Ancient musical instruments are objects of great value both as historical manufacts and as instruments that are normally played. This twofold nature, masterpieces of human heritage and complex objects to be used for centuries, makes their conservation a very demanding task. Great attention is payed to materials: wood is an easily degradable material and degradation processes influence aesthetical, functional, and acoustic properties. It is worth noting that most of historical violins preserved in museums or still played by famous musicians, have endured different kinds of degradation and wear due to centuries-long handling. The AMATI VI(H)OLIN project, a Next GenerationEU funded research, gives the proof-of-concept of a novel integrated approach for surface, subsurface, and bulk analysis of violins. A nondestructive testing “suite” of contactless and full-field physics techniques for measuring violins in situ is presented, including laser interferometry techniques (shearography, holography, speckle imaging) coupled to consolidated diagnostic tools (3D scanning, thermography, laser profilometry). Additionally, a set of controlled mockups of historical violins has been realized as ground truth for testing material properties and surface variation. The holistic approach is demonstrated on a genuine ancient instrument.
THE AMATI PROJECT CONSORTIUM
CNR-ISASI
Team: Melania Paturzo (PI), Vito Pagliarulo, Chiara Saltarelli
UNIVR
Team: Claudia Daffara (Co-PI), Sara Mazzocato, Dimitru Scutelnic
