Showing papers in "Studies in Conservation in 2021"
TL;DR: A summary of historical techniques and materials used to produce plaster casts and to treat their surfaces, as found in the historical literature, can be found in this paper, where a selection of materials and techniques are presented.
Abstract: This review paper offers a summary of historical techniques and materials used to produce plaster casts and to treat their surfaces, as found in the historical literature. It reviews a selection of...
19 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the performance of different cellulosic and proteinaceous textiles when exposed to the action of micro-organisms and to produce reference data for fibre iden-sourcing was compared.
Abstract: The aim of this research was to compare the performance of different cellulosic and proteinaceous textiles when exposed to the action of micro-organisms and to produce reference data for fibre iden...
12 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider the limitations of authenticity frameworks predicated exclusively on score compliance and consider how a type-token ontology is more capacious, and how it aids in conceptualising the relationship between an artwork's potentially multiple versions or variants and their manifestations.
Abstract: ABSTRACT Over the last 20 years, the conservation literature around installation and performance artworks has increasingly relied on concepts and analogies from the philosophy of music to reformulate the concept of authenticity for artworks that recur in multiple instances. Within these frameworks, authenticity is often framed as a quality ascribed to a manifestation on the basis of its compliance with the artist’s explicit directives or a precision of formal resemblance with past manifestations. This article resituates the concept of authenticity invoked in fine art conservation within a wider discourse in analytic philosophy on the type-token distinction and artworks as abstract entities that are instantiated in time and space. Given the intersubjective nature and situatedness of authenticity judgements pertaining to a work’s manifestations, this article considers the limitations of authenticity frameworks predicated exclusively on score compliance and considers how a type-token ontology is more capacious. This article demonstrates how this distinction already underpins existing frameworks and discourses, how it aids in conceptualising the relationship between an artwork’s potentially multiple versions or variants and their manifestations, and how it accommodates the ways perceptions of an artwork’s identity are socially mediated through time and may differ across its viewership.
11 citations
TL;DR: In contrast, fakes are usually locked away in museum stores as mentioned in this paper, where they are usually classical and post-classical copies of works of art, and this dichotomy sparks controversy.
Abstract: Today, standing in situ or displayed in museums, are several classical and post-classical copies of works of art. In contrast, fakes are usually locked away in museum stores. This dichotomy sparks ...
11 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the redox catalytic activity of iron may be detrimental for waterlogged archaeological wood and it is of importance to know what ligands bind the iron, their distribution in the wood, and what the...
Abstract: As the redox catalytic activity of iron may be detrimental for waterlogged archaeological wood, it is of importance to know what ligands bind the iron, their distribution in the wood, and what the ...
10 citations
TL;DR: In the past, woodborers like A. punctatum and X. rufovillosum were widespread in historic furniture, households, and building structures, but as they need a high wood moisture content and central h...
Abstract: In the past, woodborers like A. punctatum and X. rufovillosum were widespread in historic furniture, households, and building structures, but as they need a high wood moisture content and central h...
9 citations
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper proposed that high concentrations of salt could potentially cause serious health problems in China's archaeological sites. But, they also pointed out that "Earthen sites in China have great historic, artistic, and scientific values embedded in archaeology, raw materials, and construction techniques".
Abstract: Earthen sites in China have great historic, artistic, and scientific values embedded in archaeology, raw materials, and construction techniques. However, high concentrations of salt could potential...
9 citations
TL;DR: The results of the study of a fragment of architectural terracruda sculpture from the Buddhist archaeological site of Tepe Narenj (Kabul, Afghanistan, fifth-ninth centuries CE) are presented in this article.
Abstract: This work presents the results of the study of a fragment of architectural terracruda sculpture from the Buddhist archaeological site of Tepe Narenj (Kabul, Afghanistan, fifth-ninth centuries CE) t...
8 citations
TL;DR: In this article, international conservation codes ask practitioners to treat historical objects and buildings with ‘respect’, and the question of what does this mean has received comparatively little theoretical treatmen...
Abstract: International conservation codes ask practitioners to treat historical objects and buildings with ‘respect’. What does this mean? The question has received comparatively little theoretical treatmen...
8 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the applicability of the spectrophotometric method for the determination of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 using bismuth subnitrate (BiONO3) to monitor the c
Abstract: The aim of the present work was to test the applicability of the spectrophotometric method for the determination of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 using bismuth subnitrate (BiONO3) to monitor the c
7 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe how mosses are a common type of organism found colonising stone in both the natural and built environment and people responsible for managing and conserving historic buildings often worry that mosses can...
Abstract: Mosses are a common type of organism found colonising stone in both the natural and built environment. People responsible for managing and conserving historic buildings often worry that mosses can ...
TL;DR: Agar, a natural polysaccharide, has gained increasing popularity among conservators worldwide in the past two decades as a gelling material for water and aqueous solutions as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Agar, a natural polysaccharide, has gained increasing popularity among conservators worldwide in the past two decades as a gelling material for water and aqueous solutions. Converting the aqueous m...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated quantitatively the many variables involved in creating desiccated microclimates for storage of heritage metals, and presented the results of an evaluation of a range of commercially available boxes, the optimum mass of desiccant, the effect of external environments, and preliminary data on the efficiency and risk of drying damp objects with silica gel.
Abstract: Since the early 1970s, archaeologists, conservators, and curators have turned to published guidance for methods of safeguarding archaeological metals in the short and long term. Much of this has appeared in editions of the ubiquitous handbook First Aid for Finds, the most recent of which dates to 1998. A central message across all guidance has been to dry metals post-excavation and prevent their corrosion during storage by desiccating the environment around them. This has been proven crucial for iron, with reports of catastrophic loss of collections arising from inappropriate storage environments. There has long been agreement that an effective, low cost option for desiccation is the packing of artefacts in boxes with a desiccant. Though advice on the details of how to achieve this has evolved over time, what has not changed is the lack of quantified evidence for the methods proposed. Informed by a survey of current practice in the sector, this study investigated quantitatively the many variables involved in creating desiccated microclimates for storage of heritage metals. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the airtightness of a range of commercially available boxes, the optimum mass of desiccant, the effect of external environments, and preliminary data on the efficiency and risk of drying damp objects with silica gel. A second paper will report the effect of stacking boxes on their airtightness and present data on the accuracy and long-term reliability of humidity indicator cards. The guidance arising from laboratory testing of the hardware and methods for desiccated storage is designed to be achievable and adaptable. Combining these findings with corrosion rate data for iron artefacts allows the escalation of risk to objects from decisions in the storage process to be calculated. Together, these papers offer an evidence-based and practice-focused update to First Aid for Finds.
TL;DR: An unusual phenomenon occurred in new display cases at the Rijksmuseum four months after their installation in April 2013 as mentioned in this paper, where white deposits were visible on glass windows, silicone door gaskets, black...
Abstract: An unusual phenomenon occurred in new display cases at the Rijksmuseum four months after their installation in April 2013. White deposits were visible on glass windows, silicone door gaskets, black...
TL;DR: Though often not considered as a concept in its own right, time can be regarded as a key factor for the preservation of the built heritage.
Abstract: Though often not considered as a concept in its own right, time can be regarded as a key factor for the preservation of the built heritage. Time can be taken into account as an implicit and discrim...
TL;DR: In this article, the study of materials that comprise artworks significantly contributes to understanding of age and provenance, and dendrochronology is a particularly valuable and well-established technique for...
Abstract: The study of materials that comprise artworks significantly contributes to understanding of age and provenance. While dendrochronology is a particularly valuable and well-established technique for ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors draw inspiration from the observation that Byzantine icons in Greek museums are exhibited in an unrestored state, with traces of damage and loss kept visible, in contrast with the major...
Abstract: This paper draws inspiration from the observation that Byzantine icons in Greek museums are exhibited in an unrestored state, with traces of damage and loss kept visible, in contrast with the major...
TL;DR: Alonso Cano is considered one of the most original and brilliant artists from the Spanish Golden Age (known in Spanish as Siglo de Oro), a period of flourishing in arts and literature.
Abstract: Alonso Cano is considered one of the most original and brilliant artists from the Spanish Golden Age (known in Spanish as Siglo de Oro), a period of flourishing in arts and literature. He was also ...
TL;DR: Basal erosion, which is caused by soluble salts, water runoff, and sand-drivi... as discussed by the authors, has been shown to cause serious damage to important historical, cultural, artistic, social, and scientific values.
Abstract: Earthen sites with important historical, cultural, artistic, social, and scientific values have been seriously damaged. Basal erosion, which is caused by soluble salts, water runoff, and sand-drivi...
TL;DR: Smalt is a blue cobalt-coloured glass pigment used in European wall paintings from the early Renaissance period that became a popular choice for artists due to its unique tone, availability, and ve...
Abstract: Smalt is a blue cobalt-coloured glass pigment used in European wall paintings from the early Renaissance period that became a popular choice for artists due to its unique tone, availability, and ve...
TL;DR: In this article, clinical multislice X-ray computed tomography (MCST) was performed on a seventeenth-century panel painting from the collection of the National Academy of San Luca Gallery in Rome.
Abstract: Clinical multislice X-ray computed tomography (MCST) was performed on a seventeenth-century panel painting from the collection of the National Academy of San Luca Gallery in Rome. The use of MSCT a...
TL;DR: A small box, hitherto described as white lacquerware, currently displayed at the Chinese Pavilion, Drottningholm, Sweden, is an unusual example of artefacts imported from the Far East during the 1970s as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A small box, hitherto described as white lacquerware, currently displayed at the Chinese Pavilion, Drottningholm, Sweden, is an unusual example of artefacts imported from the Far East during the er...
TL;DR: Two artefacts in royal custody, an etagere and a writing desk, display specific aspects of Swedish Rococo furniture in an exciting combinat... as discussed by the authors, have been shown in Swedish museums.
Abstract: Two artefacts in royal custody, an etagere (inventory number HGK401) and a writing desk (inventory number HGK1249), that display specific aspects of Swedish Rococo furniture in an exciting combinat...
Abstract: The Archaeological Museum of Palermo (Sicily) has recently presented the results of the restoration of three wall paintings from the House of the Masks of Solunto archaeological site. These signifi...
TL;DR: Heritage science is an interdisciplinary field and successful heritage science research by necessity involves interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers with different disciplinary back-gro... as mentioned in this paper. But this is not always a good idea.
Abstract: Heritage science is an interdisciplinary field and successful heritage science research by necessity involves interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers with different disciplinary backgro...
TL;DR: The thread-by-thread tear mending technique for canvas paintings represents an important field of research for the preservation of canvas paintings as mentioned in this paper, which has been published and used extensively.
Abstract: The thread-by-thread tear mending technique for canvas paintings represents an important field of research for the preservation of canvas paintings. This joining technology has been published and h...
TL;DR: In this article, the study of metal threads and other decorative materials on 11 traditional Chinese children's hats dated to the early twentieth century is presented, and the lavishly decorated hats were presen...
Abstract: This paper presents the study of metal threads and other decorative materials on 11 traditional Chinese children's hats dated to the early twentieth century. The lavishly decorated hats were presen...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used terahertz radiation to monitor the consolidation of paint layers on panel paintings, and corroborate the efficacy of such treatments, aiming to locate air voids undern...
Abstract: Terahertz radiation offers a means to monitor the consolidation of paint layers on panel paintings, and to corroborate the efficacy of such treatments. This project aimed to locate air voids undern...
TL;DR: In this article, an investigation into the causes of specific degradation phenomena in three oil paintings from the 1960s by eminent Indigenous Canadian painter Rita Letendre is described, and a comprehensive analysis is presented.
Abstract: This paper describes an investigation into the causes of specific degradation phenomena in three oil paintings from the 1960s by eminent Indigenous Canadian painter Rita Letendre. A comprehensive t...
TL;DR: The causes and possible solutions for fat burn are outlined, and the most effective treatment may be ammonia vapour, but this requires careful consideration before use.
Abstract: Lipid oxidation, commonly known as fat burn, is a serious problem in taxidermy collections across the world. The zoological collections at the Natural History Museum in London, UK, are no exception...