Improving Environmental Conditions in the Tomb of Tutankhamen

ABSTRACT

The tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt, one of the major attractions of the World Heritage Site of Ancient Thebes and its Necropolis on the West Bank of modern day Luxor, is today a destination for mass tourism. Visitors to the tomb increase relative humidity, elevate carbon dioxide levels, and encourage natural ventilation which facilitates entry of dust into the tomb. These conditions negatively impact the wall paintings and remaining artifacts in the tomb and create an uncomfortable environment for visitors. The deposition of dust inside the tomb collects on uneven wall painting surfaces, obscures their legibility and necessitates cycles of cleaning, which in turn leads to further damage. Developing environmental management strategies in the tomb to counter the effects of visitors and mitigate dust entry is an important component of the collaborative project between the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities (MoA) to conserve the tomb. These included implementation of a filtered-air supply and exhaust ventilation system to stabilize the interior microclimate and reduce dust in order to improve visitor comfort and contribute to the long-term preservation of the tomb.     

Monitoring and Mitigating Particulate Matter Deposition on Decorative Surfaces: Current and Future Approaches in the Palace of Westminster

ABSTRACT

Research into dust deposition rates on the wall paintings in the State Apartments at the Palace of Westminster, London, UK, began during the restoration of the encaustic floor tiles. The study has broadened to inform day-to-day preventive care for the extensive fine art collections on display and the intricately decorated Gothic interiors, providing a powerful tool for the forthcoming restoration and renewal of the Palace. Different monitoring methods, using optical microscopy, macro-photography and software-based image analysis, were investigated. Qualitative analysis with SEM-EDX and optical microscopy allowed the identification of a number of anthropogenic, geogenic and biological sources of particulate matter, while quantitative results elucidated deposition trends, highlighting both seasonal and works-related impacts. Results indicated that mitigation measures taken to protect works of art and limit the diffusion and deposition of particulate matter on surrounding surfaces were successful. A new dust monitoring method, based on imaging of vertical surfaces and on a recently developed image analysis workflow (CHIJ) operated in open-source software (ImageJ) was trialled alongside more traditional methods for measuring dust deposition through collection of particulate matter on proxies. Results showed significant discrepancies between data acquired directly on wall painting surfaces as compared to horizontal glass slides. The advantages, limitations and complementarity of both monitoring methods were identified, and their potential contributions to the development of data-driven conservation approaches for heritage sites were assessed. The relatively low-tech methods and equipment used present useful and adapted tools for collection managers and conservators to inform their decision-making processes.     

Managing Uncertainty for Preventive Conservation

ABSTRACT

This paper examines how conservators engage with uncertainty when creating preventive conservation strategies. It argues that by recognising contexts in which uncertainty will be encountered conservators can develop effective management strategies. A typology of uncertainty explores a range of categories of uncertainty, their experience in preventive conservation and identifies distinct approaches to manage them. Managing uncertainty may include acts of defining its parameters, exposing and resolving through communication or protecting from with contingency. Whatever approach is adopted it must be accepted that uncertainty cannot be avoided. It is important therefore to aim to live well with uncertainty and the paper advocates for preventive conservation applications of strategies recommended in health care for patients with life-threatening illnesses. These strategies include working on things that can be controlled, goal setting, acceptance and factoring in emotions. The ability to identify contexts in which uncertainty is inbuilt should trigger those concerned with preventive conservation to activate strategies developed for managing and living well with uncertainty.     

Some conservation problems encountered with turmeric on ethnographic objects

Abstract

The pH dependency of turmeric, used as a dye or pigment on ethnographic objects from the Santa Cruz Islands, can present a conservation problem. Great care must be taken with the cleaning, consolidation, repair, storage and display of objects of this nature. A section on the analysis of suspected turmeric is included.     

Preventive Conservation on Demand: Developing Tools and Learning Resources for the Next Generation of Collections Professionals

ABSTRACT

The modern learning environment is evolving at a rapid pace. Technology can help developers of preventive conservation tools and learning resources for collections professionals to increase their impact and reach. However, it is crucial to keep the needs of users, and gaps in skills and knowledge at the forefront. This article examines preventive conservation tools and resources developed by the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) and ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) over the past 30 years. In light of the results from a recent survey and research in the learning and development field, a set of orientations for future tool development are highlighted; these tools must be: need driven, user centered, emulating everyday experiences, social and informal, concise, mobile friendly, curated and open access.     

Evidencing the Case for Preventive Conservation: the Role of Collections Care Documentation

ABSTRACT

Collections care describes actions taken to prevent or limit the deterioration of moveable cultural heritage and ‘collections care documentation’ (CCD) refers to the recording and retention of information relating to those activities. This paper describes the findings of a survey and targeted interviews with staff from a number of U.K. museums, archives and libraries. The results suggest that, while there is much good practice, some organisations face difficulties instituting a framework for CCD which covers all their activities effectively.

Large and small organisations have varying challenges to face; the former with specialist staff working in separate departments and the latter with staff who carry out activities relating to preventive conservation but who may not have specialist knowledge. An efficient documentation structure, which is resilient and relevant to the organisation, can support and improve communication as well as raise awareness of the reasons for and methods of preventive conservation. This paper looks at the reasons why even basic practices can sometimes be difficult to achieve and presents ideas for identifying and overcoming barriers. As preventive conservators argue that specified actions influence the long-term sustainability of collections the evidence that allows verification those claims needs to be retained. In order to do this, a greater focus on what data to collect and why will enable the sector to align CCD with specific research questions.     

Lighting the Shroud of Turin for Exhibition in 2015

ABSTRACT

Lighting a cultural heritage artifact requires balancing visual perception with preventive conservation, by providing the best lighting (in terms of spectral distribution and quantity) to enable the viewer to appreciate details and color, while limiting photo-induced degradation. The paper outlines the methodology applied by a multi-disciplinary team while lighting the Shroud of Turin at its last public exhibition in 2015. The methodology considered the special requirements of the Shroud, including exposure to ultraviolet light, while providing appropriate display conditions that would meet audience expectations. The desired appearance (readability of the body image and color) was defined with the help of Shroud researchers and confirmed by subjective tests, while appropriate light levels for preservation were set in agreement with standard requirements and using knowledge of the degradation of linen in visible and UV light. The installation provided a controlled environment and a managed visitor route to the Shroud, assuring excellent perception of both details and color, with the lowest illuminance level about 15?lx.     

THE CONSERVATOR IN CONTEXT: CROSSING CURATORIAL BOUNDARIES

Abstract

Is the conservation profession dividing into two groups – specialized technicians often working in private practice, and generalists in the heritage sector whose work is often in preventive conservation covering a diverse range of materials? If so are we moving away from conservation specialists, who contribute to the wide range of processes involved with object care and research within particular curatorial disciplines? We examine the increasing distancing of conservators from collections and their curatorial colleagues and will assess how this is reflected in the changing nature of training courses, and the impact this may have on museums in the future. These issues are discussed with reference to the National Museum of Wales, which has recently undergone an externally refereed conservation review. The outcomes of this can be viewed in relation to other institutions employing conservators.     

Overcoming Obstacles to Preventive Conservation Projects in Italy: With a Case Study of the Savoy Carriage Collection of the Presidency of the Republic

ABSTRACT

Working on preventive conservation in Italy is difficult but not impossible. After small successes and setbacks convincing museums to adopt elements of preventive conservation in the 1990s, the first author (Rossi Doria) was contracted for 15 years to preserve the historic carriages and associated objects of the Presidency of the Republic of Italy. This required patience to overcome or circumvent obstacles such as an inflexible bureaucracy and the absence of any formal recognition of preventive conservation within the educational and contractual systems for heritage conservation. The key factors in his success were the support of the curators, the financial and planning autonomy of the Presidency, and the obvious need for conservation and preservation of these elegant and complex objects. The program began in 2001 with the recovery of the forgotten collection from inappropriate storage in several locations. The entire collection was surveyed and recorded, not only the carriages but also thousands of harnesses, saddles, clothing, fabrics, weapons and memorabilia. Multiple preventive and interventive actions were undertaken, such as pest eradication for all sensitive materials, environmental surveys, and everyday maintenance, as well as complex treatments for the ornate carriages. Analysis by country of published articles on preventive conservation and of IIC membership both confirm that the topic is not as well established in Italy as in many other countries. Some reasons and solutions are proposed.     

The Imperative of Soft Skill Development in Preventive Conservation Practice and Training

ABSTRACT

Cultural heritage is wonderfully diverse and as heritage preservation professionals, it is our duty to address the preventive conservation of all cultural heritages. However, there is no one set of guidelines, practices or rules that can be applied in all situations. A preventive conservator with strong technical and soft skills is essential in this situation. At the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC), preventive conservation has been an identifiable part of the curriculum since the early 1980s. From its establishment, the curriculum has evolved to include the teaching of both current day technical skills for the practice of preventive conservation and soft skills in teamwork, leadership, institutional priorities and goals identification, and written and oral communication. These are taught to all students in their first year and those that select the option of a preventive conservation minor in their second year. Recently, it has become clear that it is not possible to teach adequately both the technical and soft skills needed for the practice of preventive conservation within WUDPAC's existing minor area of study. Additional time is needed to study and develop the complex theories, abilities and requisite skills that characterize the preventive conservation specialty. This paper discusses the work to develop a curriculum for a WUDPAC preventive conservation major, the strong mandate to continue to teach both technical and soft skills, and the surprising resistance to the establishment of a preventive conservation major.     

The conservation of lead communion tokens by potentiost atic reduction

Abstract

The paper discusses the methodology adopted for and the results derived from a pilot project to conserve the lead and lead alloy communion tokens in the collections of St Andrews University. For the project a new conservation process, ‘potentiostatic reduction’, was developed, involving reduction of the tokens at ?1·2V vs. SCE (saturated calomel electrode) in 0·5M H₂SO₄, The aim of the pilot project was to test the effectiveness of the new process in tackling a largescale conservation problem by observing its effects on a wide range of tokens made of various alloys and suffering from varying degrees of corrosion. The results of the pilot project indicated that potentiostatic reduction is as effective as standard electrolytic reduction. Since the new technique greatly reduces the time required for the conservation of individual artifacts, there are substantial savings in conservation costs.     

Preventive Conservation: People,Objects, Place and Time in the Philippines

ABSTRACT

Preventive conservation, with its origins grounded in the material fabric of cultural material, is in a period of transformation, with numerous practitioners, in and outside of the field of conservation, considering its broader and holistic objectives. The conventional tools for the assertion of preventive conservation principles, namely the assessment and management of risks to cultural material from the ‘ten agents of deterioration’, have a central focus on the primacy of physical materials and degradation, with less clear relationships with people, place, and time in their modelling. With a case study focus on collections in the Philippines, this paper argues for a practice of preventive conservation that incorporates a balanced assessment and broader thinking around the contexts of objects, people, place, and time. The case studies of ecclesiastical Church collections, and museum environments in the Philippines, demonstrate how the interdependency of objects, people, place and time forms a holistic and conceptual preventive conservation framework. Through a cyclic renegotiation of these four parameters, this paper speculates on the gaps and opportunities for an inclusive view of preventive conservation that is current and more sustainable.     

Evaluation of Conservation Treatments Applied to Salted Paper Prints,Cyanotypes and Platinotypes

Abstract

As the great majority of photographic prints have a paper support, their conservation has been based on conservation treatments traditionally used by paper conservators. It cannot be assumed, however, that these standard treatments, that are employed on paper without any problem, will give comparable results on photographic prints. The effects of mechanical cleaning, solvent cleaning, wet cleaning, bleaching and deacidification on salted papers, cyanotypes and platinotypes are investigated and discussed. The treatments were separated into those that gave clearly negative results and should be rejected, and those that should be studied in depth before accepting them as suitable. It was shown that the use of some types of bleaching and deacidification agents can be very dangerous in the case of plain paper prints. Cyanotypes proved to be the most sensitive to any treatment method and platinotypes the most resistant.     

New Perspectives on the Study of Particulate Matter Deposition within Historic Interiors

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes a new way of interpreting particulate matter deposition indoors. The rate of deposition of dust in surfaces is presented as the result of the combination of two main factors: the concentration of suspended particles close to surfaces, and their capacity to deposit, expressed as the deposition velocity. We suggest that either of these two factors can be altered in order to mitigate deposition. The implications of this perspective are explored using in-situ measurements in a historic property (Apsley House, London) and a computational fluid dynamics model of aerosol deposition. The cases studied involve the effect of outdoor wind on the ingress of particles, the consequences of leaving the main door open, and the effects of the ventilation system on deposition. The results demonstrate that simulations can be used reliably to explore hypothetical scenarios or situations that would be experimentally challenging. The inputs and outputs of the computational model are discussed in view of its usability in preventive conservation.     

Library Web Pages and Policies Toward “Outsiders”

Abstract

The article reports the results of a visual survey of library Web sites conducted over a seven-month period in 2000. Included in the survey were 100 ARL libraries in public and private universities in the United States. The author sought information about the libraries' policies regarding access to services and resources for unaffiliated users-library users who are not students, faculty, or staff of a library's parent institution. The author focused on four areas: entrance to the building, circulation policies, interlibrary loan service, and the use of proprietary databases. The author also looked for mention of services to unaffiliated users in library mission statements and the costs for use of services or resources. As expected, the variation among library Web sites was great, in terms of the amount of information provided, the level of access to services and resources, and the cost for access. No attempt was made to confirm the information by direct correspondence with staff at the libraries, in part because the intent was to determine only what one could learn from a library's Web site.     

THE CONSERVATION OF NON-METALLIC SEALS

Abstract

The conservation of non-metallic seals is an aspect of archival conservation which is all too often neglected.The authors show the most usual causes and forms of damage together with various methods of treatment. Among the aspects discussed are composition and manufacture; cleaning and repair of single and double-faced seals made of beeswax, shellac and other thermoplastic compounds; the conservation and repair of papered seals, together with seals and wafers applied en placard to documents; and methods of packing and storage used in the University of Glasgow Archives.