Добірка наукової літератури з теми "Techniques de retouche"

Depuis plusieurs décennies, de nombreux sites attribuables au Néolithique ancien (culture du Villeneuve-Saint-Germain) et moyen (Cerny et Chasséen septentrional) ont été mis au jour en Haute-Normandie. Plus récemment trois d’entre eux, Aubevoye « La Chartreuse », Saint-Pierre-d’Autils « Le Plaquis » et Porte-Joie « La Couture aux Rois, zone C » ont fait notamment l’objet de descriptions technologiques. Si les séries lithiques de cette période se distinguent quelquefois par la production de belles et grandes lames par percussion indirecte, le reste de l’industrie se caractérise par une production laminaire domestique et un débitage d’éclats initialement et souvent décrit comme une production expédiente ou opportuniste. Cette contribution tente de mettre en avant de nouveaux caractères permettant de préciser l’évolution de ce débitage, les objectifs de production et la transformation des produits qui en sont issus. Ainsi, et à partir de l’étude de 8 sites hauts-normands datés du Blicquy-Villeneuve-Saint-Germain et du Cerny, les auteurs décrivent les principales caractéristiques du débitage d’éclats identifié en Haute-Normandie. Pour cette production, le premier constat est l’exploitation locale de matières premières de mauvaise qualité situées à proximité souvent immédiate des sites. Les modalités de débitage sont multiples (unipolaire, multidirectionnel et bipolaire) mais plutôt élémentaires et certainement pas standardisées. L’ensemble se double d’une quasi absence de mise en forme et de l’utilisation systématique de percuteur en silex pour le débitage et la retouche. Les auteurs soulignent également une sélection opportuniste des supports d’outils (variabilité morphométriques des modules), une adaptation du support de la retouche au type d’outil et l’utilisation de procédés techniques de retouche parfois singulier (burin décalé).

Retouched lithic tools result from the functional modification of their edges following knapping operations. The study of the later stages of the reduction sequence is fundamental to understanding the techno-functional features of any toolkit. In Australia, a gap exists in the study of the chaîne opératoire of lithic tools shaped or re-shaped through percussion retouching. In our previous works (Martellotta EF., 2021, Martellotta EF., 2022), we have presented evidence for the use of hardwood boomerangs for retouching purposes in Australian Aboriginal communities. Through a detailed experimental protocol, the present study demonstrates how boomerangs can function as retouchers. We found that the use-wear generated on the boomerang’s surface during retouch activity is comparable to retouch-induced impact traces observed on Palaeolithic bone retouchers, as well as to experimental bone retouchers generated in our replication experiments. Finally, we explore the role that microscopic lithic chips embedded in the retouchers’ surface play in the formation process of retouching marks. Our results address the need for a deeper investigation of percussion retouching techniques in Australian contexts, opening the possibility that uncommon objects—such as boomerangs—could be used for this task. This concept also highlights the broader topic of the highly diverse multipurpose application of many Indigenous tools throughout Australia. At the same time, the study reveals a deep functional connection between osseous and wooden objects—a topic rarely investigated in archaeological contexts.

The increasing availability of digital elevation models (DEMs) facilitates the monitoring of glacier mass balances on local and regional scales. Geodetic glacier mass balances are obtained by differentiating DEMs. However, these computations are usually affected by voids in the derived elevation change data sets. Different approaches, using spatial statistics or interpolation techniques, were developed to account for these voids in glacier mass balance estimations. In this study, we apply novel void filling techniques, which are typically used for the reconstruction and retouche of images and photos, for the first time on elevation change maps. We selected 6210 km2 of glacier area in southeast Alaska, USA, covered by two void-free DEMs as the study site to test different inpainting methods. Different artificially voided setups were generated using manually defined voids and a correlation mask based on stereoscopic processing of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) acquisition. Three “novel” (Telea, Navier–Stokes and shearlet) as well as three “classical” (bilinear interpolation, local and global hypsometric methods) void filling approaches for glacier elevation data sets were implemented and evaluated. The hypsometric approaches showed, in general, the worst performance, leading to high average and local offsets. Telea and Navier–Stokes void filling showed an overall stable and reasonable quality. The best results are obtained for shearlet and bilinear void filling, if certain criteria are met. Considering also computational costs and feasibility, we recommend using the bilinear void filling method in glacier volume change analyses. Moreover, we propose and validate a formula to estimate the uncertainties caused by void filling in glacier volume change computations. The formula is transferable to other study sites, where no ground truth data on the void areas exist, and leads to higher accuracy of the error estimates on void-filled areas. In the spirit of reproducible research, we publish a software repository with the implementation of the novel void filling algorithms and the code reproducing the statistical analysis of the data, along with the data sets themselves.

Protoaurignacian foragers relied heavily on the production and use of bladelets. Techno-typological studies of these implements have provided insights into crucial aspects of cultural variability. However, new technologies have seldom been used to quantify patterns of stone tool design. Taking advantage of a new scanning protocol and open-source software, we conduct the first 3D analysis of a Protoaurignacian assemblage, focusing on the selection and modification of blades and bladelets. We study a large dataset of complete blanks and retouched tools from the early Protoaurignacian assemblage at Fumane Cave in northeastern Italy. Our main goal is to validate and refine previous techno-typological considerations employing a 3D geometric morphometrics approach complemented by 2D analysis of cross-section outlines and computation of retouch angle. The encouraging results show the merits of the proposed integrated approach and confirm that bladelets were the main focus of stone knapping at the site. Among modified bladelets, various retouching techniques were applied to achieve specific shape objectives. We suggest that the variability observed among retouched bladelets relates to the design of multi-part artifacts that need to be further explored via renewed experimental and functional studies.

We describe fi nds from layer 24 of Kulbulak, Western Tien Shan, excavated in 2018–2019. On the basis of the age of layer 16 (MIS 5e) and the geological context of the deposits, the profi le of the site was subdivided into paleogeographic stages. Layers 25–22 likely correlate with the warming period in the second half of MIS 7. Primary reduction in layer 24 industry was based on parallel uni- and bidirectional techniques, with wide and narrow-faced cores, and following the Levallois strategy. Tools include various side-scrapers, a point on a heavily retouched blade, a retouched blade, an atypical angular end-scraper, and blanks of bifaces. Parallels are found between those fi nds and contemporaneous industries of the Near East. Technologically and likely chronologically, layer 24 is intermediate between Late Amudian and Early Middle Paleolithic assemblages of the Tabun D stage. This is evidenced by a combination of non-Levallois and Levallois fl aking (the latter being predominant), by different types of blanks within the same reduction sequence, by a high share of blades among blanks, by bifacial pieces, by an elongated heavily retouched point, and by an atypical end-scraper.

Image inpainting is the process of restoring missing pixels in digital images in a plausible way. A study on image inpainting technique has acquired a significant consideration in various regions, i.e. restoring the damaged and old documents, elimination of unwanted objects, cinematography, retouch applications, etc. Even though, limitations exist in the recovery process due to the establishment of certain artifacts in the restored image areas. To rectify these issues, more and more techniques have been established by different authors. This survey makes a critical analysis of diverse techniques regarding various image inpainting schemes. This paper goes under (i) Analyzing various image inpainting techniques that are contributed in different papers; (ii) Makes the comprehensive study regarding the performance measures and the corresponding maximum achievements in each contribution; (iii) Analytical review concerning the chronological review and various tools exploited in each of the reviewed works. Finally, the survey extends with the determination of various research issues and gaps that might be useful for the researchers to promote improved future works on image inpainting schemes.

The Chinese Palaeolithic has traditionally been divided into three distinct cultural periods: Lower, Middle, and Upper. Analysis of four stone tool criteria (raw material procurement, core reduction, retouch, and typology) to determine if a distinct Middle Palaeolithic stage existed in China suggests that very little change occurred in lithic technology between the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic. Accordingly, a two-stage progression is proposed: Early and Late Palaeolithic. The transition between these two cultural periods occurred with the development of more refined stone tool making techniques (e.g. introduction of blade and microblade technology) and the presence of other archaeological indicators of more modern human behaviour (e.g. presence of art and/or symbolism) (c. 30,000 years ago).

La technique d’inpainting (retouche d’images) est considérée comme l’une des solutions efficaces pour la restauration d'images dégradées et, même la vidéo ou les contenus 3D stéréoscopiques. Il s’agit d’un outil essentiel pour la restauration et la conservation des objets archéologiques. En effet, lors de fouilles de sites historiques, de nombreux objets de valeur tels que des statues, des bâtiments, des peintures murales, etc., sont découverts et récupérés. Malheureusement, la plupart d’entre eux se retrouvent endommagés ou fracturés. Dans l’optique d’apprendre de ces objets, les techniques numériques sont utilisées pour les restaurer en utilisant des connaissances a priori fournies par les archéologues et les artistes. Cela permet de reconstruire, préserver et maintenir ces oeuvres artistiques de grande valeur. En effet, les progrès des technologies et des systèmes d’acquisition d’images ont permis la transition des méthodes traditionnelles de retouche manuelle vers des techniques numériques, ouvrant un nouveau domaine de recherche appelé inpainting d’images.Dans cette thèse, notre travail visait à analyser et examiner les méthodes de la littérature des techniques d’inpainting d’images qui se décomposent en trois groupes. Les avantages et les inconvénients de chaque approche sont analysés finement en utilisant des critères objectifs et subjectifs. Sur la base de cette étude, une nouvelle approche d’inpainting d’images est proposée et confrontée à la littérature. Elle offre de bonnes performances en termes de qualité de rendu et d’efficacité calculatoire. Une autre contribution réside dans la proposition d’une nouvelle métrique de qualité dédiée à l’évaluation des techniques d’inpainting. Au regard de l’état de l’art dans le domaine, les images ayant subi des retouches par inpainting sont très souvent évaluées subjectivement ou au moyen de quelques mesures objectives loin d’être adaptées aux particularités de cette technique. La métrique proposée offre à la fois de bonnes performances et une adaptabilité au domaine. La dernière contribution de ce travail est un problème moins étudié et lié à la détection d’inpainting. Ceci est motivé par les efforts importants de recherche sur la thématique ainsi que le développement rapide de la technologie. La conséquence est que la qualité des retouches par inpainting est devenue plus réaliste et sophistiquée que jamais. Les régions retouchées sont alors difficiles à détecter par les utilisateurs, même les experts. Ainsi, ces images pourraient être utilisées à différentes fins, légales comme illégales. Malgré l’importance du sujet, très peu de travaux l’ont adressés à cause de sa complexité. C’est sur cette base qu’une nouvelle approche pour la détection d’inpainting est proposée dans cette thèse, en exploitant les connaissances acquises lors des étapes précédentes. Enfin, la performance des solutions proposées est soigneusement évaluée à travers plusieurs expérimentations, et ce au regard du jugement humain ainsi qu’en comparaison avec les méthodes existantes
Image inpainting technique has emerged as one of the efficient solutions for restoring degraded images and even video and 3D visual contents. It is essential for restoration and conservation of archeological objects. Indeed, during the excavation of historic sites, many valuable artifacts such as statues, buildings, wall paintings, etc., have been unearthed and recovered. Unfortunately, most of them have been damaged or fractured in ancient times. With the aim to learn from these objects, digital techniques are used to restore them using some a priori knowledge provided by archeologists and artists. This helps to reconstruct, preserve and maintain these valuable artistic works. Recently, advances of computer technology and image acquisition systems made possible the transition from traditional manual retouching methods to digital techniques. It has opened up a very new and interesting research field within image processing, namely digital image inpainting.In this thesis, our work aims at analyzing and reviewing the state-of-the-art methods for image inpainting. Three groups of inpainting methods are identified. The advantages and drawbacks of each approach are analyzed using objective and subjective criteria. Based on this review, a new approach of image inpainting is introduced and compared to literature. The proposed method provides good performance in terms of quality and computation efficiency. Another contribution lies in the proposal of a new quality metric dedicated to image inpainting. To the best of our knowledge the inpainted images are very often evaluated subjectively or by means of some objective metrics far from being adapted to the peculiarities of image inpainting criteria. The last contribution of this work is a less investigated problem related to inpainting detection. This is motivated by the fact that, due to extensive research and rapid growth of technology, the output quality of inpainting algorithms became more than ever realistic and sophisticated. The inpainted regions are hard to detect by viewers, even for experts. As a result, these inpainted images could be used for different purposes, including digital tampering. Therefore, the last topic of the work is devoted to inpainting detection, also seen as an inverse problem of inpainting. Although, many papers have been introduced for forgery detection, there is almost no study about image inpainting forgery. Accordingly, a novel approach for inpainting detection is introduced based on the knowledge gathered in the previous steps of the thesis. Finally, the performance of proposed solutions is carefully evaluated with regards to human judgment as well as in comparison with the existing methods though a series of experimental studies

Cette thèse concerne le problème de désocclusion d'images, au moyen des équations aux dérivées partielles. Dans la première partie de la thèse, la désocclusion est modélisée par un problème de Cauchy qui consiste à déterminer une solution d'une équation aux dérivées partielles avec des données aux bords accessibles seulement sur une partie du bord de la partie à recouvrir. Ensuite, on a utilisé des algorithmes de minimisation issus de la théorie des jeux, pour résoudre ce problème de Cauchy. La deuxième partie de la thèse est consacrée au choix des paramètres de régularisation pour des EDP d'ordre deux et d'ordre quatre. L'approche développée consiste à construire une famille de problèmes d'optimisation bien posés où les paramètres sont choisis comme étant une fonction variable en espace. Ceci permet de prendre en compte les différents détails, à différents échelles dans l'image. L'apport de la méthode est de résoudre de façon satisfaisante et objective, le choix du paramètre de régularisation en se basant sur des indicateurs d'erreur et donc le caractère à posteriori de la méthode (i.e. indépendant de la solution exacte, en générale inconnue). En outre, elle fait appel à des techniques classiques d'adaptation de maillage, qui rendent peu coûteuses les calculs numériques. En plus, un des aspects attractif de cette méthode, en traitement d'images est la récupération et la détection de contours et de structures fines
Image inpainting refers to the process of restoring a damaged image with missing information. Different mathematical approaches were suggested to deal with this problem. In particular, partial differential diffusion equations are extensively used. The underlying idea of PDE-based approaches is to fill-in damaged regions with available information from their surroundings. The first purpose of this Thesis is to treat the case where this information is not available in a part of the boundary of the damaged region. We formulate the inpainting problem as a nonlinear boundary inverse problem for incomplete images. Then, we give a Nash-game formulation of this Cauchy problem and we present different numerical which show the efficiency of the proposed approach as an inpainting method.Typically, inpainting is an ill-posed inverse problem for it most of PDEs approaches are obtained from minimization of regularized energies, in the context of Tikhonov regularization. The second part of the thesis is devoted to the choice of regularization parameters in second-and fourth-order energy-based models with the aim of obtaining as far as possible fine features of the initial image, e.g., (corners, edges, … ) in the inpainted region. We introduce a family of regularized functionals with regularization parameters to be selected locally, adaptively and in a posteriori way allowing to change locally the initial model. We also draw connections between the proposed method and the Mumford-Shah functional. An important feature of the proposed method is that the investigated PDEs are easy to discretize and the overall adaptive approach is easy to implement numerically

Cette thèse de doctorat porte sur les modalités de fabrication des armatures lithiques au Tardiglaciaire et au cours de la première partie de l’Holocène dans deux régions spécifiques: le nord-est de l’Italie et le sud-ouest de la France. Depuis les premières études une séparation culturelle après le Gravettien entre ces deux régions, et en général entre la zone ouest-atlantique et méditerranéenne-balkanique, a été mise en évidence. L’objectif de ce projet est de contribuer à la définition du cadre culturel de ces deux séquences en soulignant les variations d’un point de vue diachronique et les éventuelles tendances communes. Pour la zone italienne, nous avons sélectionné trois sites de l’Épigravettien récent et un du Sauveterrien qui s’étendant du GS-2a au début de l’Holocène. Pour la zone française, nous avons choisi deux sites que se réfèrent au Magdalénien moyen et supérieur, à l’Azilien ancien et récent ainsi qu’au Laborien ancien. La méthodologie appliquée pour l’analyse des armatures lithiques est basée sur une approche expérimentale et une technologique. Les deux ont comme objectif la reconstruction de l’ensemble des chaînes opératoires pour la production des armatures, depuis la sélection des supports jusqu’aux méthodes et techniques de retouche. Pour la reconnaissance de ces dernières nous avons développé une analyse qualitative à haut et bas grossissement et une quantitative. L’application de ce type d’analyse a permis d’observer la variabilité des armatures sous un jour nouveau. Les résultats indiquent que malgré les divergences morpho-fonctionnelles considérables entre les armatures des deux territoires analysés, des transformations communes concernant la sélection des supports et les méthodes et techniques de retouche ont été enregistrées, en confirmant un important réseau social entre les groupes de l'Europe du Sud
This Ph.D thesis focuses on manufacturing modalities of lithic armatures during the Late Glacial and the first part of the Early Holocene in two specific areas: North-Eastern Italy and South-Western France. These two regions and more generally the Western-Atlantic and Mediterranean-Balkan areas are characterized, after the Gravettian period, by a clear cultural separation. The aim of this project was to contribute to the definition of the cultural framework in these two regions trying to emphasise variations and/or continuity into each chrono-cultural sequence and possible common trends between the two analysed territories. To answer this question, armatures from six sites located in South-Western France and North-Eastern Italy have been analysed. For the Italian area we selected three Late Epigravettian sites, and a Sauveterrian one, spanning from the latest part of the Oldest Dryas (GS-2a) to the beginning of the Early Holocene. For the French area we choose two multi-layered sites referring to the Upper Magdalenian, Early and Late Azilian and Early Laborian. Armatures were examined by applying a specifically designed methodology. This is based on two complementary approaches, an experimental and a technological one. Both were aimed at reconstructing the whole chaîne opératoire of armatures manufacture, from blanks selection to retouch methods and techniques. The latter were identified by combining a low and high magnifications analysis and a quantitative approach creating a new protocol for the study of lithic backed armatures. Applying this type of analysis allowed observing the variability of Late Glacial armatures in a new light. Despite the considerable morpho-functional divergences among armatures from the two territories analysed, common transformations concerning blanks selection and both retouch methods and techniques were recorded, suggesting the presence of important social networks linking Eastern and Western societies across time
Questa tesi di dottorato si concentra sulle modalità di fabbricazione delle armature litiche durante il Tardoglaciale e l’inizio del primo Olocene in due aree specifiche: l’Italia nord-orientale e la Francia sud-occidentale. Fin dai primi studi della fine del XIX e l’inizio del XX secolo, la variabilità tipologica delle armature litiche dopo il Gravettiano ha permesso di stabilire una divisione culturale tra le regioni atlantico-occidentali e quelle mediterraneo-balcaniche. La prima ha visto il susseguirsi di diverse culture (Solutreano, Badegouliano, Maddaleniano, Aziliano e Laboriano), mentre la seconda è caratterizzata da una maggiore continuità culturale che ha portato allo sviluppo dell’Epigravettiano antico e recente. All’inizio dell’Olocene entrambe le aree studiate presentano evidenze riferibili al Sauveterriano.L’obiettivo di questo progetto di ricerca è di contribuire alla definizione del quadro culturale di queste due regioni è di verificare se a questa chiara diversità morfo-tipologica corrisponde una differenza nelle modalità di produzione e in particolare nella selezione dei supporti, nei metodi e nelle tecniche di ritocco. Per raggiungere tale obiettivo sono state analizzate le armature di due siti della Francia sud-occidentale e di quattro dell’Italia nord-orientale. Per l’area italiana sono stati selezionati siti dell’Epigravettiano recente e del Sauveterriano localizzati in Friuli e nelle Prealpi e Alpi venete datati tra la fine del Dryas antico (GS-2a) e l’inizio dell’Olocene (17.000-10.000 cal BP). Per quanto riguarda l’area francese, invece, abbiamo scelto due siti pluristratificati che coprono approssimativamente lo stesso arco cronologico di quelli italiani e si riferiscono al Magdaleniano superiore, all’Aziliano antico e recente e al Laboriano antico. Non è stato possibile analizzare armature riferibili al Laboriano recente e al Sauveterriano francese.Le armature sono state studiate tramite una metodologia appositamente elaborata. Quest’ultima si basa su due approcci complementari, uno sperimentale e uno tecnologico. Entrambi mirano a ricostruire l’insieme delle catene operative che portano alla produzione delle armature. Sono state realizzate tre principali sessioni sperimentali: la prima è stata dedicata alle tecniche di ritocco, la seconda alla tecnica del microbulino e la terza all’identificazione di altre tecniche utili ad ottenere una fratturazione controllata del supporto. In seguito, il campione sperimentale è stato esaminato combinando un’analisi a basso e alto ingrandimento e un analisi quantitativa. Si è quindi elaborato un approccio integrato spesso utilizzato nell’ambito dell’analisi funzionale, ma raramente applicato per la ricostruzione delle modalità di fabbricazione di strumenti litici.L’applicazione di questa metodologia ha permesso di osservare la variabilità delle armature sotto una nuova luce. I risultati delle analisi effettuate indicano che nonostante le notevoli differenze da un punto di vista morfo-funzionale tra le armature delle due aree prese in esame, molteplici sono i punti in comune. Questi riguardano soprattutto le modalità di selezione dei 3 supporti, i metodi e le tecniche di ritocco, che in diversi periodi del Tardoglaciale sembrano seguire un trend simile. Sebbene i motivi di queste affinità tecnologiche potrebbero essere ricondotti alle dinamiche climatico-ambientali che colpiscono entrambe le regioni durante il Tardoglaciale e l’inizio dell’Olocene, la presenza degli stessi comportamenti tecnici su ampia scala non può che essere il risultato di un’importante rete di connessioni tra gruppi umani appartenenti a diverse culture

This Ph.D thesis focuses on manufacturing modalities of lithic armatures during the Late Glacial and the first part of the Early Holocene in two specific areas: North-Eastern Italy and South-Western France. Since the earliest studies between the end of 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the typological variability of lithic armatures and other specific traits in lithic and osseous technology have allowed establishing a cultural separation between the Western-Atlantic and Mediterranean-Balkan regions after the Gravettian period. According to the latest studies the former is characterized by the Solutrean-Badegoulian-Magdalenian-Azilian-Laborian sequence, whereas the second one attests to the development of the Early and the Late Epigravettian. Both regions analysed are then characterized by evidence referring to the Sauveterrian. The aim of this project was to contribute to the definition of the cultural framework in these two regions and to verify if this clear typological specificity corresponds to a difference in production modalities, especially on manufacturing methods and retouch techniques. To answer this question, armatures from six sites located in South-Western France and North-Eastern Italy have been analysed. For the Italian area we selected Late Epigravettian and Sauveterrian sites from Friuli and the Venetian Pre-Alps and Alps spanning from the latest part of the Oldest Dryas (GS-2a) to the beginning of the Early Holocene (17.000-10.000 cal BP). For the French area we choose two multi-layered sites covering approximately the same chronological span of the Italian ones and referred to the Upper Magdalenian, Early and Late Azilian and Early Laborian. Any Late Laborian and Sauveterrian French sites have been analysed. Armatures were examined by applying a specifically designed methodology. This is based on two complementary approaches, an experimental and a technological one. Both were aimed at reconstructing the whole chaîne opératoire of armatures manufacture. Three main experimental sessions were carried out: the 1st experimentation was dedicated to the investigation of retouch techniques, the 2nd one was aimed at examining the microburin blow technique and the 3rd was focused on other fracturing techniques effective to achieve a controlled fracture. The experimental sample was then analysed by combining a low and high magnifications analysis and a quantitative approach creating a new protocol for the study of lithic backed armatures. Such a combined approach is often used in use-wear analysis but has rarely been applied to the production of lithic artefacts. Applying this type of analysis at a large scale allowed observing the variability of Late Glacial armatures in a new light. Despite the considerable morpho-functional divergences among armatures from the two territories analysed, common transformations concerning blanks selection and both retouch methods and techniques were recorded. Although the reason to such a trend can be research into the similar environmental transformations occurred in both areas along the Late Glacial and the beginning of the Early Holocene which may similarly affect different human groups, the occurrence of analogous technical practise over a large territory suggests the presence of important social networks linking Eastern and Western societies across time.
Questa tesi di dottorato analizza le modalità di fabbricazione delle armature litiche durante il Tardoglaciale e l’inizio del primo Olocene in due aree specifiche: l’Italia nord-orientale e la Francia sud-occidentale. Fin dai primi studi della fine del XIX e l’inizio del XX secolo, la variabilità tipologica delle armature litiche dopo il Gravettiano ha permesso di stabilire una divisione culturale tra le regioni atlantico-occidentali e quelle mediterraneo-balcaniche. La prima ha visto il susseguirsi di diverse culture (Solutreano, Badegouliano, Maddaleniano, Aziliano e Laboriano), mentre la seconda è caratterizzata da una maggiore continuità culturale che ha portato allo sviluppo dell’Epigravettiano antico e recente. All’inizio dell’Olocene entrambe le aree studiate presentano evidenze riferibili al Sauveterriano. L’obiettivo di questo progetto di ricerca è di contribuire alla definizione del quadro culturale di queste due regioni è di verificare se a questa chiara diversità morfo-tipologica corrisponde una differenza nelle modalità di produzione e in particolare nella selezione dei supporti e nei metodi e nelle tecniche di ritocco. Per raggiungere questo obiettivo sono state analizzate le armature di due siti della Francia sud-occidentale e di quattro dell’Italia nord-orientale. Per l’area italiana sono stati selezionati siti dell’Epigravettiano recente e del Sauveterriano localizzati in Friuli e nelle Prealpi e Alpi venete datati tra la fine del Dryas antico (GS-2a) e l’inizio dell’Olocene (17.000-10.000 cal BP). Per quanto riguarda l’area francese, invece, abbiamo scelto due siti pluristratificati che coprono approssimativamente lo stesso arco cronologico di quelli italiani e si riferiscono al Magdaleniano superiore, all’Aziliano antico e recente e al Laboriano antico. Non è stato possibile analizzare armature riferibili al Laboriano recente e al Sauveterriano francese. Le armature sono state studiate tramite una metodologia appositamente elaborata. Quest’ultima si basa su due approcci complementari, uno sperimentale e uno tecnologico. Entrambi mirano a ricostruire l’insieme delle catene operative che portano alla produzione delle armature. Sono state realizzate tre principali sessioni sperimentali: la prima dedicata alle tecniche di ritocco, la seconda alla tecnica del microbulino e la terza all’identificazione di altre tecniche utili ad ottenere una fratturazione controllata del supporto. In seguito, il campione sperimentale è stato esaminato combinando un’analisi a basso e alto ingrandimento e un analisi quantitativa. Si è quindi elaborato un approccio integrato spesso utilizzato nell’ambito dell’analisi funzionale, ma raramente applicato per la ricostruzione delle modalità di fabbricazione di strumenti litici. L’applicazione di questa metodologia ha permesso di osservare la variabilità delle armature sotto una nuova luce. I risultati delle analisi effettuate indicano che nonostante le notevoli differenze da un punto di vista morfo-funzionale tra le armature delle due aree prese in esame, molteplici sono i punti in comune. Questi riguardano soprattutto le modalità di selezione dei supporti, i metodi e le tecniche di ritocco, che in diversi periodi del Tardoglaciale sembrano seguire un evoluzione simile. Sebbene i motivi di queste affinità tecnologiche potrebbero essere ricondotti alle dinamiche climatico-ambientali che colpiscono entrambe le regioni durante il Tardoglaciale e l’inizio dell’Olocene, la presenza degli stessi comportamenti tecnici su ampia scala non può che essere il risultato di un’importante rete di connessioni tra i gruppi umani delle regioni atlantico-occidentali e quelle mediterraneo-balcaniche.

This thesis investigates the removal of spatially-variant blur from photographs degraded by camera shake, and the removal of large occluding objects from photographs of popular places. Spatially-variant blur caused by camera shake is modelled using a weighted set of camera poses, which induce homographies on the image. The blur in an image is parameterised by the set of weights, which fully describe the spatially-variant blur at all pixels. We demonstrate direct estimation of the blur weights from single and multiple images captured by conventional cameras, by adapting existing (spatially-invariant) deblurring algorithms. This permits a sharp image to be recovered from a blurry "shaken" image without any user interaction. To reduce the computational cost of our model, we introduce an approximation based on local-uniformity of the blur. By grouping pixels into local regions which share a single PSF, we can use fast 2D convolutions to perform the blur computation. For deblurring images with saturated pixels, we modify the forward model to include this non-linearity, and re-derive the Richardson-Lucy algorithm. To prevent ringing appearing in the output, we propose separate updates for pixels affected/not affected by saturation. In order to remove large occluders from photos, we automatically retrieve a set of exemplar images of the same scene from the Internet. We extract homographies between each of these images and the target image to provide pixel correspondences. Finally we combine pixels from several exemplars in a seamless manner to replace the occluded pixels, by solving an energy minimisation problem.

The Picturegoer, published by Odhams Press, was the most popular British interwar film magazine. It was a pioneer in the use of rotogravure, a technique that brought high-quality color images to popular periodicals. The gravure process, in which both letterforms and photographs were fundamentally pictorial, challenged the text/image hierarchy, a radical shift reflected in the magazine’s layouts. Rotogravure had no definable matrix and images were smooth, continuous, and delicate; photographic portraits of stars were visually akin to cinematic close-ups. The magazine’s heavily retouched images, alongside articles on fashion and make-up, and an increasing dominance of cosmetic advertising, enabled women to develop an empowering visual expertise. Appearance became democratized and malleable, helping women to negotiate the contradictions of modern female subjectivity. Female readers were able to develop a photogenic face, influenced by Hollywood, shaped by make-up, and modeled on the smooth retouched colour rotogravure

A major conservation and research project on The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon by Lavinia Fontana was completed at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin in 2021. The painting, a large-scale oil on canvas (256 x 325 cm), was one of a number of pictures restored in the late 1960s by a team of conservators from the Istituto Centrale del Restauro in Rome, who came to Dublin during the establishment of the first conservation studio at the Gallery. The visiting restorers brought novel ideas and materials with them from the Istituto that would shape the Irish approach to conservation for decades to come. The prevailing ethos at the time in Italy was based on a minimal intervention approach with the use of novel, synthetic materials that had not yet been introduced to the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland. The painting, after treatment by the Istituto team, recorded material evidence of a particular moment in the development of conservation in Italy and Ireland. Large areas of historic loss and damage across the surface of the painting had been reintegrated by the Italian restorers with the application of retouchings in the tratteggio style, also known as rigatino, using a Paraloid-based medium. In some cases, portraits and other significant details in the image were fully reconstructed by the retouchings. Underlying instability required the removal of some of these retouchings during the most recent treatment, but others could be retained if desired. With the help of archival images and documentation, a decision-making model was developed to evaluate the quality and historic value of these retouchings and to determine which to preserve, which to modify and which to remove. Reduction of retouchings often necessitates replacement, and the partial preservation of the historic retouchings brought further factors to bear on the decision-making model for the chromatic reintegration of the painting. A return to the tratteggio technique was chosen for the larger instances of loss compensation in the treatment, albeit with a finer hatching so that the newer reintegration remains distinguishable from the historic one. This was complemented with a pointillist technique over textured fillings for smaller and shallower losses. Furthermore, where blistering and heat damage in the paint layers resulted in uneven topography, a third auxiliary technique was used. The desired texture was found when testing Paraloid-based gels on a mock-up and applied to bring continuity the surface texture in these areas of the painting. With this approach we intend to meet the conservation needs of the object, restore the legibility of the image and retain the evidence of the historic intervention of this founding team of Italian restorers at the National Gallery of Ireland.

This study presents a part of a research project on retouching wet Collodion and dry gelatine glass plate negatives from Golestan Palace photo archive in Tehran, Iran, dating from the mid-19th century. The collection belongs to Qajar era. This is a case study on the use of red paint in retouching wet collodion glass plate negatives and aims to help the understanding of retouching material and their application. Red paints in four retouched negatives, and also their binder, identified in this study by means of, micro Fourier transform infrared (µ-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and stereo microscopy technique. Elemental analysis performed with (SEM-EDS) revealed the presence of Lead (Pb), and Iron (Fe) elements in the paint. Thus, red Iron & red Lead pigments were identified as the red paints. The results confirmed by micro Fourier transform infrared (µ-FTIR), and a natural resin (probably gum Arabic) is identified as the binder of all paints as well. Red Lead, is realized as a paint to cover the boundaries, create more brightness, and as a binder to adhere masking papers, to the intended areas. Red Iron, is also found as a paint to correct emulsion defects and, make a perfectly clear and clean sky or background. Apparently, all these choices have been made consciously. It is believed that this study will contribute much to better understanding of retouching materials and the need to preserve them.