Cultural heritage: Innovative laser systems to inspect a historic monument in L'Aquila

ENEA researchers have deployed new laser imaging systems for the first time to assess the state of conservation of a famous 15th-century mausoleum in L'Aquila, the Camponeschi funeral monument in the Basilica of San Giuseppe Artigiano. The activity was carried out on behalf of the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) as part of the PNRR CHANGES ^[1] project.

The analysis revealed trace materials not clearly visible to the naked eye, attributable to a combination of missing parts and actions taken during conservation and restoration work. 

“Following the instructions of restorers and art historians, we paid particular attention to detect details not clearly visible to the naked eye thanks to the prototype laser imaging systems developed in our laboratory, based on various spectroscopic techniques and combined with commercial instrumentation” explained project manager Luisa Caneve, a researcher at the ENEA Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory.

The new systems can operate remotely (up to approximately 10 meters) and are non-destructive, making them particularly suitable for analyzing artistic heritage.

“The instruments we used are based on spectroscopic^[2]techniques such as Raman ^[3] and LIF (Laser Induced Fluorescence) which, by analyzing the radiation emitted following the interaction of a laser beam with the surface, allow us to identify, locate and map different materials” continued Caneve. “In addition to tracing not visible materials” he concluded “a particularly significant result for the dating and attribution of the work was achieved by detecting interventions made at different times on the inscription on the commemorative plaque.”

The funerary monument to the noble commander Pietro Lalle Camponeschi, dating back to the late Gothic period, is attributed to the German sculptor Gualtiero d'Alemagna and has been proclaimed a national monument.