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ease whereas the left hand side dragonhead required a longer intervention asfragments from the blow were found inthe water and had to be collected beforethe intervention could be completed.Source AGRPRESS

X-Ray RevealsHidden GoyaPaintingAn unfinished and previously unknownpainting by Francisco Goya has beenfound hidden underneath one of hismasterpieces as announced by thecurators of the Rijksmuseum inAmsterdam.

The painting was discovered beneathGoya’s Portrait of Don Ramon Satue,and it is thought it might depictNapoleon Bonaparte’s brother, Joseph.Although the reasons for the erasing ofthe portrait are unknown it is reasonableto believe that Goya could have hadpolitical motives to cover up the portraitonce the Napoleonic army was drivenout of Spain and Ferdinand VII restored

ConservationNews inThe e-paper of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works

In the early hours of the morning ofSeptember 3rd, the famous Fontana delMoro in Rome was damaged by an actof vandalism, which was caught onsecurity camera. According to the Italianpress, a 50-year-old homeless Italianman was arrested and later confessedthe crime, although he failed to providea motive for the offence. The man wasalso responsible for attempting todamage the Trevi Fountain shortly afterhis incursion in Piazza Navona.

Damage to cultural heritage by acts ofvandalism is not uncommon in Italy, but

Issue 26, October 2011

The Tapestry RoomReinstatedConservation is under wayat the Isabella StewartGardner MuseumFind out more on pages 5and 6

A look at Whale ConservationNiC goes to Norway anddiscover the work of the‘Whale team” at the BergenMuseumPage 7 to 10

IIC Student and EmergingConservators ConferenceNiC’s ReviewPages 11 to 13

“La Fontana del Moro” in Rome isDamaged by Act of Vandalism

Fontana del Moro in Piazza Navone, Rome,Italy

Copyright Rafael Jimenez

what makes this episode remarkable isthe speed of the intervention by thetechnical staff of the Board of CulturalHeritage and Preservation, whichimmediately began work on therestoration of the fountain. The speed ofthe intervention was also possiblethanks to a donation by the Ambassadorfrom Bolivia and the remaining cost wascovered using public funds madeavailable by the Mayor of Rome.

The fountain was originally designedby Giacomo della Porta in 1575. In 1653,the statue of the Moor, by Gian LorenzoBernini, was added. In 1874, during arestoration of the fountain, the originalstatues were moved to Villa Borgheseand replaced with the copies that weredamaged.

The restoration intervention focusedon the reattachment of the two heads tothe side of the main figure, which hadbeen hit by a heavy stone thrown by thevandal. The dragon head to the right ofthe main figure had a clean break so itwas possible to reattach it with relative � www.iiconservation.org

IIC October 2011:Layout 1 12/10/11 08:38 Page 1

News in Conservation No. 26, October 2011 2

virtually and with detailed precision,and uses the latest non-invasivetechnology to reveal archaeologicalremains hidden beneath the soil inunprecedented detail.

Carnuntum is one of the largestpreserved archaeological landscapes ofits type in Europe, and the site theinvestigated lay to the west of anamphitheatre, which was built in thefirst half of the second century AD andexcavated from 1923 to 1930.Contemporary inscriptions claimed thatit was the fourth largest amphitheatre inthe Roman Empire and frequently usedfor gladiatorial games. The gladiatorschool has been compared to the famousschool located in Rome, referred to asthe ludus magnus, the great School ofGladiators, the amphitheatrum flavium,behind the Coliseum.

to the throne.The analysis was performed using a

mobile version of a high-resolution x-ray scanner that allows work to becarried out in-situ without the need formoving delicate objects as in the case ofthe Goya’s portrait. The detail on his facewas never completed, but “thedecorations embellishing the uniformare those of the highest ranks of achivalric order instituted by JosephBonaparte when his brother, the emperorNapoleon, created him King Of Spain”.

Due to the temporary closure of theRijkmuseum’s main building until 2013,

Goya’s portrait of Spanish judge

News in Conservation is published by TheInternational Institute for Conservation ofHistoric and Artistic Works

3, Birdcage Walk,London, SW1H 3JJ, UKTelephone +44 (0)20 7799 5500Fax +44 (0)20 7799 4961www.iiconservation.orgISSN 1995-2635EditorBarbara [email protected]

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Format DesignWebb & Webb Design Limitedwww.webbandwebb.co.uk

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PrintingL&S Printing Company Limitedwww.ls-printing.com

Deadlines for next issue (December 2011)Editorial: 1 November 2011Advertising: 15 November 2011

Disclaimer: Whilst every effort is made to ensureaccuracy, the Newspaper Editor and IIC can accept noresponsibility for the content published in thisnewspaper. The opinions stated in individual articlesbelong to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflectthose of the IIC, its officers or Council. Noresponsibility is assumed by the publisher for anyinjury and/or damage as a result of the application ofany method, product, instructions or ideas in thepublication. Inclusion of a product or treatment inthis publication does not imply endorsement of theproduct or treatment.

© 2011 The International Institute for Conservation ofHistoric and Artistic Works

Portrait of Spanish Judge Ramon Satue byFrancisco Goya

Roman Amphitheatre in Carnuntum,Austria

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Ramon Satue, which was concealing theNapoleonic painting, is on display atMuseum Boijmans Van Beuningen inRotterdam. Source BBC News.

School ofGladiatorsDiscovered atRomanCarnuntum,AustriaA sensational discovery took place lastmonth in Austria where a gladiatorschool was unearthed using “georadar”technology. A team of archaeologistsfrom the Ludwig Boltzmann Institutefor Archaeological Prospection andVirtual Archaeology discovered the site40 km. from Vienna, West of the ancientroman city of Carnuntum.

Georadar technology is gainingimportance as a non-destructive tool inarchaeological explorations. It allowsresearchers to accurately map an areaand reconstruct its characteristics

Zenodot Verlagsgesellschaft mbH

licensed under GN

U Free D

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Shanul (under GN

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Welcome to the October issue of News inConservation, my first as new editor. Ihope you will enjoy reading it as much asI have enjoyed putting it together. My firstthought goes to NiC’s previous editors,truly amazing people, who havesupported me with their precious adviseand help in navigating this new territory. Iwish Vicki Humphrey all the best in hernew position as Head of Conservation atthe National Museum Australia andthank Lucy Wrapson for her great work asAugust acting editor of News inConservation.

In this issue of NiC, Jessica Chloros willgive us an insight in the conservationwork currently taking place at the IsabellaStewart Gardner Museum to reinstate thetapestry room to its previous splendour,while Gordon Turner-Walker talk to usabout conservation of whale bones!

Also in this issue, NiC will talk aboutthe IIC Student and EmergingConservator Conference, which tookplace in London on 16th–17th September2011.

One last word from me before I leaveyou to enjoy NiC; remember that we relyon your generous contributions so pleasenote our next deadline for submissionsand send us your news, images, projectsand feedback.

Barbara BorgheseEditor

World Monument Fundannounces award forpreservation of two importantheritage sites.Two World Monument Fund (WMF)projects recently received grants fromthe U.S. State Department'sAmbassadors Fund for CulturalPreservation.

Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania, once animportant East African trading center,will receive $700,000 for urgentconservation work on the buildings,marine restoration, a sustainablemanagement plan, and improving theliving conditions of the island'sinhabitants. Kilwa Kisiwani is one of themost significant historic sites along theSwahili coast of East Africa and wasdeclared a UNESCO World HeritageSite in 1981. Ongoing conservationprojects at the fort and other structureswill ensure that the site continues to playa significant role in the local economyby attracting cultural tourism andproviding employment opportunities forlocal people.

The second site to benefit from thefunds is Phnom Bakheng, in Cambodia,one of the oldest temples at Angkor.Phnom Bakheng is one of the greatestexamples of Khmer architecture but itsrise in popularity has meant that itspreservation is now threatened by theincreasing number of visitor and the �

News in Brief

Manfred W

erner

wear from constant foot traffic isthreatening the temple’s stability. Thesite is also subjected to environmentalthreats from rain and erosion. PhnomBakheng will receive $400,000 tocontinue the conservation work begunwith a nearly $1 million grant from theAmbassadors Fund two years ago. ForMore information about the awards andthe work of the WMF visit their websitehttp://www.wmf.org/

Editorial

Phnom Bakheng, the main temple ofYasodharapura, the first city in Angkor,Cambodia

New Article in Open AccessE.C.C.O. Committee members JeremyHutchings and Susan Corr have justpublished the results of their experiencedealing with the descriptors for theConservation–Restoration profession inan article entitled “A framework foraccess to the conservation–restorationprofession via the mapping of itsspecialist”. The article was published inOpen Access in Higher Educationjournal. It can be freely downloaded atthe following link:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10734-011-9450-y

Agreement signed to establishnew regional centre forconservation in United ArabEmirates (UAE)In September 2011 an agreement wassigned between ICCROM and theGovernment of Sharjah, UAE, for theimplementation of a new RegionalCentre for the Management andConservation of Cultural Heritage in theArab States.

The centre will be located in SharjahUniversity City and will be the firstcentre of its kind in the Arab region.

His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan AlQasimi, Member of the SupremeCouncil and Ruler of Sharjah, in signingthe agreement stressed the importanceof raising public awareness in the field



of preservation of Cultural Heritage, andthe need to enhance cultural dialogueand develop cultural policies in the Araband Muslim world. He also welcomedsupport for the Centre from otherregional and international organizationsincluding the Arab League Educational,Cultural and Scientific Organization(ALECSO), the Islamic Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization(ISESCO), and UNESCO. (Source ICCROM)

Looting to Archaeological sitesin SyriaWhile the unrest in the Arab worlddoesn’t cease to occupy the front page ofthe international press, we are sorry toreport more news of looting anddamage to cultural heritage sites, thistime in Syria.

Several archaeological sites in the

ancient city of Apamea were vandalizedand pillaged by groups taking advantageof the tragic events in Syria. Reportstalks of secret excavations to digrandomly and steal artefacts, damagingseveral finds including a mosaic and thecrown of a column in the middle of thecity.

As reported by the Syrian Arab NewsAgency, the Head of Hama ArchaeologyDepartment Abdelkader Firzat called onlocals to report those who commit suchacts of vandalism and robbery, addingthat Apamea became a target for suchcrimes due to its wealth of historicalperiods and its large size.

He pointed out that damage causedby such criminal activities extends notonly to the loss of artefacts but also tothe structure of the entire site, causinginstability and more decay. In additionhe talked about the threats oftenreceived by security personnel workingat archaeological sites. Source SANA

Heritage damaged followingEarthquake in Virginia, USA Three spires on the WashingtonNational Cathedral, site of state funeralsfor several U.S. presidents, broke and felland the U.S. Capitol suffered someminor damage as a result of anearthquake of 5.8 magnitude struck theregion, and shook Virginia and othernorthern states of the US East Coast on

23rd August 2011. Several sites werereported as damaged including the 30-story central tower of the EpiscopalCathedral with three of the fleurs-de-lisshaped corner spires breaking off andfalling to the ground. The NationalCathedral, which weighs 150,000 tonsand took 83 years to complete, is thehighest point in Washington. It is a solid

masonry structure made of limestoneblocks placed one atop another.

Also damages were reported in theU.S. Capitol, which was evacuatedshortly after the earthquake and theWashington Monument was closedindefinitely after cracks were found inthe stones at the top of the 555-foot(169-meter) obelisk. The LincolnMemorial, Jefferson Memorial and theOld Post Office Tower were temporarilyclosed after the earthquake but allreopened after a short period of time.

Dead Sea Scrolls go OnlineThe Israel Museum in Jerusalem, incollaboration with Google, has madeavailable online the digitised version offive scrolls including the Temple Scrolland the Great Isaiah Scroll. Themanuscripts can now be viewed on themuseum website athttp://dss.collections.imj.org.il/

The Dead Sea Scrolls were discoveredin 1947 in a cave complex along theshore of the Dead Sea, East of Jerusalem.

National Park Service

Effi Schweizer

�Ruins in Apamea, Syria

An image taken by a U.S. National ParkService helicopter, showing cracks in theWashington Monument in Washington,D.C., in the United States.



The completion of the refurbishment ofMrs. Gardner’s Tapestry room at theIsabella Stewart Gardner Museumprovides opportunities for the public tosee conservation as it happen thanks tothe in-situ work of the conservatorsinvolved in the preservation of thisunique historic house.

The Tapestry Room at the Isabella Stewart GardnerMuseum is currently undergoing a majorconservation effort to transform it back to its originalfunction; a grand tapestry hall. This is one of theprimary preservation projects associated with themuseum’s Expansion Project that is currently takingshape behind the museum and that will alleviateproblems related to programming and over-crowdingwhen the new wing opens in January 2012.

Isabella Stewart Gardner opened her museum in1903 but while she lived at Fenway Court, shecontinued acquiring works of art, refining the displayof her collection in many of the galleries and in a fewinstances making substantial alterations to portions ofthe museum. The Tapestry Room, which is on thesecond floor along the east side of the building, didnot exist in 1903, nor for that matter, did the SpanishCloister, the East Cloister or the Chinese Loggia whichoccupy the ground floor directly below the TapestryRoom. That portion of the building was originallyoccupied by the Music Room, an immense two-storeyspace featuring a stage for music performances and

seating for audiences. She continued to acquire material over the years to

fill the new spaces she was envisioning and byFebruary 1914 the dismantling of the Music Roombegan. Approximately a year and a half later thetransformation was complete. The two-storey spaceoccupied by the Music Room was divided into twolevels with the Tapestry Room on the second floor andthe Spanish Cloister, East Cloister and the ChineseLoggia assembled on the ground floor.

Towards the end of 1915, the photographer ThomasMarr documented the changes that had taken placeand took the first images of the newly createdTapestry Room. Marr documented room views of themuseum for Gardner from 1903 to 1926 and hisphotographs provide us with a vital record of thegalleries during Gardner’s lifetime. These archivalphotographs are of great importance to us as they

illustrate the changes she made to her installations.They have also been useful in determining alterationsthat inevitably occurred after Gardner’s death in 1924.Along with primary historic records andcorrespondence, the judicious use of archivalphotographs serves as a crucial guide for theindividual conservation projects and whole-roomtreatments that are undertaken by conservation incollaboration with our curators.

When unveiled to the public in early 1916, thepredominant feature of the 4,000 square foot Tapestryroom were the Flemish tapestries cycles that lined thewalls of the room. The floor was covered with red,blue and grey tiles made by Henry Mercer’s MoravianPottery and Tiles Works in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.The great span of the wood ceiling was supported byoversized wooden beams, and on the walls plain woodpaneling provided a medieval-style background forthe tapestry hangings. Within the large room, Gardnerarranged intimate groupings of tables, chairs andobjects and also a piano for concerts, but as is obviousfrom the archival photographs, the room wasessentially a wide-open space with ample room forvisitors to wander freely. At the south end of the roomshe placed a highly-carved 15th century Frenchmediaeval fireplace mantle and in a niche above it, apanel painting of the Archangel Michael by Pere Garciathat dates from 1470.

For the past several decades, the Tapestry Room hasfunctioned as a space for programming activitiesincluding highly acclaimed music performances andlectures. Beginning in the 1970s, the space was takenover by the stage and chairs that would occupy muchof its footprint for the next 40 years. At the height ofits use, the room accommodated 250 seats and the1915 archival photograph of Tapestry Room

Thomas E. M

arr & Son

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The Return of Mrs. Gardner’s Tapestry Room



frequency of programming events began to take itstoll on the collection and the building fabric. Theperformance stage that occupied the south end of theroom and the chairs that filled the space forced all ofthe collection artifacts arranged by Gardner to theperimeter of the room where they were largely un-viewable. For the past 40 years, visitors have beenunable to enjoy the room as it was conceived of byMrs. Gardner when she created it in 1915 and even thegreat fireplace mantle and Archangel Michael paintingcould not be approached because they were blockedby the stage. Gardner’s vision for the gallery was agrand and spacious environment for the viewing oftapestries, furniture, assorted objects and paintingsand this experience was lost because of programmaticactivities.

As stated earlier, the new wing being built behindthe museum will absorb most of the programmingevents that have otherwise been held in the museum.Designed by the noted architect, Renzo Piano, thebuilding will feature a new exhibition hall fortemporary exhibitions and a concert hall where musicperformances and lectures will be held. The newbuilding will provide other visitor amenities, muchneeded spaces for education classes and also newconservation labs. With the programming relatedactivities relocated to the new building, the TapestryRoom will once again be the great gallery it wasintended to be.

The Tapestry Room project is a multi-facetedendeavor. The main goal of the project is to return theroom as closely as possible to its appearance duringGardner’s lifetime. At the beginning of this year, thestage and chairs were removed from the space makingroom for conservators and tradesman to carry out

their work. The space is currently a large laboratory ofsorts as all of the conservation work is taking place in-situ. The Tapestry Room is not closed to the publicand visitors can walk along a side of the room andobserve the various treatment projects as they unfold.In total the project includes 21 textile treatments, 26object treatments, and one painting treatment. In

addition to the conservation of works of art, worn andfailing polyurethane coatings on the floor tiles will beremoved, and as part of the museum’s on-goinglighting project, electrical wiring will be upgraded aswill the unsightly lighting fixtures that presently hangfrom the ceiling. In concert with the application ofappropriate shades and window treatments, the newlighting will strive to improve viewing for visitorswhile also reducing light levels on sensitive works ofart. When the infrastructure work and conservationwork is complete later this autumn, the gallery will bereinstalled as it was during Gardner’s time.

Author’s biographyJessica Chloros received herMS in Conservation from theWinterthur/University ofDelaware Program in ArtConservation in 2007. Shecompleted post-graduatefellowships at the StrausCenter for Conservation andTechnical Studies at theHarvard Art Museums andat the Isabella StewartGardner Museum. She iscurrently the AssistantObjects Conservator at theIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Email:[email protected]

1926 archival photograph of Archangel Michael paintingand fireplace in Tapestry room

Thomas E. M

arr & Son

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The Natural History Collections ofBergen Museum are home to one ofthe world’s largest collections of whaleand dolphin skeletons. Gordon Turner-Walker reports on the conservation ofthe whale skeletons.

Currently, Bergen Museum is undergoing aprogramme of restoration and refurbishment with theaim of returning the building to its former appearanceand splendour. Work on the external fabric of thebuilding was completed earlier this year andrenovation and modernisation of the interior,including the exhibition galleries, is scheduled to takeplace over the next three years.

The whale skeletons are the most visible exhibits inthe museum and may justifiably be described as the“jewel in the crown” of Bergen Museum’s collections.Out of a total collection of 22 specimens, eight baleenwhales and two toothed whales were scheduled forconservation over the two-year period between 2010and 2012. Most of the whales were collected in the1860s–1880s and have experienced little or nocleaning since they were hung in the galleries. Sincethe whale skeletons are such an integral part of themuseum’s visual impact their restoration and cleaningmust be sympathetic to the larger aims of the buildingrestoration project and any major alteration to theirappearance should be avoided wherever possible.

The Whale Project (2010–2012)The Whale Project has brought together aninternational team of conservators and bonespecialists from Scandinavia and beyond. This two-year project represents the opportunity of a lifetime tocollaborate on a huge and varied assignment.

Conservation, whether of artworks or natural historyspecimens is normally a solitary pursuit whereindividual conservators work quietly and patiently ona single object, often lost in concentration. In starkcontrast, the conservators working of the whales oftenwork as a team with several people working on one

Dry vacuuming the humpback whale

Saving the Whales – the Restoration of an Historic Exhibition inBergen Museum

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Gordon Turner-W

alker



skeleton simultaneously. In its scale, the work oftenhas more in common with engineering or buildingrestoration than normal conservation, certainly interms of the surface area to be cleaned – which mustadd up to hundreds of square metres. The blue whaleskeleton alone is estimated to have a total surface areaof almost 95 m2 (for comparison the goal area on asoccer pitch is a little over 100 m2).

The goals of the Whale Project mirror those of themuseum building’s restoration – to return the hangingskeletons to their original glory and secure them forthe future, while retaining as much of the originalmaterials, character and scientific potential as ispractical. Obviously, the mounted skeletons must bestructurally safe and there must be no danger of bonesor other fragments falling on the heads ofunsuspecting visitors. Similarly, the bones themselvesshould be clean so that visitors can see clearly thevarious anatomical details of the skeletons, but also sothat visitors can see that the whales are being cared forin a way appropriate to their status as the museum’s“crown jewels”. An important goal in all of theinterventions is to remove inappropriate, misleadingor structurally unsound previous restorations,especially those done with incompatible materials.The restoration of the skeletons thus falls into fivedistinct categories – some which can be solvedsimultaneously and some which must be resolved insequence:

1 Removal of external contaminants and dirt2 Removal of internal contaminants3 Removal of disfiguring or deteriorated earlier

restorations4 Structural reinforcement and support of the bones5 Cosmetic reconstructionThe author using solid CO2 particle blasting on a killer whale scapula

Gordon Turner-W

alker



The first category includes dust which comprisesflakes of human skin, textile fibres, fine airborne gritand soil particles, soot from burning wood and fossilfuels, together with paint splashes and soluble saltscarried onto the exhibits by water leaking from theceiling. The second category relates to organic residuesleft in the bones after their original de-fleshing andcleaning – the majority of which is oil migrating fromthe spongy interiors of the bones to the surface,together with its degradation products. The thirdcategory, previous repairs and restorations, consist of acombination of wooden supports, animal glue repairs,gypsum plaster or clay fills and oil-based paints, allheld together with assorted screws, nails, brackets andtwisted wire. It is now possible to replace thishotchpotch of old repairs with more enduring andcosmetically acceptable restorations using newconservation adhesives and materials, albeit ones that

must last at least as long as the former interventions.The final phase of the restoration process,reconstruction of damaged or missing bones, is moresubjective and the desire to make the skeletons lookbeautiful or more complete must be carefully balancedagainst the professional responsibility not to hide thehistoric feel of the exhibits whilst simultaneouslycomplying with ethical guidelines and best practice.

Formulating a Conservation StrategyThe cleaning and restoration of the whale skeletonspresents many major challenges. The skeletons areextremely large and access to the bones is limited bythem being suspended several metres from the floorand the number of bones to be cleaned in eachskeleton is. The project's timing and finances limitedthe possibility of a comprehensive dismantling of theskeletons and also excluded the possibility of a full X-ray study of the skeletons to see how they are heldtogether. Therefore, all cleaning and conservationwork must be done in situ using temporaryscaffolding to allow conservators to reach all the boneswhere they hang.

When first evaluating cleaning protocols theconservation team tested several methods for cleaningthe skeletons. Several high-tech approaches wereevaluated. These included particle blasting(sandblasting) using powders as diverse as sand,aluminium oxide, sodium bicarbonate, glass beads,walnut shells and solid carbon dioxide (dry ice). Lasercleaning with a portable laser system loaned byLynton Lasers in the UK was also tested extensively.All of these methods were abandoned in favour ofmore traditional and low-tech approaches. The laserwas very effective at removing black dirt but

ineffective on lighter-coloured fatty deposits. Particleblasting was not useful in removing sticky residuesunless the pressure was so high it risked damaging thesurfaces of the bones. This experience amplydemonstrated that simple solutions are still animportant part of the conservator’s toolbox. Thegentlest cleaning methods are used first. Loose surfacedust is removed by vacuuming, although heavy fattydeposits, laden with dirt, must be removed by scrapingwith wooden tools. Oil and fat contaminating thesurface can be removed using a paper poulticecontaining equal volumes of pure water, ethanol andacetone. However, the best results were obtained byapplying a strong solution of aqueous ammonia to thesurface, then scrubbing with pure water and removingthe dirty water with a vacuum cleaner. The ammonia

Before/after cleaning caudal vertebrae, using ‘cleaningsolution’.

Sticky oil residues running down the ribs of a minke whale

Photo: Christina Holm

efjord.�

Gordon Turner-W

alker



reacts with free fatty acids in the degraded whale oil toform a detergent in situ. A portable air extractor isused where necessary and solvent or ammoniavapours exhausted through an open window. Eachconservator wears appropriate safety equipment –including gloves, goggles and a respirator.

The cleaning of the skeletons has already producedsome unexpected results. Weighing the dustvacuumed from the bones shows that each of the largewhale skeletons was covered in 400–500 g of loosedust. However, this is only what can be removed easily.Carefully measured test cleaning of selected bones hasshown that, even on bones that do not appear oily,more than twice as much “dirt” can be removed bygently scraping the surfaces with a scalpel than can be

removed by vacuuming. Furthermore, on oily bones –especially the tail vertebrae, and parts of the skull andribs – the sticky black residues constitute a further sixto twenty-two times as much by weight. The nature ofthe dirt on the bones can also tell and interesting story.We are quite sure that the skeletons have had minimalcleaning since they were first put on exhibition.Therefore the dust and grime deposited on the uppersurfaces of the bones represent an enduring record ofair pollution over the past hundred years. Preliminaryanalyses of this dirt reveal that, in addition to spider’swebs, fine mineral particles and pollen grains carriedinto the galleries from the streets outside there is also acarbon-rich deposit with a distinct sulphur signature.This almost certainly represents pollution from theburning of fossil fuels – either coal-burning domesticfires, fuel oils from the museum’s own central heatingboilers or from motorised traffic outside. The exactnatures of the oils and fats leaking from the bones arealso of considerable interest. Unintentionally, thewhale skeletons have taken part in a long-runningexperiment into the degradation of marine oils andtheir analyses can contribute to an understanding ofhow lipids and collagen age over decades andcenturies.

AcknowledgementsThe Whale Project is grateful for the support andassistance of Lynton Lasers Limited (UK), IceCO2 AS(Norway), the Institutt for arkeologi, konservering oghistory, University of Oslo and BioArCh, University ofYork (UK).

Author’s biographyGordon Turner-Walker isconservation manager atBergen Museum. He haspublished widely on arange of cultural heritageconservation issues but isperhaps best known forhis work on degradationprocesses in ancientbone (diagenesis). He isan Associate Professor atthe Graduate School ofCultural HeritageConservation at National Yunlin University of Science andTechnology, Taiwan. He is a Fellow of the InternationalInstitute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC)and an Individual Affiliate of the Asian Academy forHeritage Management.

�

The Bergen Museum

The ‘whale team’.



On September 16 and 17 IIC hosted thefirst Student and EmergingConservators Conference titled:“Conservation: Future andResponsibilities”.

The conference was made possible thanks to theinvaluable support of the History of Art Departmentand the Institute of Archaeology at University CollegeLondon and in particular to the help of Elizabeth Pye,Professor of Archaeological and Museum Conservationat UCL and the students from Camberwell College ofArts and UCL who have organised and managed theevent. Also invaluable was the help of Amber Kerr-Allison of the Smithsonian American Art Museum forher support in co-ordinating the event.

In many ways this conference has been pioneeringin experimenting with the concepts of accessibilityand outreach. Our live broadcast was very well attendedand some very minor glitches aside it proved a success,judging from the amount of questions received via thevarious available feeds and generally the positivefeedback received during and after the event.

The main questions that the conference aimed atanswering reflected in part the climate of uncertaintythat emerging conservators like other professionalsfrom different backgrounds are facing at present.Through sharing their professional experiences andtalking about their careers, our panellists, some matureprofessionals, others just ‘emerged’ in the profession,provided participants with a very real insight intowhat it takes to get to ‘the other side’.

Crucially the conference afforded a critical look

into the kind of training academic institutions areproviding to students and the adequacy of theirofferings to the job market. The general impressionseems to be that cuts and major changes in the waytraining courses are organised, in the UK but alsoworldwide, have meant that students increasingly feelthey are not trained to get out there and be let 'loose'on objects. Supervised studio practice hours have beenreduced and science teaching is perceived as inadequateat a time when major Institutions are shifting some

positions in conservation science and research. Thereis also the feel that training institutions might begraduating far too many students compared to marketdemands. Emerging conservators are increasinglyaccepting unpaid work in job placements andinternships next to conservators who are loosing theirjobs. This situation is uncomfortable for bothconservators and students.

The conservation profession will undeniably beaffected in a major way by cuts to programmes takingplace on all levels.

One other important issue raised at the conferencequestioned the consistency between conservationprogrammes internationally or even within the samecountry. The feeling is that there is very littleconsistency between programmes with somecountries requiring rigorous and long undergraduatecourses before allowing a full qualification and othersbeing more relaxed on the training stage and relyingon a system of accreditation to be achieved at a laterstage in career. In addition the career path can be notstraightforward with people joining the professionfrom different backgrounds not necessarily related toconservation. Moreover there seems to be very littleclarity in terms of differences between undergraduateand post-graduate provisions with some institutionsmorphing their offerings to adapt to political demandsbut often without majorly improving theirprogrammes.

Following on from the previous issue, the questionwas also weather skills were transferable betweencountries. When it comes to employers, the feeling isthat qualifications obtained in different countries aredifficult to interpret in order to make a decisionbetween candidates. Perhaps in a not so distant future�Day 1 - The conference panellists Elizabeth Pye, Velson

Horie, Sonja Schwoll, Jocelyn Cuming and Robert Payton

Adam Klups, the mind behind the conference andFrancesca Lemass and Kathleen Froyen, event co-organisers

IIC Emerging Conservators Conference – The Editor’s View

Barbara BorgheseBarbara Borghese



an agreement could be reached at international levelto create an accreditation system that is trulytransferable between countries.

Skills were also discussed in relation to requirementsfor emerging conservators wishing to compete in today’sjob market. Valuable ideas came from panellists andaudience with interesting suggestions regardingadditional skills, marginally related to conservation.Project management, budgeting, digital photographyand database skills were all indicated as likely add-onsthat could win the interest of potential employers.

The value of international experience as a form ofadditional training was also discussed. At the start of acareer there should be flexibility in order to take fulladvantage of opportunities that could be achieved indifferent countries. Emerging economies offer greatopportunities for volunteers, often in very rewardingprojects if one is prepared to make small sacrifices andadjustments. Extra skills can also been acquired,

including a foreign language.A recurring question related to the best path to

follow when choosing conservation as a career. Onething that became obvious is that many professionalshave approached their conservation career ‘one step ata time’. Many conservators went back to academictraining over and over again, to add, improve or changetheir skills to fit the needs of their career. This wascertainly the case for the majority of the conferencespeakers and despite the common feeling that thingshave got more difficult with time, evidence suggeststhat there is little difference between then and now.

Adam Klups, instigator and organiser of the

Conference said “It has been amazing to see such agreat number of conservation students and youngconservators ready to take part, and give their viewson what concerns them about conservation as a careerpath. The S&ECC reminded us all that the future ofconservation starts now”.

Overall the conference was successful in delivering‘something rather different from the usual studentconference’, as promised by Jo Kirby Atkinson on thewelcome address in the conference programme pack.Amber Kerr-Allison commented, “It was an honour toparticipate in this conference and have theopportunity to meet so many enthusiastic andengaging students. Our field is fortunate to have sucha dedicated generation of emerging conservators”.

The Conference provided practical and usefuladvice and plenty of opportunities for exchanges ofideas and networking. It also represents a startingplatform to build upon for future events, whichundoubtedly will follow in the future. �

Panellists Robert Payton, Museum of London and JocelynCuming, Camberwell College of Art, UK

Elizabeth Pye (Institute of Archaeology, UCL, UK) andVelson Horie (IIC Treasurer and Independent CollectionCare and Conservation Consultant) A packed audience

Barbara Borghese

Barbara Borghese

Barbara Borghese

Barbara Borghese



IIC Congress 2012: TheDecorative: Conservation andthe Applied Arts 10 –14 September 2012, ViennaThe twenty-fourth IIC Congress will beheld in conjunction with the Universitätfür angewandte Kunst Wien (theUniversity of Applied Arts Vienna) from10th to 14th September 2012 and willfocus on a topic that is uniquely well-suited to Vienna’s wealth and breadth ofdecorative and applied arts heritage.Ornament and decoration have beenevident in human endeavour since thebeginning of our history, ranging fromthe bold clarity of ancient Egypt to theclean-lined, discreet styles of the 1930sand the exuberant revivals of today.Wherever civilisations have developed,many of their forms of culturalexpression can be considered ‘decorative’or ‘applied’ arts.

Responding to contemporary needand reflecting artistic values, newtechnologies and material inventions,the decorative and applied arts havecontributed towards optimising both thepractical and the social aspects ofeveryday life. However, technologicallyinnovative aspects of the artifactsproduced have sometimes beenunderrated, compared with the intensivestudy of their aesthetic qualities. Perhapsconservators, with their multidisciplinaryapproach, are those best able to read the

full story of the multifunctional purposeof these artifacts in their originalcontext. The conservation of thisheritage thus encompasses much ofhuman endeavour and as such is centralto our cultural life.

The range of work that this IICcongress will cover is very broad:architectural decoration; ceramics frompottery to porcelain; glass, includingpainted, stained and studio glass;furniture; hardstone carving, includingpietra dura and engraved gems;metalwork in all its forms; jewellery;ivory and bone carving; textilesincluding tapestries, embroideries andcostume; mosaics; painted decoration;wallpapers and wall coverings;terracotta; plaster work; bookbindingand leatherwork. This is by no means anexclusive list.

Congress UpdatePlanning for the 2012 IIC Congress inVienna continues apace. One of theattractions will be a number of eveningevents, which will allow delegates tomeet fellow conservation professionalssocially; these are as essential a part ofIIC Congresses as the programme ofpapers and posters. In addition,excursions are being planned to venuesof special conservation interest as well assites of more general heritage interest sothat those attending can put their

conservation into context. There willalso be a Trade Fair for those attendingto browse and discuss matters with theleading suppliers in the field.

Below you will find the Call forPosters; the Congress papers are alreadyunder consideration by the TechnicalCommittee (under the leadership ofSharon Cather) and will make for aseries of important and informativepresentations. The posters will augmentthese, allowing displays of ideas,research and work that will add to thevalue of the event.

We are also delighted to announce aStudent Poster session, which will givestudents and recent graduates theopportunity to communicate theirprojects in a special section of thecongress poster display.

We will be opening booking inFebruary 2012, and the full details of theCongress will be available from theCongress section of the IIC web-site aswell as regular updates in News inConservation. We very much lookforward to seeing you there!

Call for postersPoster presentation is particularly wellsuited to material with a strong visualimpact. Posters are displayedprominently throughout the meetingand during the week there will be adedicated session, giving delegates the �

opportunity to speak to poster authors.An extended abstract will be publishedin the conference papers to provide apermanent record and point of contact.A pdf-format file of your copyright-cleared poster would also be welcome ata later stage to enable display on the IICwebsite.

If you would like to present a poster,please go to the Congress websitehttp://iiconservation.org/congress/where you submit your proposalelectronically. You can also find the linkto the Congress website on the first pageof the IIC websitewww.iiconservation.org. The deadlinefor electronic submission of proposals is3 February 2012. One image may beincluded at this stage, and in printedposter abstracts. With an imageincluded, the total word count for theprinted abstract will be 600 words.Without an image, the total word countwill be 800. The choice of posters fordisplay will be made by 2 March 2012and final texts and image will berequired by 30 March 2012. See the IICCongress websitehttp://iiconservation.org/congress/ forguidelines.

Call for Student Posters IIC is delighted to announce that the2012 IIC Vienna Congress will continuethe innovative Student Poster Session,

IIC News



first run as a part of the 2010 IstanbulCongress. The aim of this session is toprovide a peer-reviewed platform forresearch and work on conservationprojects being undertaken by studentsand emerging conservators. This is anopportunity for those who are startingout in the conservation arena to takepart in conservation’s internationalshowcase. Student Posters will bedisplayed prominently throughout themeeting and, as with the main postersession, there will be a programmedsession giving delegates the opportunityto speak to poster authors. A pdf-formatfile of your copyright-cleared posterwould also be welcomed at a later stageto enable display on the IIC web-site.The abstracts are not published in thepreprints of the conference however.

We invite current students and recentgraduates to submit proposals forinclusion at the 2012 IIC Congress. Ifyou would like to present a poster, pleasesend your provisional summary of theposter content (200–800 words, oneimage may be included) to:[email protected] by 3 March 2012. The choice of posters fordisplay will be made by 5 May 2012 andfinal texts will be required by 30 June2012. See the IIC conference websitehttp://iiconservation.org/congress/ forproposal and abstract submissionguidelines.

IIC is glad to announce theelection of Jerzy J. Kunicki-Goldfinger as new IIC Fellow. Jerzy J. Kunicki-Goldfinger graduated inthe conservation of art from theNicolaus Copernicus University inToruń, Poland, taught conservation andreceived his doctorate in conservation atthe same university. He has over 25 yearsof practice in conservation, focusing oninorganic material, such as stone,ceramics and glass. For the last 15 years,he has worked as a conservator andresearcher mostly on glass. He was ahead of research on historic glass at theInstitute of Nuclear Chemistry andTechnology in Warsaw, Poland (1999–

2007), a researcher on historic glass atthe Micro- and Trace Analytical Centre,University of Antwerp, Belgium, wherehe worked within a team led byProfessor Koen Janssens and lastly spentthree years at Cardiff School of Historyand Archaeology, Cardiff University, UK(2008-2011) working within a team ofProfessor Ian C. Freestone. He is anHonorary Research Fellow at CardiffUniversity. He has received a number ofPolish and international scholarshipsand individual grants; among others hewas Fulbright Senior Scholar at TheCorning Museum of Glass, Corning, NYand received the Rakow Grant for GlassResearch. He has also led several Polishand international projects concerned

with glass conservation andarchaeometry.

His current research interests are inprovenance and technological studies ofvessel and window glass, glass corrosionprocesses and conservation of glass withspecial emphasis on unstable glass. Hehas experience in the application of awide range of analytical methods. Hehas recently been involved in theapplication of synchrotron techniques toresearch the structure and technology ofmedieval flashed red windows. Hisongoing projects deal with centralEuropean vessel glass from late-medievaltimes to the end of the preindustrial era,medieval stained glass and glass fromAmsterdam’s glasshouses. �

IIC Has Moved!As announced in the August issue, after 36 years of residency in BuckinghamStreet, IIC has moved and has now a new address:Room 209, 3 Birdcage Walk, London, SW1H 9JH, UK (entrance from 1 Birdcage Walk)Tel: +44 (0) 20 7799 5500 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7799 4961The office is located in the same building as the Institution of MechanicalEngineers (ImechE) and is conveniently situated in central London, just offParliament Square.

The move is something of a wrench, but we are enjoying the light, bright newspace into which we have moved. We are having our post re-directed to the newaddress, but please note that the new address is in effect from the start ofSeptember 2011.Graham Voce, Executive Secretary



Calls for papersDeveloping Knowledge for EconomicAdvancement in Africa: 2ndInternational Conference on AfricanDigital Libraries and Archives (ICADLA-2)University of the Witwatersrand,Johannesburg, South Africa14–18 November 2011Submission deadline: 30 October 2011

Climate for Collections: Standards andUncertaintiesDoerner Institut, Munich, Germany7–9 November 2012Submission deadline: October 31, 2011Info:[email protected]

Imaging in Conservation: Looking atArtefacts under new Light 1st Announcement and Call for Speakers STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory,Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK10–11 November 2011 Info and abstract submission: EvelyneGodfrey [email protected] For provisional bookings, please contact:[email protected]

Meetings and ConferencesInternational Conference on PreventiveConservation of Architectural Heritage 29–30 October, 2011 Southeast University, Nanjing, China Info:http://www.precoach2011.org/Default.html

New Zealand Conservators of CulturalMaterials (NZCCM) 2011 annualconference 02–04 November 2011Wellington, New Zealand Info: www.nzccm.org.nz

Asia-Pacific Regional Conference onUnderwater Cultural Heritage 08–12 November 2011 Asian Academy for Heritage Management,Manila, PhilippinesInfo: www.apconf.org

III Latin-American Symposium onPhysical and Chemical Methods inArcheology, Art and Cultural HeritageConservation (LASMAC)Universidad Nacional Mayor de SanMarcos 08–10 November 2011 Lima, PeruInfo: Dr. Martha Barriga, [email protected]

International Scientific Colloquium onthe Factors Impacting UnderwaterCultural Heritage Royal Library of Belgium13–14 December 2011 Info: Contact Ms Egger [email protected] or Ms. Caressa Cornelis [email protected]

17th ICOMOS General Assembly andScientific Symposium ‘Heritage, Driverof Development’ UNESCO27 November 02 December 2011 Paris, France Info: www.icomos-paris2011.com

Remote Access to World Heritage Sitesfrom St Kilda to Uluru – “I Know WhereI'm Going” Edinburgh, UK23–24 November 2011 Info: Isabelle Uny, Project Manager Email: [email protected] Website:http://inspace.mediascot.org/beholder/iknowwhereimgoing Mobile: +44(0) 777 380 8912

Courses, Seminars and Work-shopsDigital Imaging for Conservators andMuseum Professionals Softek training facility, 1156 15th Street,Washington, DC, USA8–11 November, 2011 Info: Abigail Choudhury [email protected] www.conservation-us.org/courses

The Treatment of Pressure SensitiveTapes and Tape Stains on Photographs National Conservation Training Center28 November – 02 December 2011 Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA Instructors: Elissa O’Loughlin (The WaltersArt Museum),Linda Stiber Morenus (Library ofCongress), and Barbara Lemmen,(Conservation Center for Art and HistoricArtifacts)Info: Abigail Choudhury [email protected]

Understanding and preserving audiocollections 7–9 November 2011 Preservation Advisory Centre Course, The British Library, London, UKInfo and Bookings: Preservation AdvisoryCentre, The British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB, UKTel: +44 (0)20 7412 7612 Email: [email protected]

The Conservation Guest ScholarProgram Getty Conservation Institute Application Availability and Deadline:Complete application materials are nowaccepted online only athttp://www.getty.edu/foundation/funding/residential/conservation_guest_scholars.htmThe next deadline for this grant isNovember 1, 2011Info: Conservation Guest Scholar Grants, The Getty Foundation, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 800 LosAngeles, CA, U.S.A. E-mail: [email protected]

�



Conservation Forum 2011: Disasters:Prevention and Management Seminar Southwark Cathedral, London, UK 22 November 2011Info: David Knight [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 20 7898 1874

Introduction to Feather ConservationNorfolk Museums and Archaeology ServiceWorkshop9–11 November 2011 Norfolk, UKInfo: Helen Rush [email protected]

Eastern Analytical Symposium:Celebrating Innovation in AnalysisGarden State Exhibition Centre14–17 Nov 2011Somerset, New Jersey, USAInfo: www.eas.org/symposium/

Campbell Center Collections CareCourse: Care of Paintings ICampbell Center for Historic PreservationStudies 21–22 Nov 2011203 East Seminary, Mount Carroll, IL, USAInfo: http://www.campbellcenter.org/

For more information aboutthese conferences and courses,see the IIC website:www.iiconservation.org.

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