e-conservation 21 (2011)

Title: e-conservation

Issue: 21

Pages: 90

Year: 2011

Link: http://www.e-conservationline.com/...

Download: http://www.e-conservationline.com/... (pdf, 6.9 Mb)

Index:

EDITORIAL
On continual learning
By Rui Bordalo


NEWS & VIEWS
Restoration, Reality, and Life Behind the ‘Velvet Rope’
By Daniel Cull

Business Management Education in the Conservation Community
By Sarah Lowengard


REVIEWS
New Approaches on Book and Paper Conservation-Restoration
Review by Penelope Banou

NESAT XI - Conference of the Northern European Symposium of Ancient Textiles
Review by Annette Paetz gen. Schieck and Sylvia Mitschke

Outdoor Wall Paintings, Material and Techniques
Review by Mirjam Jullien and Johanna Nessow

Preservation of Archaeological Remains in Situ (PARIS 4)
Review by Mike Corfield and Jim William

University Training of Restoration within the European Educational Context
Review by Luboš Machacko


ARTICLES
Characterization of Natural and Synthetic Dyes Employed in the Manufacture of Chinese Garment Pieces by C-DAD and LC-DAD-QTOF
By Estrella Sanz Rodríguez, Angela Arteaga Rodríguez, María Antonia García and Rodríguez Carmen Cámara

An Innovative Stretcher for Canvas Paintings
By Osama M. El-Feky

Deterioration and Rates of Weathering of the Monumental Rock Inscriptions
at Wadi Hammamat, Egypt
By Hesham Abbas Kmally


EDUCATION
Sustainability in the Preservation of Cultural Heritage through Education Training
in Wood Conservation and Restoration in Malta
By Ninette Sammut

Thesis: Varnishes from historical musical instruments (2010)

Title: Characterization of the varnishes from historical musical instruments
Author: Francesco Caruso
University: University of Palermo
Type of document: PhD
Year: 2010
Link: http://box.net/... (pdf, 9.1 Mb)

Note: download with permission of the author.

Abstract

The characterization of materials such as glues, paints, pigments, binders and varnishes used to create artworks, continues to provide art historians and conservators with precious information. Such a knowledge enables restoration and conservation processes to be carried out properly without causing any damage to the original artefacts and also helps to understand the techniques used by the artists. The varnishing of musical instruments has been an interesting debating point since the end of the 19th century for lute-makers and industries focused onto the (re)production of high quality instruments. To date, there is considerable scientific interest in recovering the original formulations (the secrets of the old masters) and transferring such knowledge to restorers, conservators, lute-makers and musicologists. Ample scientific efforts have been made to identify the organic and the inorganic portions of the surface layers of several historical stringed instruments, although the interest has mainly been focused on North-Italian ones. This doctoral dissertation is devoted to the use of a non standard multianalytical method for the characterization of the varnish of a selection of historical stringed musical instruments from the "Musical Instruments Museum" in Brussels and the "Vincenzo Bellini" Conservatory in Palermo. A series of non-destructive and micro-destructive instrumental techniques was applied for obtaining information about the composition of the varnishes of the instruments. Particular attention was given to the implementation of a Curie Point Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry methodology for the study of the organic portions of the micro-samples without any special pre-treatment. This is the first systematic scientific work on the art works of such collections and one of the few in the field of chemical sciences applied to the conservation of historical musical instruments.


Table of contents (short version):

1. Introduction

1.1. History of the collection of the \Vincenzo Bellini" Conservatory in Palermo
1.2. History of the \Musical Instruments Museum" in Brussels
1.3. Scientific studies on the varnish of historical musical instruments
1.4. The analysed instruments and their labels
2. Experimental
2.1. Non destructive techniques
2.2. Micro-destructive techniques
3. Results and discussion

3.1. Non destructive techniques
3.2. Micro-destructive techniques
4. Conclusions
References
A. XRF results on the instruments from the "Musical Instruments Museum" in Brussels
B. FTIR spectra and band assignments of reference materials

C. Scientific activity