Characterization and origin of weathering crusts on Kylin carved-stone,Kylin countryside,Nanjing – A case study

To evaluate the effects of the environment pollution on weathering of outdoor stone artifacts in Kylin countryside, Nanjing, a Kylin carved-stone was studied accordingly to the observable decay pattern on its surface. Different samples were collected either from the deteriorated areas or from the sound stone substrate. The samples were characterized by IR, XRD, XRF, SEM, IC and ICP techniques. Gypsum, kaolinite, calcium oxalate and phosphate together with an high content of heavy metals and soil particulates are mainly located on sheltered or partially exposed areas, while an extensive network of parallel fissures is mainly developed on surfaces directly exposed to rainwater. Furthermore, an extensive colonization by lichen is affecting a wide surface of the carved-stone, which is strongly adherent to the surface. The obtained results show that the deterioration is mainly due to the atmospheric pollutants and its extent is strongly dependent on the surface exposition to the environment.     

The –ography of markets (or,the responsibilities of market studies)

How should we write about markets? What responsibilities does this writing bring upon us? This paper offers an immanent critique of ‘market studies’ scholarship, and through this a call to reflection and reformed action. Turning the intellectual framework of market studies upon itself, we come to see its texts as performative and agential. We discuss these qualities and the associated responsibilities via a reading of literature from the domain of ethnography. An auto-ethnographic sketch of market writing allows us to consider the problematic nature of expertise for market studies scholars and the agency and power of our texts. We find a dual moment of performativity from which our texts emerge more powerful than their authors. On this basis we offer a vision of critical interventions embedded in our texts, underpinned by the intellectual axioms of the market studies programme.     

Damage mechanism in Tournai limestone – The case of the tomb of Admiral Tromp in the Old Church of Delft (The Netherlands)

The funeral monument of Maarten Tromp, in the Old Church of Delft (the Netherlands), is partially built with Tournai stone, a grey-blackish limestone from the Wallonia region (Belgium). This stone is suffering a severe delamination and scaling, which has, in the course of the centuries, led to a considerable material loss from the surface of some of the stone elements. In order to identify the damage process and define a sound basis for the conservation of the monument, a research plan was set-up including, next to the tests and analyses on the stone, a 1-year monitoring of the microclimate in the church and the investigation of the structure of the monument as well as its connections to the adjacent walls. First of all, the stone type was identified by macroscopic features and by thin section microscopy. The moisture distribution in the monument and in the adjacent walls was gravimetrically determined on samples taken at different height and depths. The content and type of salt in the Tournai stone from the monument were determined by X-ray diffraction and ion chromatography, and the results compared to those obtained for the fresh stone. The analyses showed the presence of considerable amount of gypsum, together with a low content of soluble salts (chlorides and nitrates). The SEM-EDS observations showed that gypsum is mainly crystallizing in cracks between the layers of the material. The damage mechanism and the influence of salt on the decay were further investigated by combining hygroscopic moisture uptake, hygric dilation (RH cycles between 50% and 95% RH) measurements and SEM-EDS observations; all measurements were performed both on stone sampled from the monument and, as comparison, on fresh stone specimens. The results show that gypsum is the main salt present, but its role in the damage is not significant. The naturally thin laminated structure of the stone together with the considerable hygric dilation seem to be the main causes of the delamination observed in this stone.     

Twenty-five years of democracy,twenty-five years of social protest: The role of the carnivalesque in Bulgaria’s 2013 antigovernment protests

This essay examines the role of the carnivalesque in three performances of protest during the antigovernment street protests in Bulgaria in 2013. They represent a form of protest that symbolically inverts the established rituals of a political regime unwilling to recognize the voice of the people in an allegedly democratic nation-state. My analysis intersects scholarship on the rhetoric of social movements, carnivalesque performances of protest, and the rhetorical force of iconic images of protest. Through my analysis I reveal how the carnivalesque allowed activists to move beyond the norms of democratic dissent in their protests against governmental oppression.     

Measuring allocative efficiency in Cultural Economics: the case of “Fundación Princesa de Asturias” (The Princess of Asturias Foundation)

The literature on Cultural Economics provides us with some examples for the measurement of technical efficiency. However, there are few case studies dedicated to the analysis of allocative efficiency. The aim of this paper is to fill this gap by incorporating a methodology that analyses both technical and allocative efficiency. We use the Shephard’s distance function, particularly suitable when affronted with non-profit-making firms or institutions that are not interested in cost minimization. As an empirical application, we analyse the efficiency of Fundación Princesa de Asturias (PAF), a Spanish non-governmental organization devoted to promoting the cultural, scientific and humanistic values of universal heritage, the period of study being 1988–2012. Our findings suggest that PAF could have used 7% less inputs to achieve the same level of output. On the other hand, we have found allocative inefficiency. Concretely, the input for other expenditures appears to have been over-utilized in relation to both the inputs for labour and current assets, with labour in turn being over-utilized in relation to current assets. Moreover, our results indicate that both technical and allocative efficiency have clearly improved during the period analysed. In summary, our empirical application shows how distance function methodology can be successfully implemented to measure allocative efficiency in cultural firms and institutions.     

The history of the “Virgin with Child” sculpture (Ottaviano,Naples, southern Italy): Hypotheses from archaeometric multi-technique investigations

A life-size whitish marble statue of a “Virgin with Child” has been recently rediscovered in the St. Rosario church located in Ottaviano, a small town near Naples (southern Italy). This artwork shows stylistic features of the Tuscan-Roman school of the 16th century, and is framed in an intriguing historical context. Historical documents testify that the sculpture was a property of the cadet branch of noble Tuscan family of the Medici, the Medici of Ottaviano. A multianalytical approach has been used to try to indicate the supply area of the white marble of the studied sculpture. Considering the whole mineralogical, petrographic and geochemical data, the source rock can be possibly limited to the main classical white marbles of the Mediterranean district, as the classical marble of Aphrodisias. A reuse practice of a former artwork can be also hypothesized.     

A combination of NDT methods for the restoration of monumental façades: The case study of Monte di Pietà (Naples,Italy)

The paper focuses on an interdisciplinary research project concerning the preservation of the XVII century monumental building of Monte di Pietà in Naples, Italy. The building underwent a series of restorations being the structural walls affected by humidity and cracks. The importance of this monumental building in the historical city center of Naples led to design an extensive surveying program to provide the designers of strengthening with a detailed investigation of the geometry of the entire structure, and particularly of the entrance façade, with great details on several materials, thicknesses and restraints. A preliminary investigation was performed on the historical phases of this monumental building to have a clear knowledge of its vicissitudes, and then in situ structural assessment included 3D laser scanner techniques probing radar, in situ stress measures. This surveying phase was crucial especially for the subsequent Finite Elements modeling (F.E.M.) of the façade. The scope of the numerical refined analyses was to evaluate the state of stress in the structural elements of the façade putting in evidence structural ‘weak points’ and finally to design a retrofit intervention having a detailed map of the ‘intervention areas’. The theoretical damage assessment has been compared with on-site assessment and in situ stress measures. The damage primarily concerned the entrance façade and its valuable decorations. Furthermore, the basic principles for the design of the strengthening have been discussed.     

Assessment of thermo-hygrometric quality in museums: Method and in-field application to the “Duccio di Buoninsegna” exhibition at Santa Maria della Scala (Siena,Italy)

Maintaining the microclimatic parameters at the desired value is essential for artefacts preservation. In order to control the status of the microclimatic parameters, a continuous monitoring of the indoor environmental provides conservators, curators, restorers, and lenders with an exact knowledge of the microclimatic conditions under which the works of art are kept. Moreover, the monitoring results give important information in order to make adequate changes to the control strategy of microclimatic parameters. From this point of view, monitoring is an essential tool to develop an actual preventive control programme aimed at maintaining the optimal microclimatic conditions for preservation. As a consequence, long-term monitoring has to be applied to prevent deterioration of works of art. The widespread opinion that a correct approach to the topic of microclimate control for artefacts preservation is not only and necessarily to provide buildings with sophisticated environmental control systems, but mainly to investigate the actual environmental dynamics and, before any structural intervention, to define the compatibility between the climate control potentials and the preservation requirements, has become more and more firm among the experts. Monitoring also allows to verify the capacity of the “building and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)” system to maintain the desired thermo-hygrometric values within the operating conditions. To this aim, the Italian Standard UNI 10829 (1999) defining monitoring, elaboration and analysis of the microclimatic data as supporting actions for artefacts preservation, led to the need of a long-term monitoring and of a statistical approach to the data management. The approach proposed by the Italian Standard has been recently adopted by a European Standard (EN 15251, 2007). In accordance with the Standards mentioned above, in this paper an operational procedure to assess the thermo-hygrometric quality in museums is firstly synthetically presented and than applied to a case study. In particular, the procedure is developed in order to define the thermo-hygrometric quality level of the exhibition areas in the large museum complex of “Santa Maria della Scala” in Siena (Italy) during the international temporary exhibition “Duccio. La nascita della pittura senese” (“Duccio. The birth of Sienese Painting”).