E-Conservation Magazine - 6

e_conservation
the online magazine No. 6, September 2008
conser vation
the online magazine
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 struggling 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, curators 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 Muoz-Vias 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 technician 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 nonconservators. Thus, it is my belief that conservators need an attitude change towards publishing as sharing inside specialist knowledge is essential for our field. Rui Bordalo, Executive Editor
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editorial
www.prorestauro.com
INDEX
NEWS
CONFERENCE REVIEW Colours 2008, Bridging Science with Art 10-12 July 2008, vora, Portugal
Review by Rui Bordalo
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2008 WORKSITES The Conservation of the Mural Paintings from St. George Church, Voronet Monastery
By Anca Dina
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ANNOUNCEMENTS UPCOMING EVENTS September - October 2008 SALVADOR MUOZ-VIAS New Horizons for Conservation Thinking
Interview by Christabel Blackman
EVENTS INTERVIEW
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20
ARTICLES
29
CARE OF COLLECTIONS Are Libraries Effectively Monitoring the Condition of their Microfilm Collections?
By James Gross
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CONSERVATION OF PAINTINGS Conservation of a Greek Icon. Technological and Methodological Aspects

By Maria Avillez and Chryssa Vourvopoulou
CASE STUDY
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RED MAITREYA TEMPLE - LEH, LADAKH Mural Conservation Project (Part 1) - A Tibet Heritage Fund Project
By Anca Nicolaescu and Andr Alexander
BOOK REVIEW
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Mural Painting in the North of Moldavia. Aesthetic Modification and Restoration

By Anca Dina
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COLOURS 2008
Bridging Science with Art
10-12 July 2008 vora, Portugal Colgio do Esprito Santo University of vora www.ciul.ul.pt/colour/ The historical city of vora 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. vora was especially chosen not only because it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, but also because of the regions 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 environment made this experience a very enjoyable one. During this 3-days conference a total of 35 presentations 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 unusual objects, such as an aeroplane. Colour 2008 aimed "to approach colours from different perspectives: physics, chemistry, history, geology, archaeology, psychology, religiosity, symbolism and Conservation-Restoration". A special addition to the event was the multimedia presentation on the research project presented by Milene Gil, Ana Isabel Seruya and Jos 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 Magalhes (IMC Vice-director); Peter Carrot (Director of vora University Chemistry Center); Jos A.C. Nascimento (Regional Director of Culture) and Ana M. Freitas Drumond Ludovice (vora University Vice-Rector).
Marco Zerbinatti, researcher (Polytechnic Institute of Turin, Italy) presenting Physical Polichromy, Architectural and Environment Color.
(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 Fluorescence 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. Nevertheless, the high quality of the image obtained and the usefulness of the technique applied to works of art is impressive.
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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 Patrcia 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 Lus Bravo Pereira. This researcher from the Portuguese Catholic University (UCP) introduced the audience to the application 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 read7
CONFERENCE REVIEW
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."
Frederico Henriques, conservator-restorer, PhD candidate from the Catholic Portuguese University, presenting "Photogrametric methods applied to easel paintings".
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 Jos Pestana and Sara Valadas about the recent conservation intervention performed 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 University of the Arts (London), who is researching 19th century coated papers; Snia 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 materials from Jlio Pomar, a well-known Portuguese 20th century painter.
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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. Augustines sentence about time: "Everybody knows what time is - until you ask him
Dr. Luisa de Carvalho, Chair (FCT/UNL, Organising committee), and Prof. Maria Ondina Figueiredo (FCT/UNL) presenting Colouring by Iron in Beryl
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CONFERENCE REVIEW
Group photo of Colours 2008 participants.
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 especially 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:
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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 publication in X-Ray Spectrometry, Pedra& Cal, Conservar Patrimnio - 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 WORKSITE
The Conservation of the Mural Paintings from St. George Church, Voronet Monastery
Worksite Coordination: Oliviu Boldura, conservator-restorer, CERECS ART S.R.L. Intervention period: 1999 - 2008 (summer campaigns) 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 background 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.
The Last Judgment from Voronet, painted on the western facade.
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The state of the naos painting, west wall, before conservation.
The progressive degradation of the mural paintings 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-restoration on the mural painting from Voronet. As of this moment, the treatment included the colour layer reattachment, the removal of biological deterioration 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.
Naos painting, north wall, after conservation.
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NEWS
The conservation process of this monument imposed along the years a complex methodological approach continually sustained by responsible scientific research. The project was based on an interdisciplinary collaboration between conservators, scientists, art historians and other specialists 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 demands 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 conservationrestoration 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 national identity and cultural heritage, is considered to require permanent assistance, monitoring and preventive conservation so that these incipient forms of degradations will not evolve.
The actual state of the exterior painting on the north facade from Voronet.
Notes:
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. 12/2007

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
Text by Anca Dina

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events, others being the pilgrimage to other monuments and the opening of a permanent exhibition museum.
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NEWS
Comparative images showing the original (before conservation) and actual (after conservation) aspect of the painting from the church narthex, east wall.
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NEWS
NEW BLOG
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 todays 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 "specialized in the built heritage, its conservation and restoration, historic monuments and sites, archaeology, architectural heritage, [and] world heritage". It offers latest news, information about publications and events and a database of links organised by keywords that can be bookmarked 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 chronological order, are listed as short announcements and are followed by links to the organisers' homepage. 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, magazines, 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.
1 Delicious (http://www.delicious.com) - is one of the most
popular social bookmarking website for saving and sharing webpages.
UNESCO ICOMOS Documentation Centre

www.icomosdocumentationcentre.blogspot.com
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NEWS
CALL FOR LINKS

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 dont 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 general@e-conservationline.com Thank you for helping us improve e-conservationline!
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
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We accept submissions in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian, acceptam articole n Engleza, Spaniola, Portugheza, Italiana si Romna, aceptamos artculos en Ingls, Francs, Espaol, Portugus, Italiano y Rumano, nous acceptons des articles en Anglais, Franais, Espagnol, Portugais, Italien et Roumain, accettiamo articoli in Inglese, Francese, Spagnolo, Portoghese, Italiano e Rumeno, aceitamos artigos en Ingls, Francs, Espanhol, Portugus, Italiano e Romeno.
September 2008
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.
11th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

Date: 14-19 September 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 Astrophysics, Cosmogeochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Environment, Geology, Hydrology, Ocean Sciences, and Nuclear Safeguards. Read more...
The Digital Curation of Cultural Heritage September 2008

Date: 15-18 September 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, representation, access and use of digital cultural assets, such as those increasingly becoming part of museum information systems and digital archives. Read more...
Digital Integrated Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage

From data acquisition to the communication through virtual reality systems
Date: 15-26 September Place: Rome, Italy The course will follow a 'from-the-beginning-to-finalresult' 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. Read more...
IIC Round Table on Climate Change and Museum Collections

Date: 17 September 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. Read more...
IIC Congress 2008 - Conservation and Access

Date: 15-19 September 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 protection 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. Read more...
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EVENTS
Historical Mortars Conference September 2008

Date: 24-26 September 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 Read more...
14th International Symposium on Biodeterioration and Biodegradation

Date: 6-11 October 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. Read more...
Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage in the Asia September-October 2008

Pacific Region 2008: research, analysis and preservation of archaeological sites
Date: 9 September 9 October 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 participants with the latest methodologies and technologies for investigation, conservation and management of archaeological sites. Read more...
27th Meeting of Dyes in History and Archaeology

Date: 8-11 October 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. Read more...
Connecting the past to the future 11th AICCM Paintings Group Symposium
Date: 9-10 October Place: Melbourne, Australia Read more...
16th General Assembly and International Scientific Symposium of ICOMOS

Date: 29 September - 4 October Place: Qubec 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. Read more...
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.
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October 2008
EVENTS
Conservation of Tracing Paper October 2008

Date: 16-17 October 2008 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. Read more...
Synchrotron Radiation in Art and Archaeology

Date: 22-24 October 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. Read more... Read more...
Art Conservation Symposium: XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence)

Date: 18 October Place: Houston, USA In order to obtain the knowledge to properly conserve photographs which have experienced deterioration, conservators 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.
EITEC 2008
Date: 23-24 October 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, Gesto e Arte, Lda.) and Conservar-Inovar (Conservao e Restauro de Bens Patrimoniais, Lda.) are promoting the 3rd edition of EITEC Encontro Internacional de Tecnologias Aplicadas Museologia, Conservao 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 Antnio Portugal from University of Coimbra who will present a case study of fungi in historical documents and Jos Nero from Instituto Superior Tcnico who will discuss the conservation and rehabilitation of built heritage, among others. Among the foreign participants, 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. Read more...
10th Conference of the International Committee for the Conservation of Mosaics (ICCM)
Date: 20-26 October 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 ones 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. Read more...
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October 2008
intervie
SALVADOR MUOZ-VIAS
New Horizons for Conservation Thinking
Interviewed by Christabel Blackman, 7th June, 2008
Salvador Muoz-Vias 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 Valncia, he became a young member of staff at the newlycreated Department of Conservation at the Universidad Politcnica 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 University (presently known as Straus Center for Conservation), where he carried out research as a visiting scholar. In 1991, Muoz-Vias presented his PhD., partially based on research made at Harvard, a technical analysis of Italian Renaissance manuscripts which was subsequently published by Harvard and the UPV. In those years, Muoz-Vias 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 'Teora contempornea de la Restauracin' was published in 2003. Soon after that he began writing 'Contemporary Theory of Conservation', which was published late in 2004. Salvador Muoz-Vias became Professor (Catedrtico) in 2000 and presently, works both on conservation theory and on paper conservation techniques.
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NEW HORIZONS FOR CONSERVATION THINKING
A visit to Salvador Muoz-Vias work place is a discovery akin to an explorers encounter with a long sought-after treasure. The Arts and Conservation 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 Muoz-Vias' 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 doesnt 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 University 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 approach 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.
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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 conservation 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 theory and practice, between what should be and what could be. However I couldnt 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 conservation, 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 messages that observers or scientists or scholars can
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INTERVIEW WITH SALVADOR MUOZ-VIAS
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 exhaust the ability of an object to transmit different messages. Why is authenticity important in conservation? I dont 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 preferred 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 fragment, 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 different state. Conservators thus modify reality (which is undoubtedly authentic) to suit our expectations, needs or preferences. So authenticity 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
Prof. Muoz-Vias in his deskroom at the Universidad Politcnica de Valencia.
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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 paintings 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 respectful to truth but at the same time we must lie. However, as I said before, I dont think that truth is all that important, because I dont 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. Thats the tautological 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 restoration 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 authentically 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.
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Truth has little to do with conservation. Conservation is about bringing the object to a preferred state. We adapt objects to our preferences and thats it. You say that contemporary theory of conservation 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 common 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, Im an archaeologist and I do care about conserving that layer of dirt because it could
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provide me with some information in the future. This common sense stems from the specialists 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, because 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 symbolic 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 dont 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 sustainable 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?
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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 contemporary theory solves more problems than classical conservation theories. However, there are problems that cannot be solved so easily, such as the problem of measuring value. Subjective values cannot be expressed in terms of numbers, and thats a real challenge well 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, bee_conser vation
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 technical 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.
Prof. Muoz-Vias lecturing at the British Museum, 'Contemporary Ethics of Conservation for the XXIst century' Seminar in London, June, 2007.
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 overlooked (or plainly ignored) drawback of common flattening techniques these techniques alter
Salvador Muoz-Vias with Joana Kosek, paper conservator from the British Museum and James Black, director of Archetype Publications and co-ordinator of International Academic Projects.
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 chapter 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 intervention is just the slightest step away from doing nothing. So it is obvious that the notion makes
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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 Brandis 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, ranging from sciences to humanities to conservation techniques this is a real trademark of conservation 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 laboratories. The Bologna directive seems to call for a four-year degree, but they tell next to nothing about internships in real-life laboratories or
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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 professional needs and with their own livelihood. And then there is the fact that many laboratories 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 Muoz-Vias in his paper conservation workshop at the Universidad Politcnica de Valencia.
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'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 education in Spain? No, I dont think so. Each European country has its particular issues and the issues in Spain will not be solved by any particular education qualification 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 institutions 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 homogeneous higher education system all across Europe, and, in my opinion, this is something that has been successfully achieved.
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Professor Salvador Muoz-Vias concludes his interview 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 universal 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.
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.
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ARE LIBRARIES EFFECTIVELY MONITORING THE CONDITION OF THEIR MICROFILM COLLECTIONS?

by James Gross
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 todays 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.
Introduction In the United States, a sizable percentage of libraries 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, replacement or repair of the damaged film would be needed. However, in todays 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
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For severely decomposed film, salvaging it could prove to be extremely questionable, if not impossible.
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 microfilm. 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?
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MONITORING MICROFILM 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 educational 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.
Image 1 and 2. Severely damaged film roll.
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JAMES GROSS
Cellulose Nitrate Film Prior to the 1950s, 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 preservation needs. So, if some institutions are aware of film preservation concerns, why hasnt 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 doesnt 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 workload. They may not even have a qualified staff person dedicated to the microfilm room or collection. 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
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Image 3 and 4. Damaged film boxes. Image 5. Canned film in need of re-boxing.
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Unless the library or archive has a trained person to examine and maintain the collection, nothing will be accomplished.
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 librarys 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].
Image 6. Damaged film box. Image 7. Film drawer with assortment of old film boxes.
Optional: 2 pics [old boxes drawer; damaged box2]
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JAMES GROSS
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 management 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 accomplished. 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 preservation 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 environmental 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
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Image 8 and 9. Plastic (new) vs. metal (old) film reels and old vs. new film boxes.
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
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Image 10. New microfilm boxes drawer.
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 integrity. And, while many institutions are currently exploring the feasibility of converting from microfilm to digital, the vulnerability of digital media is still an acknowledged issue. As Suzanne Dodson cautioned, "all of these electronic media are shortlived 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.
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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
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Further Reading list

P. Z. Adelstein, "Preservation of Microfilm", Journal of Micrographics, 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 Hobsons 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 education?", 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 Conserving 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). 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.
JAMES GROSS
Contact: navistar96@yahoo.com James Gross is a Micrographic Specialist, having worked for four years at the National Archives in College Park, MD in the Special Media & Preservation Lab. While there, he handled duties such as microfilming original records, microfilm preservation, 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 Masters degree in Library Science at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.
Photo credits:
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CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON

Technological and Methodological Aspects
by Maria Avillez and Chryssa Vourvopoulou
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 (-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.
MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU
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 knowledge 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 representation, 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 conservation 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.
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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, -FTIR, GC-MS, GC-FID, SEM an -Raman, from which some having been used to complete this study. 1. Historical Context An icon (from Greek, eikn, 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.
1 The Byzantine Iconoclasm (72687 and 81543) 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.
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Figure 1. "Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, icon from the Benaki Museum.
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- 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, Hypapant, 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
3 This episode appears only in the gospel of Luke, the
Scriptures, but also to be familiar with the rites of Purification in the Christian cult. Rau [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
4 Leviticus is a book from the Old Testament of the Holy
other gospels never mentioning it.
Bible.
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Figure 2. Sample of the wooden panel, amplified 20x (OLYMPUS AX 70 PROVIS Microscope).
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
Figure 3. Sample of the canvas linen fiber, amplified 20x (OLYMPUS AX 70 PROVIS Microscope).
In some areas, a craquelure network with perpendicular cracks was formed due to the presence of the canvas. In the upper area of the icon, a particular 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
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 microscopy 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] regarding the preparation of wooden supports for temperas 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.
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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 architectonic 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.
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3.5. The Gold Leaf The icon is gilded with gold leaf only in the background 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 particular works of art due to their different convention of painting. The frontality of the figures, the deliberate disregarding of the illusion of threedimensionality (known as 'reversed' or 'inverted' perspective), the representation of several moments 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 background 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 Simeons hair in Figure 5). The application of pictorial layers in a certain order, beginning with dark tones and progressing to
Figure 4. Column detail, type of brushstrokes in visible (left) and infrared photography (right).
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Figure 5. Simeons hair detail, type of brushstroke and design in visible (left) and infrared photography (right).
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 proplasmos 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 Painters Manual" of Dionysius of Fourna (a Greek monk and icon painter from Mount Athos), the making of the flesh colour is explained: "Take
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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 brushstrokes 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).
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Figure 6. Virgins Mary and Annas faces, comparison between the painting technique of a young and an old face.
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 characterisation of the materials used and the painters 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 -FTIR.
Figure 7. Virgin Marys portrait, details of painting technique.
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).
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No. Colour 1 Annas green garment Marys red garment (light shade) Marys red garment (deep shade) Josephs brown garment Red frame (lower left side) Marys green garment Grey ceiling
Detected elements
Ca, Cu, Pb S, Fe, Sr K, Ti, Zn Hg, Ca, Pb S, Fe, K, Sr Al, Cu, P, Cl Hg, Pb S, Ca, Ti, Fe,Sr Al, Cu, P, Cl, Si Fe, Pb, Ca Hg, S, Mn, Cl, Sr Si, Ti, Cu Pb, Hg, S, Ca, Cl, Sr Si Cu, Pb, Sr, Ca, Fe, Zn, S, Cl, Sr Pb, Ca, S, Cl Sr Hg Pb, S, Ca, K Cl
Characterisation - Identified pigments

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 Major amounts of mercury based pigment. Main constituent based on calcium and lead. Minor amounts of iron based pigments. - Cinnabar, ochre, lead white, gypsum Major amounts of mercury and lead based pigments. Minor amounts of iron based pigments, calcium and sulphur. - Cinnabar, ochre, lead white, gypsum 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 Main constituents based on lead, and mercury. Minor amounts of sulphur and calcium. - Cinnabar, lead white, gypsum Major pigment based on copper. Major amounts of calcium and lead. - Copper Green (malachite or verdigris),ochre, lead white, gypsum Major constituent based on lead. Minor amounts of calcium, sulphur and chlorine. - Organic black (?), lead white, gypsum Main pigment based on mercury. Minor amounts of calcium, lead and sulphur. - Cinnabar, lead white, gypsum Major constituents based on lead and copper. Minor amounts of calcium, iron and chlorine. - Copper Green (malachite or verdigris),ochre, lead white, gypsum Major amounts of lead and calcium. Minor amounts of strontium and sulphur. Traces of iron. - Red lake (?), ochre, lead white, gypsum Main constituent based on lead. Main pigment based on copper. Minor amounts of iron, calcium and strontium. - Azurite, lead white, gypsum Main pigments based on iron, lead and mercury. Presence of calcium and sulphur. Traces of copper. - Cinnabar, lead white, ochre, gypsum Arsenic-based main pigment. Major amounts of lead. Minor amounts of cobalt and nickel. Traces of iron. - Orpiment or realgar, lead white, ochre gypsum
Red frame (upper left side)
Green column Pb, Cu, Cl, Ca, Fe base

Zn, Sr, Ti Pb, Ca Sr, S Cu, Fe
10
Annas red garment
11
Josephs blue Cu, Pb, Ca, Fe, Cl, Sr garment

S, K, Si, P
12
Josephs flesh (left foot) Yellow decoration (upper left side)
Fe, Hg, Pb Ca, S, Cl Cu, Sr Pb, As Co, Ni, Sr Fe, Zn
13
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).
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Prophetess Anna, portrait detail
Simeon, portrait detail
Virgin Mary, portrait detail
Ornament detail, right side of the icon
Figure 8. Detailed visible, false-colour infrared and infrared recorded images. Application of falsecolour IR photography in identification of pigments (Digital camera Nikon D50).
Column detail, left side of the icon

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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 technique is never conclusive.
True colour
Black White Cinnabar Azurite Ultramarine Indigo Cobalt Yellow with Fe Other yellows Copper greens Green earth Umber
False-colour IR
Black White Yellow Blue Reddish purple or dark blue Red or dark brown Reddish Greenish White Blue Blue, light Black
Table 2. Correspondence between true and false-colour IR of the pigments.
Table 3. Cross sections of the samples in polarized (left) and UV light (right).
Blue
Blue backround
1. Wood 2. Ground layer 3. Underpaint lead white, carbon black, smalt. 4. Varnish
Red
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
Red border
1. Ground layer with dark pigments 2. Underpaint cinnabar and lead white 3. Mid-tone cinnabar with lead white and carbon black
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Table 4. Cross sections of the samples in polarized light.
Grey
Green
Column 1. and 2. Ground layer 3. Underpaint carbon black and lead white 4. Mid-tone lead white and carbon black
Virgins green garment (20x) 1. Ground layer 2. Underpaint (floor tile) cinnabar, lead white 3. Paint layer malachite, azurite, lead white
Yellow
Green
Yellow tile from the floor 1. Mid-tone lead white and cinnabar 2. Underpaint cinnabar and lead white
Annas mantle (20x) 1.Ground layer 2.Underpaint malachite, lead white 3.Glaze - verdigris
Blue
Flesh
Josephs blue garment (50x) 1. Paint layer azurite, malachite, lead white, ochre
Josephs left foot 1. Ground layer gesso and glue 2. Underpaint yellow ochre, cinnabar, carbon black, lead white 3. Mid-tone lead white and cinnabar
Red
Red
Annas red garment 1. Ground layer 2. Paint layer red lake, ochre, lead white
Virgins red garment 1. Ground layer with red pigments 2. Underpaint cinnabar, ochres 3. Mid-tone cinnabar and lead white
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.
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An exception to this technique can be found on Anna and Simeons red garments. Here, as suspected and then confirmed with XRF and falsecolour IR, a red lake mixed with lead white was used. In cross section (Table 3, 4) the sample presented 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
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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 Virgins 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 falsecolour 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 Mhlethaler and Thissen, since the Middle Ages, the main cobalt source used in the preparation of smalt
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was smaltite (Co,Fe,Ni)As2 but in the 17th and 18th centuries erythrite (Co3(AsO4)28H2O) 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, "particularly 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 presumed 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 Annas 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
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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 -FTIR. By comparing standard -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 -FTIR spectra showed in Figure 9.
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. Josephs 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 icons surface was analysed by contact with a diamond cell in -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. -FTIR spectrum of the green glaze of Annas mantle in comparison with a -FTIR spectrum of a copper resinate made of an old recipe.
4.1.4. Yellows The floral motifs have been filled with transparent 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 mid50
Figure 10. -FTIR spectrum of the varnish in comparison with -FTIR spectra of alphacopal and shellac standard resins.
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5. Conservation treatment The conservation intervention on the icon followed the basic methodology principles and phases: consolidation, 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 depending 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 fluorescent 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 stereoscope, which allows a better control of the cleaning method and its interference with the icons surface. Mechanical cleaning was only used as a comple-
mentary method, in areas such as Annas 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 consolidation 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.
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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.
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Figure 13. Icon before treatment, after treatment and UV light photography after treatment where the retouching is visible.
Museums aim to promote education and research, having the responsibility to ensure the preservation of art collections. The technological study and conservation treatment of the icon from the Benaki Museum have shown that in conservation an interdisciplinary approach is required, that should include the comprehensive research of art materials, production technologies and history, condition and use of the art object. References
[1] V. B.-B. Espinola, "Russian Icons: Spiritual and Material Aspects", Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 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 Conservation 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. Rau, Iconografa del Arte Cristiano, Iconografia de la Bblia Nuevo Testamento, Tomo 1, Vol. 2, Ediciones del Serbal, Barcelona, 1996 [6] D. V. Thompson, Jr., The Craftsmans Handbook Il Libro dell Arte by Cennino dA. Cennini, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1933 [7] S. Stassinopoulos, "The constructions of wooden panels of icons. Defects, problems of such structures and their
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treatments in previous years and today" in The Conservation 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. Mhlethaler 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)
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Acknowledgements This study wouldnt be possible without the assistance of my coordinator Chryssa Vourvopoulou to whom I give my warmest thanks. Thanks are extended to Mr. Stergios Stassinopoulos, 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 Joo 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.
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MARIA AVILLEZ
Contact: mavillez@gmail.com 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
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 Museums Conservation Laboratory of Icons, Oil Painting and Wood Carving.
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RED MAITREYA TEMPLE LEH, LADAKH Mural Conservation Project

Part 1
A Tibet Heritage Fund Program

by Anca Nicolaescu and Andr Alexander
RED MAITREYA TEMPLE CONSERVATION PROJECT
Introduction Tibet Heritage Funds (THF)1 mural paintings conservation project in Leh, Ladakh region of India, started in 2006s summer at Red Maitreya Temple (in Tibetan: byams pa lha khang dmar po, pronounced 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 documentation of the original painting technique, followed by sampling and analysis of the constitutive materials. This research was necessary for a better understanding of materials behaviour and deterioration process in order to establish further appropriate conservation treatments. The conservation project first task was the removal 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 knowledge 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 performances 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 monasteries has been overshadowed by the new Tsuklakhang (central Buddhist cathedral) that was built 40 years ago in the main bazaar area of Leh.
1 THF is an international NGO that was founded in Lhasa in
1996 with the aim to preserve Tibets heritage, particularly its architectural and urban heritage. Figures 1 and 2. Red Maitreya Temple and South Elevation.
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ANCA NICOLAESCU and ANDR ALEXANDER
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.
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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 temples 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 century 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 traditional 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.
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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 caretaker 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.
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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 reconstruction. Colour traces were observed in the monks 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 Buddhas 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 vertical delimitation is achieved through the use of background motives flames, clouds, or small representations 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
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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 decorated 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 craftsmanship, 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 informed with harmony. We could observe also few artists 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: microchemical 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.
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Based on those researches we could trace the basic characteristics of Ladakhs 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 diversity of the aggregate size assists adhesion to the primary support and also provides a good adherence 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 pigments. We could observe that its thickness is variable 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
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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).
Figures 10 and 11. Details with the murals guidelines.

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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 nimbuses did not become apparent, we couldnt 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 notations (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 nowadays . With this method the colouring conception was devised before, by the master painter, while the assistant was filling in the formulated colours.
Figure 12. Detail of isometric drawings. Figure 13. The brush sketching of the figures with black paint. Figure 14. Example with the colour notations.
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Figures 15 and 16. Details with the colour notations.
Depending on the colour and on the nature of the pigment which was used the paint layers have different 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).
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 backgroundflat 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 contour 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).
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Figures 18, 19 and 20. Examples with the finest details achieved in these murals.
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Figure 21. Example of a delicate figure painted in a style close to that of miniature painting.
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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 nowadays is the animal skin glue.
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.
Figures 22 and 23. The level of detail achieved by the painting technique.
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Depending on the nature of the pigments they were used in either thick or thin layers fact which gave the surface different aspects more mattroughish, 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 (orpiment) was applied bellow the surface of the gold. From local painters, as well as from thangka technique, we know that the vermilion was mixed with seed (wheat) glue as adhesive layer for this purpose. No varnishes or coatings were detected.
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).
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.
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The main causes of the murals degradation are due to water (infiltration, capillarity and dampness) 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 different kind of damages and transformations, which
unavoidably affected the murals. Unfortunately we dont 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 maintenance 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 condition 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.
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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
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Figure 33. The original north wall with mural paintings and the new one built in 1957.
More recently the parts where the support layer was lost (at the bottom and lower part of the murals) were filled in with an improper mortar from the composition point of view (grave contraction cracks are visible all over the surface). The application technique used was likewise inadequate (overlapping 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 whitewash, as preparation layer for further repainting. This is a typical technique for both interior and exterior wall finishing or painting ground preparation. Removal of this coat layer constituted one of the main conservation problems. After THFs discovery of the huge amount of historic wall-paintings hidden underneath the coating, but before THF could start the conservation program, 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.
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plaster was lost due to damp conditions the rest of the original support is sound, fact which demonstrate 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 interventions, perhaps repeatedly. The quality of the mortar used and the technique of application were inadequate. The material was applied careless,
Figures 34 and 35. Deep support gaps and previous improper interventions.
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 detachments; - 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 displacement of the support layer is noticeable, though the areas appear stable;
Figure 36. Pocket detachment.

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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 careless 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 exposure to water. Attentive observation in direct and raking light of the paint surface revealed two important aspects regarding the condition and the main causes of deterioration at this level:
Figures 40 and 41. The initial aspect of the murals.
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- 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 tremendously 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 superposition 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.
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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 phenomenon 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 50 and 51. Paint layer lacunae. Figures 47 and 48. Damages which occurred before the application of the covering layers. Figure 49. Detail paint layer flaking.
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Figures 52 and 53. Strappo of the paint layer due to the overplaster application.
Figures 54. The complete loss of the paint layer. Figure 55. Flaking of the red colour.
- 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).
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- 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
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Figures 56 and 57. Different damages of the paint layer.
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 careless previous interventions. - surface deposits. All over the painted surface
are accumulations of airborne material of different 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.
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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 Gla) and their professor Meinhart Landmann; and to the devoted local trainees Jangchen Dolma and Skarma Lotus. The National Research Laboratory for Conservation 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. All photos and drawings in this article are by Anca Nicolaescu, unless otherwise specified. References:
[1] S. Bogin, "A technical Study of the early Buddhist wall paintings at Nako, India", unpublished Masters 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, Birkhuser 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
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ANCA NICOLAESCU
Contact: ancanicolaescu@yahoo.com Anca Nicolaescu is a Romanian mural painting conservator with Master degree from the University of Fine Arts Bucharest, ConservationRestoration 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 participation at conservation projects and seminars in UK, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Japan and India.
ANDR ALEXANDER
Contact: info@tibetheritagefund.org Andr 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 Management 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 prodigious publishing activity, from which several articles and reports can be seen online at THF website.
THF - TIBET HERITAGE FUND

www.tibetheritagefung.org
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book revie
MURAL PAINTING IN THE NORTH OF MOLDAVIA

Aesthetic Modification and Restoration
Review by Anca Dina
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 alteration. 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 northern Moldova, Romania. The authors 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 reading 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
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Author: Oliviu Boldura Publisher: Accent Print Publication Year: 2008 Pages: 450 ISBN: 978-973-1772-12-7 Language: Romanian / English Price: free of charge
Appreciating the present work for the exceptional organisation of the material presented with a mirror-like argument documentation 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
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 original material due to physicochemical degradation mechanisms, such as loss of cohesion and adherence of colour layer, support erosion and deposits of salts. The application of scientific methods to conservation 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 conservation, 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 enseme_conser vation
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 forefathers. From another perspective, the human factor is the reason of atmospheric pollution, of incompatible materials ignorantly introduced in the original structure and of inadequate maintenance 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 preserved in time not only by the rigorous compliance with the general principles and rules of heritage preservation, but also with the specific recommendations that may be formulated only by he who researched in detail the monument" (Corina Popa).
The church of Sucevita Monastery, exonarthex, east wall. Degradation of the painting due to vandalism and occult practices.
79
BOOK REVIEW
Technical flaws are another reason for the alteration in time of the original material. Chapter 6 deals with aspects such as the quality of the materials 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 situations 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, Rsca and Sucevita monastery churches, which by different reasons were partially or totally repainted 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 restorers 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 "restorers attitude in relationship with the responsibility of his action consciously
80
The church of Moldovita Monastery, narthex, east wall. Aspect of the painting before and after conservation.
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, compatibilities and incompatibilities with the built environment 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
e_conser vation
BOOK REVIEW
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 cohesiveness of the paint layer, the support adherence to the masonry and many others are discussed. This books 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, Conservation 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 beneficiaries 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.
St. George Church from Suceava, narthex, north-west view. Aspect of the painting before and after conservation.
e_conser vation
81
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No. 6, September 2008 LICENCE ISSN: 1646-9283 Registration Number Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5
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e_conservation

the online magazine No. 6, September 2008

The Thin Red Line

CONSERVATION OF PAINTINGS Conservation of a Greek Icon. Technological and Methodological Aspects

Mural Painting in the North of Moldavia. Aesthetic Modification and Restoration

Group photo of Colours 2008 participants.

Review by Rui Bordalo

The state of the naos painting, west wall, before conservation.

Naos painting, north wall, after conservation.

Comisiei Monumentelor Istorice, 1925.

the original entrance of the Church, now the exonarthex.

de la biserica manastirii Voronet', R.M.I. year LXXVI, no. 12/2007

Text by Anca Dina

1 Delicious (http://www.delicious.com) - is one of the most

popular social bookmarking website for saving and sharing webpages.

UNESCO ICOMOS Documentation Centre

CALL FOR LINKS

11th International Conference on Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

The Digital Curation of Cultural Heritage September 2008

Digital Integrated Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage

IIC Round Table on Climate Change and Museum Collections

IIC Congress 2008 - Conservation and Access

Historical Mortars Conference September 2008

14th International Symposium on Biodeterioration and Biodegradation

Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage in the Asia September-October 2008

27th Meeting of Dyes in History and Archaeology

16th General Assembly and International Scientific Symposium of ICOMOS

Conservation of Tracing Paper October 2008

Synchrotron Radiation in Art and Archaeology

Art Conservation Symposium: XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence)

NEW HORIZONS FOR CONSERVATION THINKING

INTERVIEW WITH SALVADOR MUOZ-VIAS

Prof. Muoz-Vias in his deskroom at the Universidad Politcnica de Valencia.

NEW HORIZONS FOR CONSERVATION THINKING

INTERVIEW WITH SALVADOR MUOZ-VIAS

NEW HORIZONS FOR CONSERVATION THINKING

INTERVIEW WITH SALVADOR MUOZ-VIAS

NEW HORIZONS FOR CONSERVATION THINKING

AREAS OF PUBLISHING Conservation Treatment

Find out more:

ARE LIBRARIES EFFECTIVELY MONITORING THE CONDITION OF THEIR MICROFILM COLLECTIONS?

MONITORING MICROFILM COLLECTIONS

Image 1 and 2. Severely damaged film roll.

MONITORING MICROFILM COLLECTIONS

Optional: 2 pics [old boxes drawer; damaged box2]

MONITORING MICROFILM COLLECTIONS

Image 10. New microfilm boxes drawer.

Further Reading list

CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON

MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU

CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON

MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU

other gospels never mentioning it.

CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON

MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU

CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON

MARIA AVILLEZ and CHRYSSA VOURVOPOULOU

CONSERVATION OF A GREEK ICON

Characterisation - Identified pigments

Red frame (upper left side)

Green column Pb, Cu, Cl, Ca, Fe base

Annas red garment