Unveiling the colour palette of Arraiolos carpets: Material study of carpets from the 17th to 19th century period by HPLC-DAD-MS and ICP-MS

Wool samples collected from thirteen Arraiolos carpets from the 17th–19th century belonging to the National Museum of Ancient Art (NMAA, Lisboa, Portugal) collection were analysed to identify the natural dyes and mordants employed in the traditional dyeing process, in a way to complement and improve actual knowledge on this rugs. Natural dyes were extracted from Arraiolos historical wool fibres using a mild extraction method, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array and mass spectrometry detection (HPLC-DAD-MS) for compound identification. Colourimetry was used to measure colour parameters in all historical samples. Quantification of mordants in the historical fibres was carried out by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Weld, indigo, spurge flax, brazilwood, madder and cochineal were identified as dye sources in the fibres. Alum was the most commonly used mordant, but the presence of iron and zinc was also detected in some darker samples. The use of madder and cochineal is not referred in the available historical dyeing recipes. This study also proved that the actual visual perception of these carpets is strongly affected by the natural dyes photodegradation, which was mostly unaccounted for before.     

Identification of red colorants in van Gogh paintings and ancient Andean textiles by microspectrofluorimetry

Red lake pigments and dyes used in works of art were characterized by microspectrofluorimetry, a new tool in the field of cultural heritage. Emission and excitation spectra were obtained with high spatial resolution (8–30 μm) in cross-sections from paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Lucien Pissarro and from millenary Andean textiles. The fluorophores were identified by comparing their spectra with those from historic reconstructions assembled in a database. In the paints, purpurin and eosin lakes were detected. In the Paracas and Nasca textiles, dated from 200 B.C. to A.D.1476, purpurin and pseudopurpurin were the red dyes used. Carminic acid was detected in textiles dated close to the Inca Empire, A.D. 1000–1476. The results obtained with this new technique were confirmed and are in agreement with those obtained with conventional methods, requiring microsampling, such as HPLC-DAD-MS and SEM-EDX.     

Organic dyes in Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons from Chalkidiki (Greece)

The present study is probably the first attempt to record the organic colouring materials found in Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons, made in the Mount Athos area and in the adjacent area of Chalkidiki. Fifteen icons, dated from the 14th to the 19th century were tested by Optical Microscopy (OM), employed to reveal the existing pigment layers and High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) combined with spectrophotometric UV-Vis detection, used for dyestuff identification. OM showed that organic dyes had been applied either as exclusive colouring materials or in combination with inorganic pigments. HPLC results showed that reddish cochineal and a “soluble” redwood appear to be the most common organic dyes of the icons tested. The limited use of madder, found only in one icon, suggests that the widespread plants of the Rubiaceae family were probably not frequently used by the iconographers during the historical period investigated. Similarly, an indigoid dye source was found in one sample. The results show that mixtures of organic dyes were used in Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons.     

Methodology of analytical study for provenance determination of calcitic,calcite–dolomitic and impure marbles from historical quarries in the Czech Republic

The present provenance study was focused on marbles from historical quarries of one geological unit (Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic) exhibiting complex polyphase geological evolution. A combination of mineralogical–petrographic, geochemical and physical methods has been tested i.e. optical microscopy (OM) of the whole rock, X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the insoluble residues, petrographic image analysis (PIA) of carbonate grains, cathodoluminescence (CL) of microfacies, stable isotope ratio analysis (SIRA) of carbonates in the groundmass and secondary veins, Raman microspectrometry (RM) of the carbonaceous matter and bulk magnetic susceptibility (MS) of the whole rock.Based on the results of historical quarries and the artefacts from Pernštejn Castle and Prague Castle, the most effective way for provenance determination of marbles seems to be a combination of petrographic methods (including quantitative approaches), cathodoluminescence, and stable isotope study. Less conventional methods (e.g. Raman microspectrometry or physical properties like bulk magnetic susceptibility) are very useful for provenance studies on impure calcitic and dolomitic marbles that include carbonaceous matter, magnetic minerals or silicates. For the first time, Raman data on reduced carbonaceous matter permitted differentiation amongst marbles of different origin.     

A new approach for conservation treatment of a silk textile in Islamic Art Museum, Cairo

The paper presents strategies for the conservation of historical textiles in Egypt that have been in uncontrolled storage and display. The silk textile is highly decorated, multicoloured and dates to the Ottoman period, and was exhibited in case # 12014. The textile has various types of deterioration. An examination and analysis of the textile was undertaken in order to develop a plan of conservation treatment. FTIR was used to identify the kinds of dyes and organic stains, and XR-D was used to identify mordants and dust. Light microscope and SEM were used to identify the kind of fibers, their condition and surface morphology. The effects of cleaning materials on the natural dyes were tested. The researcher designed a new metallic frame support system which has advantages over the wooden frames commonly used in Egypt. This presentation will review the conservation treatment step by step. Poultices were used to remove all the sticking cardboard and adhesive. Old conservation repairs were removed. Separated parts were supported. Cleaning included mechanical and wet cleaning. New silk fabrics dyed with natural dyes were used to complete the missing parts. The textile was supported on new linen fabric which was stretched on a metal frame. The method of exhibition will be discussed. Photographs are included to document the conservation process.     

Why New Hybrid Organizations are Formed: Historical Perspectives on Epistemic and Academic Drift

By comparing three types of hybrid organizations—18th-century scientific academies, 19th-century institutions of higher vocational education, and 20th-century industrial research institutes—it is the purpose here to answer the question of why new hybrid organizations are continuously formed. Traditionally, and often implicitly, it is often assumed that emerging groups of potential knowledge users have their own organizational preferences and demands influencing the setup of new hybrid organizations. By applying the concepts epistemic and academic drift, it will be argued here, however, that internal organizational dynamics are just as important as changing historical conjunctures in the uses of science when understanding why new hybrid organizations are formed. Only seldom have older hybrid organizations sought to make themselves relevant to new categories of knowledge users as the original ones have been marginalized. Instead, they have tended to accede to ideals supported by traditional academic organizations with higher status in terms of knowledge management, primarily universities. Through this process, demand has been generated for the founding of new hybrid organizations rather than the transformation of existing ones. Although this study focuses on Swedish cases, it is argued that since Sweden strove consistently to implement existing international policy trends during the periods in question, the observations may be generalized to apply to other national and transnational contexts.     

Reconstruction and virtual model of the Schickard calculator

Exhibition of objects such as paintings or historical artefacts often involves a common problem: the objects presented are unique, delicate and, therefore, very valuable. On the other hand, these objects should be made accessible to scholars and educators. We present an application of modern 3D computer graphics in the field of reconstructing ancient scientific instruments. The first-four-species calculator of Wilhelm Schickard is made accessible to the public in the World Wide Web using Java 3D.     

Transylvanian glass icons: A GC/MS study on the binding media

Transylvanian glass icons are very specific heritage items of Romanian folk art, produced from the middle of 18th century until now. The present research reports the results of a study on the organic components of the paint layers, analyzing the binding media of a series of glass icons belonging to three important icon making centers: Nicula, Olt County (?ara Oltului) and Brasov area (?cheii Bra?ovului). The analysis of the binding media has been done by means of gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The applied analytical procedure allowed the characterization of the proteinaceous, polysaccharide and lipid-resinous content of the binding media starting from a unique microsample. Results showed that a wide range of materials were used by the icons painters, mostly applied as mixtures of a proteinaceous material and a lipid one. The proteinaceous component proved to be mainly egg, though animal glue and casein were ascertained too, and proteins were often mixed; the lipid material was identified as linseed oil. In some of the icons pine resin and saccharide material were found. Data also highlighted that though the materials used in all the glass icons under study are similar, some particularities could be observed in the painting technique of the studied producing centers and icon painters.     

The varnished truth: The recipes and reality of tintype coatings

The most popular photographic technique in the USA between 1856 and 1900 was the tintype, with millions of these objects created by photographers in established studios, by itinerant artists in portable workshops, and by amateurs working from ‘how-to’ manuals and journal articles. Whereas the fundamentals for this photographic process (collodion binder on a japanned metal support) were largely invariant, historical documents recommended a wide variety of protective varnish materials. A collection of 221 tintypes was analyzed using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (py-GC-MS) to compare the components of actual tintype varnishes with recipes from the historical literature. Several resins in published tintype varnish recipes, including mastic, copal, and amber, are entirely absent from this collection and only five constituents – shellac, Pinaceae resin (Canada balsam or colophony), dammar, sandarac, and camphor – are detected alone or in combination. Each detected resin appears in historical recipes, but just 24% of the samples have varnish layer constituents consistent with published tintype varnish recipes. Forty-four percent of the tintypes have varnish constituents consistent with formulations recommended for other collodion images, but the varnishes of the remaining samples have no direct literature equivalents. The preponderance of shellac- and Pinaceae-based varnishes suggests that these correspond to inexpensive commercial varnishes, but tintypists may have developed their own preferred mixtures or simply used what was at hand. This first in-depth technical analysis of tintype materials suggests that the cheapest and most readily available materials were employed in the varnishing process and that the artists were not bound by literature recommendations.     

Accelerated hydrothermal degradation of fibres of Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax)

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME)–gas chromatography (GC)–mass spectrometry (MS) has been applied to the analysis of acetic acid and furfural that are emitted from the fibres of Phormium tenax (Xanthorrhoeaceae) [New Zealand flax] during degradation. Accelerated hydrothermal ageing of fibres of the Ruawai cultivar of P. tenax for 55 days at 70 °C resulted in the production of acetic acid at a level greater or equal to 1.65 mg g^–1 fibre. This corresponds to only 8.5% of the acetyl groups present in the fibres. These groups are an important source of acetic acid, which is capable of damaging the fibres. The rate of production of acetic acid suggests that a heritage object made from the fibres of P. tenax, that was stored in damp ambient conditions, would undergo significant deterioration after a relatively short period. Other volatile products released during ageing included furfural, a series of short to medium chain aliphatic aldehydes that were derived from the oxidation of long chain unsaturated fatty acids on the fibres and a small group of products that were derived from carotenoids. The levels of furfural were determined to be approximately 0.75% of the potential production but at these levels, furfural could contribute to unpleasant odours from unventilated items. Fibres from six cultivars of P. tenax were found to release acetic acid and furfural all at the same rate. The levels of acetic acid that can be generated from these fibres are sufficiently high that low moisture levels and continuous change of air is required to minimize degradation of cultural objects that are made from these fibres and displayed in museum halls.     

Analysing the possible impact of landslides and avalanches on cultural heritage in Upper Svaneti,Georgia

In this paper, the threat posed to cultural heritage by landslides and avalanches is analysed for two communities (Ushguli and Mulakhi) in the Upper Svaneti region in Georgia. The vulnerability of 60 cultural heritage objects has been evaluated through a conservation calculation based on an existing methodology using a State of Conservation Index (SCIx), which served as an input in a Spatial Multicriteria Evaluation (SMCE). Factors that are considered important for the occurrence of landslides (slope, landcover, lithology and drainage density) and snow avalanches (slope, insolation, slope curvature and landcover) have been used to generate a susceptibility map. A qualitative risk assessment was carried out by combining susceptible areas and cultural heritage objects. As there were very limited historical data available on the occurrence of landslides and snow avalanches, a combination of local and expert knowledge has been used to extract information on both cultural heritage and natural hazards. Existing management plans were also analysed to evaluate how natural hazards could be incorporated. Finally, some recommendations are given related to the analysis of the impact of natural hazards on cultural heritage in Georgia.     

Integrity in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A comparative study for rural landscapes

Since 2005, Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) is the standard by which United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) evaluates world cultural heritage site suitability. The sites worthy of UNESCO preservation as well as the parameters used to demonstrate OUV are diverse. Our study focused on the uniquely distinguished rural landscape sites and the OUV parameter of integrity. Integrity however, is an elusive concept for which UNESCO provides no definitional protocol, and for which the scientific community objects to a static or pure historical interpretation. Given this, our work aims to analyse the concept of integrity and how it can be used to preserve the heritage of rural landscapes. After reviewing the UNESCO approach, we focused on the international scientific debate on the meaning and application of integrity. We designed and conducted a comparative study of UNESCO rural landscapes selected from the 2011 World Heritage List. Documents describing the historical, rural, and agro-ecological features of each of the fourteen rural sites were analysed. From this, several historical and ecological parameters were chosen as “values to have” and several socio-economic and management parameters were chosen as “values to maintain” to assess the integrity of each landscape. Our results found integrity to be a value of both cultural and natural landscapes and that it is key to site identity. We demonstrated that UNESCO assigns a high value to the following parameters: historical features, traditional crops and local products, land-use and agricultural practice permanence, and the presence of architecture related to agricultural activity. Finally, we found the relationship between culture and nature to characterize best the integrity of a rural landscape, rather than nature or culture alone.     

Why Are Asian Americans Silent? Asian Americans' Negotiation Strategies for Communicative Discriminations

Abstract

This study explores two questions: (1) What types of racially discriminatory messages (RDM) target Asian Americans? (2) What communicative approaches do Asian Americans use to negotiate RDM? An analysis of 176 stories obtained through an online survey revealed seven RDM types (racial slurs, playground teasing, Asian Americans as eternal others, Asians as sexual objects, professional discrimination, Asians are all the same, and alienation within Asian groups). It was found that Asian Americans tend to utilize nonassertive approaches in responding to RDM due to internal/environmental factors including emotional shock and humiliation, a lack of knowledge of proper responses, peer pressure, and strategic intent.     

Application of geographic information technologies to historical landscape reconstruction and military terrain analysis of an American Revolution Battlefield: Preservation potential of historic lands in urbanized settings,Boston, Massachusetts,USA

Through funding from the National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program, geographic information technologies were employed to create a high resolution, spatially accurate representation of the 1775 landscape of Boston's Inner Harbor and to conduct a geospatial and temporal assessment of the location, extent, and preservation potential of an American Revolutionary War battlefield and its associated cultural resources. Geographic information technologies provide the tools and methodologies to accurately create digital representations of historical landscapes. These tools enable the visualization and geospatial analysis of landscapes and significant historical events, greatly enhancing the understanding of temporal and spatial interactions between these events and the physical landscape upon which they occurred. Data sources include historical bibliographic and cartographic records, high resolution orthophotographs, constant value raster grids, and LIDAR data. A military terrain model was created utilizing American Battlefield Protection Program's KOCOA system categories, in order to identify defining features of the battlefield. KOCOA is an acronym which stands for Key terrain, Obstacles, Cover and Concealment, Observation and Fields of Fire, and Avenues of Advancement and Withdrawal. The KOCOA analysis provides an established method for identifying critical defining features of the battle and determining the influence of the landscape on the ephemeral battle events. The base map was created utilizing U.S. Navy Coast Survey maps dating from the mid-19th century. A digital elevation model was created to represent the 1775 topography, utilizing LIDAR data and constant value raster layers. The military terrain analysis provided valuable insights into battlefield events and decisions. Defining features of the battle were also identified and mapped. A detailed Environmental Systems Research Institute's ArcGIS Citation Data Model was used to link landscape and KOCOA features to the historical sources they were derived from. A comprehensive source table was created as part of this effort. The results of this investigation have provided a high resolution dataset of Boston's historical landscape during the time of the American Revolution. The geospatial analysis will aid in the development of long-range management strategies for the Chelsea Creek Battlefield and facilitate the assessment of threats to cultural resources posed by both anthropogenic activities and environmental change. The methodologies and interdisciplinary approach will also be applicable to other investigations seeking to recreate historical landscapes within a geographic information system.     

Monetary organization and national identity: a review and considerations

This article develops a detailed overview of literature on the relationship between monetary organization, understood as currencies and central banks, and issues of national identity and nationalism. It demonstrates how the literature on this subject for the past 20 years has developed into a distinct research field and the article sketches a set of different methodological approaches as well as geographical and thematical variations within the field. In particular, the overview points to a recent shift in focus from a preoccupation with the identity-cultivating qualities of monetary organization to an emphasis on how collective identities legitimize monetary organization. Based on the literature review, the article points to two underdeveloped themes for future research to investigate: (1) further studies on the interrelation between the legitimacy of monetary organization and national identity, (2) an increased focus on central banks and monetary authorities, as well as the historical development in which monetary organization evolved in concert with ideas of the national identity and nationalism.     

Protein identification and localization using mass spectrometry and staining tests in cross-sections of polychrome samples

The identification and localization of the proteinaceous binders are essential issues in studies of painting materials and techniques, for further proposing valid restoration and conservation treatments of the painted or polychrome works of art. The challenge for analytical chemists and conservation scientists is the availability of methods able to simultaneously identify and map the presence of the binders in the multilayered structure of a sample and the possibility to use a very low amount of sample from the studied art object (considering also the criteria of minimum sampling). These methods should be fast, reproducible in different artefacts and in case of mixture of protein-based binders with other non-proteinaceous constituents (oils, resins, waxes, gums etc.) and also economical (both in terms of materials and time consume). In this context, the present paper proposes an innovative protocol of investigation using two complementary techniques – Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation – Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and staining tests (one visible and one fluorescent stain) assisted by Optical Microscopy (OM) on cross-section of samples – for the simultaneous identification and mapping of protein – and oil-based binders in paint materials. The novelty is based on the use of MALDI-TOF MS on cross-sections of paints together with a fluorescent stain for protein identification and mapping (mainly used in the area of proteomics) complementing the use of a traditional visible stain for oil-based material identification. The protocol was successfully applied on several samples taken from a Czech medieval polychrome sculpture, entitled “The Mourning of Jesus Christ” (16th century) belonging to the Moravian Gallery (Brno).     

The Elasticity of Thought: A Note on the Drive in Worringer and Freud

Abstract

The essay approaches recent discussions of ‘life’ and biopolitics from the historical context of early 20th century German vitalist thought. By closely analysing the concept of the ‘drive’ in art historian Wilhelm Worringer's Abstraction and Empathy (1908) and Sigmund Freud's Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920), the essay shows how the paradoxes of those texts prefigure and contribute to the contemporary problematic of ‘life’ in theoretical discourse across the humanities. In Worringer and Freud, the drive is an ‘elastic’ concept stretching beyond – and yet constitutive of – the epistemological object (‘life’) that it is called upon to describe. The distortion of the drive in each author's thought – from an impulse of organic vitality to a principle of inorganic primordiality – manifests the contradictory ‘life’ of vitalist concepts themselves in their elastic potential for transformation, regression and contradiction.     

Determining treatment priorities for ecclesiastical textiles using significance and conservation assessments

The Benedictine monastic community at New Norcia, Western Australia needed an assessment of their historic textile collection as a preliminary step in gaining financial support to preserve the garments. The textiles were grouped according to functional use with sampling controlled by random number generation of the registers. The highest significance and conservation rankings were rated at 5 and the lowest in the categories was given values of one. The numbers in each category fell logarithmically as the significance values increased. The number of hours of work required to stabilise the objects increased logarithmically as the conservation ranking increased from 1 to 5. Analysis of the conservation needs indicated that nearly 84% of the collection, the sum of the level 1 and level 2 textiles can be stabilised with simple preventive conservation methods practised by trained volunteers, leaving the most significant items in the care of experienced conservators. Multiplication of the conservation and the significance values provides a treatment priority score to guide collection managers in determining which objects are treated by conservators. Data is also provided on the impact of light exposure on the deterioration of the coloured fabrics of the vestments.     

Optimising ‘cash flows’: converting corporate finance to hard currency

Following recent works that have underlined the increasing search for liquidity in economic exchange, this article studies how illiquid forms of money are converted into liquid forms by corporate finance actors. In the name of ‘shareholder value’, the various forms of value generated by companies (such as ‘trade credit’) tend to be increasingly transformed into liquid forms of money that are easily distributable to shareholders (‘cash flows’). Describing this phenomenon as an example of what anthropologists of money call ‘conversion’, this paper highlights how such a conversion process was necessary for the historical development of ‘shareholder value’ policies in corporate finance. Considering documentary sources and interviews with consultants, auditors, and private equity fund managers involved in ‘cash flow’ optimisation practices, this paper details this conversion phenomenon and shows how it has relied on the historical elaboration of specific metrological, technical, legal, and moral norms.