The great workability of wood allows to use this material for the realization of a wide range of artifacts, of small and large sizes. The most common ones are the sacred vessels, among which stand out altars, pulpits, choirs, singers, as well as statues, sculptures and other objects. But the wood is widely used in architectural elements such as coffer ceilings, doors, fixtures and for the realization of furnishings. Often in these cases, the wood also works as support for finishing and decoration layers as gilding or paintings.

The diagnostic research, useful for examining these manufactures, allows a characterization both by recognizing the essence of wood or dating, both studying the details through the observation of cross and thin sections by an optical microscopy or an electron microscopy for the identification of the gildings, and the recognition of pigments (including X-ray fluorescence). The FT-IR spectrophotometric analyses are performed to study patinas and organic substances.

For the evaluation of the conservation condition of the wooden manufactures are recommended biological and microbiological examinations to underline the possible activities Xylophaga insects or other organisms that can cause deterioration phenomena of the material.