the online magazine No. 6, September 2008 e_conservation
Aug 26, 2014
the online magazine No. 6, September 2008
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The Thin Red Line
One of the first things that we are taught about Conservation is that it is interdisciplinary. From archaeology to physics, from biology to dendrochronology, virtually all fields of knowledge can have some application in the study of works of art. However, it is ironic that one of the most basic notions that define our profession – interdisciplinarity - may also endanger it.Indeed, sometimes our profession seems to be somehow in danger due to 'indefinition'.I do not mean to say that it is undefined – so much has been written about it by many international organisations, such as E.C.C.O., ICOM-CC, etc. – but that we are still strug-gling so that others recognise us as we see ourselves.It is a fact that our field is quite new when compared with others (i.e. archaeology) and in the eyes of the general public we are still often seen as something mysterious and full of old well-kept secrets. I should know because it was precisely that image which first attracted me to conservation when I was younger.However public recognition should come from both the general public and other professionals. For example, it is known that in many European countries with Latin-based languages, cura-tors are often called conservators. This simple fact has brought about for a long time a struggle between curators and conservators for this title and even for some of their attributions within the museum.In the same way, conservation science is a field that has been emerging only since a few decades ago. No doubt conservation scientists have been developing a very important role in the safeguarding of our heritage. However, the massification of this new specialisation, now also taught in universities, requires a re-definition of heritage-related professions, and implicitly of ours, so everyone can act like the professional that he or she has been trained to be without running over one another's competences. Indeed, as Salvador Muñoz-Viñas emphasises in his interview for our magazine (pp. 20), science "helps conservators to have more data, to be more informed [but] it should not substitute or replace ethics".What really defines us, the conservators, is our decision-making capacity. This is not only based on ethical principles or material knowledge, but on a combination of many different factors. However this main defining-factor is what distinguishes a conservator from a tech-nician or from other professionals who work within the field of safeguarding or maintenance of cultural heritage.At the moment conservation science is still a young field and understandably it is professed not only by trained conservation-scientists but also by scientists with an interest in art. Many essential research projects have been developed to ensure the advancement in the field, but we should be careful, however, not to transform cultural heritage into a mere economic research factor.The fact is that if we look at the scientific literature that is being produced we may reach the conclusion that we conservators are publishing lesser than we should and that some papers produced by scientists are of limited interest or little use for conservators. Fortunately, this is not the case of the majority of publications but conservators might soon face the problem that most of the specialised literature in our field is written by non-conservators. Thus, it is my belief that conservators need an attitude change towards pub-lishing as sharing inside specialist knowledge is essential for our field.
Rui Bordalo,Executive Editor
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NEWS 6
37
ARTICLES
CASE STUDY 56
78BOOK REVIEW
20INTERVIEW
CONFERENCE REVIEW
Colours 2008,
Bridging Science with Art
10-12 July 2008, Évora, Portugal
Review by Rui Bordalo
2008 WORKSITES
The Conservation of the Mural Paintings from
St. George Church, Voronet Monastery
By Anca Dina
ANNOUNCEMENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
September - October 2008
SALVADOR MUÑOZ-VIÑAS
New Horizons for Conservation Thinking
Interview by Christabel Blackman
CARE OF COLLECTIONS
Are Libraries Effectively Monitoring
the Condition of their Microfilm Collections?
By James Gross
CONSERVATION OF PAINTINGS
Conservation of a Greek Icon.
Technological and Methodological Aspects
By Maria Avillez and Chryssa Vourvopoulou
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE - LEH, LADAKH
Mural Conservation Project (Part 1)
- A Tibet Heritage Fund Project
By Anca Nicolaescu and André Alexander
Mural Painting in the North of Moldavia.
Aesthetic Modification and Restoration
By Anca Dina
EVENTS
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INDEX
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Colour 2008 aimed "to approach colours
from different perspectives: physics,
chemistry, history, geology, archaeology,
psychology, religiosity, symbolism
and Conservation-Restoration".
COLOURS 2008Bridging Science with Art
10-12 July 2008Évora, Portugal
Colégio do Espírito SantoUniversity of Évora
www.ciul.ul.pt/colour/
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The historical city of Évora was the host of the
first conference "Colours 2008 - Bridging Science
with Art", which took place from last 10th to 12th
July at the auditorium of the local university.
Évora was especially chosen not only because it is
listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, but also
because of the region’s traditional architecture
and its close connection with colour.
It was really all about colours. The conference
was specifically planned to gather professionals
from the most various disciplines that involve
the study of colour – from art conservation to
chemistry, archaeology and architecture – and
to discuss their research and work. The
conference also included a poster display.
The interesting topics of discussion, the numerous
audience from Portugal, Spain and other European
countries and the scientific and social environ-
ment made this experience a very enjoyable one.
During this 3-days conference a total of 35 pre-
sentations were made, including 5 lecturers by
invited speakers at the beginning of each session.
Most presentations were in English with only few
exceptions such as the one of Eduardo Nery, an
established Portuguese artist specialised in
decoration of public spaces. His presentation
focused on the importance of colour in the city.
The artist gave several examples of his work, from
colourful tiles in buildings to decoration of un-
usual objects, such as an aeroplane.
A special addition to the event was the multi-
media presentation on the research project
presented by Milene Gil, Ana Isabel Seruya and
José Aguiar from the New University of Lisbon
(UNL) and the Technical University of Lisbon
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CONFERENCE REVIEW
Opening session. From left to right: Ana Isabel Seruya (FCT/ UNL), Isabel Raposo Magalhães (IMC Vice-director); Peter Carrot (Director of Évora University Chemistry Center); José A.C. Nascimento (Regional Director of Culture) and Ana M. Freitas Drumond Ludovice (Évora University Vice-Rector).
(UTL), respectively. This exhaustive project focused
on the study of colours, materials and painting
techniques of traditional buildings of Alentejo
region. The original presentation consisted in a
motion picture of the research following the TV
documentary style, which was an interesting
and appealing form to present scientific work
to the public.
Remarkable was the presentation of Geert van
der Snickt, from the University of Antwerp, who
presented a study of a hidden painting by Van
Gogh. The portrait was first seen in radiographies
taken to the painting although the quality of the
image was not good enough for a visual analysis.
His research team used synchrotron X-Ray Fluores-
cence spectroscopy to perform elemental analysis
to the paint layers and revealed the hidden portrait
from beneath a landscape that the artist painted
over. This result was achieved by creating an image
pixel by pixel from each analysis. This technique
requires an intensive use of a synchrotron facility,
which is not easy to access, and thus the use of such
technology is far from being widespread. Neverthe-
less, the high quality of the image obtained and
the usefulness of the technique applied to works
of art is impressive.
The scientific paper titled "Visualization of a Lost
Painting by Vincent van Gogh Using Synchrotron
Radiation Based X-ray Fluorescence Elemental
Mapping" by Joris Dik, Koen Janssens, Geert Van
Der Snickt, Luuk van der Loeff, Karen Rickers,
and Marine Cotte is available online in the journal
Analytical Chemistry.
Other lectures were made by invited speakers:
Marco Zerbinatti, who approached the relationship
between colour, architecture and preservation;
Francisco Ferreira, who made a review of the
principles and techniques of spectral imaging
systems in paintings; and Patrícia Monteiro, who
has been studying the pigments mentioned in
Portuguese art treatises.
A presentation that made me think on the large
access to technology that we have nowadays and
the need to apply known solutions to conservation
purposes was made by Luís Bravo Pereira. This
researcher from the Portuguese Catholic Univer-
sity (UCP) introduced the audience to the appli-
cation of high dynamic range to radiographies
digitalisation. These are characterised by areas
of different density that require different light
intensities in order to maximise the images read-
Marco Zerbinatti, researcher (Polytechnic Institute of Turin, Italy) presenting “Physical Polichromy, Architectural and Environment Color”.
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Carolina Barata, conservator-restorer from the Catholic Portuguese University, presenting "A rare pigment in an unexpected place: realgar in Portuguese Baroque sculpture with non-erudite features."
CONFERENCE REVIEW
ability. The explained process uses different
levels of exposure of common digital cameras
and commercial imaging software to merge
pictures. The result is a digital homogeneous
image where highlights and details are visible
and easy to analyse.
Among many other interesting presentations, it
is worth mentioning some of special relevance
such as the one of José Pestana and Sara Valadas
about the recent conservation intervention per-
formed on the wall paintings of the Convent of
the Order of Christ in Tomar (Portugal), listed as
World Heritage by UNESCO.
PhD candidates had also a strong presence showing
active research in conservation. Among these
we can mention, for example, the presentation
of Leonor Loureiro, a PhD candidate at the Uni-
versity of the Arts (London), who is researching
19th century coated papers; Sónia Barros dos
Santos, PhD candidate at UCP, who is studying the
introduction of new pigments in Portugal in the
19th century; and Ana Cudell, PhD candidate at
UCP, who is characterising the technique and mate-
rials from Júlio Pomar, a well-known Portuguese
20th century painter.
From the organisation committee, Milene Gil has
shared her experience and personal opinion
about this event: speaking about colour is one of
the most complex and hard task that exist, that
is why it is also a challenge. As Lars Sivik (1997)
wrote using S. Augustine’s sentence about time:
"Everybody knows what time is - until you ask him
Frederico Henriques, conservator-restorer, PhD candidate from the Catholic Portuguese University, presenting "Photogrametric methods applied to easel paintings".
Dr. Luisa de Carvalho, Chair (FCT/UNL, Organising committee), and Prof. Maria Ondina Figueiredo (FCT/UNL) presenting “Colouring by Iron in Beryl”
Group photo of Colours 2008 participants.
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CONFERENCE REVIEW
to explain what it is. It is the same with color".
Each discipline interprets and explains differently
what is, in the end, a visual sensation. So for fully
understanding its multidisciplinary nature, what
best than a seminar which unites several branches
of knowledge?
That was the main objective of Colours 2008: the
gathering of experts dealing with colour and espe-
cially colour studies and treatments in Conservation
and Restoration of cultural heritage.
Final conclusions? Personally, as a mural painting
conservator, I was extremely glad to notice that
the gap that sometimes is felt between science and
art, between conservators-restorers and scientific
researchers, is being successfully overcome.
As a member of the organising committee and a
team member of the FCT project (Historical Colour
Traditions and Pigments on Mural Paintings:
Materials and Technology Characterization of the
Alentejo Urban Heritage - POCI/HEC/59555/2004)
that have promoted this initiative, I congratulate
once again all the participants and I wish that what
began in France in 2006 with 'Couleur & Temps' and
now in Portugal with Colours 2008 shall continue
next year and further on.
Conference papers can be submitted for publica-
tion in X-Ray Spectrometry, Pedra& Cal, Conservar
Património - the journal of ARP, the Portuguese
Association of Conservator-Restorers – and
possibly in ARTIS - the magazine of the Institute
of Art History of the Faculty of Letters of the
University of Lisbon.
Review by Rui Bordalo
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NEWS
2008 WORKSITEThe Conservation of the Mural Paintings fromSt. George Church, Voronet Monastery
Worksite Coordination: Oliviu Boldura,
conservator-restorer, CERECS ART S.R.L.
Intervention period: 1999 - 2008
(summer campaigns)
The Last Judgment from Voronet, painted on thewestern facade.
A first contact with St. George Church of Voronet
Monastery, possibly the most famous church in
Romania, leads us to the legend created around
the 'unusual' blue pigment1 used for the exterior
mural decoration. The monument is known for its
well-preserved exterior frescoes on azurite back-
ground but in fact, the church has won its fame
for the historical and aesthetic value of its entire
singular, 15th century mural decoration. Erected
in the year 14882 by Prince Stephen the Great,
the church was built in less than four months3
and was painted inside and partly outside on the
western facade4 in the same period. In 1547,
the Metropolitan Bishop of Moldavia, Grigorie
Rosca, added an exonarthex to the west end of
the church which was painted together with all
the exterior facades, in the spirit imposed by
trends cultivated by voivode Petru Rares.
The a fresco mural paintings have met historical
events for more than five centuries and, as time
went by, environmental factors or human actions
have left their fingerprint on this UNESCO World
Heritage monument.
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NEWS
The progressive degradation of the mural paint-
ings required intervention, so that in 1980 the
conservation process began with the emergency
intervention on the exterior frescoes under the
direction of Tatiana Pogonat and Oliviu Boldura,
wall painting conservators. At this point, some
previous interventions were already made, such
as the repair with mortar of the support lacunas,
but the year 1980 marks the beginning of the first
documented intervention of conservation-resto-
ration on the mural painting from Voronet. As of
this moment, the treatment included the colour
layer reattachment, the removal of biological de-
terioration agents from the north facade, the
consolidation of the support layer, the removal
of various inadequate mortars in terms of material
aesthetics and the aesthetic integration. The
intervention on the exterior painting ended in
1987 and then resumed for the dome of the church
in a single campaign in the summer of 2003.
The state of the naos painting, west wall, before conservation.
Naos painting, north wall, after conservation.
Text by Anca Dina
12
NEWS
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The conservation process of this monument im-
posed along the years a complex methodological
approach continually sustained by responsible
scientific research. The project was based on an
interdisciplinary collaboration between conser-
vators, scientists, art historians and other spe-
cialists in cultural heritage.
For the inside mural painting, the conservation
works began in 1999 with similar operations but
the methodology was adapted to meet the de-
mands of a painting covered by a consistent layer
of deposits. Of course, this brief listing of major
operations can not include the complexity of the
problems encountered. The works took place in
several phases5, having begun in the central nave
and continuing in altar, narthex and exonarthex.
This year (2008) the intervention of conservation-
restoration on the inside mural painting6 is to be
finalised. This matches the celebration ceremony
of 520 years of existence of the church, and with
this opportunity, the churchdom is organising
between 12 and 13 September a communication
session titled "Testimonies of living history"7
followed by the re-consecration of the church
on Sunday, 14th September.
An important aspect that should be taken into
consideration is that the exterior painting, restored
more than 20 years ago, already presents primary
signs of degradation, such as the pulverulence
and detachement of the colour layer, which urge
the re-intervention on some areas. A monument
of Voronet value, particularly important for na-
tional identity and cultural heritage, is considered
to require permanent assistance, monitoring and
preventive conservation so that these incipient
forms of degradations will not evolve.
1 The blue used for the painting of Voronet was identified by the chemist engineer Ioan Istudor as being azurite (Basic copper-carbonate) that transformed into malachite due to humidity action, in Ioan Istudor, 'Un fenomen de denaturare a culorilor in pictura murala de la Voronet', Revista muzeelor si monumentelor. Monumente istorice si de arta, no. 1, Bucharest, 1965, pp. 65-66.
2 Gheorghe Bals, 'Bisericile lui Stefan cel Mare', Buletinul Comisiei Monumentelor Istorice, 1925.
3 The information is given by the inscription placed above the original entrance of the Church, now the exonarthex.
4 Oliviu Boldura, 'Elemente complementare privind pictura de la biserica manastirii Voronet', R.M.I. year LXXVI, no. 1-2/2007
5 Due to low temperatures on extended periods - cca. eight months per year - the conservation intervention can only be carried out during the summer.
6 The general conservation of the assembly required important interventions on the architecture, such as the restoration of the roof and of the perimetral pavement drains.
7 The communication session is only a part of organised events, others being the pilgrimage to other monuments and the opening of a permanent exhibition museum.
Notes:
The actual state of the exterior painting on the north facade from Voronet.
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Comparative images showing the original (before conservation) and actual (after conservation) aspect of the painting from the church narthex, east wall.
NEWS
NEWS
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UNESCO ICOMOS Documentation Centre
As everyone should be aware by now, blogs are
websites that display news, commentaries, events,
personal thoughts, web links or other material
on a particular subject. Since 1999, blog usage
has spread and in the following years it became
a tool for sharing knowledge and communication.
We must be careful, however, when it comes to
blogs: we should distinguish between good and
poor quality ones. As blogs are the modern version
of the online diary, any individual is entitled to
freely express his/her personal beliefs.
Among the many existing blogs on the World Wide
Web, from time to time there appear some that
are not only of a really good quality but indeed
they are a valuable addition for today’s faster
needs. One of them, and we exclusively refer to
cultural heritage related issues, is the recent
"UNESCO ICOMOS Documentation Centre" blog.
Started in June 2008, the blog has succeeded
to meet both the professional seriousness and
friendly approach required for effectiveness
in our domain. Focused on documentation for
world heritage, the blog defines itself as "spe-
cialized in the built heritage, its conservation
and restoration, historic monuments and sites,
archaeology, architectural heritage, [and] world
heritage". It offers latest news, information
NEW BLOGabout publications and events and a database
of links organised by keywords that can be book-
marked and further shared on Delicious1. An
extra feature is the ability for readers to leave
comments in an interactive format.
News and events, displayed in reverse chrono-
logical order, are listed as short announcements
and are followed by links to the organisers' home-
page. These are normally organisations such as
Getty, ICCROM, UNESCO and ICOMOS, but there
are also announcements about free publications
available to download, such as journals, maga-
zines, books, conference papers and bulletins,
among others.
What is remarkable about this initiative is that
prestigious organisation such as UNESCO and
ICOMOS take advantage of this new format of
communication in order to interact with the
public. Hence, we advice you to visit this weblog
as you will certainly find it useful and you will
probably return there each time you need a fast
way to bring yourself up to date. But you should
be aware, even if it might seem a simple webpage,
this blog is a crossroads of many other useful
pages that will keep your interest "online" for
more than you expected.
UNESCO ICOMOSDocumentation
Centre
1 Delicious (http://www.delicious.com) - is one of the most popular social bookmarking website for saving and sharing webpages.
www.icomosdocumentationcentre.blogspot.com
The News section is publishing the most diverse
information on cultural heritage topics, such as
on-site conservation projects reports,
conferences, lectures, talks or workshops
reviews, but also course reviews and any other
kind of appropriate announcements. If you are
involved in interesting projects and you want to
share your experience with everybody else,
please send us your news or announcements.
For more details, such as deadlines and
publication guidelines, please visit
www.e-conservationline.com
NEWS
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e-conservationline website
e-conservationline is going to focus its next
efforts on the development of the website Links
section.
We want you to help us achieving one of the most
useful databases of links related to cultural
heritage so everyone can profit from it.
What we need:
- Websites dedicated to specialist and general
knowledge in the field;
- Websites that disseminate conservation news,
events, projects, etc...;
- Websites that offer free publications,
documentation and other materials relevant
for conservators;
- Conservation forums of discussion, national
or international;
…and anything else that you find useful and
you consider others will also appreciate.
What we don’t need:
- Websites with links to other websites;
- Profile pages for individuals or enterprises;
- Commercial websites;
Send your suggestions using our form or simply
email them to [email protected]
Thank you for helping us improve
e-conservationline!
CALL FOR LINKS
We accept submissions in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian, acceptam articole în Engleza, Spaniola, Portugheza, Italiana si Româna, aceptamos artículos en Inglés, Francés, Español, Portugués, Italiano y Rumano, nous acceptons des articles en Anglais, Français, Espagnol, Portugais, Italien et Roumain, accettiamo articoli in Inglese, Francese, Spagnolo, Portoghese, Italiano e Rumeno, aceitamos artigos en Inglês, Francês, Espanhol, Português, Italiano e Romeno.
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11th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Digital Integrated Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage
Sept
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The Digital Curation of Cultural Heritage
Date: 15-18 September Read more...
Place: Athens, Greece
The focus of CIDOC 2008 on the digital curation
of cultural heritage will allow curators, collection
managers, documentalists, archivists and museum
information specialists to explore a broad range
of theoretical, methodological, professional
practice and technological issuers related to the
appraisal, digitisation, management, represen-
tation, access and use of digital cultural assets,
such as those increasingly becoming part of
museum information systems and digital archives.
IIC Round Table on Climate Change and Museum Collections
Date: 17 September Read more...
Place: London, UK
The threats that come with climate change do not
just exist in the outdoor environment. The delicate
and fragile treasures within our museums are also
susceptible. Museum and house collections that
may not have previously required environmental
control may soon require such efforts to meet
their preservation responsibilities. To remain
effective the maintenance plans will require
adaptation to our changing climate.
IIC Congress 2008 - Conservation and Access
Date: 15-19 September Read more...
Place: London, UK
Enabling people to access and enjoy art and heritage is
the aim of this congress. The programme will examine the
central role of conservation in the presentation and pro-
tection of the world's cultural heritage. It will explore the
ways that heritage professionals engage in this sharing
worldwide, whether that involves people going to see
that heritage or the heritage itself travelling the globe.
The events in this section are linked
to the original homepage of the
organisers. In case the event does not
have an individual page, the calendar
of events will open at
www.conservationevents.com.
Click on "Read more..." to find out
more details about each event.
Date: 14-19 September Read more...
Place: Rome, Italy
It is the most important conference that brings together
scientists to discuss recent progress, applications and
future trends of accelerator based isotope techniques
for studies in Archaeology, Nuclear Physics and Astro-
physics, Cosmogeochemistry, Biomedical Sciences,
Environment, Geology, Hydrology, Ocean Sciences,
and Nuclear Safeguards.
From data acquisition to the communication through virtual reality systems
Date: 15-26 September Read more...
Place: Rome, Italy
The course will follow a 'from-the-beginning-to-final-
result' approach, providing both theory and practice
on the field and in the lab, and will regard the use of
advanced methodologies and digital technologies for
documentation, communication and valorization of
Cultural Heritage.
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Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage in the Asia
Date: 29 September - 4 October Read more...
Place: Québec City, Canada
The symposium theme is "Finding the Spirit of Place",
and its subthemes are: Re-thinking, Safeguarding,
Transmitting and The Threats to the Spirit of Place.
16th General Assembly and International Scientific Symposium of ICOMOS
Pacific Region 2008: research, analysis and preser-vation of archaeological sites
Date: 9 September – 9 October Read more...
Place: Nara, Japan
In Asia and the Pacific region, there are various forms of
cultural heritage which are of great value from a global
point of view. Proper investigation, analysis, preservation
and development of these sites and remains are required
of heritage professionals, in order to ensure that this
important cultural heritage is safeguarded for future
generations. This training course aims to provide partici-
pants with the latest methodologies and technologies
for investigation, conservation and management of
archaeological sites.
27th Meeting of Dyes in History and Archaeology
Date: 8-11 October Read more...
Place: Istanbul, Turkey
The 27th Meeting of Dyes in History and Archaeology,
including a welcome reception, a gala diner, an extra
diner and post conference visits to museums will take
place from the 8th till 11th October 2008 in Istanbul,
Turkey. The oral and poster sessions will be held at the
Marmara University Rectorate Building Conference Hall
in Sultanahmet, on the 9th and 10th October 2008. The
meeting will be jointly organised by the Marmara
University.
14th International Symposium on Biodeterioration and Biodegradation
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Historical Mortars Conference
Date: 24-26 September Read more...
Place: Lisbon, Portugal
The conference is based in four main themes, related
with the central aims of 4 research projects:
- Characterization of historical mortars
- Decay and diagnosis of historic masonry structures
- History, protection and conservation of historical
renders and plasters
- Design of compatible repair mortars
Connecting the past to the future11th AICCM Paintings Group Symposium
Date: 9-10 October Read more...
Place: Melbourne, Australia
This symposium will bring together contributions focused
on a single theme – reflections on the past, present and
future of the paintings conservation profession in
Australia. It will aim to survey how the profession has
developed in this country, reflect on where we have made
our strongest contributions to the field and discuss
where (and how) we would like to aim for the future.
Date: 6-11 October Read more...
Place: Messina, Italy
The IBBS-14 Symposium is dedicated to different topics
dealing with biodeterioration and biodegradation of
organic and inorganic materials including cultural
heritage objects, medical devices, corrosion of metals
and other applied aspects such as hydrocarbons and
pollutants biodegradation and techniques applied to
the study of microorganisms involved in these processes.
EVENTS
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EITEC 2008
Octo
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Conservation of Tracing Paper
Date: 16-17 October 2008 Read more...
Place: Berlin, Germany
The workshop contains the introduction to manufacture
processes of transparent paper and their influence on
the dimensional stability of these papers as well as the
demonstration and discussion of various treatment
techniques. The main focus of the seminar is to gain an
understanding of the several treatment techniques
through hands-on working on originals and dummies.
Art Conservation Symposium: XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence)
Date: 18 October Read more...
Place: Houston, USA
In order to obtain the knowledge to properly conserve
photographs which have experienced deterioration, con-
servators must be able to identify the imaging and toning
materials before a treatment process can be outlined
and implemented. Thanks to XRF, many photographs in
the museum's collection which previously could not be
completely identified to inform conservation treatment
are now undergoing systematic restoration treatment.
10th Conference of the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics (ICCM)
Date: 20-26 October Read more...
Place: Palermo, Italy
It aims to stress how through a systematic and full
documentation during the process of conservation, one
has the occasion to make observations that deepen
one’s understanding of a mosaic, the technique or
techniques involved in its execution, the archaeological
context in which it was found and the historical
vicissitudes it has experienced.
Synchrotron Radiation in Art and Archaeology
Date: 22-24 October Read more...
Place: Barcelone, Spain
The purpose of the workshop is to discuss and explore
the current and potential applications of synchrotron
science to problems in Archaeology and Art conservation.
Bringing together key members of the synchrotron
community and experts in the disciplines of Archaeology,
Archaeological Science, Art Conservation and Materials
Science, the interdisciplinary workshop will report their
latest research accomplishments, highlight ongoing
projects, and catalyse new interactions between these
fields.
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Date: 23-24 October Read more...
Place: Porto, Portugal
The Department of Heritage Studies of the Faculty of Letters
of the University of Porto, the Welding and Quality Institute
and the companies Sistemas do Futuro (Multimedia, Gestão
e Arte, Lda.) and Conservar-Inovar (Conservação e Restauro
de Bens Patrimoniais, Lda.) are promoting the 3rd edition
of EITEC – Encontro Internacional de Tecnologias Aplicadas
à Museologia, Conservação e Restauro (International
Meeting of Applied Technologies to Museology, Conservation
and Restoration). During the two days, the participants will
be able to attend presentations of invited speakers from
Portugal and foreign countries. The program includes
Portuguese speakers such as António Portugal from Univer-
sity of Coimbra who will present a case study of fungi in
historical documents and José Nero from Instituto Superior
Técnico who will discuss the conservation and rehabilitation
of built heritage, among others. Among the foreign partici-
pants, Hans-Christoph von Imhoff will discuss the evolution
of conservation-restoration field since Second World War
and Piero Baglioni from the University of Florence will talk
about nanomagnetic gels.
EVENTS
19e_conservation
SALVADOR MUÑOZ-VIÑASin
terv
iew
Salvador Muñoz-Viñas was born in Valencia
in 1963. He holds degrees in both Fine
Arts and Art History. After working as
a conservator at the Historical Library
of the Universitat de València, he became
a young member of staff at the newly-
created Department of Conservation at
the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.
In the late 80s and early 90s, he obtained
several scholarships including the Luis
de Santangel research prize which enabled
him to visit the Center for Conservation
and Technical Studies at Harvard Univer-
sity (presently known as Straus Center
for Conservation), where he carried out
research as a visiting scholar.
New Horizons for Conservation Thinking
In 1991, Muñoz-Viñas presented his PhD., partially based on research made at
Harvard, a technical analysis of Italian Renaissance manuscripts which was sub-
sequently published by Harvard and the UPV. In those years, Muñoz-Viñas taught
both Paper Conservation and the History of Paintings Techniques at the UPV,
however in 1999, he was obliged to choose a single subject, and opted for Paper
Conservation. At that time, he was already beginning to analyze the prevalent
('classical') tenets of conservation theory. Following some rather tentative,
short articles on the topic, the book 'Teoría contemporánea de la Restauración'
was published in 2003. Soon after that he began writing 'Contemporary Theory
of Conservation', which was published late in 2004. Salvador Muñoz-Viñas became
Professor (Catedrático) in 2000 and presently, works both on conservation theory
and on paper conservation techniques.
Interviewed by Christabel Blackman, 7th June, 2008
e_conservation
A visit to Salvador Muñoz-Viñas’ work place is a
discovery akin to an explorers encounter with a
long sought-after treasure. The Arts and Conser-
vation building of the UPV is circular and reaches
out its architectural enveloping arms like St. Peters
forecourt, to snuggle in the rasta-haired arts
students along with the white cloaked conservation
researchers. Professor Muñoz-Viñas' chambers, his
deskroom and laboratory are dimmed and silent
compared to the harsh revealing Spanish sun and
the convivial chaotic ambience outside. Salvador
strikes one as quietly spoken, a listener rather
than a dogmatic teacher; elegant and thoughtful,
perhaps the archetype of the absent-minded
professor. He is however a stream-lined thinker,
with a terrific capacity to anchor things straight
to their axial point and definitely doesn’t waste
his words…
What drew you in to conservation as a profession?
It was not a decision that was planned long
before it became a reality. I just naturally found
myself learning, enjoying and working in it and
that was that. I studied Art History and Fine Arts,
and this was an easy and natural way to join both
together.
You worked in investigation at Harvard Univer-
sity during your formative years. How did that experience contribute to your thinking?
Looking back retrospectively, I think that that was
a really important time because I encountered
different ways to do things, different ways to ap-
proach problems, different ways to communicate
between conservation professionals and of course
there were a lot of resources available. There was
just everything I could think of, from the most
sophisticated scientific apparatus to the rarest
publication. It really changed my way of thinking
about conservation research and about knowledge.
25e_conservation
I was very lucky to be working with people who
were so open and cooperative, especially with
the then Senior Conservation Scientist Eugene
Farrell who was first a master and a teacher and
later a teacher and a friend.
What inspired you to write "Contemporary Theory of Conservation"?
I had been working in both practical conservation
and teaching for some time, often trying to tackle
ethical problems that arose when approaching con-
servation ethics in the classical way; that is by
applying classical principles, such as, reversibility,
objectivity, respect for truth, minimal intervention
and the like. However I found that these classical
principles could seldom be fully applied. In order
for them to work, you had to not abide by them
at some given moment. Sooner or later it was
necessary to discard them to enable conservation
to be reasonable and acceptable. For some years
I tried to cope with this incongruity between the-
ory and practice, between what should be and
what could be. However I couldn’t get free from
this theoretical itch. Finally I tried to put things
together and to create some coherent body of
thinking, which led me to write those books.
You introduce many new or rather outline many existing yet previously undefined concepts in the conservation field. For example, what do you refer to by sustainable conservation?
This is a notion that has been put forward by other
authors such as Sarah Staniforth and Erica Avrami.
When they spoke of sustainable conservation,
they thought about economical aspects of conser-
vation, maybe about technical aspects. I would
include those aspects in my notion of sustainable
conservation. But I mainly refer to the fact that
conservation should not limit the variety of mes-
sages that observers or scientists or scholars can
NEW HORIZONS FOR CONSERVATION THINKING
Prof. Muñoz-Viñas in his deskroom at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.
extract from a given object. Conservation should
be sustainable in that it should not make any
reading impossible or, to be more practical, it
should maintain as many meanings of that single
object as available as possible: it should not ex-
haust the ability of an object to transmit different
messages.
Why is authenticity important in conservation?
I don’t think it is actually important, even though
many people may think it is. Authenticity, or Truth,
is important in many aspects of life, I mean, it is
a basic rule of behavior: like, 'Thou shalt not lie'.
However, in conservation we usually understand
authenticity in a very particular and peculiar way,
giving it a meaning which has nothing to do with
authenticity as we usually understand the term.
Basically, when we speak about an 'authentic'
object, or about the 'authentic' state of an object,
we are actually referring to an expected or pre-
ferred state of the object. Conservators often
alter or delete the authentic imprints of history
for the sake of 'authenticity'; the problem with
those imprints (a marred surface, a missing frag-
ment, a darkened varnish, you name it) is not
that they are not authentic, but that we do not
like them. We prefer the object to exist in a dif-
ferent state. Conservators thus modify reality
(which is undoubtedly authentic) to suit our
expectations, needs or preferences. So authen-
ticity is useful because it helps us to believe
that we are acting for some higher reasons (truth,
science, objectivity, etc.) and not that we are
simply implementing our own expectations or
preferences.
You criticize truth-based theories: does it mean that conservators 'lie'?
No. What it means is that truth is not actually
a part of the equation, or that a conservator
cannot lie just by altering an object. Altering
an object and acknowledging and documenting
that change can be hardly considered as a form
of lying. If it were so, as classical, truth-based
22 e_conservation
INTERVIEW WITH SALVADOR MUÑOZ-VIÑAS
theories suggest, then we would have to admit
that we conservators lie all the time. Even rigattino
or similar tricks should be considered to be lies
from the point of view of classical theories: the
idea is that if we come close enough to a painting
we will be able to spot these additions, on the
other hand we would have to meticulously scan
the entire painting’s surface to be able to spot
what parts of it were not original, which is just
a very unrealistic expectancy, to say the least.
So according to classical theories we should be re-
spectful to truth but at the same time we must lie.
However, as I said before, I don’t think that truth
is all that important, because I don’t think that
we can make an object 'false'. Truth depends on
what a person believes an object to be, and not
on the object itself; the object cannot lie. We
transform the object, but it does not mean that
we are lying: we do not hide that fact but publicize
it. Whatever state an object exists in is always a
reality. I mean it is what it is. That’s the tauto-
logical argument. Truth is always there within
the object. The fact that we do not like that truth
does not mean that it is not a truth. The fact that
we do not like the state of a painting which is
burnt does not meant that the true authentic
state of that painting is not burnt. The fact that
we do not like a statue which is broken does not
mean that the true authentic state of the broken
statue is not broken. So objects always exist in
a true state. Henceforth, what makes a restora-
tion good or bad is not the fact that it abides by
truth. Truth has nothing to do with conservation
theory; we are not dealing with truth. We are
dealing with preferences. We want an object to
exist in a given state. And we tend to think that
that preferred state is the true state of the object.
But it is not, because the object always exists
in a true state. A torn piece of paper is authen-
tically torn, it is really torn. So how can we
believe that the true state of a torn piece of
paper is not torn? That does not make sense.
23e_conservation
Truth has little to do with conservation. Conser-
vation is about bringing the object to a preferred
state. We adapt objects to our preferences and
that’s it.
You say that contemporary theory of conser-
vation calls for a revolution of common sense. Are classical theories not based on common sense?
No they are not, definitely. In fact they are based
on very specific views that are not those of the
common people. They are based on the views of
specialists. Classical theories are made to satisfy
specialists, art historians, archaeologists, chemists,
physicists, but not necessarily the stakeholder,
user of the object, or the spectator. I think that
contemporary theories are now moving towards
this, well, they are aiming at bearing in mind the
views of the spectators, the layman and the views
of the common people.
Are you implying, whilst saying that, that common sense is not applicable to these elitist groups?
No, no, no, it is not. These elitist groups, (and I
know well, I sort of belong to one of them) do
have some inner, particular ideas that are common
to us insiders –but this common sense is not very
common, since it is that of specialists, a reduced
group of people. We have an idea of what is com-
mon sense within our own field of specialization.
When I speak of the revolution of common sense,
I am referring to common sense in the broadest
sense of the term – that which applies to the vast
majority of people. For instance, to conserve some
layer of dirt that most people would find disgusting
over an object that most people find worthless,
as in archaeological conservation, is not common
sense. But then some not-so-common-one could
say, hey, I’m an archaeologist and I do care about
conserving that layer of dirt because it could
NEW HORIZONS FOR CONSERVATION THINKING
e_conservation24
provide me with some information in the future.
This common sense stems from the specialist’s
point of view only, but that common sense is not
actually all that common, because most people
would want to remove that dirt. But then again,
a certain group of people with a, well, less-common
common sense may find that layer of dirt valuable.
Up until now, the views of the vast majority of
people were not cared about. Indeed sometimes
these views do not need to be cared about, be-
cause it may be necessary to conserve for those
specialists. However I mean to say that an object,
say a painting, may not necessarily be valuable
for an elitist group only, it can also have a sym-
bolic value for many people - the same applies
to a sculpture, a cathedral, etc. All these things
mentioned can be considered valuable for more
people, for reasons which are, indeed, truly
common sense.
Do you think that mass popularity of a cultural asset can lead to a type of demagogic conservation?
Yes, sure, that is a risk, but we don’t want that
either… It is not that we should just abide by the
will of the majority. Often, to avoid demagogic
conservation we do have to ignore the common
view of the people. This leads to a paradox. They
pay us, we work for them, but we just have to
ignore them. I think that this paradox can be
solved by suggesting that when we say that we
are working for users, the term 'users' includes
not only contemporary users, but also future users.
And we conservators are speaking for those future
users who do not have a voice yet.
Indeed you refer to this in your book as sustain-
able conservation, which we have been speaking about. Do you think that your 'Contemporary Theory of Conservation' offers a satisfactory answer to the problems of conservation ethics?
I do not think that it is my theory of conservation,
I think that it is a theory that is in the air, like,
well 'Love is in the Air'… but 'Conservation
Theory is in the Air'. There are many people who
think this way, and who have contributed to it.
I have formulated it and I have added my own
patches where I felt it needed patching. And yes,
I feel that it gives an answer to many problems.
Laudan, a philosopher of science, said that the
value of a theory is measured by the amount of
problems it can solve. I do think that this contem-
porary theory solves more problems than classical
conservation theories. However, there are prob-
lems that cannot be solved so easily, such as the
problem of measuring value. Subjective values
cannot be expressed in terms of numbers, and
that’s a real challenge we’ll have to cope with.
In your book, you criticize the notion of scientific conservation. In your opinion, what role does science play in conservation?
It helps conservators to have more data, to be
more informed. It should not substitute or replace
ethics. Science tells us things about how the world
works, how an object was in some more or less
remote past, it can hint how some particular
material will behave, but then again there are
many other factors that are not scientific, which
are usually more important than the information
that science can provide us with. For example,
we need to know not just the past state of an
object, but whether or not that past state of the
object is more desirable than some other states
of the object. This is something that science
cannot tell us. Science can tell us if a varnish is
aged or not, but it cannot tell us if we should
remove that varnish. So the most important
decisions have nothing to do with science, they
have to do with needs, expectations and people.
These are things that cannot be dealt with by
science; it should just act an auxiliary tool, be-
INTERVIEW WITH SALVADOR MUÑOZ-VIÑAS
e_conservation
cause it cannot guide conservation. It can tell
us to select a particular adhesive or to help us
make more informed decisions, but it cannot
make the decisions; it is we who make the
decisions.
What are your views on minimal intervention?
I have nearly finished the final version of a chap-
ter on that topic for a book which is being edited
by Alison Bracker and Alison Richmond, so this
is a topic that I am somewhat acquainted with.
What I have found is that either we do not actually
refer to anything minimal or we do not actually
refer to the intervention at large, but only to
some particular aspects of the intervention. If
we would sincerely abide by that principle we
would do nothing, because a truly minimal inter-
vention is just the slightest step away from doing
nothing. So it is obvious that the notion makes
sense if we change its actual meaning. While we
do understand the notion and find it useful, it
could be better referred to with other terms.
What projects are you currently working on?
I am working on some theoretical texts on ethics
but I am also working on some interesting tech-
nical aspects of paper conservation. This is a field
that I do not want to abandon, not at all. It is
very nice to alternate between purely theoretical,
almost philosophical research, and the more
practical, technical research –switching from
working with words to working with formulae
and physical principles, and with the hands, is
very refreshing –perhaps the most important
privilege of working within a university is that
I can choose when to switch, and how often.
What publications are you working on?
I have recently completed a contribution on the
notion of authenticity for the chapter of a book
that will be published by Archetype. Besides that,
I am preparing a technical article on an often over-
looked (or plainly ignored) drawback of common
flattening techniques – these techniques alter
Salvador Muñoz-Viñas with Joana Kosek, paper conservator from the British Museum and James Black, director of Archetype Publications and co-ordinator of International Academic Projects.
Prof. Muñoz-Viñas lecturing at the British Museum, 'Contemporary Ethics of Conservation for the XXIst century' Seminar in London, June, 2007.
25
NEW HORIZONS FOR CONSERVATION THINKING
26 e_conservation
the original dimensions of paper sheets; it has
been very interesting to discover, assess and
understand this phenomenon. A long overdue
book on the history of painting techniques is
also in the pipeline which I am coauthoring with
a fellow Spanish conservator. It should have been
finished long ago, since the project dates back
to the late 1990s, when I still had the privilege
of teaching that beautiful subject, but I have
been indulgently procrastinating upon it – the
publishers are not happy with that. Further ahead
there lie several very appealing projects, such as
a book on conservation ethics and contemporary
art or an analysis of some aspects of Brandi’s
Teoria del restauro. However, these projects are
just that - I have deviated from your question,
since I am not actually working on them, but
just musing with them.
In your opinion, which is the best model of education in conservation?
I think that it should be similar to how physicians
are taught. That is the students have a heavy
load of hands-on practical work and a heavy load
of very different theoretical matters. And then,
when they finish, they start an internship for
four more years, alongside with experienced
experts from whom they are transmitted valuable
acquired knowledge and skills. This could be a
model for conservation – not that I am advocating
for a six-year conservation degree followed by
a four-year internship: I am advocating for a
blend of theoretical and practical teaching, rang-
ing from sciences to humanities to conservation
techniques – this is a real trademark of conser-
vation as a discipline which in my opinion is rarely
well-implemented. Ideally, it would be followed
by a strictly controlled period of work in real la-
boratories. The Bologna directive seems to call for
a four-year degree, but they tell next to nothing
about internships in real-life laboratories or
workshops. On the other hand, it is very difficult
to make sure that the interns will get hands-on
experience in the specific techniques that they
need, since professional workshops are not
concerned with teaching, but with solving pro-
fessional needs and with their own livelihood.
And then there is the fact that many labora-
tories just do not need or do not want interns
buzzing around; and those which often assign
the interns the most routine and boring tasks
– the tasks that nobody wants to do. This is a
good lesson about how life is, but not about
conservation. Even though the attitude of the
conservators who host the interns may be easily
understandable and perfectly logical, this defies
the whole point of an internship. Of course, and
worst of all, it is very difficult to avoid. Thus, in
many ways, the model I am describing can only
be a purely ideal model. To tame these problems,
I would add to the equation the need to have a
strict system of student selection, and strict
Salvador Muñoz-Viñas in his paper conservation workshop at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia.
INTERVIEW WITH SALVADOR MUÑOZ-VIÑAS
e_conservation 27
'numerus clausus'. Not just because it would
enable to improve the teaching and instruction,
but also because it would allow the teachers and
the students to be much more selective about
those all-important internships.
How do you see the implementation of the Bologna process in higher education? Do you believe it will bring about an improvement to the actual models of conservation educationin Spain?
No, I don’t think so. Each European country has
its particular issues and the issues in Spain will
not be solved by any particular education quali-
fication system, such as that which the Bologna
directives call for. After Bologna we will have more
or less the same problems, except that we will
have new degrees which have slightly different
durations from those we have now. For example,
one of the main problems which currently exists
has to do with the fact that in Spain conservation
is taught both by universities and by "Escuelas
Superiores" (which are tertiary education insti-
tutions outside the university). In fact, and
following Bologna, the "Escuelas Superiores"
already have their four year degrees which have
just been approved by the Ministry; while the
Universities already have their post-graduate,
Bologna-style degrees, and will soon have their
four-year graduate degrees. However, both the
Escuelas and the Universities refuse to cooperate
together to unify these degrees: each party seems
to the other as a menace or even an enemy. It
is a problem that will not be solved by anything
from Bologna; unfortunately the problem will
remain. However, the Bologna process is not to
be blamed for it: its goals were not to solve all
of these problems, but to implement a homoge-
neous higher education system all across Europe,
and, in my opinion, this is something that has
been successfully achieved.
Christabel Blackman (b. 1959, Australia) holds a
Masters Degree in Conservation and Restoration of
Cultural Patrimony (UPV, Spain) specializing in
easel painting and a Diploma in painting restoration
from the Istituto per l'Arte e il Restauro, Italy. She
lives in Valencia, Spain, where she is a free-lance
senior paintings conservator.
Professor Salvador Muñoz-Viñas concludes his inter-
view with the air thickened by the variety of thought
provoking ideas that have been offered forth. His
complex concepts are simplified down into digestible
units in the same way that conservation processes
are isolated into more manageable steps. He belongs
to the innovative vocational thinkers that are paving
the way for changes on a more communal and uni-
versal level in the conservation sphere, changes that
are slowly being reflected in the collective attitude
of our profession. Undoubtedly we will keep hearing
his words reverberate amongst the movement of
the contemporary visionary kaleidoscope of new
notions in conservation.
NEW HORIZONS FOR CONSERVATION THINKING
arti
cles
AREAS OF PUBLISHING
Conservation TreatmentMural Painting
Painting
Stone
Sculpture
Textiles
Paper / Documents
Photography
Metals
Tile / Ceramic / Glass
Furniture
Music instruments
Ethnographic assets
Archeological objects
Conservation ScienceScientific research
Material studies and characterisation
Analytical techniques
Technology development
Biodeterioration
State-of-the-art
Reviews
Preventive ConservationTheoretic principles
Case studies
Documentation in ConservationStandardisation
Documentation methods
Data management
Conservation TheoryEthics
Conservation History
Art History, Iconography,
Iconology, Chemistry, Physics,
Biology, Photography, Cultural
Management, Museology,
Computer Science, Legislation
and Juridical Processes,
Conservation Policies
and any other field applied to
Conservation and Restoration
of works of art.
Find out more: www.e-conservationline.com
e_conservation
by James Gross
ARE LIBRARIES EFFECTIVELY MONITORING THE CONDITION OF THEIR MICROFILM COLLECTIONS?
Introduction
In the United States, a sizable percentage of li-
braries house microfilm collections. A number
of these microfilm collections are relied upon by
scholarly users for reference and research needs.
Microfilm collections typically consist of a mixture
of new as well as older film rolls. Usage of these
films by patrons can be affected due to accidental
tearing or bending of the film. Older film which
has become brittle has an even greater potential
for tearing. And, library users, even if they are
trying to be careful, are not always knowledgeable
regarding usage of the film readers.
This is exacerbated by the number of libraries with
varying brands and models of film readers. If the
rolls in these collections became damaged, re-
placement or repair of the damaged film would
be needed. However, in today’s economy, library
budgets are stretched to the limit and funding
for replacement film collections, even if needed,
could be prohibitively expensive. What steps can
library staff take to avoid this potential problem?
In this short article we will examine some issues
facing microfilm collection preservation and share
some thoughts on possible solutions.
Are Library Patrons Afraid of Microfilm?
First, we should be honest regarding the usage
of microfilm by the public. Many librarians will
privately share how their patrons see microfilm
usage as a format medium to be avoided. They
generally cite the additional time required to
master the film reader. Few patrons relish the
prospect of having to use microfilm. In this age
of instant gratification, library patrons prefer to
locate their information with the quick search and
download of online data. The textual or book format
is typically utilized only if absolutely necessary.
Well, as the reader is probably aware, there is a
substantial amount of reference material stored
on microfilm. While some researchers may prefer
the speed and convenience of accessing data via
electronic files or paper, it is widely acknowledged
that a sizable percentage of library collections
are stored on the microfilm format.
Microfilm has a long history of usage in libraries
and will likely remain with us in the near future.
The latest trend in data storage is a migration
from existing media, including microfilm, to
scanned images. While this trend is acknowledged,
the purpose of this article is to make the reader
aware of a growing problem, deteriorating micro-
film. If important microfilm collections are not
analyzed for preservation needs, some libraries
could potentially find themselves in the possession
of damaged or unusable film rolls. If these film
rolls became unusable, would a replacement roll,
via microfilm or digital version, even be possible?
30 e_conservation
For severely decomposed film, salvaging it could prove to be extremely questionable, if not impossible.
JAMES GROSS
A growing number of libraries are concentrating on digital imaging. While this may be of benefit to
both in-library as well as off-site patrons, care should be taken to avoid neglect of a more traditional
information format, the microfilm. In today’s fast paced world of gigabit data streams, microfilm may
be seen by both patrons and librarians as "old news". This would be a mistake. A large quantity of data,
much of it unique, currently exists solely in the microfilm format. In this short piece, we will discuss the
preservation issues facing microfilm. We will discuss the options that exist for library management to
check and monitor the status of their film collections.
The Ticking Time-bomb
The Library of Congress Information Bulletin
referred to the issue of damaged or unstable
microfilm collections as a "ticking time bomb"
[1, pp. 97]. There are a number of major educa-
tional institutions in the country which house
sizable microfilm collections. These include
university libraries, such as the University of
California at Berkeley, Cornell University, and
Yale University. Also, there are the large city
libraries such as the New York City Public Library
and the Philadelphia Free Public Library. The
majority of preservation issues do not manifest
themselves in the newer microfilms. Most of the
preservation problems deal with the older films.
For example, when older films start to deteriorate,
they begin to give off a strong vinegar smell.
This acetate decomposition is caused by a chemical
deterioration known as the "vinegar syndrome"
[2, pp. 19]. Once this deterioration accelerates,
the film on the reel can become brittle and break
apart in ones hand. If left unchecked, the film
itself will eventually begin to stick together. For
severely decomposed film, salvaging it could prove
to be extremely questionable, if not impossible.
31e_conservation
MONITORING MICROFILM COLLECTIONS
Image 1 and 2. Severely damaged film roll.
Image 3 and 4. Damaged film boxes.Image 5. Canned film in need of re-boxing.
Cellulose Nitrate Film
Prior to the 1950’s, experts were aware of the
problems associated with cellulose nitrate film.
This type of film had been used for motion pictures,
and was known to be extremely unstable [3, pp.
118]. Due to this instability, films were transferred
to a cellulose acetate-based film. Acetate based
film was later found to be unstable and steps
were taken to transfer the film to a polyester
based film [3, pp. 119]. Thus, the vast majority
of film deterioration issues have been with
nitrate and acetate based film. As noted above,
the instability of nitrate and acetate based film
led them to be phased out and/or transferred
to polyester-based films. Polyester-based films
have a shelf life of over 500 years if processed
and stored correctly. Microfilm instability is not
new. Institutions such as the Library of Congress
and the George Eastman house (affiliated with
Kodak film), have been long aware of film preser-
vation needs. So, if some institutions are aware
of film preservation concerns, why hasn’t there
been a concerted effort to create and implement
a film collection preservation plan?
Neglected Microfilm
The reality is microfilm collections often suffer
from neglect. As a storage medium, it just doesn’t
have the budgetary appeal that other storage
formats, such as electronic databases, do. Also,
libraries and archives, for the most part, have
limited staff and budgets. Their staff is empowered
to focus on taking care of the current patron work-
load. They may not even have a qualified staff
person dedicated to the microfilm room or collec-
tion. Debra Madsen pointed out that these large
film collections, usually a large institutional
investment, were often, "staffed by low level
employees such as paraprofessionals and students"
[4, pp. 103]. Madsen also suggested that if a
32 e_conservation
JAMES GROSS
microfilm librarian was added to the library staff,
then he or she could devote his or her time to
updating the microfilm catalog entries as well as
be trained on the library’s existing preservation
program [4, pp.104].
Gracy and Cloonan, quoted by De Stefano [5],
were even more critical of the technical expertise
of library staff. They stated, "There is a lack of
technical skills […] among library professionals
in their basic understanding of film". In addition,
they pointed out, "in libraries, specifically, the
lack of qualified personnel is […] substantial"
[5, pp. 120]. De Stefano, in echoing the comments
of Gracy and Cloonan, stated "there is an absence
of experience and expertise resident in libraries
to preserve these [microfilm] collections" [3,
pp. 122].
33e_conservation
Unless the library or archive has a trained person to examine and maintain the collection, nothing will be accomplished.
Optional: 2 pics [old boxes drawer; damaged
box2]
Image 6. Damaged film box.Image 7. Film drawer with assortment of old film boxes.
MONITORING MICROFILM COLLECTIONS
Possible Solutions
What about possible solutions? An essential first
step is for the library or archive to realistically
examine their long-term collection priorities.
They must determine if the age of their microfilm
collection warrants a professional examination.
The second step would be for the library manage-
ment to seek outside expertise. This expertise
could be utilized to either perform a collection
appraisal and/or conduct microfilm preservation
training for the library staff. Unless the library
or archive has a trained person to examine and
maintain the collection, nothing will be accom-
plished. One possible option would be to contact
the state archive, the Library of Congress, or the
National Archives for technical assistance. A trained
microfilm consultant can go through a collection
and list which films need leader, which need to
be re-boxed, and which films are suffering from
advanced decomposition. The decaying films
could then be set aside for additional preser-
vation efforts.
Preservation Plan
Libraries and archives house valuable microfilm
collections. These collections can be best served
if a preservation plan is in place. This plan should
include an analysis of the film collection and a
list of those films in need of special attention.
A preservation survey of the film collection would
be a practical first step. A review of the environ-
mental conditions of the film room and the film
drawers would also be in order. Depending on the
size of the film collection, the microfilm specialist
could first make an overall macro assessment of
the collection by checking each film series and
then later perform a micro analysis by carefully
examining every film box and roll.
Generally, deterioration caused by age and film
composition would most likely to develop in
In any library or archive, an investment in qualified staff would probably be an essential step for addressing collection preservation integrity.
specific collections. The microfilm specialist is
the person whose knowledge and experience
make him or her, the best candidate to identify
those film rolls in need of re-boxing, and those
film rolls in need of preservation.
Conclusion
In closing, it is clear that some libraries and
archives need to spend more time and effort if
they wish to ensure the long-term survival of
Image 8 and 9. Plastic (new) vs. metal (old) film reels and old vs. new film boxes.
34 e_conservation
JAMES GROSS
their microfilm collections. A. M. Scham, as quoted
by Jonathan Bengston, noted "it is with the
greatest reluctance that library administrators
are beginning to face the unpleasant fact that
books and archival materials are not indestructible"
[6, pp. 199]. In any library or archive, an investment
in qualified staff would probably be an essential
step for addressing collection preservation integ-
rity. And, while many institutions are currently
exploring the feasibility of converting from micro-
film to digital, the vulnerability of digital media
is still an acknowledged issue. As Suzanne Dodson
cautioned, "all of these electronic media are short-
lived and are not suitable for preservation purposes"
[2, pp. 21]. Regardless of future digitalization
plans, unless microfilm collections are housed
in environmentally safe conditions, checked for
the usage of acid-free boxes, and periodically
monitored for film decomposition issues, the
director of a library or archive may one day be
faced with a microfilm preservation catastrophe.
35e_conservation
References
[1] D. Van Der Reyden, "The Preservation Directorate at 40", Library of Congress Information Bulletin, 66 (5), 2007, pp. 96-99
[2] S. C. Dodson, "Film is a Film is a Film - or is it?... Microfilms - How to Evaluate for Use and Purchase", Microform & Imaging Review, 34 (1), 2005, pp. 18-21 [3] P. De Stefano, "Moving Image Preservation in Libraries", Library Trends, 52 (1), 2003, pp. 118-122
[4] D. Madsen, "A Case for Professional Level Staffing for Microforms", Microform & Imaging Review, 35 (3), 2006, pp. 103-104
[5] K. Gracy, and M. Cloonan, "The Preservation of Moving Images", Advances in Librarianship, Frederick C. Lynden (ed.), v. 27, Elsevier, Amsterdam, as quoted by Paula De Stefano in "Moving Image Preservation in Libraries", Library Trends, 52 (1), 2003, pp. 120
[6] J. Bengston, "Reinventing the Treasure Room: The Role of Special Collections Librarianship in the 21st Century", in Frederick Lynden (ed.), Advances in Librarianship, 25, Academic Press, New York, 2001, pp. 199
Image 10. New microfilm boxes drawer.
MONITORING MICROFILM COLLECTIONS
36 e_conservation
JAMES GROSSContact: [email protected]
James Gross is a Micrographic Specialist, having
worked for four years at the National Archives in
College Park, MD in the Special Media & Preser-
vation Lab. While there, he handled duties such
as microfilming original records, microfilm preser-
vation, as well as re-organizing the microfilm
collection in the Master Film Library. His duties
also included re-organizing the microfilm
cabinets and repaired microfilm rolls requiring
preservation.
He is currently assisting microfilm preservation
efforts at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
while pursuing a Master’s degree in Library
Science at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.
Further Reading list
P. Z. Adelstein, "Preservation of Microfilm", Journal of Micro-
graphics, 11 (6), 1978, pp. 333-337.
P. Banks and R. Pilette (ed.), Preservation: Issues and
Planning, American Library Association, 2000.
S. Dodson, "Microfilm Types: There Really Is a Choice", Library
Resources & Technical Services, 30 (1), 1986, pp. 84-90.
J. Dupont, "Microform Film Stock: A Hobson’s Choice. Are
Librarians Getting the Worst of Both Worlds?", Library
Resources & Technical Services, 30 (1), 1986, pp. 79-83.
K. Gracy and M. Cloonan, "The Preservation of Moving
Images", Advances in Librarianship, Frederick C. Lynden
(ed.), v. 27, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2004.
K. E. Gracy and J. A. Croft, "Quo Vadis, preservation edu-
cation?", Library Resources & Technical Services, 51 (2),
2007, pp. 81-97.
E. Kesse, "Condition Survey of Master Microfilm Negatives,
University of Florida Libraries", Abbey Newsletter, 15 (3),
1991.
C. C. Morrow, The Preservation Challenge, A Guide to Con-
serving Library Materials, Knowledge Industry Publications,
Inc., New York, 1983.
B. Patkus, Assessing Preservation needs, A Self-Survey Guide,
Northeast Document Conservation Center, 2003.
S. Puglia, A Short Guide to Nitrate Negatives: History, Care,
and Duplication, Northeast Document Conservation Center,
1986.
A. M. Scham, Managing Special Collections, Neal-Schuman,
New York, 1987.
T. Selle, "Acetate Microfilm", New York State Archives,
2003, http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/records/mr_pub15
_accessible.html (accessed on 3 February 2008).
JAMES GROSS
Photo credits:
All pictures taken by James Gross.
Image 1 and 2: National Archives, College Park, MD, photos
of microfilm preservation work being conducted by Kathy
Miller, Preservation Specialist, National Archives & Records
Administration.
All other images: Historical Society of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PA, photos of microfilm boxes selected for
preservation re-boxing.
Personal image: National Archives, College Park, MD, Master
Microfilm Library. James Gross engaged in the splicing of a
microfilm roll.
This work describes the study and conservation of an icon from the eighteenth
century provenient from the private Valadorou collection, now belonging to the
Benaki Museum of Athens.
The icon studied will be presented with a group of other icons from the same
collection in an itinerary route of exhibitions foreseen to start in Romania in
October 2008.
In this paper, the major concern was to understand the construction of the icon
and to identify the various materials used by analytical techniques. The
identification of pigments was made by analytical methods such as the observation
of cross sections by optical microscopy, X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and
Infrared (IR) false-colour images. Micro Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy
(µ-FTIR) was used to identify the varnish and the green glaze.
This study combines art history, production techniques, iconography, scientific
research and conservation of this work of art.
by Maria Avillez and Chryssa Vourvopoulou
CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICONTechnological and Methodological Aspects
38 e_conservation
Introduction
In the field of conservation and restoration, this
is a research study that shows the importance of
interdisciplinarity to a successful approach to the
work of art. The exchange of experience between
institutions - the Benaki Museum in Athens and
the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the New
University of Lisbon (FCT-UNL), the exchange of
opinions between museum conservators, art
historians and chemical engineers, and the use
of analytical techniques for a correct identification
of the original materials allowed for a reliable
study and safe intervention on the work of art
described in this paper. In this case, consulting
literature proved to be as important as science
since the answers to our doubts lay many times
in the extensive experience of others.
This entire experience enabled a profound knowl-
edge of the particular technology of icon painting.
At first sight, icons may look the same as other
panel paintings but in fact they are different, as
this research and work has proved. Icons require
a careful interpretation, thus attention must be
paid to all aspects involved, such as the period
they were made, the iconography of the repre-
sentation, the materials and techniques used by
the artist, and their function and future role in
the society, meaning whether they were meant
for private collections or churches.
Due to the influence of the Orthodox Church and
extensive historical background, Greece is an
excellent place to acquire knowledge on the icon
painting and restoration techniques. The Benaki
Museum is one of the most important museums
in Athens. It has four buildings and several conser-
vation departments: paper, textiles, photography,
metals, ceramics, icons, canvas painting, wood
and laboratory. The Museum also works with the
University of Athens, other museums as the
Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens
and with the Ormylia Art Diagnosis Center.
The Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the
New University of Lisbon has a Conservation and
Restoration Department that, along with the
Chemistry Department, offers students the
possibility to perform research in conservation.
Many facilities are available, such as XRF, µ-FTIR,
GC-MS, GC-FID, SEM an µ-Raman, from which
some having been used to complete this study.
1. Historical Context
An icon (from Greek, eikõn, lit., "image") is a
representation depicting holy beings or objects.
According to Espinola [1] "an icon [is] in its
broadest definition any image or portrait figure".
After the iconoclastic1 controversy, the Eastern
Orthodox Church established a code of beliefs
and a set of rules for the artistic production of
icons.
In Byzantine and Post-Byzantine periods, creating
an icon required thorough team-work as the skills
of several specialists such as carpenters, gesso2 -
workers, gilders, draughtsman and painters were
required to perform the tasks involved. In recent
times, however, the production of icons decreased,
so that late icons are normally made by a single
artist [2].
Greek icons can be organized in three periods [3]:
- Byzantine - from the 10th century to the Fall
of Constantinople in 1453, when icons were
produced in the Byzantine territory.
MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU
1 The Byzantine Iconoclasm (726–87 and 815–43) was a controversy for the religious veneration of images that resulted in the deliberate destruction of icons, monuments and other religious symbols. Most of the Byzantine icons were destroyed or plastered over during this period [2].
2 Gesso (from Italian, lit. 'board chalk') is a powder of calcium carbonate used in combination with animal glue (usually rabbit-skin glue) in the preparation of the ground of panel paintings.
39e_conservation
CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON
Figure 1."Presentation ofJesus at the Temple”,icon from the Benaki Museum.
40 e_conservation
- Post-Byzantine - from the second half of the
15th century to the 17th century, when the
artistic centres moved from Constantinople
to Crete, Ionian Islands, Mount Athos and
the Balkans.
- Late icons - after the 17th century up to
nowadays, where the icon studied in this
paper belongs.
2. Iconographic Theme
The icon studied (Figure 1) represents the biblical
scene of the 'Presentation of Jesus at the Temple'
(in Greek, Hypapanté, lit., 'Meeting') described
by the evangelist Luke3: "When the time of their
purification according to the Law of Moses had
been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to
Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and also to
offer in sacrifice a pair of doves or two pigeons.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon,
who was righteous and devout. He was waiting
for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit
was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the
Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had
seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he
went into the temple courts. When the parents
brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the
custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in
his arms. There was also a prophetess, Anna.
She was very old. She never left the temple but
worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave
thanks to God and spoke about the child to all
who were looking forward to the redemption of
Jerusalem." [4].
The biblical description is useful to recognise the
figures depicted in the icon and their intentions,
but in order to understand the iconographic theme,
it is necessary to know not only the origin of the
Scriptures, but also to be familiar with the rites
of Purification in the Christian cult.
Réau [5] explains that this scene has origins in
the ritual described in the Leviticus4, being said
that the women that gave birth to a boy were
considered unclean during the seven days after
the birth, which is why their entrance in the temple
was refused. It is presumed by theologians that
the Virgin submitted herself to this law to show
example of humility and obedience. In fact, she
did not need to be purified as she gave birth
without sin.
3. Technological Aspects
3.1. The Wooden Panel
The support of this icon is made up of a single
wooden board obtained by radial cut. In one side
of the panel marks made by the saw used to work
the timber can be seen. The back and the side of
the icon were plastered with a thin layer of gesso
ground, which was intended to protect the wood
from humidity, to reduce the risk of cracking and
also to cover the imperfections of the surface.
The type of wood used for this panel was identified
as belonging to resinous trees. The exhibited
colour and smell indicate pine, a wood commonly
used in this time. To help this identification, a
small tangential sample of the wood panel was
taken and observed by optical microscopy. Under
the microscope it was possible to observe the
typical veins of resinous trees (Figure 2).
Two horizontal battens were glued and nailed in
the reverse of the panel. The role of the battens
was to stop the retraction of the wood but in this
case they had a negative effect because they
restricted its natural movement, originating a
severe crack along the panel. The battens are
3 This episode appears only in the gospel of Luke, the other gospels never mentioning it.
4 Leviticus is a book from the Old Testament of the Holy Bible.
MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU
41e_conservation
rectangular, cut to the width of the support and
nailed from the back to the front with four nails
each. The nails were aligned and placed at regular
intervals. It is known from literature [3] that the
support and paint layer use to deteriorate due
to the swelling caused by the nails rust. In this
case, the heads of the nails also caused part of
the paint loss in the surface. These were the main
problems of the wooden support.
3.2. The Canvas
The wooden panel is covered by a glued canvas of
medium density. The canvas was normally placed
between the panel and the ground to increase
the cohesion and to enhance the resistance of
the paint layer to the retraction of the wood [3].
The canvas fibber was identified by optical micros-
copy as being linen (Figure 3).
3.3. The Ground
The technique of the ground layer in icons is the
same as the one described by Cenninni [6] re-
garding the preparation of wooden supports for
tempera’s paintings. A mixture of glue and gesso
was applied in layers of decreasing thickness and
perpendicular to each other.
In cross section one can see that the ground layer
contains small amounts of carbon black pigment
which must have been added deliberately to
decrease the white colour of pure gypsum.
In some areas, a craquelure network with perpen-
dicular cracks was formed due to the presence of
the canvas. In the upper area of the icon, a par-
ticular type of craquelure with diagonal marks can
be noticed. This may be due to the intentional
incisions that were made in the wood to enhance
the adhesion of the ground layer.
3.4. The Design
In Greece, from the late 17th through 19th centuries,
model designs drawn and coloured in paper were
reproduced by artists and their apprentices and
circulated among all schools [7]. Many of these
designs, mostly the ones of the Greek icon maker
Athanasios, can be seen today at the Benaki
Museum.
The drawing was normally transferred to the ground
layer by covering the verso with carbon and marking
the outlines with a sharp instrument. The black,
slightly engraved lines can be seen with the naked
eye through the transparent paint layers such as
lakes and ochres or when these layers are very thin.
In this icon, the outlines of the figures, the archi-
tectonic elements and the margins of the icon were
engraved. Some details were then drawn with a
fine brush, namely the faces, hair and flesh.
In some areas, the black underdrawing can be seen
due to the thinness of the paint layers above.
Figure 2. Sample of the wooden panel, amplified 20x (OLYMPUS AX 70 PROVIS Microscope).
Figure 3. Sample of the canvas linen fiber, amplified 20x (OLYMPUS AX 70 PROVIS Microscope).
CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON
42 e_conservation
Figure 4. Column detail, type of brushstrokes in visible (left) and infrared photography (right).
3.5. The Gold Leaf
The icon is gilded with gold leaf only in the back-
ground of the architectural elements and in the
region of the halos. The gold leaf was applied
over a layer of reddish bole, according to the
traditional gilding technique. Gold powder was
also used, probably applied with a brush in the
decorated surfaces with floral and geometric
motives (ceiling area and altar).
The circular areas - the halos and the semi-circle
dividing the figurative area from the decorative
one - were all engraved with a sharp tool.
3.6. The Paint Layer
Concerning their artistic qualities, icons are par-
ticular works of art due to their different conven-
tion of painting. The frontality of the figures, the
deliberate disregarding of the illusion of three-
dimensionality (known as 'reversed' or 'inverted'
perspective), the representation of several mo-
ments of the same action at the same time (known
as the 'continuous style' [8]) are not accidental.
In icons, the use of colours and shapes is based
on a completely different artistic language.
Most common icon painting technique is egg
tempera, the medium being egg-yolk mixed with
water. Vinegar was often added to conserve the
egg longer and to reduce the greasiness of the
emulsion [9].
The traditional Byzantine technique of painting
consists in the application of dark tones as back-
ground colour. This first layer, called proplasmos
in Greek iconography, is maintained at the edges
and in the shadow areas [10]. Over this layer,
several mid-tones are superimposed until the
final highlights.
The brushstrokes are characterised by freehand
and fluid paint, varying in width and direction.
Different types of brushstrokes can be seen in the
recorded infrared image in the background of the
architectural elements (Figure 4). In the areas
of faces and flesh, impressive brushstrokes are
recognisable with the naked eye (ex., detail of
the contour of Simeon’s hair in Figure 5).
The application of pictorial layers in a certain order,
beginning with dark tones and progressing to
MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU
43e_conservation
highlights, is particularly obvious in the region
of faces and visible flesh. These are the areas
where artists gave more attention to details.
Most of the colours used in icons were the result
of pigments availability and price, but in this icon
some standard colours were respected for each
figure. The following tones were used: red, yellow,
white, black and possible blue or green. The pro-
plasmos ranges from light brown to dark brown
and is the result of combinations of yellow ochre,
cinnabar, carbon black, lead white and copper
blue or green (undistinguishable in the cross
sections, Table 3 and 4).
In "The Painter’s Manual" of Dionysius of Fourna
(a Greek monk and icon painter from Mount Athos),
the making of the flesh colour is explained: "Take
Figure 5. Simeon’s hair detail, type of brushstroke and design in visible (left) and infrared photography (right).
drams of terraverte, drams of dark ochre, drams
of lime-white for working on walls, and drams of
black; grind them up well and use as underpaint
when you paint flesh colour" [11].
Two mid-tones made up of lead white, cinnabar
and yellow ochre can be distinguished. They are
applied in different hues in a way as to soften
the transition between the underpaint and the
lighter layer and also to differentiate flat areas
such as the foreheads or the back of the hands.
It is interesting to notice the difference of brush-
strokes between the painting of a young face
(Joseph and Mary) and an old face (Anna and
Simeon). Iconography indicates that Anna and
Simeon are very old, thus the painter represented
their faces wrinkled (Figure 6).
CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON
44 e_conservation
The white highlights are the only areas painted
in impasto. Different shapes are obtained with a
very thin brush by rapid and repeated movements
(Figure 7).
In the areas where the artist intended to give more
volume, he applied a dilute red paint, like for
example for the cheeks, neck and near the mouth.
This layer is called glyklasmos. Finally, the eyes,
ears, noses, chins and mouths as well as the
hands are delineated by thin brown brush-strokes
(Figure 7).
4. Methods for examination and analysis
The methods for examination and analysis used
in this work can be divided in non-destructive
and destructive methods. Both types of exams
allow an interpretation of the work of art based
on the results obtained regarding the characteri-
sation of the materials used and the painter’s
technique.
The non-destructive methods used for diagnosis
were visible (Vis), ultraviolet (UV) and infrared
(IR) photography. For pigment identification XRF
(Table 1) and false-colour infrared photography
(Table 2, Figure 8) were used.
The destructive methods of analysis for material
identification were sampling of cross sections
(Table 3 and 4) and µ-FTIR.
Figure 6. Virgin’s Mary and Anna’s faces, comparison between the painting technique of a young and an old face.
Figure 7. Virgin Mary’s portrait, details of painting technique.
MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU
45e_conservation
No. Colour Detectedelements
Characterisation - Identified pigments
1 Anna’s greengarment
Ca, Cu, PbS, Fe, SrK, Ti, Zn
Major pigment based on copper. Major amounts of calcium and lead. Minor amounts of iron based pigments.- Copper Green (malachite or verdigris), ochre, lead white, gypsum
2 Mary’s red garment(light shade)
Hg, Ca, PbS, Fe, K, SrAl, Cu, P, Cl
Major amounts of mercury based pigment. Main constituent based on calcium and lead. Minor amounts of iron based pigments.- Cinnabar, ochre, lead white, gypsum
3 Mary’s red garment(deep shade)
Hg, PbS, Ca, Ti, Fe,SrAl, Cu, P, Cl, Si
Major amounts of mercury and lead based pigments.Minor amounts of iron based pigments, calcium and sulphur.- Cinnabar, ochre, lead white, gypsum
4 Joseph’s brown garment
Fe, Pb, CaHg, S, Mn, Cl, SrSi, Ti, Cu
Main constituents based on lead and calcium. Major amounts of iron based pigment. Minor amounts of mercury based pigment, manganese and sulphur. - Umber, ochre, cinnabar, lead white, gypsum
5 Red frame(lower left side)
Pb, Hg,S, Ca, Cl, SrSi
Main constituents based on lead, and mercury. Minor amounts of sulphur and calcium.- Cinnabar, lead white, gypsum
6 Mary’s green garment
Cu, Pb, Sr,Ca, Fe, Zn,S, Cl, Sr
Major pigment based on copper. Major amounts of calcium and lead.- Copper Green (malachite or verdigris),ochre, lead white, gypsum
7 Grey ceiling Pb,Ca, S, ClSr
Major constituent based on lead. Minor amounts of calcium, sulphur and chlorine.- Organic black (?), lead white, gypsum
8 Red frame(upper left side)
HgPb, S, Ca, KCl
Main pigment based on mercury. Minor amounts of calcium, lead and sulphur.- Cinnabar, lead white, gypsum
9 Green column base
Pb, Cu,Cl, Ca, FeZn, Sr, Ti
Major constituents based on lead and copper. Minor amounts of calcium, iron and chlorine.- Copper Green (malachite or verdigris),ochre, lead white, gypsum
10 Anna’s red garment
Pb, CaSr, SCu, Fe
Major amounts of lead and calcium. Minor amounts of strontium and sulphur. Traces of iron.- Red lake (?), ochre, lead white, gypsum
11 Joseph’s blue garment
Cu, Pb,Ca, Fe, Cl, SrS, K, Si, P
Main constituent based on lead. Main pigment based on copper. Minor amounts of iron, calcium and strontium.- Azurite, lead white, gypsum
12 Joseph’s flesh (left foot)
Fe, Hg, PbCa, S, ClCu, Sr
Main pigments based on iron, lead and mercury.Presence of calcium and sulphur. Traces of copper.- Cinnabar, lead white, ochre, gypsum
13 Yellow decoration (upper left side)
Pb, AsCo, Ni, SrFe, Zn
Arsenic-based main pigment. Major amounts of lead.Minor amounts of cobalt and nickel. Traces of iron.- Orpiment or realgar, lead white, ochre gypsum
Table 1. Data from spot X-Ray Fluorescence spectroscopy for the characterisation of the materials used. Detected elements are arranged in three rows following a semi-quantitative hierarchy for major (first row), minor (second row) and trace (third row).
CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON
e_conservation
Figure 8.Detailed visible, false-colour
infrared and infrared recorded images. Application of false-
colour IR photography in identification of pigments
(Digital camera Nikon D50).
Prophetess Anna,portrait detail
Simeon,portrait detail
Virgin Mary,portrait detail
Ornament detail,right side of the icon
Column detail,left side of the icon
MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU
46
Blue backround 1. Wood 2. Ground layer 3. Underpaint – lead white, carbon black, smalt. 4. Varnish
Ceiling 1. Ground layer – gesso and glue 2. Underpaint - cinnabar, lead white and carbon black 3. Mid-tone – cinnabar and lead white 4. Varnish – natural resin
Red border 1. Ground layer with dark pigments 2. Underpaint – cinnabar and lead white 3. Mid-tone – cinnabar with lead white and carbon black
Red
False-colour infrared photography was used as a
complementary technique to obtain information
that could help to the pigments' identification.
The equipment used was a digital camera Nikon
D50 with capacity to record photographs in the
infrared spectrum at a wavelength range between
900-950nm. To capture the IR image, a filter
(Kodak Wratten, No.87 C) was applied and the
images recorded with an exposure time of +1,00
seconds, aperture of 22 and white balance (WB)
defined for day light.
The images in visible light were recorded with an
exposure time of +0,3 seconds, an aperture of 16
and WB defined for interior light.
The results were helpful to the study but this tech-
nique is never conclusive.
True colour False-colour IR
Black Black
White White
Cinnabar Yellow
Azurite Blue
Ultramarine Reddish purple or dark blue
Indigo Red or dark brown
Cobalt Reddish
Yellow with Fe Greenish
Other yellows White
Copper greens Blue
Green earth Blue, light
Umber Black
Table 2. Correspondence between true and false-colour IRof the pigments.
Blue
Red
Table 3. Cross sections of the samples in polarized (left) and UV light (right).
47e_conservation
CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON
Column1. and 2. Ground layer3. Underpaint – carbon black and lead white4. Mid-tone – lead white and carbon black
Yellow tile from the floor1. Mid-tone – lead white and cinnabar2. Underpaint – cinnabar and lead white
Anna’s red garment1. Ground layer2. Paint layer – red lake, ochre, lead white
Virgin’s red garment1. Ground layer with red pigments2. Underpaint – cinnabar, ochres3. Mid-tone – cinnabar and lead white
Joseph’s left foot1. Ground layer – gesso and glue2. Underpaint – yellow ochre, cinnabar, carbon black, lead white3. Mid-tone – lead white and cinnabar
Joseph’s blue garment (50x)1. Paint layer – azurite, malachite, lead white, ochre
Anna’s mantle (20x)1.Ground layer2.Underpaint – malachite, lead white3.Glaze - verdigris
Virgin’s green garment (20x)1. Ground layer2. Underpaint (floor tile) – cinnabar, lead white3. Paint layer – malachite, azurite, lead white
e_conservation
Grey Green
Yellow
Table 4. Cross sections of the samples in polarized light.
Blue
Red Red
4.1. Pigments
4.1.1. Reds
The red pigments are used in a range of tones from
light to dark red. The major pigment found in red
areas is cinnabar mixed with lead white, more or
less according to the tone required.
An exception to this technique can be found on
Anna and Simeon’s red garments. Here, as sus-
pected and then confirmed with XRF and false-
colour IR, a red lake mixed with lead white was
used. In cross section (Table 3, 4) the sample pre-
sented a pink tone and a rather different aspect
from the other red samples. The underpaint in
this area is of a dark pink tone, the mid-tone is
MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU
Green
Flesh
48
e_conservation 49
light pink and the highlights are white.
In the cinnabar red areas, the underpaint has a
dark red tone (cinnabar with black particles), the
mid-tone is strong red (cinnabar with lead white)
and the highlights are light red in the Virgin’s
mantle and yellow ochre in the curtains.
The red colour is also used to delineate the yellow
floral motifs and the mouths of all figures.
4.1.2. Blues
In figures using green-blue garments, one can
distinguish blue, green and white particles in
cross sections through the optical microscope
(Table 3, 4). By XRF it was possible to see that these
cross sections contain copper, which indicates
the pigments possibly used: azurite, malachite,
verdigris or copper resinate.
We can state that azurite is the copper pigment
mixed with the green pigment in this areas by
observation and comparison to the literature [12].
The particles distribution, the colour in the paint
film and the confirmation of the presence of copper
helps to this identification.
The blue underpaint from the upper part of the
icon presents a greyish tone and its false-colour
is reddish, different from the other blue tones
present in the garments.
In cross section (Table 3, 4) one can see that the blue
particles were slightly mixed with white and what
seemed at first, black particles. From the false-
colour IR recorded image, the emitted reddish
tone could be ultramarine, cobalt or smalt blue.
Ultramarine and cobalt were expensive pigments
so it is more likely that smalt was the chosen
pigment.
Through XRF the presence of cobalt, arsenic and
nickel was detected and according to the literature
[13] it was concluded that the blue pigment used
in this area was smalt. According to Mühlethaler
and Thissen, since the Middle Ages, the main
cobalt source used in the preparation of smalt
was smaltite (Co,Fe,Ni)As2 but in the 17th and
18th centuries erythrite (Co3(AsO4)2•8H2O) and
cobaltite (Co,Fe)AsS, associated cobalt minerals
were also used. The same authors also mention
that smalt is considered an inferior pigment
relatively to azurite and ultramarine, but as in
the 17th century these pigments were difficult
to find, they were substituted by smalt, "particu-
larly in the skies and backgrounds of paintings
where intense blue was not needed".
In cross section the blue sample shows few blue
particles and much more greyish and dark ones.
This can be explained as an increased content
in potassium oxide (K2O) decreases the stability
of smalt to atmospheric conditions, the pigment
becoming pale and greyish.
4.1.3. Greens
The green copper pigments are more difficult
to distinguish. More techniques besides XRF
identification are needed to identify which
copper pigments are present in the painting.
Azurite and malachite were frequently mixed
together due to their close mineral nature (both
copper carbonates) but the use of verdigris and
copper resinate must also be considered.
Comparing the optical characteristics (colour,
shape size and appearance) of the green particles
in the sample to the literature [12, 14], we pre-
sumed that the pigment could be malachite.
The presence of copper identified by XRF and
the history of the pigment confirmed us to the
same fact.
However, when we observed the sample from
Anna’s mantle consisting of a green type of glaze,
new doubts arose. Most particles are very similar
to malachite but others similar to verdigris
regarding their optical properties were also
present. XRF does not allow this distinction
since it only detects copper, but it does not
give any information on whether the sample
CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON
50 e_conservation
contains copper acetate (verdigris) or copper
carbonate (malachite).
In order to identify the green pigment, further
exams were needed and we chose to analyse the
green glaze with µ-FTIR. By comparing standard
µ-FTIR spectra of malachite and verdigris we
concluded that the glaze was actually made with
verdigris. We can assume further that the pigment
is copper resinate, and not a transparent layer of
resinate applied over a layer of green pigment, by
stereoscope and optical microscope observation
and confirm this by comparing the µ-FTIR spectra
showed in Figure 9.
4.1.4. Yellows
The floral motifs have been filled with trans-
parent yellow paint. This thin paint layer was
applied over the blue underpaint. XRF analysis
detected iron and lead white but the major
compounds in this area were the ones related to
the blue layer due to the thinness of the yellow
layer. Due to the presence of iron it was
concluded the yellow paint must be yellow ochre.
4.1.5. Greys
A range of grey tones have been used to paint the
columns of the temple following the principle of
superimposing layers. The back columns have only
two layers: a dark grey underpaint and a grey mid-
tone. The front columns have three tones: the
underpaint is grey, the mid-tone is light grey and
the highlights are white. All the lines are delineated
with fine brush and black paint.
The grey tone is a mixture of organic black with
lead white.
4.1.6. Browns
The browns are a mixture of umber, ochre, cinnabar
and lead white. The altar has a brown-reddish tone
due to the reddish highlights, which are probably
constituted of the same pigments mixture but
with higher cinnabar content. Joseph’s mantle
has three tones: dark brown underpaint, brown
mid-tone and light brown highlights.
4.2. The varnish
A sample of varnish removed from the icon’s sur-
face was analysed by contact with a diamond cell
in µ-FTIR. The spectrum obtained was compared
with several standard natural resins spectra. The
sample contains the main peaks relating to these
resins but it seems to be a mixture with other
components, possibly oils (C-H band), or perhaps
these other peaks correspond to degradation
products of the aged resin (Figure 10). For a more
accurate result we need further exams as, for
example, the use of Gas Chromatography / Mass
Spectroscopy (GC-MS).
Figure 9. µ-FTIR spectrum of the green glaze of Anna’s mantle in comparison with a µ-FTIR spectrum of a copper resinate made of an old recipe.
Figure 10. µ-FTIR spectrum of the varnish in comparison with µ-FTIR spectra of alphacopal and shellac standard resins.
MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU
e_conservation 51
5. Conservation treatment
The conservation intervention on the icon followed
the basic methodology principles and phases: con-
solidation, cleaning, stabilization of the wooden
support and cracks, filling and retouching.
The consolidation was done using Primal acrylic
polymer. At first, ethanol was injected to turn the
surface more absorbent and to help the penetration
of the consolidator and its adhesion, weights were
placed in areas of higher losses.
Cleaning was performed in a selective manner de-
pending on the pigments’ sensitivity to solvents.
The thick layer of varnish darkened during time
obscuring the colours used by the artist (Figure
11). According to the literature [2, 10], most
varnishes used in icon paintings are natural resins
or mixtures of natural resins with oil. In UV light
it was possible to assess that the varnish layer
suffered no previous interventions as no fluores-
cent areas were visible. Chemical cleaning was
performed by cotton swab and cotton patches
combining solvents such as acetone, white spirit
and ethanol according to Teas' diagram [15].
Mechanical cleaning was done only in some areas,
using the scalpel with the assistance of the stereo-
scope, which allows a better control of the cleaning
method and its interference with the icon’s surface.
Mechanical cleaning was only used as a comple-
mentary method, in areas such as Anna’s garment,
where the green glaze is very sensitive to cleaning
solvents because the medium is more similar to
the varnish than with the tempera. In such cases,
the cotton swab impregnated with solvent was
strictly used to partially dissolve the varnish layer
which was then carefully removed with the scalpel.
Although it may seem more aggressive, the use
of the scalpel in this area was safer because there
is a better control of the layer we wish to remove.
If we were to apply a cotton patch with solvent or
insist with the cotton swab, the solvent would
have penetrate deeper and start to dissolve the
glaze layer as well. After cleaning, the icon was
reconsolidated where needed and a facing was
applied.
The main conservation problem was the consoli-
dation of the wooden support. Five of the eight
nails of the battens were creating tension between
the canvas and the paint layer, starting to show
on the surface of the painting while one of them
(together with the battens’ tension) destroyed
the surface and originated a crack along the wood
panel. In order to proceed to the consolidation
of the support, it was decided to remove all nails
because of their negative effect on the condition
of the painting. Regarding the battens, as under
certain circumstances their use is not mandatory
[3], it was assessed that it would be best to remove
them in order to stop the restraining forces they
Figure 11. Details of cleaning procedure, visible thick layer of varnish.
CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON
52 e_conservation
were inducing. In this case, the reinforcement of
the wood support was achieved by the treatment
of the cracks, considering to remove part of the
wood along the crack and to fill the gaps with
small laths safer than to follow the principle of
minor intervention. This way, the tension forces
that the progression of the crack was creating on
the layers above (canvas, ground and paint film)
were reduced, the surface of the icon could be
flattened creating a better adherence of all layers
to the support and the stability and resistance
of the structure was ensured (Figure 12).
Being in a museum controlled environment and
being a highly itinerant work of art, it was decided
that this structure will render it more stable.
In conclusion, although part of the wooden
support is ruined and its original form is altered
we considered this system successful in repairing
the existing cracks and more importantly, in the
stabilization of the wooden support, making it
suitable for its current and future function.
The intervention was finalised by filling the lacunas
and retouching the colour layer and applying a
final varnish (Paraloid B72 in toluene) (Figure 13).
5. Conclusions
This work describes the technological study and
the intervention performed on a Greek icon at the
Benaki Museum in Athens. The analysis performed
on the painting and the quality of the materials
used in this icon revealed that the artist mastered
the basic technique of the icon painting although
he was not an expert icon maker. The low quality
of the materials indicates that the icon was probably
made as a low price order.
Figure 12. Backside of the icon, before and after conservation treatment.
MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU
e_conservation 53
Museums aim to promote education and research,
having the responsibility to ensure the preservation
of art collections. The technological study and con-
servation treatment of the icon from the Benaki
Museum have shown that in conservation an inter-
disciplinary approach is required, that should
include the comprehensive research of art mate-
rials, production technologies and history, condi-
tion and use of the art object.
Figure 13. Icon before treatment, after treatment and UV light photography after treatment where the retouching is visible.
References
[1] V. B.-B. Espinola, "Russian Icons: Spiritual and Material Aspects", Journal of the American Institute for Conser- vation, 31(1), 1992, pp. 17-22[2] J. Stuart, Ikons, Faber and Faber, London, 1975[3] A. Papadopoulou, "Traditional wood technology and problems relating to wooden supports" in The Conser- vation of Late Icons, The Valamo Art Conservation Institute, Finland, 1998, pp. 31-40[4] Luke 2:22-40, The New Testament, Burns Oates and Washbourne Ltd, London, 1948[5] L. Réau, Iconografía del Arte Cristiano, Iconografia de la Bíblia – Nuevo Testamento, Tomo 1, Vol. 2, Ediciones del Serbal, Barcelona, 1996[6] D. V. Thompson, Jr., The Craftsman’s Handbook ‘Il Libro dell’ Arte’ by Cennino d’A. Cennini, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1933[7] S. Stassinopoulos, "The constructions of wooden panels of icons. Defects, problems of such structures and their
treatments in previous years and today" in The Conser- vation of Late Icons, The Valamo Art Conservation Institute, Finland, 1998, 41-52.[8] C.D. Kalokyris, The Essence of Orthodox Iconography, Holy Cross Orthodox Press, Brookline, Massachusetts, n.d.[9] D.V. Thompson, The materials and techniques of medieval painting, Dover Publications, New York, 1956[10] A.N. Ovchinnikov, "Introduction to the underpainting of faces and flesh called sankir in Russian and proplasmos in Greek icon painting" in http://naturalpigments.com/ education/article.asp?ArticleID=15 (accessed on 20th
April 2008)[11] Dionysius of Fourna, The Painter's Manual, translated by P. Hetherington, Oakwood Publications, 1989[12] N. Eastaugh, V. Walsh, T. Chaplin and R. Siddall, Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 2004[13] B. Mühlethaler and J.Thissen, "Smalt", in R. Ashok (ed.), Artists' Pigments: A Handbook of their History and Characteristics, vol. 2, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., 1993, pp. 113-30[14] R. Wounhuysen-Keller, P. Wounhuysen, "Thoughts on the use of the green glaze called copper resinate and its colour-changes" in E. Hermens (ed.), Looking through Paintings: The Study of painting Techniques and materials in Support of Art Historical research, De Prom and Archetype, London, 1998[15] A. Phenix, "Some observations on the safe use of solvents in the cleaning of painted and decorated surfaces" in: http://www.buildingconservation.com/ articles/solvent/diagrams.htm (accessed on 26th April 2008)
CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON
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54 e_conservation
Following her graduate studies in Conservation
and Restoration by the New University of Lisbon
(Portugal), Maria Avillez completed a Master
in Conservation in 2008 at the same university.
In the context of her degree, she carried out
an intership in conservation of icons at the
Benaki Museum in Athens (Greece).
Chryssa Vourvopoulou, conservator at the
Benaki Museum, coordinated Maria's Master
study. Chryssa holds a degree in Conser-vation
by the University of Athens (Greece). Since
1998 she is working in the Museum’s
Conservation Laboratory of Icons, Oil Painting
and Wood Carving.
Contact: [email protected] AVILLEZ
Acknowledgements
This study wouldn’t be possible without the
assistance of my coordinator Chryssa Vourvo-
poulou to whom I give my warmest thanks.
Thanks are extended to Mr. Stergios Stassino-
poulos, head of the Conservation Department
of the Benaki Museum, for his hospitality and
knowledge and to all the museum conservators
that have helped me with this work. I also thank
Ana Claro (FCT-UNL, Portugal) for her assistance
during the � -FTIR analysis and to Professor Maria
João Melo (FCT-UNL) for helping with the data
interpretation. Finally, I would like to thank to
Eleni Katsadouri for her hospitality and care
and to Maria Cardim for her permanent support.
CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU
MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU
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dyRED MAITREYA TEMPLE - LEH, LADAKH Mural Conservation Project
by Anca Nicolaescu and André Alexander
A Tibet Heritage Fund Program
Part 1
Introduction
Tibet Heritage Fund’s (THF)1 mural paintings con-
servation project in Leh, Ladakh region of India,
started in 2006’s summer at Red Maitreya Temple
(in Tibetan: byams pa lha khang dmar po, pro-
nounced Jampa Marpo Lhakhang), having three
main goals.
Due to the paucity of available technical studies
of Tibetan wall paintings one of the first purposes
of the project was the investigation of the murals
starting with visual examination and documenta-
tion of the original painting technique, followed
by sampling and analysis of the constitutive
materials.
This research was necessary for a better under-
standing of materials behaviour and deteriora-
tion process in order to establish further appro-
priate conservation treatments.
The conservation project first task was the re-
moval of the different overcoatings which were
covering the murals and the stabilization of the
revealed paintings (at support and paint layer
level), treatments planned for the west wall and
the western part of the northern wall. Those
operations were urgent due to the fact that the
murals are part of a still functional temple, visited
by locals and tourists, a fact that could have lead
to rashly executed local intervention (the lower
part of the murals of the west wall were already
cleaned improperly, with some losses).
Therefore the third goal of the project was the
follow-up training of two locals which participated
in previous THF programs and gained good knowl-
edge and skills regarding conservation issues and
respect of heritage authenticity.
1. Site Description
The Red Jampa Lhakhang (Figure 1) is a highly
visible landmark on the ridge above Leh. It rises as
a red tower just below the access road to the
Leh Palace, housing a three-storey Maitreya
image and a narrow ambulatory passage. The Red
Jampa is part of a complex of three monasteries
in the Palace area (the others being Chenrezig
Lhakhang and Gonpa Soma), which used to be the
main sites for Buddhist practice and celebration of
the annual festivals have taken place in the past.
Throughout the late summer, there are daily per-
formances of traditional dances and music, and
the Leh people still come for the major festivals
such as Losar and Saka Dawa. However, mirroring
the decline of the old town and the rise of the
bazaar area, the importance of these three monas-
teries has been overshadowed by the new Tsuk-
lakhang (central Buddhist cathedral) that was
built 40 years ago in the main bazaar area of Leh.
e_conservation 57
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
Figures 1 and 2. Red Maitreya Temple and South Elevation.
1 THF is an international NGO that was founded in Lhasa in 1996 with the aim to preserve Tibet’s heritage, particularly its architectural and urban heritage.
Figures 3 and 4. West elevation (left) and east elevation (right), drawings by arch. Almarindo Lopez.
Figure 5. Ground floor plan, drawing by arch. Almarindo Lopez.
ANCA NICOLAESCU and ANDRÉ ALEXANDER
58 e_conservation
1.1. Site history
According to locally published sources, the Red
Jampa Lhakhang was founded by the Ladakhi
king Gragspa Bumdey (grags pa ‘bum lde) who
reigned ca. 1400-1440. According to the temple’s
mother monastery of Spituk, the exact founding
year is 1430. The founder was a patron of Buddhism
and built in fact two Maitreya temples in Leh: the
Red one above the town and the White Maitreya
(byams pa dkar po) in the centre of the town. A cen-
tury later, the king Tashi Namgyal (bkra shis rnam
rgyal) who reigned ca. 1500-1530 added a third
Maitreya temple on the Tsemo hill high above Leh.
1.2. Temple description
The Red Maitreya Temple is built from rubble stone
with mud mortar around an internal timber frame.
Its design follows traditional Tibetan monastic
construction patterns and consists of several
parts, a portico, an assembly space four pillars
in size, a sanctum area housing a three-storey
clay Maitreya image flanked by two standing clay
Bodhisattva-s, an upstairs residential room and
kitchen for the single monk caretaker, and a tra-
ditional composting-type toilet.
The flat roof is built in standard Ladakhi fashion
and consists of several layers: wooden rafters
topped with layers of soil and clay. The parapet
is decorated with loose local brushwood and roots
following standard Tibetan design patterns.
Figure 6. View from the interior of the temple with Maitreya statue.
Figure 7. East-west section,drawing by arch. Almarindo Lopez.
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
e_conservation 59
60 e_conservation
Above the Maitreya sculpture is a wooden lantern
topped by a tin pagoda-type roof in Chinese fashion
(rgya phib).
The temple is owned by the Gelukpa-sect temple,
Spituk and its branch temple Sabu. A single care-
taker monk is deputed for a stay of three years
from the two mother monasteries. The caretaker
and day-to-day partner in the project during our
intervention was the honorable Mr. Ngawang
Tsering from Sabu monastery.
Figure 8. Maitreya original clay statue.
Figure 9. South-north section,drawing by arch. Almarindo Lopez.
ANCA NICOLAESCU and ANDRÉ ALEXANDER
e_conservation 61
1.3. Mural painting description
The original paintings dating to the 15th century
can be found on the old western and northern
walls which now form an ambulatory after the
reconstruction of the inner hall in the late 1950s.
No other original walls have survived the recon-
struction.
Colour traces were observed in the monk’s kitchen
on the east wall, which is an extension of the
main west wall, and on the exterior of the west
wall, originally part of a portico. They were just
recorded for future investigation.
The northern wall measures 12.6 meters long and
6.4 m high, with a loss of surface of 1 m from
bottom for the entire length.
The western wall has an old section north of the
entrance measuring 4.6 m long and 6.4 m high
were the paint is still existing, with a bottom strip
loss of only 30 cm high.
The mural composition follows traditional Tibetan
Buddhist style where various narrative scenes or
sequences are sprawling along the entire surface
not being constrained by frames.
The iconographic program from the door going in
north-eastern direction:
The west wall could be divided in three registers.
Only the lowest one, the donors frieze, and Buddha’s
life have been delineated through a horizontal border.
In the first register the figures are separated on
the horizontal by a lotus flower border, the ver-
tical delimitation is achieved through the use of
background motives – flames, clouds, or small re-
presentations of the deities or attendants which
fill the in-between spaces.
The main images on the west wall are from the
door going northwards: in the lower register a
donor assembly, followed by scenes from the life
of Buddha; in the middle register the protector
Mahakala and a three-headed deity (presumably
a form of Namgyalma); and Vajrapani and a black
representation of eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara
in the upper register.
The donor assembly in the lower part – king, queen,
ministers and ladies, and an inscription, follows
an established pattern found in almost all early
Western Himalayan temples (for example Alchi,
Wanla).
On the north wall the main images are four large
Buddha representations with halo and throneback
(Sanskrit: astamangala) aureole, which is deco-
rated with a series of mythical creatures such as
Garuda and Makara. The central images are each
flanked by two standing Bodhisattva-s on either
side. On the upper part, around the Buddhas’ heads,
are smaller figures including Buddha-s, lama-s,
mythical figures and landscape elements.
Tentatively, we have identified the four as (from
west to east) Amogasiddhi, Menla (Medicine
Buddha), Amithaba and the historic Buddha
Sakyamuni.
The murals were painted with superior craftsman-
ship, freely drawn with cursive delineation of the
figures, with sinuous rhythm and modulation.
The underlining abstraction is neither sterile nor
chaotic, but always balanced, rhythmic and in-
formed with harmony.
We could observe also few artist’s attempts to
depict the figures in the third dimension by
graduation of the colour in parts of torso, face
and arms (eg. Vajrapani image).
2. Technical investigation of the murals
Basically the murals from Jampa Lhakang follow
the known regional painting technology (a secco):
natural pigments with animal glue as binder on
dry mud plaster.
Laboratory investigations comprised: micro-
chemical tests, FTIR spectrometry (Bruker Tenson
27, KBr pellets), EDXRF analysis using portable
Innov-X Alpha Series, optical microscopy (Leica
DMLS in transmitted, reflected and polarized
light) and examination of the cross sections.
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
62 e_conservation
Based on those researches we could trace the
basic characteristics of Ladakh’s traditional
mural paintings and rise questions for further
investigations.
2.1. The support layers
The walls, which represent the primary support
of the wall paintings, are built from rubble stones
held together with mud mortar. The secondary
support consists of two separate layers of earthen
plaster. The stone walls were first levelled with a
coarse plaster made of earth, sand, gravel and
straws (sometimes using also cow dug). The diver-
sity of the aggregate size assists adhesion to the
primary support and also provides a good adher-
ence of the subsequent plaster applications.
The surface was then covered by a second finer
layer containing markalak and sand. Markalak
(Tibetan for buttery mud) is a local clay consisting
of 62% clay, 30% calcium carbonate and 8% silt.
This upper layer is thinner and more compact
(perhaps as a result of burnishing of the surface
with a smooth stone) – a technique used still today
in the area - providing an appropriate smooth and
stable base for the application of the painting
foundation.
The preparatory layer, which we found visible
where the painting has been damaged, is a thin
white coat (calcium carbonate) which provides
a final even surface before the application of pig-
ments. We could observe that its thickness is vari-
able – under the figures it appears to be thicker
while in some large areas with red background it
seems to be very thin.
2.2. The preparatory techniques
Considerable planning and preparation must have
been an essential element in the realisation of the
painting. A careful visual examination in areas
where part of the painting layer was damaged Figures 10 and 11. Details with the murals’ guidelines.
revealed several traces that demonstrate a very
elaborate compositional set-up of the murals
since the beginning.
We could observe guidelines (thig rtse or thigs pa)
used as the first step to set out the board outlines
of the composition. Those were carried out by means
of a string dipped in red paint and gently snapped
against the surface to create a red imprint of the
line on the wall (Figures 10 and 11).
ANCA NICOLAESCU and ANDRÉ ALEXANDER
e_conservation 63
Figure 12. Detail of isometric drawings.Figure 13. The brush sketching of the figures with black paint.Figure 14. Example with the colour notations.
The Tibetan technique of setting up the main
figures, their proportions and poses was made
through intersecting diagonal lines to create the
central, focusing point. This technique is clearly
visible on the north wall in the west side of it
above the green Buddha, and also on the figures
around him (Figure 12).
The second step in the preparatory stage we could
observe was the brush sketching of the figures
and decorations with black paint (Figure 13). All
the drawings seemed rather freely made without
the use of any design transfer, not even in the areas
with repeating patterns such as the lotus-flower
or other different ornaments.
Although in the available literature regarding the
Tibetan paintings technique (mainly thangka)
before the brush sketching is mentioned a stage
(kya ri) when the major outlines of the main figures
are drawn on the ground using charcoal. However
this phase was not apparent here.
The way how the painters were drawing the nim-
buses did not become apparent, we couldn’t find
any incised compass lines that we assume were
being used especially for the big nimbuses. We
suspect that some system (perhaps with the same
string method with one fixed point in the middle)
must have been used.
Another interesting aspect are the colour nota-
tions (Tibetan numbers in this case) drawn with
black colour on areas of different design parts
(clothes, ornaments etc.) indicating which colour
was to be employed in each area (Figures 14, 15
and 16). Thus, every number has a correspondent
colour, this fact is known in Tibetan tradition as
a usual convention used by the painters even now-
adays . With this method the colouring conception
was devised before, by the master painter, while
the assistant was filling in the formulated colours.
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
Figure 17. Detail showing the corrections made during the painting.
2.3. The paint layer
According to our observations we can state that
the paint layer was first applied as a background-
flat colours (leb tshon) and on top of it the fine
details and line contours were painted (ri mo,
a Tibetan term generally denoting figurative
painting).
In general the colours were applied careful with
regard to the drawing, we could notice only few
areas where they were overlapping the black con-
tour lines. Also we observed only isolated examples
of modifications made during the execution of
the painting. However, we observed extensive
modifications made to one of the figures, the
Bodhisattva flanking the Green Buddha to the
left on the left-most section of the north-wall.
There it appears that a second painter (perhaps
the master) corrected details in the face, hand
and jewellery (Figure 17).
Depending on the colour and on the nature of the
pigment which was used the paint layers have dif-
ferent thickness (the blue and green backgrounds
are one of the thicker layers). Thus some are more
opaque whereas others are being used as very
translucent glazes.
The last details of the painting (figure details and
ornamentation found in jewellery and textiles worn
by deities) made after the succeeding application
of the colour layers are executed using exceedingly
fine brushes and coloured glazes. The level of
detail achieved with this technique is admirable,
close to the style of miniature painting than the
wall paintings (Figures 18-23).
Figures 15 and 16. Details with the colour notations.
64 e_conservation
ANCA NICOLAESCU and ANDRÉ ALEXANDER
Figures 18, 19 and 20. Examples with the finest details achieved in these murals.
e_conservation 65
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
Figure 21. Example of a delicate figure painted in a style close to that of miniature painting.
66 e_conservation
ANCA NICOLAESCU and ANDRÉ ALEXANDER
2.4. The pigments
The palette employed in the murals is very rich;
the predominant colours are red, orange and blue.
From the physico-chemic analysis results we can
state that the following pigments were used:
- blue – azurite – a coarsely ground of azurite
was applied sometimes over a layer of charcoal
black (Figures 24-27);
- green – malachite;
- red – cinnabar, red oxide;
- yellow – orpiment;
- black – charcoal black;
For the rest of the colours like pink, purple or red
glaze more investigations are needed in order to
establish if some organic colorants were used.
Traditionally the binder which is still used now-
adays is the animal skin glue.
Figures 22 and 23. The level of detail achieved by the painting technique.
e_conservation 67
Figures 24 - 27. Example of pigment analysis (from up to down, left to right): area of sampling the blue colour; EDXRF spectra
(heavy elements) for blue sample; cross-section of the sample showing the azurite pigment applied on carbon black layer and
FTIR spectra for blue sample.
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
Depending on the nature of the pigments they
were used in either thick or thin layers fact which
gave the surface different aspects – more matt-
roughish, smooth-polished or translucent.
According to the little available expert literature
about Tibetan mural painting, in the eastern Tibetan
style of painting colours are applied at least three
consecutive times. In the Central Tibetan style
only one thicker coat is applied. We are wondering
whether we find corresponding information about
our Western Tibetan mural painting.
2.5. Gilding technique
Gold was used a lot for nimbuses, ritual attributes
of the deities or jewellery (Figures 28-30).
We could observe two different types of metal used;
the gold probably in leaf and an alloy darker and
not so shiny (further investigations are needed).
In the damaged areas we could notice that a thin
layer of orange (vermilion) or a yellow colour (orpi-
ment) was applied bellow the surface of the gold.
From local painters, as well as from thangka tech-
nique, we know that the vermilion was mixed
with seed (wheat) glue as adhesive layer for this
purpose.
No varnishes or coatings were detected.
3. The conservation condition of the mural paintings
Following the study of the original paintings
technique we have identified the conservation
problems posed by the materials in addition
with other factors.
Figure 28. Vermillion applied under the metal ornaments (upper right).
Figures 29 and 30. Details with the gold leaf and alloy used for jewellery (below left and right).
ANCA NICOLAESCU and ANDRÉ ALEXANDER
68 e_conservation
The main causes of the murals’ degradation are
due to water (infiltration, capillarity and damp-
ness) and improper human interventions.
The different deteriorations have been surveyed
and localised on drawings representing the walls,
in order to estimate their recurrence and their
situation in the whole area.
3.1. Previous interventions
Over the past 600 years the temple suffered dif-
ferent kind of damages and transformations, which
unavoidably affected the murals. Unfortunately
we don’t have complete information about all the
previous interventions.
During the Dogra invasion of the 1840s the temple
was sacked and damaged. Intentional damage
appears to have been inflicted on the donor frieze
where some of the faces (especially of the king and
queen) were scratched out, and the whole area
shows different kinds of incisions which caused
losses of the paint layer (Figure 31). Lack of main-
tenance in more recent times, and perhaps other
structural damages might have also affected the
murals. Because of its situation on the slope of
a hill, the northern wall is particularly prone to
water infiltration, which has led to complete loss
of the lower register of the paintings on the north
wall. There has been also visible damage from
roof leakage.
It is known that there was a major restoration of
the temple following the events of the 1840s but
we lack any detail information about the nature
of the intervention. We can observe traces of only
one specific intervention on the donor frieze area,
where part of the scratched faces were filled in
and over-painted (Figure 32). This was probably
done soon after the 1840s.
In 1957 the temple was partly reconstructed. The
huge main clay statue of a sitting Maitreya was
preserved, but two of the four walls were taken
down, and the entire chapel rebuilt on a smaller
scale. Thus the two originals walls (north and
west) and western walls were also rebuilt, which
accounts for the absence of paintings in those
areas. The surfaces which were rebuilt were covered
with a high quality plaster which is in good condi-
tion even today with small exceptions. The way
of application was done improperly where it
borders the original paintings, the new plaster
is overlapping the murals.
Figure 31. Intentional damages on the donor frieze.Figure 32. Detail of a repainted face.
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
e_conservation 69
More recently the parts where the support layer
was lost (at the bottom and lower part of the mu-
rals) were filled in with an improper mortar from
the composition point of view (grave contraction
cracks are visible all over the surface). The applica-
tion technique used was likewise inadequate (over-
lapping the original painting and thus creating
different types of degradations).
The walls were also at that time covered with one
or two layers of coating, mainly markalak white-
wash, as preparation layer for further repainting.
This is a typical technique for both interior and
exterior wall finishing or painting ground prepa-
ration. Removal of this coat layer constituted one
of the main conservation problems.
After THF’s discovery of the huge amount of his-
toric wall-paintings hidden underneath the coating,
but before THF could start the conservation pro-
gram, an area with original painting on the lower
part of the western wall was locally uncovered
without adequate technology, provoking some
losses in the already damaged paint layer.
3.2. Damages due to moistening
Due to water sensitivity of the support materials,
the moisture factor was, over time, one of the
major causes of principal damages of the murals.
Water infiltrations and leaking caused by roof
deteriorations led to loss of adhesion of the
plaster provoking deep support lacunae along
the upper part of the walls. On the western wall
an average of 30 cm on the entire length was
lost while on the northern part (the west side)
only 15 cm were damaged.
At the same level along the edge of the murals
small areas suffered from detachments between
support layers.
The water leaking affected the paint layer also.
This being water-soluble, the infiltrations washed
out the colours producing visible white traces
especially in the upper part of the west wall.
The same phenomenon happened at the bottom
of the walls, this time due to the water seepage
from the hill behind the wall. A loss of surface
occurred along the lower section (ca. 80-90 cm).
This was probably the reason why in 1957 the
temple was rebuilt on a smaller scale.
Extensive damages are also found on the entire
surface, due to the way of applying in moist form
the white-wash and plaster covering the original
paintings.
The different deteriorations have been surveyed
and localised on drawings representing the walls,
in order to estimate their recurrence and their
situation in the whole area.
After attentive research and observation in situ
we identified the following damages occurred on
the support and paint layers.
3.3. Conservation condition of the support layer
The general conservation condition of the support
layer is fairly stabile. Except the areas were the
Figure 33. The original north wall with mural paintings and the new one built in 1957.
ANCA NICOLAESCU and ANDRÉ ALEXANDER
70 e_conservation
plaster was lost due to damp conditions the rest
of the original support is sound, fact which demon-
strate a very good knowledge of the materials and
technology owned by the master painter.
The damages which have been noticed at the
support layer were:
- loss of adhesion of the plaster layers which led
to large fields with deep support lacunae (Figure
34). In the upper part (due to water infiltration)
an average of 30 cm on the entire length was lost.
The same phenomenon is visible on the bottom
of the walls (ca. 80-90 cm were damaged), this
time due to the water capillarity. These areas were
filled in improperly during some previous inter-
ventions, perhaps repeatedly. The quality of the
mortar used and the technique of application were
inadequate. The material was applied careless,
overlapping the edges of the original. The affected
area shows also noticeable shrinkage cracks and
detachments from the original layer due to the
mortar composition (Figure 35).
- loss of cohesion of the original mortars due to
the moistening led to small detachments along
the upper edges of the murals and some more
acute losses close to the joint of western wall with
the northern one. In this area we could observe
one specific pocket detachment on approximately
100 square centimetres (Figure 36), and three
more small areas, on the north wall, with the
same damages.
- weakness and superficial lacunae of the support
layer are visible in the adjacent areas of detach-
ments;
- large cracks are running down on the west and
north walls. Those occurred probably due to the
inappropriate maintenance of the roof which
during time was over loaded for waterproofing
and thus creating over weights and tensions in
the walls.
The upper part of the one from the west wall was
filled in (before the paintings were covered with
new plaster layers). Along this crack a slight dis-
placement of the support layer is noticeable,
though the areas appear stable;
Figures 34 and 35. Deep support gaps and previous improper interventions.
Figure 36. Pocket detachment.
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
e_conservation 71
Figure 37, 38 and 39. Gap improperly filled (left), detail with improper filling material (middle) and detail of the deep gap.
- deep lacunae of the support layer occurred on
the crack course. This gaps were filled in improperly
during previous interventions. The mortar used
is much more stronger than the original one thus
big tensions were created along the edges;
- few superficial lacunae of the support layer
occurred on the walls.
- fissures are visible but they does not seem to
be causing active deteriorations nearby;
- scratches are visible all over the surface, in the
upper part they probably occurred due to the care-
less previous interventions, while in the lower
part – on the donors frieze – most probably are
intentionally made during the Dogra war. From
the same reason the faces of the donors were
scratched out leading to superficial lacunae of
the support layer at this level.
3.4. Conservation condition of the paint layer
The survey regarding the paint layer condition
was difficult to achieve because almost the entire
painted surface was covered at the beginning
(Figures 40 and 41).
Thus the present considerations were recorded
mostly during the intervention.
As we mentioned above, the painting is highly
water sensitive therefore very susceptible to
damages and deteriorations as a result of expo-
sure to water.
Attentive observation in direct and raking light
of the paint surface revealed two important as-
pects regarding the condition and the main causes
of deterioration at this level:
Figures 40 and 41. The initial aspect of the murals.
ANCA NICOLAESCU and ANDRÉ ALEXANDER
72 e_conservation
- the covering layers were applied very fluid, brush
traces, splashes and drops are visible all over the
walls (Figures 42-46). The high water percentage
which was used affected the painted surface tre-
mendously producing grave damages which posed
the most difficult conservation problems during
the treatment;
- the paint layer was already damaged before the
application of the over-layers (plaster traces exist
in the paint gaps - Figures 47, 48). Thus the superpo-
sition of a new moistened layer highly aggravated
the existing deteriorations.
Following-up the causes above mentioned and
their effects we recorded the damages occurred
in the paint layer as:
- powdering of the paint layer, lack of cohesion
due to the damp ingress. In the upper parts of
the walls this phenomenon is more acute but it
can also be found in other small areas, as a result
of binder losses (the latter being water sensitive
as well) in the paint film.
- different types of flaking occurred because of
diminution of the paint layers adhesion (Figure 49).
Figures 42-46. Details in raking light showing the covering layers application method.
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
e_conservation 73
This type of deterioration is notable all over the
paint surface. On the areas where the colours
were applied thick (like green and blue) this phe-
nomenon appear some times in the thickness of
the paint layer – part of the colour remaining still
on the support (Figures 50, 51). Detachments of
the paint layer together with a thin part from the
support layer are visible in some isolated places
(upper edges of the murals).
- in the areas where the paint layer was already
flaking while the fluid over-plaster was applied the
detachments which occurred at this level during
the drying process produced grave strappo of
the paint layer (Figures 52, 53).
- lacunae of the paint layer are visible all over
the surface, demonstrating a weakness of the
paint layer. From the stratigraphical point of
view those lacunae could be divided in:
Figures 47 and 48. Damages which occurred before the application of the covering layers.
Figure 49. Detail paint layer flaking.
Figures 50 and 51. Paint layer lacunae.
ANCA NICOLAESCU and ANDRÉ ALEXANDER
74 e_conservation
- lacunae of the paint layer – the paint layer is lost
(Figure 54);
- erosions of the paint layer – part of the paint
layer is lost;
- erosions of the patina;
A peculiar aspect of this damage could be observed
on the red colour from the fire background of the
protector images from the west wall where lacunae
of the paint occurred evenly on the whole surface
even before the overcoat was applied (Figure 55).
We assumed that this local deterioration is due
to a technique deficiency: the preparatory layer
seems to be very thin and also probably the binder
proportion was misused for this area. Lacunae of
the paint layer are widespread also on the low
part of the west wall where the improper removal
of the over-plasters led to huge losses of the
flaking and sensitive paint surface (Figure 56).
- white leaking traces are very visible on the west
wall, the water infiltration washed out the colours on
their way leaving white support traces (Figure 57).
- scratches, both intentionally and involuntary,
are noticeable all over the surface. The more
serious ones on the donors frieze were already
Figures 52 and 53. Strappo of the paint layer due to the over-plaster application.
Figures 54. The complete loss of the paint layer.
Figure 55. Flaking of the red colour.
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
e_conservation 75
described above as being deliberately caused by
an invading army. Scratches in the upper part of
the murals they are probably a result of the care-
less previous interventions.
- surface deposits. All over the painted surface
Figures 56 and 57. Different damages of the paint layer.
are accumulations of airborne material of differ-
ent types such as dust or adherent dirt. In the
lower part of the walls due to the use of the butter
lamps we noticed a fatty dirt layer that alters the
original aspect of the murals.
ANCA NICOLAESCU and ANDRÉ ALEXANDER
76 e_conservation
References:
[1] S. Bogin, "A technical Study of the early Buddhist wall
paintings at Nako, India", unpublished Master’s thesis,
Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, 2004
[2] D. P. Jackson and J. A. Jackson, Tibetan Thangka Painting:
methods and materials, Snow Lion Publications,
New York, 1988.
[3] G. Minke, Building with earth – design and technology
of a sustainable architecture, Birkhäuser Basel, 2006
[4] A. Shaftel, "Note on the technique of Tibetan Thangkas",
Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 25,
1986, pp. 97-103
[5] L. Rainer and A. Bass Rivera (ed.), The Conservation
of Decorated Surfaces on Earthen Architecture, J. Paul
Getty Trust Publications, Los Angeles, 2006
The complex conservation intervention which
took place in several phases will be presented
in the next issues of e_conservation magazine.
Acknowledgments:
We wish to thank to:
Project sponsors Trace Foundation New York and
InWent Germany.
Erfurt University of Applied Sciences – Germany
for their cooperation which made the project
possible thorough students volunteering (Hanna
Pohle, Derya Pektas, Jana Bulir, Olga Emgrund,
Sonia Cabela, Anke Farnik, Rebekka Ewert and
Jovanna Glaß) and their professor Meinhart
Landmann; and to the devoted local trainees
Jangchen Dolma and Skarma Lotus.
The National Research Laboratory for Conserva-
tion and Restoration of National Cultural Heritage
(LNC) – Romania especially to Prof. Gheorghe
Niculescu Director of LNC and his team (Dr. Olimpia
Hinamasuri Barbu and Dr. Georgescu Migdonia)
for all the scientific investigations presented here.
Anca Nicolaescu is a Romanian mural painting
conservator with Master degree from the Uni-
versity of Fine Arts Bucharest, Conservation-
Restoration of art works department.
She received recognition as specialist from the
Romanian Ministry of Culture in 2005 after having
coordinated various distinguished conservation
projects. One of the projects (a 17th century
mural painting ensemble) done by Restauro Art
Grup, (the conservation enterprise where she is
a co-founder), was awarded in 2004 the "Vasile
Dragut" prize for Cultural National Heritage by
the Romanian Ministry of Culture.
Her work experience includes international par-
ticipation at conservation projects and seminars
in UK, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Japan and India.
ANCA NICOLAESCUContact: [email protected]
André Alexander was born in West-Berlin in the
Year of the Wood Dragon.
He currently divides his time between Ladakh,
China and Germany. He was trained by traditional
master craftsmen in Lhasa in traditional Tibetan
architecture, and is currently affiliated with Berlin
University of Technology (MSc in Urban Manage-
ment and PhD candidate in Architecture), where
he occasionally lectures. He is co-founder and first
chairman of Tibet Heritage Fund, an international
non-profit organisation working to preserve the
heritage of the Himalayan regions. He has a prodi-
gious publishing activity, from which several articles
and reports can be seen online at THF website.
ANDRÉ ALEXANDERContact: [email protected]
THF - TIBET HERITAGE FUNDwww.tibetheritagefung.org
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
e_conservation 77
All photos and drawings in this article are by
Anca Nicolaescu, unless otherwise specified.
book
revi
ew
e_conservation
After having announced the launching of the
book "Mural Painting in the North of Moldavia.
Aesthetic Modification and Restoration" in the
previous issue of the magazine, we continue to
explore the inside of this book which generously
shares the knowledge gained in over 35 years of
experience of mural painting conservation by
Professor Oliviu Boldura. The book addresses
the problem of aesthetic interpretation of the
image, evolved over the centuries with respect
to the factors that have contributed to its alter-
ation. Several aspects of the conservation process
are exemplified by case studies of monuments
belonging to UNESCO World Heritage, such as
Saint George in Suceava, Arbore and Balinesti
Churches and Sucevita, Moldovita, Voronet and
Probota Monastery Churches, all located in north-
ern Moldova, Romania. The author’s approach
to each case is not just that of a conservator,
but of an experienced specialist that "gives major
importance to interdisciplinary research, the
only way of placing a correct diagnosis and the
premises of setting an intervention methodology
adequate to each monument", as Corina Popa,
art historian, noted in the book preface.
After first summarising the contents of this book,
we are faced with numerous degradation factors
that limit our perception of the authentic image,
sometimes making impossible the coherent read-
ing of its artistic message. A look at the surface
of the murals reveals the heterogeneous presence
of dust and smoke produced by candles, salts and
biological formations, chemical alterations of
pigments and repaintings. All these lead to "an
aesthetic alteration of the objective perception
MURAL PAINTING IN THE NORTH OF MOLDAVIAAesthetic Modification and Restoration
Author: Oliviu Boldura
Publisher: Accent Print
Publication Year: 2008
Pages: 450
ISBN: 978-973-1772-12-7
Language: Romanian / English
Price: free of charge
Review by Anca Dina
Appreciating the present work
for the exceptional organisation
of the material presented with a
mirror-like argument documen-
tation but also for clearing the
ideas and solutions, we would like
to stress its pragmatic contribution
both to art history and, especially,
to the treasure of knowledge in the
field of the mural painting
restoration.
Ioan Opris, University Professor
BOOK REVIEW
e_conservation 79
of the image" and may also lead us to wrong
assessments. The first chapter of this book is
actually an overview of the various types of
accumulations encountered on mural surfaces
and the influence they have in the conservation
of paintings.
Another transformation of the original material
is the alteration of pigments, phenomenon
which, in one form or another, is present in all
the monuments. This issue is addressed in the
next chapter, where degradation factors such
as humidity, sunlight and accidental intense
heat, next to technical deficiencies, pigments
nature and improper interventions are discussed.
The author treats separately the alteration of each
pigment, among which white calcium carbonate,
red lead, cinnabar, yellow ochre, copper based
pigments (azurite and malachite) and smalt.
Chapter 3 deals with the alteration of the origi-
nal material due to physicochemical degradation
mechanisms, such as loss of cohesion and adher-
ence of colour layer, support erosion and deposits of
salts. The application of scientific methods to con-
servation has proved essential for the author and
its importance is exemplified in several interesting
cases. The similar aspect that sometimes areas
covered with salts may have with areas affected
by biological formations, which are approached
in Chapter 4, is just one example of such case.
After dealing extensively with monuments conser-
vation, the author reaches a striking conclusion:
"among the general factors which contribute
to the decay of the heritage, man, by his attitude
and activities, causes the worst aggressions on
his own cultural values". An exhaustive chapter
(Chapter 5) is devoted to numerous examples
that come to support this conclusion: historic
interventions according to attitude changes -
when votive paintings were modified or repainted;
interventions on the architectural or mural ensem-
ble; incisions with documentary value; vandalism
and occult practices, all these proving once again
"man's desire to mark his passage" as well as the
diminished respect for the creation of our fore-
fathers. From another perspective, the human
factor is the reason of atmospheric pollution,
of incompatible materials ignorantly introduced
in the original structure and of inadequate main-
tenance practices. By introducing modern and
functional elements, man has contributed to the
degradation of the monuments in general and
of the wall paintings in particular. "The author
is therefore not only a researcher and restorer,
but also the responsible specialist concerned
with the artistic value and cultural and historical
attributes of the monument, which may be pre-
served in time not only by the rigorous compliance
with the general principles and rules of heritage
preservation, but also with the specific recommen-
dations that may be formulated only by he who
researched in detail the monument" (Corina Popa).
The church of Sucevita Monastery, exonarthex, east wall. Degra-dation of the painting due to vandalism and occult practices.
80 e_conservation
Technical flaws are another reason for the alter-
ation in time of the original material. Chapter 6
deals with aspects such as the quality of the mate-
rials used by the artist, the technical methods
of execution, the skills and not ultimately, the
structural defects. Issues raised by repaintings
and the attitude that one must have in such situ-
ations are addressed in Chapter 7. A concern is
not only that overpaintings distort or cover the
original, but that "they acquire in time their own
history and this may turn them irreversible".
Therefore such areas require a critical analysis
of the aesthetic quality and the importance of
the addition in rapport to the original and a
thorough research concerning the technological
identification and the conservation status of
the overlapping layers and the original. This
chapter presents examples from the churches
of Arbore and St. George in Suceava and Probota,
Râsca and Sucevita monastery churches, which
by different reasons were partially or totally re-
painted around the 19th century.
The restoration process itself can lead to the
deterioration of the authentic image (Chapter 8).
Admitting that any intervention involves a tiny
loss of original material, the author states that
in addition to "the execution skills, there stands
the problem of the critical attitude, both towards
the recuperation and conservation of the original,
and towards the authentic transmission of its
message. Therefore, the restorer’s action is a
responsible deed of culture which must not be
altered by regrettable interpretations, on many
occasions, irreversible". Guided by these ideas,
the author refers in this chapter to alterations due
to materials used in restoration or caused by the
methodological process, focusing on issues such
as aesthetic presentation and image interpretation.
Chapter 9 is dedicated to methodology, the author
assessing the "restorer’s attitude in relationship
with the responsibility of his action consciously
The book provides a wide amount of completely
new information in Romania. The discussion on
the organic and inorganic materials and their
qualities does not end at the theoretic level but
is tightly linked to the restoration process (the
explanation of the causes of decay, compatibili-
ties and incompatibilities with the built environ-
ment and the current usage of buildings) and the
re-creation, in the end, of aesthetic qualities as
close as possible to the original.
Tereza Sinigalia, Art Historian
BOOK REVIEW
The church of Moldovita Monastery, narthex, east wall. Aspect of the painting before and after conservation.
e_conservation
subordinated to the professional requirements".
In Chapter 10, "Representative methodological
aspects", issues such as the cleaning of surface
deposits, the recreation of the adherence and co-
hesiveness of the paint layer, the support adherence
to the masonry and many others are discussed.
This book’s last chapter is entitled "Contributions
of the restoration work to the re-evaluation of
the historical and artistic heritage in the North
of Moldavia". Next to some interesting aspects
revealed during his interventions through the
careful study of the surface and with the help of
various scientific studies, the author stresses
once again "that the task of transmitting cultural
heritage values to future generations belongs
to us all as society".
The book was published with the support of the
Ministry of Culture and Cults from Romania, as
part of the collection "Bucovina Research, Conser-
vation and Restoration Centre".
Most part of the work refers to the human
intervention as a cause of the alteration of
the painted image, occasion not only for
discussing the problem of the inadequate
interventions or of restorations carried
out according to nowadays obsolete
methodological principles, but especially
for pointing out the decisive importance
of the adequate usage of the monuments,
the huge responsibility which the benefi-
ciaries have in monitoring the state of
conservation and complying with the
conservation rules.
Corina Popa,Art Historian
Anca Dina is a conservator-restorer of mural
paintings. She has coordinated several intervention
areas from onsite conservation projects in northen
Moldavia, Romania.
BOOK REVIEW
81
St. George Church from Suceava, narthex, north-west view. Aspect of the painting before and after conservation.
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No. 6, September 2008
ISSN: 1646-9283
Registration Number125248
Entidade Reguladorapara a Comunicação Social
Propertye-conservationline, Teodora Poiata
PeriodicityBimonthly
CoverPhoto by Anca Nicolaescu - THF
Detail of mural painting from Red Jampa Lhakhang - Leh, Ladakh, India
Executive EditorRui Bordalo
EditorsTeodora Poiata, Anca Nicolaescu
Collaborator:Anca Dina
Graphic Design and PhotographyAnca Poiata, Radu Matase
ExecutionTeodora Poiata
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