Maney Publishing

Exposition of Painting Conservation by The Brooklyn MuseumReview by: Helmut RuhemannStudies in Conservation, Vol. 8, No. 2 (May, 1963), pp. 72-73Published by: Maney Publishing on behalf of the International Institute for Conservation ofHistoric and Artistic WorksStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1505281 .

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BOOK REVIEWS

THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM, Exposition of Painting Con- servation. Brooklyn Museum, New York, 1962.

This is a programme catalogue of an exhibition of materials, methods, and machines for use in picture conservation which was held at the Brooklyn Museum last year. It consists firstly of a list of commercial firms exhibiting with a description of their wares or services, and secondly a series of articles described as data sheets in which most aspects of picture conservation are dealt with by an appropriate specialist. Every conscientious picture restorer who reads this work will feel a debt of gratitude to Caroline Keck and her executive committee for their realization of this unprecedented exhibition. Mrs Keck's 'Foreword' to the catalogue explaining the purpose of the show is written in her usual succinct, yet far from dry, style. I very much hope that this will be only the first of many such exhibitions. A great deal of directly applicable information and, indeed, important lessons have been condensed into the brief but lucid 'data sheets'. It is difficult to find any criticisms to make of them, yet without any adverse comment a reviewer might be accused of being overflattering or else super- ficial, and I hope that the slight criticisms I do make will only prove the sincerity of my praise.

Firstly, one or two comments on the arrangement of the catalogue. The list of manufacturers exhibiting would, in my opinion, have been more useful if the type of service offered had been listed alphabetically in the first column and the name of the manufacturer in the second, instead of vice-versa, although one ap- preciates that the existing arrangement was probably used for the convenience of visitors to the exhibition. For us over here, it is, of course, a matter for regret that only two European firms are listed. If, as one might expect, considerable demand for the book makes a second edition necessary, it would be an advantage if the data-sheets could be rearranged so that the thumb index referred, not to the weekdays on which the exhibition was held, but to subject-headings. An index of authors and subjects would also increase the value of the catalogue.

Turning to the subject matter of the data-sheets, Mr David B. Eisendrath's advice on the photography of paintings is invaluable, while R. D. Buck's and J. W. Seiffert's scheme of using flash bulbs for ultra-violet photography is a bright idea, and Sheldon Keck's admirably clear diagrams for the arrangement of picture, radiation source and camera in infra-red, ultra-violet and X-ray photography are most useful. By comparison Dr Jane Sheridan's short paper on chemical analysis does not give the reader much to bite on, and, interesting as is her report on enzymes, a

little more indication of how these organisms might be expected to be useful in the conservation of paintings would have been welcome, since this was the purpose of the Exposition. To his note on polyethylene glycols Dr Feller should have added a warning against their use on paintings, as well as an explanation for the inclusion of various ingredients in recipes, e.g. a relining mixture contains two different waxes the purpose of which is not made clear, and it would also be useful to know what advantages one formulation has over another and in what circumstances. Under the heading 'Solubility of Beeswax', Dr Feller lists as solvents 'Hot alcohol, acetone'. One assumes from personal experience that the adjective 'hot' also applies to acetone, although this is not clear from the text. I myself have found that one of the virtues of wax is that it is not readily soluble in either alcohol or acetone in the cold ; this makes it possible to clean with impunity paintings treated with wax, or even to remove a hard varnish from a painting executed in a medium containing wax, e.g. some paintings by Stubbs.

Mr R. D. Buck's article on moisture barriers covers the subject with exemplary brevity and clarity. I agree with Mr J. Roth that in transfer 'partial removal of the wood will achieve partial results . . .', but I do not quite see why extremely high impasto should rule out the use of the transfer technique. Surely some such method as the use of papier mach6 moulds, as recom- mended by G. Stout many years ago, can overcome the difficulty. Dr Nathan Stolow contributes a highly useful list of solvents, but he might have added a foot- note explaining in simple words to the restorer with little or no scientific training (alas, still the greater proportion of the profession) in what way a knowledge of 'density' or 'solubility parameter' would be of practical value to him.

Dr Feller's paper on the principal resins and var- nishes used for paintings contains much valuable in- formation. A few words on handling properties and relative shortcomings of each substance would have been helpful-for example mastic and dammar are less pale than MS2A. The idea of trying to counteract the risk involved in removing a cross-linking butyl metha- crylate varnish by applying it over a layer of dammar or AW2 seems to be a good one, but perhaps the acrylic varnish B-72, which shows such promise, will supersede this.

The sections on 'Responsibilities of Museum People', 'Minimum Requirements from a Professional Con- servator in Recording the Treatment of a Painting for its Owner', 'Notes on Portable Fire Extinguishers' and 'Considerations Regarding the Illumination of Museum Objects' are all excellent. I should like to add, however,

72

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Academician I. A. GRABAR (Ed.), Problems of Restoration and Conservation of Objects of Art-a Methodical Guide, Academy of Arts, U.S.S.R., Moscow (I96o). Pp. 190. 70 illustrations.

Contents Methods for the Examination of Ancient Russian

Sculpture. Strengthening and Restoration of Sculpture inWood. Strengthening of paint layers and primings using a

wax-resin adhesive. Strengthening of modern tempera paintings. A new method for the restoration of tempera paintings. Methods for the restoration of prints, drawings and

water colours. Strengthening and restoration of sandstone and lime-

stone monuments. Methods for the restoration of archaeological bronze. The restoration of textiles and embroideries. Use of antiseptics to prevent growth of micro-organisms

on some restoration materials. A glue mixture for relining. Colour photography of ultraviolet fluorescence, and

the use of colour film for documentation. Problems of classification and registration of photo-

graphic records made during restoration.

Examination of Sculpture This chapter opens with a survey of the amount of

restoration still to be done on ancient carved wood kept up to now in churches and monasteries. There are illustrations of the restoration of the 'Cross of Sava Vishersky', but few details of the methods used are given.

Strengthening and restoration of wood Some promising experiments are described using

phenol formaldehyde, urea formaldehyde, and mel- amine formaldehyde for the strengthening of weakened

wood (water-logged wood is not mentioned). The monomer is dissolved in a solvent such as alcohol which is readily imbibed by wood, and a treatment with this solution is followed by a treatment with a solution of a catalyst which causes polymerization of the resin within the wood. Tables are given showing the amount of a urea/melamine formaldehyde copolymer taken up by wood in various conditions (4-70 %/o on dry weight), increase in compressive strength (from 2 to 4 times) and shear strength along grain, and effects of a second treatment. Cracks are filled with a putty based on an epoxy resin.

Wax-resin adhesives The disintegration of the priming of a painting is a

common cause of deterioration in the paint layer. For treatment of flaking and blistering, and to strengthen the priming, two wax-resin adhesives are given:

(I) bleached beeswax I00 dammar 50 pinene (equivalent to

turpentine) 50 ammonium carbonate 2-5 g in 20 ml. water, to

emulsify (2) bleached beeswax Ioo

colophony 30 pinene 50

It is suggested that venetian turpentine could replace pinene in some cases. Copal is not advised because it darkens. The hot adhesive is spread on tracing-paper, which is then pressed with the hands on the paint surface and left for about 6 hours. Next the picture is ironed at 60o-700C. for two to three hours, and left to cool for a further six hours. The tracing paper is finally gently removed, if necessary by gentle warming or the use of petroleum spirit. Heating by infra-red lamps can also be used.

Modern tempera paintings Egg tempera and gouache are popular media for

modem Russian artists. Those that are blistering or

Book Reviews 73 that, where for some reason or other one of the two types of fluorescent lamp which approach daylight most closely (e.g. lamps of colour temperature around 6ooo0K) is not adopted, it should be kept in mind that not only different objects but also different paintings require different hues and intensities of illumination. For instance, on a Poussin, a warmer (and dimmer) light may be acceptable than on a Pissarro, which needs the coolest of daylight to bring out all the juste nuance, the main raison-d'Ltre of many impressionist pictures.

The E.P.C. programme-catalogue will be a worthy and welcome addition to our bookshelves, there to join other American classics such as Gettens and Stout's Encyclopaedia of Painting Materials, Stout's Care of Paintings, Morton C. Bradley's Treatment of Pictures, Ralph Mayer's The Artist's Handbook and, more recently, the proceedings of the Oberlin Seminar, On Picture Varnishes and their Solvents.

HELMUT RUHEMANN

37 Queen's Grove, London, N.W.8.

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