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This position paper summarizes the current knowledge about arsenic-containing pigments in historic library holdings and provides recommendations for the handling of such documents based on risk assessment. A short history of arsenic-containing pigments and basic data on the daily uptake of arsenic through food, drinking water and air is followed by a comprehensive description of methods and measures for the detection of an external and/or internal workplace exposition to arsenic. Human Biomonitoring of arsenic or arsenic species in urine is considered essential for the detection of a potentially existing health risk whereas material analyses do not provide such information. Measures such as an efficient, regular, cleaning of rooms, bookshelves and objects to reduce dust and strict adherence to basic rules of hygiene, e.g. handwashing and an eating and drinking ban during use, will protect the historic library holdings as well as the users and allow, from a health protection aspect, a careful and responsible management of books involving arsenic-containing pigments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of White Rock Line, an artwork by Richard Long dating from 1990, was entrusted to us in December 2011 by the CAPC, museum of contemporary art in Bordeaux. This was a first, comparative, study, looking at two possible options, restore or remake. In addition, the feasability and costing of the operations on work comprising 18 tonnes of stone 40 metres in length was necessary. This study used a sample of around ten original stones and the same number of newly harvested ones, with cleaning tests followed by « laboratory » experiments on the persistance and traces of the active products.

The documentation of the collections is a fundamental step towards the conservation of cultural heritage. It is a complicated process that involves several phases closely related to the different stages of the artefacts in a museum: from their acquisition, registration, inventory, cataloguing, conservation, maintenance and exhibition to their communication. The information presented in this document aims firstly to provide a better understanding of the different phases of the objects in the specific context of the Alhambra Museum, in addition to comply with the communication purpose that is inherent to the knowledge and necessary for the recognition and appreciation of historical objects. The main objective of this research is to analyse the evolution of the Alhambra Museum and its collection, especially focusing on the tile and tiling mosaics that, although they are part of the most emblematic and distinctive typologies of the palatine city, have not had the chance to be available to the scientific-academic community.

Copyright of Conservar Património is the property of Associacao Profissional de Conservadores-Restauradores de Portugal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Fórum pro Konzervátory-Restaurátory is the property of Technical Museum in Brno and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Fórum pro Konzervátory-Restaurátory is the property of Technical Museum in Brno and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of ECR- Studies in Conservation & Restoration / Estudos de Conservação e Restauro is the property of ECR- Studies in Conservation & Restoration and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ge-Conservación is the property of Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article concerns the diagnostic campaign aimed at analyzing the mural painting representing the iconographic theme of the Deesis of the Church of St. Maria Annunziata, Motta San Giovanni, in the province of Reggio Calabria. In 1951, a flood caused the collapse of the building and the consequent breaking of the apse into two parts. The present study focused on the left side of the apse, hosting the figures of Christ and Mary, in order to plan the best conservation intervention strategy. For this purpose, non-invasive investigations and laboratory analytical methods were conducted in order to characterize the constituent materials and to identify the forms of alteration and degradation present on the surface of the painting. In particular, Raman spectroscopy, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled to the chemical analysis by an EDS probe, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and ion chromatography were employed. The results highlighted the presence of a single layer of plaster made with a lime-based binder. The chromatic palette of the painting is characterized by ochres and carbon black mixed with lime to obtain the different shades. Finally, the definition of the nature of the deposits and of the overlaid materials was fundamental in order to identify the best products and methods to restore the readability of the work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conservar Património is the property of Associacao Profissional de Conservadores-Restauradores de Portugal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ge-Conservación is the property of Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ge-Conservación is the property of Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Conservar Património is the property of Associacao Profissional de Conservadores-Restauradores de Portugal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Currently gels are widely used in the restoration of paintings, graphic arts, stuccowork and stonework, but their use in metal restoration is less widespread. In this study, several polysaccharide-based hydrogels (agar, gellan and xanthan gum) were selected for use in metal treatments. The use of hydrogels allows to localize a chemical or electrochemical treatment. This paper presents several examples of treatment of metal objects of cultural heritage, i.e., historical or archaeological objects. The advantages, disadvantages and limits of hydrogel treatments are discussed. The best results are obtained for the cleaning of copper alloys via associating an agar gel with a chelating agent (EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) or TAC (tri-ammonium citrate)). The hot application allows to obtain a peelable gel, particularly adapted for historical objects. Electrochemical treatments using hydrogels have been successful for the cleaning of silver and for the dechlorination of ferrous or copper alloys. The use of hydrogels for the cleaning of painted aluminum alloys is possible but it has to be coupled with mechanical cleaning. However, for the cleaning of archaeological lead, the cleaning using hydrogels was not very effective. This paper shows the new possibilities of using hydrogels for the treatment of metal cultural heritage objects: agar is the most promising hydrogel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Fórum pro Konzervátory-Restaurátory is the property of Technical Museum in Brno and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Bellas Artes is the property of Universidad de La Laguna and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Francisco Conde-Valvís’s so-called “stone treasure” is a set of unique carved stone pieces, such as bases, column shafts, a mortar, and decorated fragments (trisqueles and rosettes), found during the 2018 excavation campaign in the Cibdá de Armea (Allariz, Ourense). They had been piled up and re-buried—no records existed as to where—at the western end of the Finca de A Atalaia, which was excavated in the 1950s under the direction of Conde-Valvís and began to be excavated again in 2011. The thorough review of the graphic and textual material available from the old excavations allowed us to determine the original archaeological context of the pieces. Most of these elements belonged to the atria of the so-called “Domus of Hexasquel” (North house) and “Domus of the Rosette” (South house). Once we established the origin of all the elements, especially with the aid of the old photographs, it was decided to reintegrate them into the site, to increase the educational and interpretive value of Armea, instead of burying them indefinitely in the warehouses of a museum.

One of the most frequent professional afflictions in Conservators-Restorers is the onset of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The conservation of textiles is recognizably vulnerable to these problems. However, the assessments of the ergonomic conditions for these workers are rare or even non-existing. The present study focuses on a group of conservators-restorers of textiles and relies on the use of a Nordic Questionnaire for musculoskeletal disorders coupled with a Quick Exposure Check for the task of consolidation on a horizontal table to determine the severity and exposure levels to WMSDs. All surveyed workers reported numbness, pain or discomfort in the last 12 months for the neck region, while 67% reported the same afflictions for the back, shoulders/arms and hands/wrist. In the same time period, half of the workers used pain relievers in order to maintain their professional activity. For the textile consolidation task, the neck and back areas showed high and very high levels of exposure, respectively, and the results place these workers at a high-risk for WMSDs due to cumulative stress. Mitigation strategies are proposed but these should be paired with professional counseling. Although preliminary, this study is the first of its kind to assess the ergonomic impact of the profession in Portugal and presents a methodology that can be used to perform similar evaluations in other workplaces and/or other specialties in the Conservation and Restoration sphere, both nationally and internationally.

This article concerns the diagnostic campaign aimed at analyzing the mural painting representing the iconographic theme of the Deesis of the Church of St. Maria Annunziata, Motta San Giovanni, in the province of Reggio Calabria. In 1951, a flood caused the collapse of the building and the consequent breaking of the apse into two parts. The present study focused on the left side of the apse, hosting the figures of Christ and Mary, in order to plan the best conservation intervention strategy. For this purpose, non-invasive investigations and laboratory analytical methods were conducted in order to characterize the constituent materials and to identify the forms of alteration and degradation present on the surface of the painting. In particular, Raman spectroscopy, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled to the chemical analysis by an EDS probe, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and ion chromatography were employed. The results highlighted the presence of a single layer of plaster made with a lime-based binder. The chromatic palette of the painting is characterized by ochres and carbon black mixed with lime to obtain the different shades. Finally, the definition of the nature of the deposits and of the overlaid materials was fundamental in order to identify the best products and methods to restore the readability of the work.

Three-dimensional models of anatomy in wax preserved in university museums are rare artifacts of extraordinary technical complexity. In recent years, interest in them has increased among scholars who consider them primary sources of heritage value to approach material culture and the history of science. The fragility of the sculptural material and the inadequate exhibition and storage conditions of many of these collections have caused the formation of pathologies whose conservation treatment is a great challenge for the restorer. In this regard, new 3D digital technologies have created a great impact on the documentation and analysis of interventions in the field of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. This research aims to demonstrate the technical possibilities offered by 3D digital systems as support tools in curative conservation strategies to mechanically stabilize fragmented sculptural parts. For this case study, we chose an 18th-century obstetric anatomical model made by the Madrid Court sculptor Juan Cháez, and the modeler Luigi Franceschi who belonged to the anatomical cabinet of the Royal College of Surgery of San Carlos in Madrid. In this work, we demonstrate the digitization process carried out employing structured light scanners, digital modeling, and 3D printing. The aim is to create auxiliary structures suitable to support the various original pieces to be adhered while guaranteeing their exact position during the adhesive curing process as well as the volumetric reintegration of faults. In addition tensile and three point bending tests for the mechanical characterization of the selected thermoplastic impression materials are described. Finally, the qualities considered suitable for the most appropriate material for the purpose of the study are detailed. Promising results were obtained since the structures have made it possible to perform fragment adhesions in highly complex areas of the sculpture, ensuring maximum precision, safety, and efficiency during the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ge-Conservación is the property of Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Weathering steels are widely used in civil engineering, architecture and contemporary art due to their mechanical properties, their enhanced resistance to atmospheric corrosion as well as their aesthetic properties. Artists and blacksmiths often apply chemical treatments to obtain the appealing colors of a patina in a shorter period of time. However, the development of an accelerated patina may have an effect on the final appearance and color of the surface. With the aim of evaluating differences in color and studying the evolution of the surface, eight accelerated patinas were made and exposed to the atmosphere for periods of time of up to 24 months and were compared to a natural patina. The characterization studies showed the presence of lepidocrocite on the surface. A close inspection of the X-ray diffraction patterns showed the displacement of the (020) lepidocrocite reflection and asymmetric broadening of selective lines of this phase that were associated to stacking and twins faults, respectively. These faults decrease with the exposure time and are related to a maximum at 630 nm in the reflectance spectrum and the stabilization of the b* coordinate (yellow color). The colors of the accelerated patinas differ from the natural patina at short exposure times. However, they tend to converge at longer exposure times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the cultural heritage for which preservation, conservation and restoration work, the archaeological heritage presents specificities: its scientific character and its sometimes very advanced degradations. These particularities condition the actions of conservation-restoration in this field. This article tries to define what “archaeological object” represents for the conservation professionals through its heritage and scientific values, and endeavors to explain how conservation in archeology is a thoughtful process and built for archeology, and which goes beyond the technical aspects of the discipline. Concrete answers can be provided by means of the conservation operating chain, at the heart of which the conservator-restorer progresses.

During commercial excavations, the archaeological department of Ardennes county council found two amazing discoveries that are now part of two different preservation projects. Firstly, a tool set from a rural settlement which holds some Vallus (Gallic harvester) teeth. The second finding was gallo-roman baths identified as being from a rural villa which were very-well preserved with an impressive wall elevation and a beautifully decorated floor.This paper gives the opportunity to discuss the moving of the finds from a commercial archaeological excavation to a preservation project which has to operate within the rules of the government, politics and economy as asssets or constraints for scientific issues.

This paper revisits the tensions between conservation-restoration and archaeology through the common subject of their practice: the object. A brief overview of the history of the relations between these two disciplines, originally associated, suggests that it is the change in the heuristic status of the object that led to a division of the tasks. Whilst archaeology tends to submit the materiality of the object to issues of contexts and environments, giving it the role of a prompts for interpretations, conservation tends to approach the object as a bundle of material indexes. This division between the construction of historical discourses and material production of knowledge ends up giving the work of conservation a subaltern position. Instead, the paper suggests that conservators, in addition to restoring the object materially, also restore the centrality of its materiality in the production of archaeological knowledge.

In recent decades, numerous building archeology operations have been carried out as part of restoration projects on Historic Monuments. These interventions provide opportunities to experience the relationships between conservation-restoration actors on the one hand and archeology actors on the other. They reveal the difficulties that can persist at different levels of the operating chain, but also the interest of jointly exploring the specific questions of each discipline and the heritage benefit of a collective approach.

As a result of a renewed regulatory framework introduced by the LCAP law, the publicising of movable archaeological properties and the strengthening of the scientific and technical control (Cst) of State services in terms of collection management raise the question of the specificity of the treatment of collections during the archaeological diagnosis phase. This article provides a brief history of both the institutional and methodological treatment of this question, before analysing the difference in status that artefact encounters according to its place in the heritage chain. Indeed, it can be seen that artefact from the initial phase of archaeological operations does not meet the same obligations as object, even though it comes from the same taphonomic context, which is uncovered during an excavation operation. However, from a purely regulatory point of view, movable archaeological properties are invariable cultural objects, whatever the administrative context of their discovery. This state of affairs inevitably questions the place of the conservator-restorer in the current operational mechanisms of preventive archaeology.

Megalithic sites find themselves at crossroads of heritage considerations, archaeological, architectural, landscape and tourism approaches, that makes their conservation a complex matter. This means that various professionals are involved to ensure their long-time preservation. Thanks to different examples of alteration observations and a first field training experience in conservation on national megalithic monuments in Carnac and Locmariaquer (Morbihan-Brittany), this article is willing to illustrate the complementarity between curator and conservator professions, within the chain of watch and protection of this millenia heritage.

Of an old but not dated use, on a very diffused model of the engraver Adolphe Rivet (1855-1925), the chains and medals of the ushers of the Chancellery are part of a long tradition of representation which goes back to the Old Regime. The restoration of these poorly known and documented objects highlighted the discreet role of the ushers, who participate in the proper functioning of the cabinet.Although relatively common in production, Chancellery chains and medals remain interesting for their continued use in the Ministry of Justice since the July Monarchy, although the current model was probably acquired in the middle of the 20th century.This characteristic of “heritage in use” was a guiding principle in restoration decisions and guided long-term conservation recommendations.

• Cleaning methods were evaluated for removing a Ca-rich incrustration formed over a crystalline glaze of an stoneware outdoor public artwork that comprised a water jet system. • Incrustration was characterized and cleaning methods were selected: mechanical method (dry microblasting with sand, alumina and peach pit) and chemical methods (HNO 3 , Na 3 EDTA, Ionex H and Kalkrent® an "environmental friendly" commercial detergent). • Harmfullness was tested in laboratory on replicas produced with artist using a multianalytical approach to evaluate the effect of the cleaning methods. • Mechanical methods were damaging, but could be used to reduce the thickness of incrustration. • All chemical cleaning methods caused alteration of the glaze, except Ionex H, altering mostly the glassy phase. Incrustations are a common conservation problem, particularly in artworks exposed to water. Calcium-rich layers tend to build over their surface making cleaning interventions necessary to improve the chemical stability and restore readability. Harmfulness tests are crucial for selecting cleaning methodologies for glazed surfaces due to their mechanical and chemical susceptibility. This study selected a combination of cleaning methods to test their adequacy to remove a Ca incrustations from a modern glazed artwork. The tested methods were mechanical (dry-blasting with sand, alumina and peach) and chemical (HNO 3 , Na 3 EDTA, Ionex H and Kalkrent® an "environmental friendly" commercial detergent). To assess the effect of the cleaning methods replica substrates of the glazed ceramic were subjected to the different methodologies. Harmfulness was assessed by: (i) mass variation measurements to evaluate the material loss; (ii) microscopy techniques (optical, scanning electron and confocal laser microscopy) to evaluate morphological and surface topography alterations and (iii) μ-Raman to detect changes in the glass structure. Results indicated that the glassy phase was the most affected, and Ionex H was the less harmful of the tested cleaning products. The first in situ testing revealed that a combined approach will be most effective using microblasting for reducing the thickness of the incrustation, followed by the selected chemical method Ionex H. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the American Institute for Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Francisco Conde-Valvís's so-called "stone treasure" is a set of unique carved stone pieces, such as bases, column shafts, a mortar, and decorated fragments (trisqueles and rosettes), found during the 2018 excavation campaign in the Cibdá de Armea (Allariz, Ourense). They had been piled up and re-buried—no records existed as to where—at the western end of the Finca de A Atalaia, which was excavated in the 1950s under the direction of Conde-Valvís and began to be excavated again in 2011. The thorough review of the graphic and textual material available from the old excavations allowed us to determine the original archaeological context of the pieces. Most of these elements belonged to the atria of the so-called "Domus of Hexasquel" (North house) and "Domus of the Rosette" (South house). Once we established the origin of all the elements, especially with the aid of the old photographs, it was decided to reintegrate them into the site, to increase the educational and interpretive value of Armea, instead of burying them indefinitely in the warehouses of a museum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the research and the conservation-restoration treatment of the Metropolitan Gavriil Bănulescu-Bodoni’s vestment – the paraman discovered as a result of archaeological excavations in the area of the Căpriana Monastery in the Republic of Moldova. The metropolitan, who was buried in 1821 in the church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Căpriana Monastery, was canonized in 2016. On this occasion, archaeological investigations of his crypt were carried out and various types of artifacts were revealed. Among them there are vestments (sticharion, epimanikia – fragments, girdle, epitrachelion, great omophorion, sakkos, epigonation, mitre, head covering, and paraman), textile fragments of the pillow, fragments of galloon from the coffin, leather fragments from shoes, metal objects (ornamental and functional elements), religious objects – a hand cross, a pectoral cross with a ribbon, clothing accessories – buttons. The study of the paraman from the point of view of determining the technique and material of manufacture showed that it was made using the technique of manual relief embroidery of the textile base with natural silk threads, silver and gilded threads, spiral or faceted silver gilded braid and silver gilded sequins. The results of the research and the analysis of the state of conservation of the textile object made it possible to establish the stages of the conservation and restoration process. Interventions carried out during this process included mechanical cleanings, wet cleanings, chemical cleanings, neutralizations and strengthening by sewing on torn parts, restoring losses of textile base, metal sequins and metal threads. The conservation and restoration of archaeological textiles from the Căpriana Monastery allows us to preserve these most valuable historical, spiritual, artistic and documentary treasures for present and future generations.

Abstract In 2017 a group of conservators-restorers conducted a conservation-science study of the materials used in the construction of Josef Frank’s main work, the Villa Beer (1930) in Vienna-Hietzing, and of the building’s surfaces. The study was an opportunity to find evidence indicating whether the contemporary description of the wall colour as a non-colour white corresponded to physical reality. The notion ‘Weiss, alles Weiss’ (‘white, everything white’), celebrated as ‘an expression of values and of the times’ (Hammann, 1930), will be identified as a cultural construct that stands in contradiction to the actual materiality of the buildings of the period. We must rewrite the colour history of Modern Movement architecture. The ‘White Cubes’ were never white.

This article presents the feedback of two specialists in metal furniture - an archaeologist and a conservator-restorer - on the use of tomographic imaging in the analytical operating chain of artifacts, from the micro-sampling of samples to the various conservation-restoration interventions and their study of the objects. Different examples illustrate the advantages of this non-destructive analysis technique while considering its few limitations. As our activities are closely linked to the evolution of these new X-ray imaging technologies, we can already measure their impact both in the choice of intervention protocols during cleaning for study or restoration and in the scientific exploitation of the documentation and its valorization.

Currently gels are widely used in the restoration of paintings, graphic arts, stuccowork and stonework, but their use in metal restoration is less widespread. In this study, several polysaccharide-based hydrogels (agar, gellan and xanthan gum) were selected for use in metal treatments. The use of hydrogels allows to localize a chemical or electrochemical treatment. This paper presents several examples of treatment of metal objects of cultural heritage, i.e., historical or archaeological objects. The advantages, disadvantages and limits of hydrogel treatments are discussed. The best results are obtained for the cleaning of copper alloys via associating an agar gel with a chelating agent (EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) or TAC (tri-ammonium citrate)). The hot application allows to obtain a peelable gel, particularly adapted for historical objects. Electrochemical treatments using hydrogels have been successful for the cleaning of silver and for the dechlorination of ferrous or copper alloys. The use of hydrogels for the cleaning of painted aluminum alloys is possible but it has to be coupled with mechanical cleaning. However, for the cleaning of archaeological lead, the cleaning using hydrogels was not very effective. This paper shows the new possibilities of using hydrogels for the treatment of metal cultural heritage objects: agar is the most promising hydrogel.

Copyright of Glasnik Slovenskega Etnološkega Društva is the property of Slovene Ethnological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present paper presents the research and restoration of an easel painting – a Portrait of a woman signed by Mihail Dan, from the Elena and Anastase Simu collection belonging to the Art Collections’ Museum subordinated to the National Art Museum of Romania. It is a work which reveals the artistic qualities of a refined painter interested in a variety of textures, but focuses on previous restorations which have produced degradations and considerabile modifications of the parts composing the painting, and of the authenticity of the work itself. The paper concentrated upon the adjustment of treatment methods during the restoration, in order to remake the physical and artistical integrity of Mihail Dan’s Portrait of a Woman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, 3D digital technologies have proven to be essential tools for professionals in the field of conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. This research presents the potential offered by structured light 3D scanners and the geometry analysis strategies carried out for the comparative study between the plaster Venus de' Medici of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando (Madrid) and the Anatomical Venus in wax of the Royal College of Surgery of San Carlos (Madrid), as well as the monitoring of the state of conservation. Using high-precision, high-resolution 3D morphology, the results obtained have been highly satisfactory, as it has made it possible to find the dimensional differences to the millimetre, offering a better understanding of the construction technique and the state of conservation in order to detect the evolution of the damage and to be able to act quickly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most frequent professional afflictions in Conservators-Restorers is the onset of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The conservation of textiles is recognizably vulnerable to these problems. However, the assessments of the ergonomic conditions for these workers are rare or even non-existing. The present study focuses on a group of conservators-restorers of textiles and relies on the use of a Nordic Questionnaire for musculoskeletal disorders coupled with a Quick Exposure Check for the task of consolidation on a horizontal table to determine the severity and exposure levels to WMSDs. All surveyed workers reported numbness, pain or discomfort in the last 12 months for the neck region, while 67% reported the same afflictions for the back, shoulders/arms and hands/wrist. In the same time period, half of the workers used pain relievers in order to maintain their professional activity. For the textile consolidation task, the neck and back areas showed high and very high levels of exposure, respectively, and the results place these workers at a high-risk for WMSDs due to cumulative stress. Mitigation strategies are proposed but these should be paired with professional counseling. Although preliminary, this study is the first of its kind to assess the ergonomic impact of the profession in Portugal and presents a methodology that can be used to perform similar evaluations in other workplaces and/or other specialties in the Conservation and Restoration sphere, both nationally and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Otto Piper (1841–1921) was a seminal student of castle architecture in Europe and a pioneer of professional topographic documentation and research of medieval castles in the territories of Slovenia, including Istria. Yet, his work is currently almost completely forgotten. The present paper, written for the 180th anniversary of the birth and the centenary of the death of Otto Piper, relies on an analysis of available sources and literature to valorise Piper as the researcher who, at the beginning of the 20th century, laid a solid foundation for further and more in-depth research of the heritage of castle architecture as a material source of medieval history in Slovenia (and Istria). Between 1902 and 1910, Piper, a lawyer by profession, a German by nationality, and a central European castellologist by occupation, topographically studied and presented 22 castles or castle ruins from the territories of today’s Slovenia, and Croatian Istria. His analyses, published in a monumental book series about Austrian castles shortly before the beginning of the First World War, encouraged further, even more detailed, semi-monographic presentations of fortified buildings. At the same time, his encyclopaedic volume Burgenkunde (Study of Castles) aroused such a wide interest in Slovenia as to give rise to intensive research and preservation of castle architecture and heritage, influencing also the work of the first Slovenian academic art historian, Avguštin Stegenšek. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weathering steels are widely used in civil engineering, architecture and contemporary art due to their mechanical properties, their enhanced resistance to atmospheric corrosion as well as their aesthetic properties. Artists and blacksmiths often apply chemical treatments to obtain the appealing colors of a patina in a shorter period of time. However, the development of an accelerated patina may have an effect on the final appearance and color of the surface. With the aim of evaluating differences in color and studying the evolution of the surface, eight accelerated patinas were made and exposed to the atmosphere for periods of time of up to 24 months and were compared to a natural patina. The characterization studies showed the presence of lepidocrocite on the surface. A close inspection of the X-ray diffraction patterns showed the displacement of the (020) lepidocrocite reflection and asymmetric broadening of selective lines of this phase that were associated to stacking and twins faults, respectively. These faults decrease with the exposure time and are related to a maximum at 630 nm in the reflectance spectrum and the stabilization of the b* coordinate (yellow color). The colors of the accelerated patinas differ from the natural patina at short exposure times. However, they tend to converge at longer exposure times.

Conservation of works of fine and applied art is based on an existing legislative and methodological framework in documentation, while the documentation of film restoration interventions is often based only on partial recommendations or practices of individual film archives. This may be due to the fact that the film restoration as an accredited scientific discipline has only been established in recent decades, but also to the fact that the film medium is so specific that established practices and conservation approaches of cultural heritage cannot always be simply applied to it. In addition, film restoration is undergoing a major transformation due to the advent of digital technologies. These fundamentally change not only the possibilities for intervening in restored films, but also the way they are shown, making it necessary to rethink or even extend existing approaches, including ways of documenting the whole process. In this essay, we question the extent to which it is possible to apply the methodological framework underlying the documentation of the conservation of fine and applied art to the documentation of the film restoration. We focus not only on principles that can be applied without significant changes to the documentation of the film restoration, but also on more problematic aspects that require rethinking or even completely new formulations given the specifics of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional models of wax belonging to the scientific heritage of the Complutense University of Madrid are a rare and extraordinary material that deserves to be preserved because it has great relevance to understand how surgeons and anatomists found formulas of visual construction that made possible the diffusion of his knowledge about the human body. In the present investigation, an anatomical wax model of the 18th century, with a remarkable degree of structural deterioration and weakness, has been restored, testing a new volumetric loss reconstruction methodology based on photogrammetric digitization of the sculpture, 3D modelling of the lost pieces and 3D printing of their moulds to obtain from them the final copies in waxy material. Due to this methodology, it has been possible to reduce the handling of the figure during the restoration process and the risk of accidental deterioration has been minimized.

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Copyright of Museologia e Patrimônio is the property of Museologia e Patrimonio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)