Colourants of Italian maiolica: Vis–NIR hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy on Montelupo Fiorentino artefacts (fourteenth–eighteenth century CE)

Abstract In this study, maiolica, i.e. tin-glazed earthenware, from Montelupo Fiorentino (Florence, Italy), dating from the late fourteenth to the eighteenth century CE, was analysed by visible and near-infrared (Vis–NIR) hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy (HSI), using two imaging devices working in the same spectral range but having different technical characteristics. A set of 50 sherds, whose glazes and colours had been thoroughly characterised by other analytical techniques both in this study and in previous ones, were analysed. Both portable and ultraportable HSI cameras were successfully used to create a reference dataset of Montelupo maiolica decoration, also discussing the advantages of the technique in acquiring large areas of highly refractive and three-dimensional glazed ceramic artefacts, giving an important contribution to research on the topic field and providing a valuable data source for comparative study. It constitutes a reference for applying HSI in the characterisation of art-historical and archaeological heritage, directly in the museum environment, thanks to the use of non-invasive instruments.