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In this paper, a new method based on the use of infrared thermography is proposed for the characterization of repairs and inserted parts on ancient bronzes. In particular, the quality of the contact between different kind of insertions and the main body of bronze statues is investigated by analysing the heat conduction process occurring across the interface between them. The thermographic results have been used to establish the nature of these inserted elements and the way they have been coupled to the main body of the statue during and after the manufacturing process. A model for the heat conduction based on the numerical finite elements method has been applied to compare the obtained results to the theoretical predictions. Measurements have been first carried out on test samples and then in the field on the Boxer at Rest ( Museo Nazionale Romano in Rome), a masterpiece of the Greek Statuary, which contains a large variety of inserted items and repairs which are typical of the manufacturing process of bronze artefacts in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Detection of hidden texts buried into paper based cultural heritage artefacts. • Analysis of the 3D heat diffusion in optically semi-transparent materials. • Study of the distortions in the thermographic images of subsurface graphic features. Pulsed thermography has proven to be a useful tool to detect subsurface features in ancient bookbindings and, in particular, to provide the IR image of texts buried beneath the end - leaves of the books. In this paper the theory is presented to analyze the influence of the geometrical and physical parameters involved in the processes leading to the distortion in the IR image of the detected buried graphical features. The distortion is mainly due to the lateral diffusion of the heat generated at the ink feature after the absorption of an excitation light. A comprehensive analysis taking into account the three dimensional heat diffusion process, in an optically semi-transparent medium, is considered. Numerical results are reported showing the behavior of the contrast and of a distortion parameter of the buried inked feature detected by the IR imaging in the various considered cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]