Historical nomenclature has not always been unequivocally associated with the botanical origin of natural resins. The availability of natural resins has changed throughout the centuries and so have their trade names. Furthermore, adulterations and lack of knowledge have led to variations in the composition of the products traded under the same name. This investigation aims at a new understanding of the interrelation between the historical and modern terms for natural resins. Different Pinaceae and Pistacia resins, mastic, sandarac, copaiba balm and burgundy pitch from Vigani's Cabinet, a 300-year-old pharmaceutical collection owned by Queens' College, Cambridge (UK) were investigated. Related reference materials from modern collections were analysed together with natural resins derived from reliable botanical sources. The analytical method was gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with and without derivatisation with trimethylsulfonium hydroxide. This technique provided detailed molecular compositions of the studied materials, which in turn led to particular data profiles of the materials. Marker molecules of Copaifera, Pinaceae, Cupressaceae and Pistacia resins were identified. By comparing the GC-MS data profiles to the reference samples, a clearer picture of the connection between nomenclature and botanical origin was obtained. With the aid of the marker molecules and data profiles, it was then possible to clarify the nomenclature of the aged resins sampled from Vigani's Cabinet.

Introduction: The main idea of the European STONECORE R&D project (2008to 2011 was to develop and evaluate nano materials for the use in refurbishment and conservation of historic monuments. A set of different calcium hydroxide ("lime") nanoparticles dispersed in alcohols (CaLoSiL W ) available on the market were tested. The general advantages attributed to alcoholic lime dispersions were: compatibility of the consolidant with the original building material, no limitation of penetration due to the particle size, and no mobilisation of soluble salts. Results: The paper mainly reports the evaluation of lime nanosols for consolidation of lime mortar, gypsum stucco, and mural painting layers. In order to achieve a penetration behaviour which is adequate to the pore structure of the substrate, the composition of the nanosol as well as its application procedure had to be adjusted. This could be achieved by dilution, additives, or after-treatment of the surface. Apart from structural strengthening of porous structures the lime nanosols were tested for treatment of larger defects such as fissures, cracks, detachment, and delamination. For this purpose the nanosols were modified with additives, fillers, and aggregate. The developed lime nanosol formulations were applied to test sites at three historic monuments with promising results. Conclusion: A 'modular system' was developed to meet all these conservation needs. These materials showed sufficient adhesive strength. They proved applicable for the consolidation of severely cracked limestone as well.

X-ray fluorescence has long been applied to objects of art and archaeology for non-destructive elemental analysis. When the object under investigation is either too big or too fragile to be moved am obile instrument is needed which can be brought on site. As hort overview of the development of techniques and applications shall be given in the paper.Then three case studies arer eported in which ArtTax/Artax spectrographs wereapplied for the analysis of medieval paintings. Experimental issues arediscussed with respect to the application to paintings as well.

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Background: Coloured glass glitter is made from thin glass flakes and used for decoration purposes. Published analytical data mainly originates from restoration sites in different countries and is still fragmentary. Samples are often contaminated or corroded, which makes it difficult to evaluate the results, particularly when these were obtained by near-surface techniques.Context and purpose of the study: For this investigation, six types of coloured glass glitter from an eighteenth century material collection from Cambridge, England were investigated by optical microscopy and electron microscopy/ energy dispersive X-ray analysis in order to obtain a wide range of data, which can be used to examine the production techniques of eighteenth century coloured lead glass glitter. They have been stored in a wooden cabinet for 300 years and were sampled directly from the original small paper boxes. Each sample contained glass flakes of different sizes and thicknesses and even different colours. Results and main findings:All flakes were made of lead glass with lead contents in the range between 18 to over 70 wt%. One group showed mixed alkali compositions, probably from potash, lime and nitre, the other contained sodium, potassium and calcium oxides only in trace, if at all. Colouring elements were cobalt, copper, iron, manganese and gold resulting in blue, green, yellow and violet. Conclusions:Although the colouring elements resemble mostly contemporary recipes as known from Neri and his translators, the glass composition is clearly different and differs also from other lead glass compositions from that time. This is a first indication of the production technology of eighteenth century glass glitter. Brief summary:A wide range of analytical data obtained from early eighteenth century glass flakes is presented here and is discussed with regard to the composition of lead glasses, colouring elements, and manufacture details. Potential implications: Lead containing glass glitter is often found in restoration sites, but their manufacture is still waiting to be thoroughly investigated. Almost nothing is known about its historical manufacture. The study provides a wide range of data, which allow to further increase our knowledge on composition and manufacture of these often used decoration materials from the eighteenth century.