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Infrared ( i.r. ) reflectography is a non-destructive technique used by art historians and restorers for the visualisation of underdrawings of ancient paintings.
This analisys permits basic observation on the artist technique and to record a map of previous restorations. For these purposes it is used together with X-ray radiography and UV fluorescence photography.

This project is developed in collaboration of "Laboratorio di Metrologia Ottica per la Diagnostica dei Beni Culturali" of the University of Milan and Accademia Carrara Gallery, Bergamo, and is supported by HP programme "Art & Science". The aim of the project is to build a high resolution reflectograms database concerning Accademia Carrara Old Masters Paintings.

In the future we expect to make the database accessible by Web and to develop special links with other research institutions.

A new i. r. scanner is now being developed using an InGaAs CCD matrix with 320 x 240 square elements, 40 micron centre to centre, automatically moved to examine the image plane of an objective for large format photography. The feasibility tests we carried out were positive, and demonstrated that the new sensor will allow a significant step ahead. The sensor has a double signal output: the first is CCIR TV standard to be connected to a monitor and the other a 12 bit digital one. The latter is used to store high-resolution reflectograms while the first proved very useful for a preliminary visual control of the recording. We have appreciated the high sensitivity of this sensor that allowed to keep the illumination intensity at a level of absolute safety for the paintings and to stop down the objective diaphragm to values that, although different for the various lenses we tested, always allowed a good depth of focus. This is an important feature because panel paintings often show a warping that can not be neglected.

A first prototype of the system described above has been tested on real paintings: the results were printed with the HP 5000 DesignJet that proved an important tool to optimise the recording parameters and the image processing procedures. Once the final version of the prototype is built, this will be the recording facility of our Reflectography Archive along with the Hewlett Packard printer.
An exibition of reflectograms and their relative paintings is now shown at the Accademia Carrara.

We are studying the best way to link the new reflectogtams database with the existing catalog database of the Accademia Carrara paintings