Nuclear science helps restore art

VIENNA, March 1 (UPI) -- Sixteenth century art met 20th century technology as Viennese art conservators assess non-invasively the sculpture "Saliera" that was stolen then recovered.

"The relief, indeed the joy, can scarcely be imagined that we can welcome the return of the Saliera into the rooms of our museum," said Wilfried Seipel, General Director of Vienna's Kunsthistorisches (Art History) Museum from where the Renaissance sculpture was stolen in May 2003.

Art restorers are using a specialized instrument to examine and uncover secrets about Benvenuto Cellini´s sculpture. Known as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, the International Atomic Energy Agency loaned a portable version of the instrument to the museum to help conservation scientist Dr. Katharina Uhlir examine the work in a non-destructive manner.

The "Saleria," sculpted to hold salt and pepper for royal feasts, shows the bodies of a man and woman. Valued at more than $60 million, Austrian police spent nearly three years tracking it down before receiving a tip in early 2006 that the treasure was buried in a bag in Austria's northwest woods.

Martina Griesser, head of the museum's conservation science department, said the enamel has been degrading and "the theft certainly did not help things."