Pub Date : 2021-06-10DOI: 10.1080/01971360.2021.1907673
M. Wachowiak
ABSTRACT A chance for cooperation between artist and conservator appeared during the exhibition of David Lynch's works in the Centre of Contemporary Art in Toruń. This case considers Lynch's diverse materials, secret techniques, and desire to repair his own works, with just the assistance of a conservator. The author's decision to take part in the first non-traditional artist's interventions started the communication. The collaboration enabled the recognition of original materials and artists' aesthetical expectations – and as a result, proper conservation treatment, based on built trust and mutual knowledge exchange. Assisting in the artist's repair allowed a conservator to treat subsequent works using ethically acceptable conservation methods, to recognize, research, and document materials and techniques, and to define the artist's preferences for future treatments. This case study provides a framework to approach an artist's active presence as a precedent; their impact on the conservation process should be helping to create an inclusive, dynamic, and flexible process, most effective when remaining open-ended. This article presents the axiological shift of declaring the artist as the most important decision-making voice and considers the ethical consequences to both conservation practice and the artworks themselves if such an inclusive process were to be embraced.
{"title":"Conserving (with) David Lynch. A Treatment Conditioned by Communication","authors":"M. Wachowiak","doi":"10.1080/01971360.2021.1907673","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2021.1907673","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT A chance for cooperation between artist and conservator appeared during the exhibition of David Lynch's works in the Centre of Contemporary Art in Toruń. This case considers Lynch's diverse materials, secret techniques, and desire to repair his own works, with just the assistance of a conservator. The author's decision to take part in the first non-traditional artist's interventions started the communication. The collaboration enabled the recognition of original materials and artists' aesthetical expectations – and as a result, proper conservation treatment, based on built trust and mutual knowledge exchange. Assisting in the artist's repair allowed a conservator to treat subsequent works using ethically acceptable conservation methods, to recognize, research, and document materials and techniques, and to define the artist's preferences for future treatments. This case study provides a framework to approach an artist's active presence as a precedent; their impact on the conservation process should be helping to create an inclusive, dynamic, and flexible process, most effective when remaining open-ended. This article presents the axiological shift of declaring the artist as the most important decision-making voice and considers the ethical consequences to both conservation practice and the artworks themselves if such an inclusive process were to be embraced.","PeriodicalId":17165,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Institute for Conservation","volume":"60 1","pages":"186 - 196"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2021-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01971360.2021.1907673","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46494183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-09DOI: 10.1080/01971360.2021.1913543
C. Stephens, Eric M. Breitung, Corina Geiculescu, Thomas Strange
ABSTRACT Nineteen brands of latex-free, powder-free, disposable nitrile glove were investigated for use when dry handling art. Results from a rub test, a modified Oddy test, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and ion chromatography (IC) were combined to identify gloves that caused the least damage to artificially aged metal coupons. The rub test involved repeated wiping of lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and silver (Ag) coupons with donned gloves then visually assessing the result to look for evidence of deposited residues. Ten brands deposited residues. The modified Oddy test studied the impact of glove handling on evidence of coupon corrosion. Twelve glove brands instigated moderate to severe corrosion of the coupons during artificial aging. SEM-EDS data showed that deposited residues led to pitting and corrosion of coupon surfaces with the presence of chlorine and oxygen dominating corrosion sites. Larger amounts of chloride ions (Cl–) in gloves were affiliated generally with greater corrosion. Ansell Bioclean™ Biotac white cleanroom and Showa® 7500PF blue economy grade gloves deposited no visible residues, induced minimal corrosion, and showed lower anion contents relative to other gloves, making them the best brands tested here for dry handling art.
{"title":"Determination of Nitrile Gloves Appropriate for Use When Dry Handling Art","authors":"C. Stephens, Eric M. Breitung, Corina Geiculescu, Thomas Strange","doi":"10.1080/01971360.2021.1913543","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2021.1913543","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Nineteen brands of latex-free, powder-free, disposable nitrile glove were investigated for use when dry handling art. Results from a rub test, a modified Oddy test, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and ion chromatography (IC) were combined to identify gloves that caused the least damage to artificially aged metal coupons. The rub test involved repeated wiping of lead (Pb), copper (Cu), and silver (Ag) coupons with donned gloves then visually assessing the result to look for evidence of deposited residues. Ten brands deposited residues. The modified Oddy test studied the impact of glove handling on evidence of coupon corrosion. Twelve glove brands instigated moderate to severe corrosion of the coupons during artificial aging. SEM-EDS data showed that deposited residues led to pitting and corrosion of coupon surfaces with the presence of chlorine and oxygen dominating corrosion sites. Larger amounts of chloride ions (Cl–) in gloves were affiliated generally with greater corrosion. Ansell Bioclean™ Biotac white cleanroom and Showa® 7500PF blue economy grade gloves deposited no visible residues, induced minimal corrosion, and showed lower anion contents relative to other gloves, making them the best brands tested here for dry handling art.","PeriodicalId":17165,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Institute for Conservation","volume":"61 1","pages":"162 - 171"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2021-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01971360.2021.1913543","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43234608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-05-13DOI: 10.1080/01971360.2020.1855866
Lia Kramer, Alexandra Nichols, Mollie Anderson, Nora W. Kennedy, Lorena Ramirez-Lopez, G. Wharton
ABSTRACT The emerging field of time-based media (TBM) conservation is actively creating new theory and practice to address the unique needs of these vulnerable artworks and ensure their long-term preservation. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's strategy to establish TBM conservation includes the implementation of a Time-based Media Conservation Assessment and Survey, which sought to identify institutional and collection needs and build consensus and support for TBM conservation internally among staff. In 2018, the Met contracted three consultants to work with staff, completing a conservation assessment and survey of the Museum's TBM collections, spearheaded by the Photograph Conservation Department. It is hoped that this model for conducting an institutional assessment and collection survey, which engaged colleagues across many disciplines, will be useful to other institutions with similar TBM conservation goals. The role of the conservator is rising in administrative structures to a level where they are shaping policy and positively impacting practice throughout museums and other cultural entities. The importance of this shift from behind-the-scenes to an ever more public-facing position is illustrated in this case study, along with its impact on the steps and strategies used to build a TBM conservation program at The Met.
{"title":"Conducting a Time-Based Media Conservation Assessment and Survey at The Metropolitan Museum of Art","authors":"Lia Kramer, Alexandra Nichols, Mollie Anderson, Nora W. Kennedy, Lorena Ramirez-Lopez, G. Wharton","doi":"10.1080/01971360.2020.1855866","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2020.1855866","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The emerging field of time-based media (TBM) conservation is actively creating new theory and practice to address the unique needs of these vulnerable artworks and ensure their long-term preservation. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's strategy to establish TBM conservation includes the implementation of a Time-based Media Conservation Assessment and Survey, which sought to identify institutional and collection needs and build consensus and support for TBM conservation internally among staff. In 2018, the Met contracted three consultants to work with staff, completing a conservation assessment and survey of the Museum's TBM collections, spearheaded by the Photograph Conservation Department. It is hoped that this model for conducting an institutional assessment and collection survey, which engaged colleagues across many disciplines, will be useful to other institutions with similar TBM conservation goals. The role of the conservator is rising in administrative structures to a level where they are shaping policy and positively impacting practice throughout museums and other cultural entities. The importance of this shift from behind-the-scenes to an ever more public-facing position is illustrated in this case study, along with its impact on the steps and strategies used to build a TBM conservation program at The Met.","PeriodicalId":17165,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Institute for Conservation","volume":"60 1","pages":"236 - 254"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2021-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01971360.2020.1855866","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42823632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-03-15DOI: 10.1080/01971360.2020.1854548
D. Finn
ABSTRACT In 2017 and 2018 the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) engaged in long-term conservation projects for two of its most iconic artworks, For SAAM (2007) by Jenny Holzer (b. 1950) and Megatron/Matrix (1995) by Nam June Paik (1932–2006). In both works, underlying technologies were replaced due to failure and obsolescence. Contemporary art conservators have developed methods and ethics for evaluating these fraught decisions. Stakeholders designate work-defining properties to establish an artwork’s identity, and assess treatments and exhibitions based on whether these properties persist. However, an artwork’s identity always has a degree of fluidity and contingency. The culture of the collecting institution and the opinions of those involved influence treatment decisions and the resulting evolution of the artwork and its identity. This paper presents case studies that highlight the creative and authorial roles museum staff play in conserving and exhibiting iterative artworks. Conservators are becoming more comfortable acknowledging the subjective and authorial decisions they make when managing change in artworks. Effective documentation acknowledges these roles and in so doing leaves the door open for future practitioners to reinforce previous decisions or reevaluate them and follow alternative paths.
{"title":"Museum Authorship and the Conservation of Media Installations: Two Case Studies from the Smithsonian American Art Museum","authors":"D. Finn","doi":"10.1080/01971360.2020.1854548","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2020.1854548","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In 2017 and 2018 the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) engaged in long-term conservation projects for two of its most iconic artworks, For SAAM (2007) by Jenny Holzer (b. 1950) and Megatron/Matrix (1995) by Nam June Paik (1932–2006). In both works, underlying technologies were replaced due to failure and obsolescence. Contemporary art conservators have developed methods and ethics for evaluating these fraught decisions. Stakeholders designate work-defining properties to establish an artwork’s identity, and assess treatments and exhibitions based on whether these properties persist. However, an artwork’s identity always has a degree of fluidity and contingency. The culture of the collecting institution and the opinions of those involved influence treatment decisions and the resulting evolution of the artwork and its identity. This paper presents case studies that highlight the creative and authorial roles museum staff play in conserving and exhibiting iterative artworks. Conservators are becoming more comfortable acknowledging the subjective and authorial decisions they make when managing change in artworks. Effective documentation acknowledges these roles and in so doing leaves the door open for future practitioners to reinforce previous decisions or reevaluate them and follow alternative paths.","PeriodicalId":17165,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Institute for Conservation","volume":"60 1","pages":"128 - 144"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2021-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01971360.2020.1854548","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49401673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-03-05DOI: 10.1080/01971360.2020.1854536
Julie M. Chang, Ling-en Lu
ABSTRACT This article presents a detailed case study of a red carved lacquer dish (accession number 33–575/2) inscribed with a mark of the Jiajing period (1521–1567 CE) of the Ming dynasty, currently in the collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Examination, analysis, and stylistic studies revealed new information regarding the material composition, manufacturing techniques, and decorative properties of the object. The analytical results were compared and contrasted with those of three other carved lacquer objects with Jiajing marks. The technical study included fluorescent light microscopy, pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The information from the cross-disciplinary study suggests the red carved lacquer dish 33–575/2 is unlikely to be the creation of the Ming Jiajing official production. The inscription is, therefore, likely to be a spurious inscription produced from a later period.
{"title":"The Study of Jiajing Carved Lacquerwares: An Example in the Collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art","authors":"Julie M. Chang, Ling-en Lu","doi":"10.1080/01971360.2020.1854536","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2020.1854536","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This article presents a detailed case study of a red carved lacquer dish (accession number 33–575/2) inscribed with a mark of the Jiajing period (1521–1567 CE) of the Ming dynasty, currently in the collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Examination, analysis, and stylistic studies revealed new information regarding the material composition, manufacturing techniques, and decorative properties of the object. The analytical results were compared and contrasted with those of three other carved lacquer objects with Jiajing marks. The technical study included fluorescent light microscopy, pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with thermally assisted hydrolysis and methylation, and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The information from the cross-disciplinary study suggests the red carved lacquer dish 33–575/2 is unlikely to be the creation of the Ming Jiajing official production. The inscription is, therefore, likely to be a spurious inscription produced from a later period.","PeriodicalId":17165,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Institute for Conservation","volume":"61 1","pages":"129 - 139"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2021-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01971360.2020.1854536","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45357366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-26DOI: 10.1080/01971360.2020.1858619
Julia Giebeler, Andrea Sartorius, G. Heydenreich, A. Fischer
ABSTRACT In response to contemporary art forms and related conservation and presentation challenges, a research initiative at Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences reconsidered the renowned Decision-Making Model for the Conservation and Restoration of Modern and Contemporary Art. Since its publication in 1999, the model has served as a valuable tool for navigating through complex problems in modern and contemporary art conservation. Nevertheless, within the last decades, a need for revision has been revealed. To provide an updated guidance for conservation and presentation decisions, a multi-disciplinary working group re-evaluated the model within the context of recent research results and case studies, thereby considering: (1) the starting point in the individual case, (2) the often complex biographies of artworks, (3) the dynamics in decision-making, and (4) the juxtaposition of the current and desired state of an artwork to include decisions regarding preventive conservation and the presentation of ephemeral or inherently evolving artworks. Fish Flies on Sky (1985/95), a video installation by Nam June Paik, serves as an example to illustrate the different steps of the model. The research initiative was organized by Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, and Maastricht University.
{"title":"A Revised Model for Decision-Making in Contemporary Art Conservation and Presentation","authors":"Julia Giebeler, Andrea Sartorius, G. Heydenreich, A. Fischer","doi":"10.1080/01971360.2020.1858619","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2020.1858619","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In response to contemporary art forms and related conservation and presentation challenges, a research initiative at Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences reconsidered the renowned Decision-Making Model for the Conservation and Restoration of Modern and Contemporary Art. Since its publication in 1999, the model has served as a valuable tool for navigating through complex problems in modern and contemporary art conservation. Nevertheless, within the last decades, a need for revision has been revealed. To provide an updated guidance for conservation and presentation decisions, a multi-disciplinary working group re-evaluated the model within the context of recent research results and case studies, thereby considering: (1) the starting point in the individual case, (2) the often complex biographies of artworks, (3) the dynamics in decision-making, and (4) the juxtaposition of the current and desired state of an artwork to include decisions regarding preventive conservation and the presentation of ephemeral or inherently evolving artworks. Fish Flies on Sky (1985/95), a video installation by Nam June Paik, serves as an example to illustrate the different steps of the model. The research initiative was organized by Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, and Maastricht University.","PeriodicalId":17165,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Institute for Conservation","volume":"60 1","pages":"225 - 235"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2021-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01971360.2020.1858619","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49646801","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-25DOI: 10.1080/01971360.2021.1882727
Thea Burns
The material study of works of art is increasingly accepted as a field of investigation promising new directions for research in art history. Art historians share with scientists, curators, archivists, conservators, and scholars in other disciplines common concerns directed at an increasingly refined understanding of the physical object – its material components, creative process, history, and reception. Besides allowing scholars to probe the successive states of an object, the material study can situate it within a rich cultural context. From one or more artifacts the investigation moves outward, beyond the boundaries of one’s own specialized knowledge, revealing connections among people, processes, and forms of inquiry. The title, The Art of Paper: From the Holy Land to the Americas, may suggest that this book, by the art historian Caroline Fowler, is a history of paper. According to the blurb on the book’s back cover, the author approaches historical paper “culturally rather than technically,” as a significant cultural influence and embodiment of global changes in the late medieval and early modern periods. Its focus is praised as “highly original.” The close reading of paper artifacts to illuminate historical cultural and social issues is, however, not new. Recent examples include Brendan Dooley’s Angelica’s Book and the World of Reading in Late Renaissance Italy (2016), Alexandra Halasz’s “Strange Food, Paper,” Early Modern Literary Studies (2018), and Working with Paper (2019), edited by Carla Bittel et al. The following comments are less a comprehensive review of The Art of Paper than the observations of a concerned paper conservator. Materials and techniques need to be approached with precision and respect and their use based in solid facts, properly comprehended. In “The Materiality of Medieval Parchment: A Response to ‘The Animal Turn’,” Revista Hispánica Moderna (2018), Nancy Turner has demonstrated with force and brilliance the pitfalls that await scholarship which invokes the material life of an artifact, seeking to reveal its fuller significance, while failing to engage meaningfully (and accurately) with those materials. According to Caroline Fowler, “Paper is the material on which the image is impressed, captured, or cast, but it is not the object of representation. The success of other media demands that it remain transparent, denied its own capability to convey a message” (p. 2). She continues,
{"title":"The Art of Paper: From the Holy Land to the Americas","authors":"Thea Burns","doi":"10.1080/01971360.2021.1882727","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2021.1882727","url":null,"abstract":"The material study of works of art is increasingly accepted as a field of investigation promising new directions for research in art history. Art historians share with scientists, curators, archivists, conservators, and scholars in other disciplines common concerns directed at an increasingly refined understanding of the physical object – its material components, creative process, history, and reception. Besides allowing scholars to probe the successive states of an object, the material study can situate it within a rich cultural context. From one or more artifacts the investigation moves outward, beyond the boundaries of one’s own specialized knowledge, revealing connections among people, processes, and forms of inquiry. The title, The Art of Paper: From the Holy Land to the Americas, may suggest that this book, by the art historian Caroline Fowler, is a history of paper. According to the blurb on the book’s back cover, the author approaches historical paper “culturally rather than technically,” as a significant cultural influence and embodiment of global changes in the late medieval and early modern periods. Its focus is praised as “highly original.” The close reading of paper artifacts to illuminate historical cultural and social issues is, however, not new. Recent examples include Brendan Dooley’s Angelica’s Book and the World of Reading in Late Renaissance Italy (2016), Alexandra Halasz’s “Strange Food, Paper,” Early Modern Literary Studies (2018), and Working with Paper (2019), edited by Carla Bittel et al. The following comments are less a comprehensive review of The Art of Paper than the observations of a concerned paper conservator. Materials and techniques need to be approached with precision and respect and their use based in solid facts, properly comprehended. In “The Materiality of Medieval Parchment: A Response to ‘The Animal Turn’,” Revista Hispánica Moderna (2018), Nancy Turner has demonstrated with force and brilliance the pitfalls that await scholarship which invokes the material life of an artifact, seeking to reveal its fuller significance, while failing to engage meaningfully (and accurately) with those materials. According to Caroline Fowler, “Paper is the material on which the image is impressed, captured, or cast, but it is not the object of representation. The success of other media demands that it remain transparent, denied its own capability to convey a message” (p. 2). She continues,","PeriodicalId":17165,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Institute for Conservation","volume":"61 1","pages":"140 - 142"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2021-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01971360.2021.1882727","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48904455","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-19DOI: 10.1080/01971360.2020.1853331
Idries Trevathan, T. Chaplin
ABSTRACT This paper presents a study and analysis of no-longer extant paintings found originally inside the sixteenth century domed arcade which framed the Holy sanctuary in Mecca. It interlinks information obtained through technical analysis of samples taken from these paintings, with information about the history of the arcade. Beyond providing a brief history of this understudied domed arcade, the research yields information about the production of their paintings and the range of materials used and is intended to shed light on the oldest section of the Holy Mosque in Mecca. Information surrounding the dismantling, conservation, and partial reintegration of this arcade back into the expanded courtyard in Mecca’s holy sanctuary is also provided.
{"title":"Framing the Sanctuary: A Study of Paintings on Sinan’s Domed Arcade in the Grand Mosque of Mecca","authors":"Idries Trevathan, T. Chaplin","doi":"10.1080/01971360.2020.1853331","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2020.1853331","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper presents a study and analysis of no-longer extant paintings found originally inside the sixteenth century domed arcade which framed the Holy sanctuary in Mecca. It interlinks information obtained through technical analysis of samples taken from these paintings, with information about the history of the arcade. Beyond providing a brief history of this understudied domed arcade, the research yields information about the production of their paintings and the range of materials used and is intended to shed light on the oldest section of the Holy Mosque in Mecca. Information surrounding the dismantling, conservation, and partial reintegration of this arcade back into the expanded courtyard in Mecca’s holy sanctuary is also provided.","PeriodicalId":17165,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Institute for Conservation","volume":"61 1","pages":"145 - 161"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2021-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01971360.2020.1853331","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43241599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-16DOI: 10.1080/01971360.2020.1832396
Giulia Basilissi, A. Brini, A. Cagnini, C. Ortolani, A. Barbone
ABSTRACT Tarnishing is one of the most crucial issues in the conservation of silver alloy objects. This phenomenon is relevant in the field of cultural heritage artifacts: although the blackish patina protects to a degree against ulterior corrosion effects, it significantly affects the aesthetical features of the artwork. Several different approaches are utilized for cleaning tarnished silver–copper alloy surfaces, including mechanical, chemical, electrochemical methods. The use of lasers is also reported. In this paper a dry approach based on the use of erasers is proposed and compared with traditional methods. The different methods were applied on silver–copper alloy mockups which had been artificially tarnished. They were compared based on the degree of sulfide removal and damage to the silver surface. Diagnostic investigations showed that the use of erasers for silver cleaning resulted in fewer surface modifications compared to traditional mechanical methods with an effective tarnish removal. The proposed method could be broadly considered a low-cost, adjustable, and fast one-step cleaning procedure. Finally, two case studies of application of the technique are reported: cleaning of three Islamic artifacts decorated with silver alloy inlay and of the silver letters on the North Door of the Baptistery of Florence.
{"title":"Evaluation of a Dry Method Using Erasers for Silver–Copper Alloy Tarnish Cleaning and Comparison with Traditional Methods","authors":"Giulia Basilissi, A. Brini, A. Cagnini, C. Ortolani, A. Barbone","doi":"10.1080/01971360.2020.1832396","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2020.1832396","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Tarnishing is one of the most crucial issues in the conservation of silver alloy objects. This phenomenon is relevant in the field of cultural heritage artifacts: although the blackish patina protects to a degree against ulterior corrosion effects, it significantly affects the aesthetical features of the artwork. Several different approaches are utilized for cleaning tarnished silver–copper alloy surfaces, including mechanical, chemical, electrochemical methods. The use of lasers is also reported. In this paper a dry approach based on the use of erasers is proposed and compared with traditional methods. The different methods were applied on silver–copper alloy mockups which had been artificially tarnished. They were compared based on the degree of sulfide removal and damage to the silver surface. Diagnostic investigations showed that the use of erasers for silver cleaning resulted in fewer surface modifications compared to traditional mechanical methods with an effective tarnish removal. The proposed method could be broadly considered a low-cost, adjustable, and fast one-step cleaning procedure. Finally, two case studies of application of the technique are reported: cleaning of three Islamic artifacts decorated with silver alloy inlay and of the silver letters on the North Door of the Baptistery of Florence.","PeriodicalId":17165,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Institute for Conservation","volume":"61 1","pages":"112 - 128"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2021-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01971360.2020.1832396","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46721265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-08DOI: 10.1080/01971360.2020.1826151
Nina Quabeck
ABSTRACT Museums are increasingly responsible for the care of highly complex artworks that are often co-produced, co-curated and co-conserved. The preservation of many artworks no longer hinges solely on the endurance of original materials, and as such, conservators are compelled to embrace the active life of these works. This paper studies Thomas Hirschhorn’s ongoing involvement with his work Intensif-Station (2010) over time and assesses the collaborations between artist and museum staff through the eyes of the conservator. By investigating the biography of this immersive artwork composed of rapidly degrading materials meant not to decay and perish but to persist, tangible material questions prompted conservators to probe “the artist’s intent.” Could the much-problematized notion be reframed as an open-ended process?
{"title":"Reframing the Notion of “The Artist’s Intent:” A Study of Caring for Thomas Hirschhorn’s Intensif-Station (2010)","authors":"Nina Quabeck","doi":"10.1080/01971360.2020.1826151","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2020.1826151","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Museums are increasingly responsible for the care of highly complex artworks that are often co-produced, co-curated and co-conserved. The preservation of many artworks no longer hinges solely on the endurance of original materials, and as such, conservators are compelled to embrace the active life of these works. This paper studies Thomas Hirschhorn’s ongoing involvement with his work Intensif-Station (2010) over time and assesses the collaborations between artist and museum staff through the eyes of the conservator. By investigating the biography of this immersive artwork composed of rapidly degrading materials meant not to decay and perish but to persist, tangible material questions prompted conservators to probe “the artist’s intent.” Could the much-problematized notion be reframed as an open-ended process?","PeriodicalId":17165,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the American Institute for Conservation","volume":"60 1","pages":"77 - 91"},"PeriodicalIF":0.5,"publicationDate":"2021-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/01971360.2020.1826151","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47146549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}