Oltre il visibile (Beyond what is visibile) - Simone Martini: faces and underdrawings

Thanks to the newest scientific devices and methodologies developed by Art-Test, lost faces and drawings never seen before, appear visible in all their beauty.

Because of time and wrong conservation, artworks are sometimes lost or so heavily damaged that we cannot even imagine how they originally looked.

In the central panel of the magnificent Polittico of Simone Martini belonging to the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo's collection, in Pisa, the original colours and shapes of the Madonna and of the Bambino are nowadays not to be seen, since what remains is actually only the preparation layer, in a ghostly green tone.

However it is now possibile to actually see how the original composition looked, and to admire the extraordinary ability of the Senese Master.

This is thanks to the scientific studies and the development of new technologies by Art-Test, which exploit UV fluorecence emission of the painting materials.

They underdrawings of all the many figures present in the polypthic are now also to be fully admired. They were made visibile thanks to the unique Art-Test Vis-Ir reflectography scanner.

You are very welcome to attend the workshop presenting the results on

Saturday 7 June, 10:00 a.m.

At tha Auditorium of Polo Tecnologico di Navacchio (Pisa)

The results will be presented and discussed by prof. Giovanni Bulian, Soprintendente of Pisa, prof. Mariagiulia Burresi, Director of Musei Nazionali of Pisa, and also prof.Antonino Caleca, History of Art professor at the University of Siena and Arezzo.