Photodamage prediction model and optimal lighting system for polychrome artworks in museum

Abstract

When lighting polychrome artworks in museum, the light sources are required not only to provide high-quality visual performance, but also to minimize the photodamage. Currently, though there are mature methods to calculate visual performance, how to predict the degree of photodamage remains a challenge, which leads to a lack of light sources satisfying both visual and protection requirements. Our study conducted a series of 294 accelerated aging experiments spanning over 11 years for materials commonly used in Chinese polychrome artworks, using isoenergetic white-light D₅₅ and 10 different wavelengths of narrow-band light as experimental light sources. The mathematical model predicting the photodamage degree caused by intensity (I), exposure time (t), the relative spectral power distribution of the light source (S(λ)), and the irradiated material's relative spectral responsivity (P(λ)) to polychrome artworks was established, and the mean absolute percentage error of the model, as verified by experiments, was 11.63 %. Combined with the existing visual performance calculation methods, an optimal lighting algorithm that simultaneously meets high-quality visual performance and minimum photodamage was developed, followed by developing a new Spectrally Tunable White LEDs (STWLEDs) lighting system with 10 LED chips. It is found that the STWLEDs can adjust and output the optimal spectra and recommended illuminance according to the characteristics of polychrome artworks, thus realizing lighting with minimum photodamage, meanwhile, satisfying high-quality visual performance. After testing, as well as satisfying the requirements of visual performance, the average photodamage is reduced by 40.95 % with STWLEDs compared with the traditional WLEDs.