The NICAS Project Day is an afternoon filled with presentations and discussions on conservation, art, and science. This year’s edition takes place at the TU Delft, the heart of technological research in the realm of art conservation. On this day, a selection of NICAS projects will be showcased. There will also be a keynote lecture and engaging discussions about current topics in the heritage field.
► Please note this is an onsite event and online attendance is not available.
►We are pleased to offer this event free of charge, but organizing it does come with costs. If you register we count on your attendance. Should your plans change, we would greatly appreciate it if you could unregister using the same registration link.
Programme NICAS Project Day 2025
12:30– 13:00 – Walk in (Lecture Hall B)
13:00 – 13:05 – Welcome and Introduction
13:05 – 13:45 – Keynote Presentation
► Emeline Pouyet (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France) – Artificial Intelligence for hyperspectral imaging of historical paintings
Abstract : Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in the visible and SWIR domains are fast and non-invasive imaging methods that have been adapted by the field of conservation science to study painted surfaces. By measuring the reflectance at a given pixel on a 2D surface, the resulting 3D hyperspectral data cube contains millions of recorded spectra. While processing such large amounts of spectral data poses an analytical and computational challenge, it also opens new opportunities to apply powerful methods of multivariate analysis for data evaluation. With the intent of expanding current data treatment of hyperspectral datasets, and solving the problem of nonlinear unmixing of hyperspectral reflectance data acquired on painted works of art, innovative data analysis approaches based on the use of AI have been recently developed. The efficiency and limitations of the proposed methods for painted surfaces from cultural heritage will be presented and discussed through the study of laboratory prepared paint mock-ups, and historical paintings.
Bio: Emeline Pouyet is a CNRS researcher at the CRC (UAR3224) laboratory. She completed her PhD in physics in 2015 at the ID21 beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France. Her research focuses on the application of visible, infrared, and X-ray spectroscopy techniques for multi-scale molecular, elemental, and structural characterization of complex works of art.
Part 1 – 13:45 – 15:00
►Black magic – (Re)Discovering the development and changes of black woolens quality standards in the 18th-century Leiden’s staalmeesters sample books – Maarten van Bommel
► Flexible X-ray laminography for art (FLEXART) – Joost Batenburg
► 14-colours – Combining dye and radiocarbon (14C) analyses to date anthraquinone-based colourants in historical textiles – Ana Albano Serrano
►An integrated numerical approach to predict aging and degradation of oil paintings – Emanuela Bosco
►Preservation of paintings in a sustainable future (PREPARE) – Joen Hermans
15:00 – 15:30 – Coffee/Tea Break
Part 2 – 15:30 – 16:55
► Mapping organic lake pigments in works of art with mass spectrometry imaging – Alba Alvares Martin
► Disentangling the narratives of the Falnama (Book of Omens) in the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam – Jessica Hensel
► Beeldvorming: A Non-invasive look inside statues – Yueer Li / Lambert van Eijck
► Blackening of Porcelain enamel glazes in anaerobic burial conditions – Kate van Lookeren Campagne
► Chemistry, nanostructure and technique of Cat’s-eye lustre glaze made at the Porceleyne fles in the early 1900s– Bert-Jan Baas
16:55 – 17:00 – Closing Remarks
17:00 – Drinks Reception (The Lagerhuysch)