Nanostructures in Ancient Works of Art

This review has illustrated some examples of the different types of nanostructures present in ancient ceramic and metallic works of art and has evidenced that manmade nanostructured materials are not of recent origin. The results reported show the presence of different nanostructures in metallic and ceramic artistic or common use objects, give some details on the ancient manufacturing technologies and reveal the great empirical competence reached by the ancient artists, masters, and craftsmen that produced objects whose artistic quality could not be bettered in ancient times and has not been yet reached in modern ones. The information about the raw materials and their tailored use as well as the high level of technological skill applied in working, producing and manipulation processes disclose that ancient works of art constitute an important document for the history of art as well as of ceramic and metal technology.