85148 - Chemistry and Conservation of Materials

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student knows the constitutive materials of cultural heritage objects, with basic knowledge on chemical composition of the main classes of materials of archaeological and historical-artistic interes and on the decay phenomena. The student will be able to classify the materials as a function of chemical properties and production technologies. Besides, the student knows the chemico-physical l transformations in the material - environment interaction and the principal categories of methods and products for conservation.

Course contents

The course illustrates the chemico-physics characteristics of the main categories of cultural heritage materials and the main production techniques

Basic organic and inorganic general chemistry

Non conductive inorganic materials: natural and artificial stones

Metallic materials: metals and alloys

Organic materials (wood, paper, bones,...)

Raw materials and production techniques of: ceramics and glass, metals and decorative techniques, architectural decorated surfaces (mural paintings, plasters, mosaics, etc.), canvas and wood paintings.

For each class of material, the course will also consider the principal chemico-physical decay phenomena the interactions with the conservation environment.

Preventive Conservation

Students who do not attend the course are pleased to contact the teacher.

Readings/Bibliography

On Line published material (IoL)

J.Henderson, The Science and Archaeology of Materials: an investigation of inorganic materials, Routledge, London ; New York, 2000.

M. Matteini, A. Moles, La chimica nel restauro. I materiali dell'arte pittorica, Nardin, Firenze, 2007

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

C. Fiori, S. Lorusso, R. Pentrella. Restauro, manutenzione, conservazione dei Beni Culturali: materiali, prodotti, tecniche. Alcune applicazioni nel settore dei beni culturali. Pitagora, Bologna 2003.

The integral study of the aforesaid texts is not compulsory: the student can select the subjects of interest and choose in which of the texts deepen the preparation.

Teaching methods

Oral lectures introduce theory and objective of the discussion of case studies with the direct involvement of the students. Laboratory activity (when possible and in groups). Exam of case studies.

Assessment methods

The examination will entail an oral interview on the entire programme covered during the course, during which the achievement of the teaching objectives will be assessed. In particular, consideration will be given to the extent of content acquisition, the critical skills developed by the student, the demonstration of specific language proficiency, and an integrated understanding of the topics addressed. Furthermore, the examination will comprise a discussion of a case study, which the student is required to present either during the course or, in the event that this is not feasible, during the examination.
The examination is designed to evaluate the extent to which the learning objectives have been achieved.
- The ability to select the most appropriate materials for investigation
- An understanding of the most significant materials of archaeological or historic-artistic interest
- Knowledge of the main degradation phenomena and interactions with the environment
- An ability to evaluate the cost/benefit ratio of a conservation intervention
It is proposed that students prepare a case study in the form of a PowerPoint presentation to be presented publicly in the presence of the other student examiners. The presentation is structured according to the following outline: introduction to the object or context of interest, stated objectives and identified problems, methodological approach, and interdisciplinary interest.The oral examination assesses the extent of the student's knowledge acquisition, their critical and methodological abilities, their command of expression and specific language, as well as their ability to grasp the subject matter holistically.

An organic vision of the topics addressed, coupled with critical consideration, the demonstration of mastery and maturity of expression, will be acknowledged with marks of excellence. A lack of mnemonic knowledge of the subject, an unarticulated synthesis and analysis skills, and/or language that is not always appropriate will result in a grade between fair and sufficient. In the event of formative deficiencies, inappropriate language, a lack of orientation within the topics and bibliographical materials proposed by the course, a grade of barely sufficient will be awarded in the case of demonstration of a minimal notional base, or a grade of negative in the case of major deficiencies.

Students who are unable to attend the course must make arrangements with the lecturer for an alternative examination programme to be arranged.

Students who require compensatory tools due to disabilities or specific learning disorders (DSA) are encouraged to inform the lecturer of their needs. This will enable the lecturer to refer the student to the relevant contact person, where appropriate, to discuss the most suitable measures.

Teaching tools

Teaching materials in the form of pdf files is available at https://iol.unibo.it/ and reserved to the students of the course.

Kahoot learning games.

Objects of archaeological and historic-artistic interest.

Office hours

See the website of Cristina Chiavari