ABOUT US

Doctor Paola Lucero

Since 2009 Dr. Lucero has focused her research interest in the field of chemistry and its application to understand the mechanisms that allow to preserve artistic and archeological materials trough time.
She started her career at the University of Avignon in France in 2009 as a doctoral student, and since then she has collaborated in several projects aiming to characterize art and archaeological materials like resins, dyes, waxes, oil paintings, cacao among others in France, Mexico, Italy and Czech Republic.
On May 2018 she started her collaboration with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice where she developed two major axes of her research activity: the development of strategies that allow to describe microclimate variables in buildings used as museums and the establishment of a correlation between historical climate and the state of conservation of museum collections.
Since November 2021 she integrated the Palacky University of Olomouc. In 2023 she obtained the prestigious Marie Curie individual fellowship for the development of the project SMARTMUS-e where she is the principal investigator.

More publications
in
Reviewed Journals

A Comprehensive and Systematic Diagnostic Campaign for a New Acquisition of Contemporary Art—The Case of Natura Morta by Andreina Rosa (1924–2019) at the International Gallery of Modern Art Ca’ Pesaro, Venice

Piccolo, A, Bonato, E., Falchi, L., Lucero-Gómez, P., Barisoni, E., Piccolo, M., Balliana, E., Cimino, D., Izzo, F.C.

Heritage

Volume 4 (2021), 4372-4398

Abstract: In this work a campaign of diagnosis using mainly non destructive techniques: IRTF, Raman, photography with filters, hyperespectral imaging, FORS and GC-MS was undertake to analyze one iconoc work from the Ca’Pesaro collection in Venice. Hyperespectral and photographic techniques were able to detect an underdrawing, while GC-MS allowed the precise identification of the binder, IRTF and Raman allowed the characterization of the pigments.

Keywords: Andreina Rosa; heritage science; modern oil painting; conservation; oxalates; GC-MS; Hyperspectral Imaging Spectroscopy; FORS; ER-FTIR; degradation.


60 years of street art: a comparative study of the artists’ materials through spectroscopic and mass spectrometric approaches

Jacopo La Nasa*, Campanella, B., Sabatini, F., Rava, A., Shank, W., Lucero-Gomez, P., De Luca, D., Legnaioli, S., Palleschi, V., Colombini, M.P., Degano, I., Modugno, F.

Journal of Cultural Heritage

Volume 48 (2020), 129-140

Abstract: In this work several mural from contemporary artist were analysed, the molecular characterization was based mainly using Py/GC-MS analysis. This work traces back the evolution in the formulation of commercial paintings from the 50’s to our times with a detailed characterization of binders but also additives that can play a major role in the conservation or the degradation of an artwork.

Keywords: XXXXXXX


An analytical strategy based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis to suggest the botanical origin of resins from Bursera

Application to archaeological Aztec Samples

Pina-Torres, C., Lucero-Gómez*, P., Nieto, S., Vázquez, A., Bucio, L., Belio, I., Vega, R., Mathe, C., Vieillescazes, C.

Journal of Cultural Heritage

Volume 33 (2018), 48-59

Abstract: In this work I was for the first time corresponding author. This research presents the results from the analysis of triterpenic resins using IRTF and principal component analysis. This approach showed an ability of discrimination for the botanical origin of resins, similar to that of GC/MS analysis. The advantage of the IRTF/PCA approach is that is much faster and cheaper than the GC-MS approach.

Keywords: Mural painting, contemporary art, Py/GC-MS


Analysis of Mexican reference standards for Bursera spp. resins by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry and application to archaeological objects

Lucero-Gómez, P., Mathe, C., Vieillescazes*, C., Bucio, L., Belio-Reyes, I., Vega-Aviña, R.

Journal of Archaeological Science

Volume 41 (2014), 679-690

Abstract: This research present the results of an interdisciplinary research in the field of botany, chemistry and archaeology. Seven species of Bursera were selected, and resins from several threes of each specie were sampled in the forest. Then GC-MS characterization of the resins was performed, and molecular markers for each resin specie were identified. Finally, the molecular profile of archaeological samples was compared to that of modern materials, and a correlation to the botanical origin of archaeological samples was established.

Keywords: FTIR, botanical origin, secondary metabolites, natural resins, Bursera spp.


Archaeobotany: HPLC molecular triterpenic profiles for the discrimination of the botanical origin of copal in Mesoamerica. Application to the study of resins from objects from Aztec offerings

Lucero-Gómez, P., Bucio, L., Belio-Reyes, I., Vega-Aviña, R., Mathe, C., Vieillescazes, C.

Archéometrie Journal of GMPCA

Volume 36 (2014), 20-30

Abstract: In this work the resins from 7 species of bursera were analysed using liquid chromatography, These technique has been used very sporadically in the characterization of natural resins. This work show that a precise molecular profile could be distinguish according to the botanical origin of the sample. One drawback of this technique is that it is more expensive than GC-MS and requires a higher mass of sample for the analysis.

Keywords: Molecular profiles, GC-MS, Aztec offerings, natural resins.