Zinc dust treatment—an effective method for the control of bronze disease on excavated objects

Abstract

Silver oxide is currently used to treat isolated spats of bronze disease, forming a seal of silver chloride. The technique is not infallible: an analytical study showed that the conductive properties of the silver chloride seal, together with the comparatively poor moisture barrier formed, are the factors responsible for failure. In the new zinc dust treatment proposed, tough, adherent and relatively stable zinc compounds form an improved barrier, effectively sealing the area of bronze disease. Objects treated with zinc dust were subjected to high humidity for several months and afterwards exposed to a tropical humid environment for four to five years. These objects showed no re-emergence of bronze disease whereas repeated use of silver oxide failed to stabilize the objects. The method developed is simple, less time-consuming, and relatively easy to employ.     

CORROSION AND CONSERVATION OF A SILVER VISCERAL VESSEL FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

Abstract

Two different cleaning methods were found necessary to remove silver chloride corrosion products from different areas of a silver canopic vessel containing about 6% of copper. Two possible mechanisms of silver corrosion which could have led to the differing silver chloride corrosion products are put forward.     

Book reviews

Michael Brian Schiffer. The Portable Radio in American Life. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1991.

Michael C. Keith and Joseph M. Krause. The Radio Station (third edition). Boston: Focal Press, 1993.

Robert L. Hilliard and Michael C. Keith. The Broadcast Century: A Biography of American Broadcasting. Boston: Focal Press, 1992.

Bruce Siegel. Creative Radio Production. Boston: Focal Press, 1992.

Lewis B. O'Donnell, Philip Benoit and Carl Hausman. Modern Radio Production (third edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1993.

Daniel Mark Epstein. Sister Aimee: The Life of Aimee Semple McPherson. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1993.

Ty Ford. Advanced Audio Production Techniques. Stoneham, MA: Butterworth‐Heinemann, 1993.     

Book/video reviews

John R. Catsis. Sports Broadcasting . Chicago: Nelson Hall, 1996.

Ralph Engelman. Public Radio and Television in America: A Political History . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1996.

Marc J. Seifer. Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla . Secaucus, NJ: Birch Lane Press, 1996.

How to Construct a Radio Documentary (CD‐Rom). Concord, Ontario: Irwin Publishing, 1996.

Paul Chantler and Sim Harris. Local Radio Journalism . Oxford: Focal Press, 1997.

Donald G. Godfrey and Frederic A. Leigh, (Eds.). Historical Dictionary of American Radio, Westport, CT.: Greenwood Press, 1998.

Nancy Lynch Street and Marilyn J. Matelski, (Eds.). Messages From the Underground: Transnational Radio in Resistance and in Solidarity . Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997.

Michael Nelson. War of Vie Black Heavens: The Battles of Western Broadcasting in the Cold War . Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1997.

Radio Industry (video). New York: Insight Media, 1997. 30 minutes, color.     

A Vacuum Envelope for Treating Panel Paintings

Abstract

A method is described for the removal of certain black and white deposits found on ancient South Italic and Etruscan pottery. The very hard white deposits are softened and dispersed by the use of chelating agents in a hot, caustic solution. The black stains are removed by the use of hydrogen peroxide in several concentrations.     

The Conservation of the Mosaics at the Kariye Camii

Abstract

Borobudur was constructed around 800 a.d. and abandoned in the 10th century. The history of its rediscovery in the early 19th century and subsequent restoration are discussed. An outline is given of various factors leading to the present preservation programme. The structure of the monument is described. Borobudur recalls the most elementary form of a stupa but is also a replica of the universe in Buddhist cosmology.

The monument measuring 123 meters at its base is c. 31 meters high and has 504 statues and eleven series of bas-reliefs consisting of 1460 scenes; the total length of the sculptured surface is c. 3 km. The foot of the monument with the lowest series of reliefs was hidden by the ancient builders by a stone encasement. The significance and function of Borobudur are discussed from an historical point of view.     

A rapid test for the detection of substances which will tarnish silver

Abstract

A sodium azide based solution decomposes when in contact with materials which have the potential to tarnish silver by evolution of hydrogen sulphide. The rate of evolution of nitrogen gas from the reagent has been used to assess the severity of the tarnishing. The test is microchemical and takes only a few minutes to perform.     

Cellulose degradation in the Vasa: The role of acids and rust

Abstract

The oak timbers of the Swedish warship Vasa are deteriorating. High amounts of oxalic acid have been found along with a low pH and low molecular weight cellulose deep in the wood timbers. The iron-rich surface wood differs from the interior wood in that it displays higher pH and cellulose with higher molecular weight. The objective of this study was to determine why there is a difference in cellulose degradation, pH, and oxalic acid amount between the surface region and the interior of the Vasa timbers. Analysis of cellulose weight average molecular weight by size exclusion chromatography was performed, as well as quantification of oxalic acid and iron by high-performance anion exchange chromatography and atomic emission spectroscopy, respectively. It was found that a decrease in iron content coincides with an increase in oxalic acid concentration and a drop in pH at a certain depth from the wood surface. When iron-rich surface wood samples from the Vasa were mixed with an aqueous solution of oxalic acid, a fast increase of pH over time was observed. Neither interior wood poor in iron nor the fresh oak reference showed the same neutralizing effect during the time of measurement. This indicates that the presence of iron (rust) causes a neutralization of the wood, through the formation of iron(III) oxalato complexes, thus protecting the wood from oxalic acid hydrolysis. This effect was not observed to the same extent for other acids observed in Vasa wood (sulfuric, formic, glycolic, and acetic acids).     

The materials of J.M.W. Turner: pigments

Abstract

Analyses of pigments from palettes used by J.M.W. Turner (active c.1792–c.1850) by means of microscopy, microchemical analysis, thin-layer chromatography, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy are given. The occurrence of pigments in Turner's dated oil paintings and watercolours is also given, arranged by five-year periods. These findings are discussed in the context of published analyses of pigments from the first half of the nineteenth century. Turner used cobalt blue, emerald green, viridian, orange vermilion, barium chromate, chrome yellow, chrome orange and chrome scarlet within a few years of their known dates of discovery. It has become clear that Turner was using, or at least experimenting with, practically all the pigments known to be available at that time. In a few cases, in the light of these results, ideas on the availability of pigments to English artists have been revised backwards to the first known date of manufacture. Turner also possessed and used a wide range of red and yellow organic pigments, but few organic greens. The dyestuff extracted from Rubia tinctorum L. madder on an aluminiumcontaining substrate can be distinguished from the same madder on different substrates by its strong pink fluorescence in both ultraviolet and green light. The other red organic pigments (a second madder, brasilwood and cochineal dyestuffs on a range of substrates containing aluminium, copper, iron, aluminium/copper and clays) show negligible fluorescence. The red organic pigments were used in oil medium as well as watercolour, the yellows only in watercolour medium.     

Film Biography

Kenneth L. Geist's Pictures will Talk: The Life and Films of Joseph L. Mankiewicz (New York: Scribner's, 1978---$12.95)

Two new books, one a revision, deal with another important director, Alfred Hitchcock

Donald Spoto's Stanley Kramer: Filmmaker (New York: Putnam, 1978---$12.95)

James Robert Parish, et al., Hollywood Character Actors (New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House, 1978--- $30.00)

Jesse L. Lasky Jr. with Pat Silver, Love Scene: The Story of Lawrence Olivier and Vivien Leigh (New York: Crowell, 1978---$10.95)

Hollywood actress and actor biographies, a round up of recent titles

Danny Peary, ed. Close-Ups: The Movie Star Book--Intimate Profiles of Movie Stars by their Co-Stars, Directors, Screenwriters and Friends (New York: Workman Press, 1978---$8.95 in paper with a hardback also available)     

Book review

Douglas, S. J. (1994). Where the girls are: Growing up female with the mass mediay. New York: Times Books. 340 pages.

Lang, A. (Ed.). (1994). Measuring psychological responses to media messages. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. 244 pages.

Cosby, C. O. (1994). Television's imageable influences: The self‐perceptions of young African Americans. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. 172 pages.

Kern‐Foxworth, M. (1994). Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, and Rastus: Blacks in advertising, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. 205 pages.

Fiske, J. (1994). Media matters: Everyday culture and political change. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. 253 pages.

Johnson, L. L. (1994). Toward competition in cable television. Cambridge, MA & Washington, DC: MIT Press & AEI Press. 214 pages.

Krattenmaker, T. G., & Powe, L. A., Jr. (1994). Regulating broadcast programming. Cambridge, MA & Washington, DC: MIT Press & AEI Press. 369 pages.

Moores, S. (1993). Interpreting audiences: The ethnography of media consumption. London: Sage. 140 pages.     

Intorduction

Abstract

INDUSTRY SURVEYS. Standard & Poor's. New York, quarterly, $1,197MO; loose-leaf, $2,225.00, ISSN: 01964-4666. (Also available on CD-ROM for $2,250.00 or via the Internet same price.) Reviewed by Judith M. Nixon

U.S. INDUSTRY & TRADE OUTLOOK ′98. Published jointly by DRI/McGraw-Hill Standard & Poor's, and U.S. Department of Commerce/International Trade Administration. $69.95, ISBN 0-07-032931-1. Reviewed by Judith M. Nixon

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN INDUSTRIES: NON-MANU-FACTORING INDUSTRIES, 2nd edition. ISBN 0-7876-0147-0. Reviewed by Judith M. Nixon

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN INDUSTRIES: M ANUPAC-TURING INDUSTRIES, 2nd edition. ISBN 0-7876-0146-2. Reviewed by Judith M. Nixon

Heil, Scott and Terrance W. Peck (Eds.). Detroit, MI: Gale Research, Inc., 1998, $520.00 for both volumes; $260.00 for each volume. Reviewed by Judith M. Nixon

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EMERGING INDUSTRIES. Malonis, Jane A. and Holly M. Seiden (Eds.). Detroit, MI: Gale Research, Inc., 1998, $249.00, ISBN 0-7876-1863-2. Reviewed by Judith M. Nixon

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GLOBAL INDUSTRIES. Sawinski, Diane M. and Wendy H. Mason (Eds.). Detroit, MI: Gale Research, Inc., 1996, $395.00, ISBN 0-8103-9767-6. Reviewed by Judith M. Nixon

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY (B&l). Beachwood, OH: Responsive Database Services, Jan. 1998, Web-based database with daily updates. Academic pricing for B&I on the Web is as follows for: 1-3 Concurrent Users $4,500lyr; 4 Users $5,250lyr; 5-8 Users $6,000/yr; 9-12 Users $7,500lyr. B&I is available through the following vendors: DIALOG, DataStar, KR-OnDisc, B&I on-the-Web (offered Data Downlink), OCLC FirstSearch, OneSource.com, Chest (in the UK), PointCast. Reviewed by Hal P. Kirkwood

WALKER's MANUAL OF UNLISTED STOCKS, 2nd ed. Lafayette, CA: Walker's Manual, 1997, $85.00, ISBN: 0-9652088-8-5. Reviewed by Brent Alan Mai

LODGING, RESTAURANT, AND TOURISM INDEX THE CD-ROM VERSION (1985-1997). Geahigan, Priscilla C. (Ed.). West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University, $450.00lyear with quarterly updates, ISBN 117-1597-2605. Reviewed by Priscilla C. Geahigan     

EconLit

ABSTRACT

The article examines the weaknesses and strengths of the economics database, EconLit. Comparison is made with other social science databases with especial emphasis on the alphanumeric classification and indexing system unique to EconLit. The general conclusion is that, despite the high value of its information content, EconLit would benefit by adhering closer to the indexing practices of other mainline social science databases.     

REVIEWS

Abstract

Novaia russkaia kniga: kritiko-bibliograficheskii zhurnal gumanitarnogo agentstva “Akademicheskii proekt”(New Russian Book).S.-Peterburg: Novaia russkaia kniga, 1999 — Bimonthly. Full text also web-accessible at <www.guelman.ru/slava/nrk>Reviewed by Michael Biggins

Bohdana Stoklasová and Jaroslava Jeábková. Czech Books Published in the 20th Century. Prague: National Library of the Czech Republic, 2000. CD-ROM + Booklet Guide, 30 p. Reviewed by Terri Tickle Miller

Ol'ga Figurnova, comp. Russkaia pechat' v Estonii 1918-1940: bio-bibliograficheskii i spravochnye materialy k izucheniiu kulturnoi zhizni russkoi emigratsii v dvukh vypuskakh(The Russian Press in Estonia, 1918-1940: Bio-Bibliographical and Reference Material for the Study of the Cultural Life of the Russian Emigration, in Two Parts). Moskva: IMLI-“Nasledie,” 1998. 462 p. ISBN: 5-2011322286. Reviewed by Daniel M. Pennell

O. S. Ostroi. Arkhitektory Imperatorskoi publichnoi biblioteki(The Architects of the Imperial Public Library). S.-Peterburg: Rossiiskaia natsional'naia biblioteka, 2000. 105 pp. ISBN: 5819200446. Reviewed by Wook-Jin Cheun     

Altération et nettoyage de pièces en argent doré

Abstract

By studying the mechanism of sulphation of silver-gilt objects in relation to the method used for gilding, its thickness and its appearance, it has been possible to develop a procedure for electrolytic treatment. The two-step treatment is carried out in a buffered solution of sodium nitrate and comprises cathodic reduction of the silver-based corrosion products followed by anodic dissolution of the reduced silver. The behaviour of the different materials is described, as well as certain limiting factors.     

THE SCIENTIFIC EXAMINATION OF THE POL YCHROMED SCULPTURE IN THE HERLIN ALTARPIECE

Abstract

An account is given of the examination of the polychromed sculpture in the Hedin altarpiece (1466) in Rothenburg old T. (W Germany). Analytical methods used, such as microscopy, wet chemical analysis, infrared spectrophotometry, thin-layer chromatography and gas-liquid chromatography are briefly described. Criteria for identification are summarized. Pigments identified are azurite, indigo, verdigris, green earth, madder, vermilion, red lead, lead white and carbon black. The binding medium is glue in matt areas. In other parts paints are mostly based on a resinous medium with varying amounts of oil. The materials identified in the applique relief brocades are compared with recipes described in the Liber Illuministarius from Tegernsee. Silver foil is used in producing translucent paint.     

ON THE OCCURRENCE OF BROMINE IN CORRODED SILVER

Abstract

Attention is drawn to the finding of silver bromide as a regular corrosion product on buried ancient silver. The chemical processes leading to this, and their relation to the burial environment, are discussed.     

Sanguine Paint: Production,Characterization, and Adhesion to the Glass Substrate

ABSTRACT

For centuries, the only painting materials used in stained-glass production were grisaille and yellow (silver) stain. At the end of the fifteenth century, stained-glass painters began to use a new material, sanguine. This paint is mainly produced with iron oxide particles, usually haematite, and allowed to obtain a colour that can vary from yellowish to brownish-red due to the nature and particle size of the iron oxide. A translucent sanguine was mostly applied as flesh and hair colour, with an opaque sanguine used for drapery, architectural motifs, and heraldry. The main goal of this study is to investigate the relationship between historic sources on the preparation and use of sanguine from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries and the evolution evidenced in the recipes regarding the production method. Representative recipes from several centuries (sixteenth to nineteenth centuries) were selected and reproduced for this study. These reconstructions were thoroughly characterized using X-ray powder diffraction, optical microscopy (OM), and fibre optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS). The OM and FORS data were correlated with historic sanguine paints applied on historic stained-glass. The similarities and differences between historic and reconstructed paints are presented. The study of reconstructed sanguine’s adhesion to glass using cross-cut testing was also performed, revealing that the adhesion is strongly influenced, not only by the binder, but also by the composition and morphology of the sanguine paint.     

POLYCHROME SCULPTURE IN SWEDEN

Abstract

A survey is given of polychromed sculpture in Sweden. Historical aspects of the care of sculptures are discussed. Many retables have been imported from Lübeck and Antwerp. Polychromed sculptures are often well preserved because there was hardly any iconoclasm in Sweden. Many need treatment however due to various forms of neglect. A special case—the triptych of Kärrbo (c. 1500)—is described in detail from a technical point of view.