A sack gown from the Haddington Collection at the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland,Edinburgh

Abstract

A sack gown of c. 1740–50, remodelled from a brocaded silk gown of c. 1726–28, had the back pleats altered again in the present century, probably for fancy dress. A close study of the gown enabled the pleats to be replaced as they had been arranged in c. 1740–50, so that conservation work could be carried out prior to mounting the gown for display.     

基于本体的简帛医药知识组织研究

［目的/意义］ 中医药是中华文化的传承,对现代医学发展具有重要作用,应受到高度重视。利用数字技术组织中医古籍,对其进行保护与重用具有重要意义。［方法/过程］ 以简帛医药文献为研究对象,分别构建简帛医药书目本体和内容本体,并通过书目本体和内容本体的连接形成简帛医药文献本体模型;利用命名实体识别模型抽取实体概念,利用依存句法分析和规则的方法抽取实体关系,最终将简帛医药文献数据存入图数据库,实现简帛医药文献知识图谱可视化与检索查询结果呈现。［结果/结论］ 利用本体和知识图谱,提出简帛医药知识组织方法,建立具有逻辑关系的简帛医药知识链,形成中医药领域知识的语义网络,在中医古籍的智能化方面做出有益的探索,有助于中药知识的普及与传承。     

Mestre Piranga - study and conservation of Brazilian religious sculptures from the eighteenth century

Abstract

Known today only by the name of the region where he lived, Mestre Pirang-a, an eighteenth-century santeiro (saint-maker), is considered a great artist by afficionados of Brazilian sacred art. Part of the present work consisted in a survey and cataloguing of the surviving religious imagery in the region of the Piranga river valley. A considerable number of these images could be attributed to the master. Three sculptures were analyzed with regard to form, style, iconography and technique of execution (support and polychromy), using scientific methods. Their state of preservation was investigated and a proposal for conservation was drawn up.     

The Murray Pease Report

Abstract

Though infrared spectroscopy is the single most powerful technique for the characterization of materials and though it is widely used in the chemical industries, its application to conservation has been severely limited due to the complexity and limited sample size of the materials presented for examination. In the past decade, the development of infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy has made possible the study of small samples and complex mixtures. The technique of infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy is compared to conventional infrared spectroscopy with reference to spectra of paper, egg yolk, albumin, madder, Indian yellow, purpurin, alizarin, indigo, and linseed oil.     

The Age- Embrittlement of Silver Coins

Abstract

Conservation treatments of three modern paintings are presented which illustrate the use of Beva 371 in solving difficult and varied conservation problems. They were selected as representing cases which could not have been solved satisfactorily with other adhesives and are: 1. Gottlieb, oil on glue-sized cotton. Transparently lined with Mylar; 2. Balthus, casein on unprimed canvas. Mounted on a solid support; 3. Klee, gouache on decaying, unprimed burlap. Transparently lined on silk chiffon.     

Surface Investigation of Metal Threads and Solid Metals of Ottoman Textiles in the Topkapi Palace Museum

ABSTRACT

We analyzed 53 historical textile samples from a collection of caftans and brocades dating between the sixteenth and nineteenth century in the Topkapi Palace Museum (TPM) by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX). Data were collected on the type, dimensions, elemental composition, and level of corrosion. The technique is presented in this work as an efficient and micro-destructive tool for the characterization of the structure of historical metal threads. SEM-EDX analysis for different energies was performed on a selection of gold and silver threads belonging to the historical textiles. The results were interpreted via laboratory prepared samples of gilt Ag and sulfur reacted Ag at different thicknesses for Au and Ag₂S layers respectively. A series of Au–Ag alloys for different Au/Ag ratios were prepared for comparative analysis. The threads were made of metal strips wound around a silk core. Metal wires and flat strips were also used. The use of differential energies allowed for differentiating strips and wires made of homogeneous silver and gold alloys from the ones coated with a thin gold layer. Analysis of EDX data revealed that the Au film thickness was very thin (10–60?nm). Formation of Ag₂S layers over the thin Au film as thick as 1.5?µm was taking place. Formation of thinner Ag₂S layers over non-gilt Ag suggested different reaction mechanisms for gilt and non-gilt cases.     

Diagnosing Decay Mechanisms at the Porta Nocera Necropolis,Pompeii: The First Step Towards Effective Preventive Conservation

ABSTRACT

Aspects of preventive conservation are central to the long-term preservation of archaeological sites such as Pompeii. Mitigating moisture ingress and its manifold effects on decay mechanisms such as salt degradation are of critical importance when planning durable conservation strategies. A suite of non-destructive techniques was used to diagnose decay mechanisms at an ancient tomb monument at the Porta Nocera Necropolis. Rising damp and salt contamination are shown to be actively contributing to on-going deterioration of the plaster surfaces. An existing shelter is shown to be inadequate in its protection. These initial results are used to inform a more in-depth, long-term survey as well as the design of a holistic preventive strategy.     

The Social and Historic Construction of Professional Values in Conservation

Summary

This paper discusses the social history of the emergence of conservation as a profession distinct from traditional restoration. It proposes that the development of conservation as a distinct field came about through the evolution of an existing area of practice, in a changing conceptual climate which increasingly acknowledged the necessity for, and the legitimacy of the scientific model. This paper considers the changes in societal values that led conservators to hold their present ethical principles, values and beliefs, focusing on two in particular: the importance of preserving the integrity of the object, and the belief that the best way to do this is through the application of science.     

A bronze statue of a Meroitic archer-king: New data

Abstract

The bronze archer-king statue, masterpiece of the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum, was discovered in 1974 on the site of Tabo, Argo Island, in North Sudan. Its aesthetical and technological qualities inspired archaeologists to perform a complete study and full conservation in Zurich in the 1970s. The multidisciplinary work included iconographic and scientific investigations as well as defining a conservation protocol, and the results were published in 1986. On the occasion of an exhibition in Paris entitled Méroé: Un empire sur le Nil in 2010, a complementary study was conducted in the Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF) while restoration treatment was carried out. With a 40-year gap between the first work and the present effort, this example demonstrates, on one hand, the evolution of technological analysis methods and progress in the study of metallurgy and materials. On the other, it shows how the restart of necessary conservation interventions could be based on detailed knowledge of the first protocol and treatment.     

Surface spectroscopic studies on patinas of ancient metal objects

Abstract

Surface examination by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectrosopy has beenemployed to investigate the patinas on Lorenzo Ghiberti’s ‘Door of Paradise’from the Florence Baptistry and one of the so-called Riace bronzes. These techniques and the related depth profiling technique are described; the results gave interesting information on thestate of conservation, the original manufacturing process and the possible original appearance.     

The polychromed plasterwork of the Corral de Villalpando brothers. Historical study,scientific examination,conservation problems and possibilities of treatment

Abstract

Juan and Jerónimo del Corral, the former an architect and the latter a sculptor, developed their artistic activities in Castile during the second third of the sixteenth century. The originality of their work lies not only in their technique but also in their iconography: they combine the Spanish tradition of plaster work with the influence of the Italian Renaissance. This paper is a documentary and stylistic study of their work and discusses the problems of technique and conservation of the cupolas and walls of polychromed and gilded plaster relief. Due to its characteristics and its sensitivity to moisture, gypsum is a material which poses specific problems of behaviour and treatment. The various deteriorations it undergoes are shown as well as their causes and possible treatment. Scientific examination has been mainly directed towards the investigation of the support by IR and EDX spectrometry, the analysis of the polychromy by microscopy and the identification of the media by gas chromatography. The results show that the Corral brothers used a homogeneous technique for the plaster support, following the Hispano-Moresque tradition, whereas the polychromy shows various influences. As regards biological deterioration, two different groups of microorganisms were surveyed: bacteria and fungi. The results obtained in areas with and without polychromy and with various levels of moisture have been compared by different sampling techniques. Nitrifying and sulphate-reducing bacteria have been identified, which are responsible for the deterioration of stone monuments.     

Evidencing the Case for Preventive Conservation: the Role of Collections Care Documentation

ABSTRACT

Collections care describes actions taken to prevent or limit the deterioration of moveable cultural heritage and ‘collections care documentation’ (CCD) refers to the recording and retention of information relating to those activities. This paper describes the findings of a survey and targeted interviews with staff from a number of U.K. museums, archives and libraries. The results suggest that, while there is much good practice, some organisations face difficulties instituting a framework for CCD which covers all their activities effectively.

Large and small organisations have varying challenges to face; the former with specialist staff working in separate departments and the latter with staff who carry out activities relating to preventive conservation but who may not have specialist knowledge. An efficient documentation structure, which is resilient and relevant to the organisation, can support and improve communication as well as raise awareness of the reasons for and methods of preventive conservation. This paper looks at the reasons why even basic practices can sometimes be difficult to achieve and presents ideas for identifying and overcoming barriers. As preventive conservators argue that specified actions influence the long-term sustainability of collections the evidence that allows verification those claims needs to be retained. In order to do this, a greater focus on what data to collect and why will enable the sector to align CCD with specific research questions.     

The evolutionary sublime and the essay of natural history

The rhetorical foundations of social change may be found, not only in polemical discourse but in popular literary discourse as well. A case in point is that of the concept of the evolutionary sublime, an amalgam of the rhetorical/aesthetic theory of the sublime and scientific evolutionary theory, which had significant implications for personal morality and social policy. This reservoir of concepts was transmitted to its readership, the American middle class of the nineteenth century, through the popular literature of natural history; it subsequently served as a basis for the persuasive arguments of the conservation movement. This study traces the emergence of rhetorical argument from bases in popular literary and intellectual culture.     

Technical analysis of a Central Asian wall painting detached from a Buddhist cave temple on the northern Silk Road

A great number of Central Asian wall paintings, archeological materials, architectural fragments, and textiles, as well as painting fragments on silk and paper, make up the so called Turfan Collection at the Asian Art Museum in Berlin. The largest part of the collection comes from the Kucha region, a very important cultural center in the third to ninth centuries. Between 1902 and 1914, four German expeditions traveled along the northern Silk Road. During these expeditions, wall paintings were detached from their original settings in Buddhist cave complexes. This paper reports a technical study of a wall painting, existing in eight fragments, from the Buddhist cave no. 40 (Ritterhöhle). Its original painted surface is soot blackened and largely illegible. Grünwedel, leader of the first and third expeditions, described the almost complete destruction of the rediscovered temple complex and evidence of fire damage. The aim of this case study is to identify the materials used for the wall paintings. Furthermore, soot deposits as well as materials from conservation interventions were of interest. Non-invasive analyses were preferred but a limited number of samples were taken to provide more precise information on the painting technique. By employing optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and Raman spectroscopy, a layer sequence of earthen render, a ground layer made of gypsum, and a paint layer containing a variety of inorganic pigments were identified.