In this paper, an overview of the recent applications of pulsed infrared thermography is presented. Pulsed infrared thermography, which provides stratigraphic information by analyzing the heat diffusion process within the sample after a thermal perturbation, is applied to the investigation of different kinds of cultural heritage artefacts. In particular, it is used to analyze repairs, decorative elements, and casting faults on bronzes, to detect texts hidden or damaged in ancient books/documents, and to characterize paint decorations. Moreover, the integration of pulsed infrared thermography and three-dimensional shape recording methods is proposed in order to provide a three-dimensional representation of the thermographic results. Finally, it is shown how the obtained thermographic results may be crucial from the historical and artistic points of view for understanding the modus operandi of a specific artist and/or of a workshop and for reconstructing the manufacturing process of the analyzed artefacts.

Microorganisms often cause significant damage on historical objects. The archive or library materials as well as textile or leather artifacts suffer serious attacks that need appropriate care treatments. Several biocide processes have been implemented but often their application does not preserve the material of the good. The objective of this work is the disinfection through ionizing radiation of leather wallpaper from the museum building Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia (Rome, Italy). The controlled sterilization treatments were carried out using X-ray beams to eliminate the microorganisms present on the leather and maintaining unchanged the properties of the constituent material. Some fragments of decorated leather wallpaper, dating back to the 1700s, were irradiated with X-rays up to 5,000 Gy. The amount of microorganisms was evaluated by microbiological analysis before and after X-ray irradiation treatments to identify the dose that inhibits the bacterial load. It will be shown how the results obtained by the application of different chemical-physical techniques (Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy and Light Transmission Analysis) have helped in the evaluation of the impact of the X-rays on leather chemical and physical integrity.