science

Duration equivalent to 3 years full-time
Open to researchers with no more than 5 years post-doctoral or equivalent experience
Funding will cover Fellow’s salary and a small amount of travel and subsistence, equipment and consumables

Deadline: Thursday 10th September 2009

Details of the call for Post-doctoral Fellowships are available to download from the AHRC website.

The full Programme Specification, including further details of the themes, is now available for download on the Current Calls for Proposals page.

Contacts

Science and Heritage Programme

Professor May Cassar, Programme Director
m.cassar@heritagescience.ac.uk 020 7679 1780

AHRC

Dr Gail Lambourne, Programme Manager, Heritage
g.lambourne@ahrc.ac.uk 0117 987 6670

Helen McConnell, Senior Awards Officer, Heritage
h.mcconnell@ahrc.ac.uk 0117 987 6659

EPSRC

Dr Louise Tillman, Portfolio Manager Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Louise.Tillman@epsrc.ac.uk 01793 444510

AHRC/BT Pilot Research Networking Call

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:06:19 +0100

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and BT have recently announced a call for research projects under a pilot programme of Research Networking.

The research theme for this call is ‘Digital Heritage: understanding the personal, social and cultural contexts of consumers of cultural heritage’. The call is designed to bring together the arts and humanities research community with BT researchers and other stakeholders with an interest in digital heritage to facilitate knowledge exchange and collaborative research.

For further information regarding this pilot programme and application guidance please follow this link; http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/AHRCandBTResearchNetworkingPilotFundingCall.aspx

National Research Council (CNR), Rome, signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between AHRC ...

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:43:48 +0100

11th February 2009: The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding kicked off a three-day Mission led by the Science and Heritage Programme Director Professor May Cassar during which she led a series of workshops between UK and Italian researchers in the area of research for the conservation of cultural heritage including diagnostics, protection, intervention, monitoring and innovative technologies. For further information contact May Cassar at m.cassar@heritagescience.ac.uk or see the press release on the AHRC website.

Seated from left: Her Majesty's Ambassador to Italy Edward ChaplinCMG, OBE; CNR Vice President Professor Roberto de Mattei; AHRC Chief Executive Professor Phillip Esler and UK Head of Mission to Italy, Professor May Cassar, Director of the AHRC/EPSRC Science and Heritage Programme.

HERITAGE SCIENCE STRATEGY WEBSITE LAUNCHED

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:32:41 +0100

One of the key recommendations in the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee Report on Science and Heritage in 2007 moved a step closer to reality today when the steering group for the National Heritage Science Strategy (NHSS) announced the launch of its new website.

Following the official launch of the AHRC/EPSRC Science and Heritage Programme in February 2008, this is the second of the Select Committee’s Recommendations to be implemented.

To provide the evidence base for the strategy, the NHSS steering group will produce three reports during the next seven months. The reports will cover the following areas:

the current use of science in preserving and protecting cultural heritage

the use of science in enhancing our understanding of the past

sector skills and practitioner and institutional capacity to deliver improvements in the application of heritage science

The reports will be available on the NHSS website, with a one month consultation period for each.

Further information is available on the NHSS website. Any enquiries should be directed to the strategy coordinator:

Dr Jim Williams
National Heritage Science Strategy Coordinator
PO Box 2075
Bristol
BS35 9BF

Phone: 01454 419228
Mobile: 07801 213300
Email: NHSS@english-heritage.org.uk