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Italian Physicists Use Lasers to Clean Art Masterpieces

by Amar Toor on March 3, 2010 at 06:00 AM

Blasting away with a laser doesn't seem, at first glance, to be the most logical way to restore an ancient, artistic masterpiece. However, beams have long been a weapon of choice among those who polish old stone and metal artifacts -- far longer, in fact, than they've been used to remove arguably less gorgeous things like tattoos. Now, a group of physicists in Italy have reportedly figured out a way to apply the technique to centuries-old wall paintings, as well.

Led by Dr. Salvatore Siano, a team of scientists from Florence managed to apply the same laser technique used in tattoo removal to unimaginably old wall paintings, and have just published their results in the journal of the American Chemical Society. As the BBC reports, the group claims that the laser technique, if executed carefully, could actually be a safer way of restoring old paintings, since there aren't any chemical agents involved. And, as Siano tells the BBC, lasers allow workers "to distinguish what must be removed in a way that is much more selective than traditional techniques."


The difficulty, though, lies in the choice of laser. Each task requires a laser with a precisely calibrated pulse frequency and duration, and if the perfect laser doesn't exist, scientists have to develop it. Of course, experience still matters, as laser cleaning is best left to those with previous restoration skills. As Siano points out, "This is not just micro-sandblasting."

In addition to their restorative work on Donatello's statue of David, Siano's team has used the technique to spruce up the wall paintings of the Sagrestia Vecchia and the Cappella del Manto in Santa Maria della Scala, Italy. They haven't yet tackled any easel paintings, although Siano says he's considering the possibilities. He's careful to mention, though, that neither he nor his team mean to imply that any masterpieces of Western art actually need any refurbishing. "Maybe they don't need any cleaning anyway," he admits. [From: BBC]

Tags: art, delicate, italy, laser, old, paintings, physics, restoration, top

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