Hyperspectral imaging for artworks investigation

At the beginning of the 2000s, reflectance hyperspectral imaging technique began to be applied to the investigation of artworks. Since then, continuous progresses have been done aimed at readapting and improving this technology for specific applications in the art conservation field. Thanks to the richness of informative contents included in the data sets acquired on artworks surfaces, reflectance hyperspectral imaging makes it possible to support curators, scholars, archaeologists, conservators, and conservation scientists in their studies. Specifically, this noninvasive technique enables the capture of hundreds of images in contiguous and narrow spectral bands over an extended spectral region, which typically covers the visible, near-infrared, and short-wave infrared ranges. These hyperspectral data can be exploited for manifold tasks, including noninvasive diagnostics, identification of artists' materials, pigments mapping, and acquisition of high-quality images for documentation and archiving. After a brief historical overview dedicated to the introduction of reflectance hyperspectral imaging in the applicative field of the cultural heritage, the progresses achieved by applying this technology to artworks study and preservation will be illustrated, with a focus on the main technological achievements, open questions and future perspectives.