Statistical applications of the multivariate skew-normal distribution

Azzalini & Dalla Valle (1996) have recently discussed the multivariate skew-normal distribution which extends the class of normal distributions by the addition of a shape parameter. The first part of the present paper examines further probabilistic properties of the distribution, with special emphasis on aspects of statistical relevance. Inferential and other statistical issues are discussed in the following part, with applications to some multivariate statistics problems, illustrated by numerical examples. Finally, a further extension is described which introduces a skewing factor of an elliptical density.Comment: full-length version of the published paper, 32 pages, with 7 figures, uses psfra

Dall’inventario al mercato antiquario: opere all’asta e in collezioni museali

L'individuazione storico-critica di alcuni manufatti di arte applicata attraverso l'incrocio dei dati ricavabili da documentazioni storiche e cataloghi d'asta

L’arte orafa nelle pagine di “Cellini”

Il testo analizza la scelta di opere di arte orafa - sia storiche che contemporanee - presentate come esemplari nella rivista "Cellini", pubblicata dal 1941 al 1943 dall’Ente nazionale fascista per l’artigianato e le piccole industrie (E.N.F.A.P.I.

Tessuti medievali: un libro, una mostra, un metodo

Recensione del volume di M.L. Rosati, I. Del Punta "Lucca una città di seta" e della mostra "Tessuto e ricchezza a Firenze nel Trecento" allestita alla Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze

Eredità del Novecento. Arte e Design nelle collezioni civiche di Livorno

Il volume costituisce il catalogo della mostra dedicata alla collezione civica livornese d'arte contemporanea (5 settembre - 31 ottobre 2015). La mostra è a cura di Antonella Capitanio per la sezione di design, allestita nelle sale della Fondazione Livorno, e di Mattia Patti per la sezione artistica, allestita negli spazi dei Granai di Villa Mimbelli

Synopsis of a Treasure. A Transdisciplinary Study of Medieval Gold Workings Biographies

The article aims to show how a transdisciplinary approach can contribute to a better understanding of the composite biography of a precious object. The study focuses on the Cintola del Duomo (Museum of the Opera del Duomo, Pisa), one of the most famous objects in the history of goldsmithing, both for its exceptional manufacturing quality and for its devotional value. For a long time, the Cintola was considered a fragment of a long garland – decorated with precious stones, enamel, and silver plates – that was displayed on the façade of the Cathedral on certain days of the liturgical calendar. Detailed historical studies suggested that the garland was lost in the early 1300s, while the object now in the museum is more likely to be a reconstruction, decorated with ancient and modern gems. In situ diagnostic campaigns were carried out on the garland using portable Raman spectroscopy (i-Raman, B&W Tek) and portable X-Ray fluorescnece (XRF) (Elio, Bruker) to reveal the identity of the gems and enamels preliminarily studied by gemmological analysis. The combination of analytical techniques made it possible to better outline the complex history of the artefacts. The analysis provided information on the identity of the gems, proposing an interesting question about their possible relationship with the crown of Henry VII of Luxembourg (in the same museum). The study includes aspects related to the materiality of the objects, revealing the socio-cultural context in which the object was produced and supporting its recontextualisation in the museum as a symbolic representation of the past