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Inventing the Future without Forgetting the Past
Some time ago a fellow conservator told me in an informal chat that conservators
from developing countries tend to be very good professionals because "they know
how to do a lot with little".
Dealing everyday with technology I realize how much we may get used to it. In
conservation, as much as in other fields, there is a thin line between using tech-
nology for our profit and depending on it. Although I agree with my friend’s opinion,
I also believe it is not only a question of developing versus industrialised countries
but big budget institutions versus low budget institutions, wherever they are.
Conservation requires conservators to make use of their creative skills, not only in
their approach to the works of art but also in the solutions they find. These last can
not depend only on technology. The young generation is eager to implement new
technology-based solutions, and even though traditionally it is said that conser-
vators are conservative, this professional need has been losing strength over time.
We have developed a love-hate relationship with technology that is exemplified in
the application of lasers and digital imaging. Laser technology was first applied to
conservation some decades ago while digital imaging has been around since the 80s.
Despite the fact that these technologies are available, and even that there has been
much research and development on these subjects, technology is still far away from
the regular conservation workshop.
Still, there is a driving force against this natural friction, well exemplified this issue
in the article about the VARIM project. This Spanish initiative combines the spectral
analysis of paintings and open-source software, designed with a user-friendly inter-
face, in order to enable hands-on conservators to use it.
In this issue you can also read two interesting conference reviews. Christabel Blackman
is sharing her reflections based on her experience at the Getty’s conference “The
Object in Transition”, held last January in Los Angeles. The second is Anca Dina's
review of the annual conservation conference held in Romania, where the most
important conservation projects are presented. Among other interesting articles,
there is a particular study about the curious history of the art collector Georges de
Batz seen from the perspective of the conservator Niccolo Caldararo. This case-study
brings us the research, history and examination of a Roger de la Fresnaye painting
from the de Batz art collection.
I hope you will enjoy the reading!
Rui Bordalo,
Executive Editor
NEWS 6
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27ARTICLES
CASE STUDY
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HERITAGE IN DANGER
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CONFERENCE REVIEWThe Object in Transition: A Cross-Disciplinary Conferenceon the Preservation and Study of Modern and Contemporary ArtThe Getty Conservation Institute24-26 January 2008, Los Angeles, CaliforniaReview by Christabel Blackman
Conservation-Restoration Workshop for the Artistic Components of Historic MonumentsRomanian Ministry of Culture and Cults20-21 March 2008, Bucharest, RomaniaReview by Anca Dina
2008 WORKSITESConservation of the Mural Paintings from the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel – “Mantuleasa”by Simona Patrascu and Anca Nicolaescu
UPCOMING EVENTS April to June 2008
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTVARIM - A Useful System for Acquiring and Composing Imagesin Painting Analysis Techniquesby Juan Torres, Alberto Posse, José Manuel Menéndez, Araceli Gabaldón,
Carmen Vega, Tomás Antelo, Marián del Egido & Miriam Bueso
MATERIAL STUDIES AND CHARACTERISATIONMaterials Used in Romanian Manuscripts from 15th to 19th century - Stereomicroscopyby Mihai I. A. Lupu
CASE STUDYGeorges de Batz. The Mysterious Case of an Art CollectorExtraordinary Found by Examination of a Paintingby Niccolo Caldararo
Survey and Drawing for a Conservation-Restoration Project.A Study for Genoa and Savona.by Giulia Pellegri
Emergency and Preventive Conservation Interventions of Abandoned Churches in Transylvaniaby Péter Pál and Lóránd Kiss
EVENTS
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INDEX
DOCUMENTATION
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For those who have not yet had the opportunity
of visiting the Getty Center, it is a singular and
enticing place that offers a unique and mar-
velous experience to any and all visitors. For
conservators it represents an idealistic reverence
for our vocation in its monumental presence
and is a magnanimous attraction. Altruistically,
it is what we all aspire to, the inclusion of
conservation at the highest and most essential
level in life. Geographically it is stoically posed
upon its very own verdant mount, perched
above the sprawling flatness of L.A., and in
some way it is a symbolic destination for us,
a proverbial Mecca.
In the final days of January 2008, the "Object
in Transition: A Cross-Disciplinary Conference
on the Preservation and Study of Modern and
Contemporary Art" was offered by the Getty
Research Institute and the Getty Conservation
Institute. A lunchtime course was also offered
to conference participants about INCCA,
International Network for the Conservation
of Contemporary Art, (www.incca.org).
No conference fees were charged and about
500 people came from all corners of the planet.
Optimal organization and attendance, along
with a varied agenda and an exhibition of the
works that were central to the conferences led
to a successful encounter all round.
The participation of some of the most focused
and experienced contemporary art conservators,
historians and curators in the conference
presentations or in the extremely lively and
THE OBJECT IN TRANSITION
A Cross-Disciplinary Conference on the Preservationand Study of Modern and Contemporary Art
January 24-26, 2008Los Angeles, California
Organisers:The Getty Conservation Instituteand the Getty Research Institute
www.getty.edu
North Building, Getty Center
Review by Christabel Blackman
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articulate audience who continually jostled
and vied for the microphone to transmit
challenging outlooks, pertinent questions or
relevant anecdotes, made for a worthy and
memorable experience. Although a general
sense of agreement was never a conclusive
issue, inquisitive doubts and continual 'door
opening' to new fields of thought were
incisive and in abundance.
Contemporary works of art pose theoretical
and technical challenges which are continually
addressed by conservators, curators, historians,
artists and many others. However the challeng-
ing problems which do arise may often be
parallel dichotomies. The intentional use of
rapidly degradable materials, turn conservation
into an almost impracticable endeavour.
The decisions that are taken about an object’s
conservation are subjective and because of
the nature of decision making, are effected by
who makes what decisions about conservation
and the historically cultural moment in which
they are made. Conservation moves between
the vulnerability of the physical object and
the understanding of its meaning and thus the
importance of the consequences of decision
making in conservation. And that’s why
Conservation matters!
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CONFERENCE REVIEW
Getty by night
It is a difficult task to compress so much
information into a simple review and I highly
recommend readers to peruse their particular
interests by logging onto the excellent video
session reproductions available on the Getty
website.
In contemporary art, the very concept of the
object controls its physical facts and parameters,
but its actual physical state is beyond being
merely conceptual. These physical restrictions
and even the artist’s original intent often rely
on people’s subjective experience and memories
as documentation, because of the limitations
that exist in extensively documenting the nature
of these works. Jeffrey Weiss (former Director
of Dia Art Foundation, N.Y.) commented on
"the importance of addressing bigger questions
that are also about interpretation, the choices
that we are making. (…) it is important to
protract greater ideas. Self criticism is important
to look at, the choices we make now rather
than twenty years ago, are also pertinent to
this time, and in thirty years’ time we will be
looked back upon."
The influence and importance of "artist’s intent"
was an issue that sprung up continually over
both days. How important is artist’s intent,
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Coffee break and time for reflection
and can it always be obeyed, at all costs?
There seemed to be a popular view that the
artist does have the right to intervene and
continue to dictate his intent over his works
during his lifetime and even sometimes post-
humously through his estate or decreed inten-
tions. But what was the original intent, and
can that change? Is it affected by the artist’s
evolution or technological advances (i.e. "if
this technique was available when I first made
this work, then I would have used it", and
therefore it is valid to remake the work using
such-and-such technique)? Should greatly
deteriorated works of art that have modified
beyond recognition be remade? But is that still
the artist’s work or not? Who is responsible to
make the decisions about an artwork? Is it
exclusively the artist?
These sorts of questions lead the way to prob-
lems of authenticity. What is authenticity? Is
it in the object or the concept? If an object
with grave irreparable problems is simply remade
by the artist, is that the original object now?
What is historically significant authenticity?
Objects are made in an interpretive moment
and when they are to be conserved this is an
equally interpretive moment as that of its
creation. The 'utopian truth' of original intent
and the changes that have come about over
time leads us to consider our own role as
conservators in the creation of what authenticity
is. Is age authenticity? And for that matter
what is authenticity?
There was an ensuing discussion about au-
thenticity, which included a lot of defensive
audience commentaries. Indeed, ethics and the
decision making process become key questions.
What is it we desire when we go to see an
object, is it aesthetics, history, the object
itself? There are often competing narratives
within the same artwork which need to be
maintained, how do we achieve this?
In the section about "Artist's Voice: History's
Claim", big questions were posed and different
viewpoints offered distinctive answers. Does
history always defend the present? Pip Laurenson
(Tate, London) engaged the audience and fellow
speakers in some interesting lines of thought.
The idea of finishing a work of art, gallery
exhibition and thence the sale to a museum
no longer exists. Sometimes a work is translated
into another medium and an installation or
performance piece may become a video. So is
this the documentation or is it an evolution
of the artwork? Do we have a responsibility to
future accurate historical display of these works?
Anne Wagner (Professor of Modern and Contem-
porary Art, Uni. of California) added more inter-
esting ideas; that the death of the artist or
the consequences of the museum as a recrea-
tional destination may impose changes on the
CONFERENCE REVIEW
artwork; as the work circulates historically it
may change, and lose intention; as objects,
they are unstable because often they are
movable objects and can keep being reinstalled;
context greatly influences the artwork.
In some way there seemed to a humble observer
like myself to be a 'Botox principle' occurring:
that the intentionality of contemporary art was
to isolate a moment in time and negate aging
which is a contradictory dichotomy because
‘agelessness’ implies discarding objects due to
their age. The intentional rejection of the age
factor is a negation of the ephemeral physical
object and part of the 21st century 'Botox'
obsession about lifespan consequences.
In the interesting discussion entitled "Life and
Death of Objects", Yve-Alain Bois (Art History
Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study
in Princeton, New Jersey) said that "if a work
is going to die anyway and it’s just slower
in storage, then why not at least let a
generation enjoy it? Trying to find a rule,
I don’t think that it is possible. Every work
requires a different attitude. The ethical,
aesthetic questions change with time, that’s
why it’s hard to find a common denominator,
because it would become so general that it
would no longer mean anything."
There were many comments that contemporary
conservation often clashed with the established
Codes of Ethics. There is a close intertwining
between technical decisions and ethical
questions so in the end the conservator needs
to resort to common sense and prudence.
David Bomford (Associate Director for Collections
at the J. Paul Getty Museum) commented
"We must address the fact that we are adrift,
there are certain uncertainties and there are
uncertain uncertainties. All our old training
rules have changed because the paradigms
of making art have affected the paradigms
of conservation. When will the alternative
discourse replace the present one?"
Getty Center East Building, housing the Getty Conservation Institute
A place to wander and wonder, the grounds of the Getty
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CONFERENCE REVIEW
Christabel Blackman (b. 1959, Australia) holds
a Masters Degree in Conservation and Restoration
of Cultural Patrimony (Universidad Politecnica de
Valencia, Spain) specializing in easel painting and
a Diploma in canvas and panel easel paintings
(Istituto per l’Arte ed il Restauro, Italy). She lives
in Valencia, Spain, where she is a free-lance
senior paintings conservator.
He also went on to say "The residue of greater
works of art that exist has been edited by time
and history. The editing process of contem-
porary art has barely started. Perhaps the life
and death of objects is part of the editing
process that exists." If the habit of cabbage
throwing still existed, David would have received
a generous serving from the protesting audience’s
heated response.
It occurred to me that many of the present day
dilemmas are due to the creation of artworks
that have a limited life-span. Human beings
had previously tended to create works of art
that perjure time during many generations, and
therefore it is now difficult to come to terms
with objects that have a lifespan (or ‘life and
death’) that may be witnessed within a single
generation. Conservators, curators and art histo-
rians do not want to take on the responsibility
of euthanasia decisions about the finality of
artworks that have been intentionally made with
ephemeral materials. Needless to say, this is
without mentioning the economical questions
The Getty Center
Reviewed by Christabel Blackman
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CONFERENCE REVIEW
that arise from the conclusive and final "death"
of a work of art or the prestige and status anxiety
created by its loss in the public sphere.
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CONFERENCE REVIEW
CONSERVATION-RESTORATION WORKSHOP
for the Artistic Components of Historic Monuments
20 and 21 March 2008Bucharest, Romania
Organiser:Romanian Ministry of Cultureand Cults
www.cultura.ro
The "Conservation-Restoration Work-
shop for the Artistic Components of
Historic Monuments", hosted by the
Romanian Ministry of Culture and Cults,
took place in the pleasant environment
of the Ministry conference hall in 20
and 21 March 2008.
In its second edition, the event
gathered prominent personalities in
the conservation-restoration field,
being the most recent opportunity for
the Romanian professionals to meet
and present their work.
All those interested in cultural heritage topics
were present, such as conservators, art histo-
rians, chemists, physicians, curators, young
professionals and students. This meeting aims,
on one hand, to keep and strengthen the link
between the specialist conservators and the
younger professionals and, on the other hand,
to bring into discussion and search solutions
to the actual problems that concern the cultural
heritage conservation.
The event was opened by Mircea Angelescu,
director of the General Direction of the National
Cultural Heritage, and by Dan Nicolae, architect
at the Direction of Historic Monuments and
Archaeology, who sincerely welcomed such
an initiative to discuss the problems that
conservators face, hoping at least a part of
them may find solution. It was shown that
with time, the importance that the Ministry
is giving to this cultural heritage sector, and
implicitly the funds made available through
the National Restoration Plan, helped to the
promotion of several monuments with important
artistic components, such as the Bukovinian
Review by Anca Dina
mural painting ensembles and the Christian
symbols and graffiti from Basarab. Unfortunately,
the available funds are insufficient to face the
wish for renewal and modernisation of many
historic monuments, as well as their advanced
state of decay. Therefore, it is essential to involve
in these actions all parties, starting with the
Ministry, the beneficiary and actual owners,
the community, the municipal councils and
the city halls. At the end of the opening, the
invitation for the third workshop was launched.
The workshop comprised 25 communications.
In the first day, Ecaterina Cincheza–Buculei
and Tereza Sinigalia, renowned art historians,
were invited to moderate the sessions. In the
second day, the discussion panels where
conducted by the hosts, conservator-restorer
Oana Gorea, the organiser of the event, and
Dan Kisielevici, councillor from the Ministry of
Culture and Cults.
The audience was presented with several case-
studies of the undergoing or recently finished
conservation projects. Several problems that
the heritage faces have been underlined -
decays due to incorrect previous interventions
were shown; technological and stylistic
studies were exposed and different types of
material deterioration of works of art have
been analysed. The presentations referred
mainly to conservation works from Romania,
although some aspects from France and Italy
have also been stressed. The objects of study
were mural paintings, conserved in situ or
as detached fragments, wooden paintings
or stone based materials.
With regard to the given problems and the
polemics developed by the present themes,
different directions can be outlined. Starting
with the restorer approach to the work of art,
it is worth mentioning his primary observations,
which concern the stylistic and technical analysis
or the study of the existent decay mechanisms.
Two of the papers dealt with this subject:
"Decay of the mural painting from the Church
Dormition of the Virgin, Humor Monastery, in
Suceava", presented by the conservator Maria
Dumbravicianu and completed by the research
carried out by INOE (National Institute of
Research and Development for Optoelectronics)
on the 3D scanning of the monument, and
"Technological and stylistic aspects of the
paintings by Costin Petrescu in the Concert
Hall of the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest",
presented by the restorers Anca and Sergiu
Petrescu.
Well appreciated was the intervention of
conservator Simona Patrascu for the exterior
mural painting conservation from Coltea
Church in Bucharest. Located in the centre
of the capital, the church was subjected to
extremely aggressive deterioration factors
which drove in time to the decay and the
disintegration of its mural paintings. In these
circumstances, next to the problems raised by
the paintings conservation, the aesthetical
The event was opened by Mircea Angelescu, director of the General Direction of the National Cultural Heritage,Dan Nicolae, architect at the Direction of Historic Monuments and Archaeology and Oana Gorea, conservator-restorer and organiser of the event from the Ministry of Culture and Cults.
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presentation was a big challenge for the
restorers. An archaeological approach was
chosen to the conservation of the support
and lacunas, using coloured, texturised fillings,
in order to valorise the 17th century painting
fragments. There is, however, a discontentment
regarding the dissonant aesthetic rapport
between the conservator’s option for the
presentation of the mural painting surface
and the constructor’s solution for the final
aspect of the towers. Yet, through such an
aesthetical recovery, the church partially
regained its original aspect.
Another case worthy of interest due to the
importance of the monument and for its un-
fortunate and sad finality is the restoration
of the 16th century monument "Deer House",
a case presented by the specialist conservator
Dan Mohanu. The presentation, entitled "The
Deer House from Sighisoara, from stratigraphic
research to the complete reconstitution of the
facades, a critical view", is focused on the
research carried out by the restorers that
brought to light plaster layers and historical
limewashes, among which a Latin inscription
and the unexpected representation of the two
bodies of the deer united by the corner between
the building’s facades. According to the author,
the archaeological restitution of the facades
aimed to preserve all the aged traces of this
building. In the same spirit, that of authenticity,
together with the fundamental principle
of materials compatibility, the plaster and the
limewash were to be applied and modelled
according to the traditional technology. However,
what resulted at the end of the collaboration
between the beneficiary and the restorers is
very far from the initial proposal. The ancient
layers of plasters are no longer visible, the
original image being replaced with that of a
cold, famous house, empty of its history.
From the actual deformed image, the only sign
reminding that this is the "Deer House" is the
deer representation on the corner of the facades.
Moreover, this representation was also distorted
by the abusive chromatic integration.
Prof. Dan Mohanu, specialist conservator-restorer, presenting "The Deer House from Sighisoara, from stratigraphic research to the complete reconstitutionof the facades, a critical view".
Coltea Church in Bucharest, after the conservation of the exterior walls painting, intervention conducted by the conservator Simona Patrascu.
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Dan Codrescu, mural painting conservator,
presented comparatively some few examples
regarding the experience he accumulated on
worksites in France and Italy. The final task of
the restorer, in what concerns the work of art,
and implicitly, the aesthetical approach must
be permanently reported to the already stated
principles. The problems risen by each work in
particular, the diversity of the lacunas and the
necessity of adaptation of the restoration
principles at each particular case demonstrate
that the conservator main task must be to
respect the professional deontology. However,
with all the intention to preserve the unaltered,
authentic image, there are situations when the
decision belongs only partially to the conservator,
due to the pressure exerted by the beneficiary
or sponsor. This aspect was pointed several
times during the debates, as these situations
are real and they threaten the heritage with
the falsification of its identity.
A complex intervention of mural painting
conservation was recently finished by the
conservator Elena Murariu. Here, specialists
confronted problems due to the consistent
accumulations and limewashes on the colour
layer affected by salt crystallisations. Moreover,
the presence of cement in the support, the
plaster detachments, the difficulty raised by
the colour reattachment and the aesthetical
approach to the lacunas, prove once again the
necessity of seeing the conservation intervention
as a unitary action at all levels. Besides the
conservation of the interior and exterior mural
paintings, other works that requested the pluri-
disciplinary collaboration between specialists
and a rigorous planning of the interventions
were made.
An important conservation project of a stone
monument was presented by Benjamin Nagy
concerning the intervention made on the
exterior sculpted decoration of the Baroque
portico of St. Peter Church in Cluj-Napoca.
Here, environmental factors drove to the
decay of the monument, mostly humidity and
freezing-defreezing process. The monument
presents, thus, multiple fissures and material
detachments, the presence of vegetal colonial
formations, incompatible additions with the
nature of stone. Restorers’ intervention was
focused on the preservation of the authenticity
and integrity of the work, reducing firstly the
risks involved by the intervention itself.
Image from the presenation of Elena Murariu, conservator of mural painting, showing the case study entitled "Conservation works from the hospice of Bistrita Monastery in Valcea. Problems and solutions."
Dan Codrescu, mural painting conservator, presenting "An experience concerning aesthetical approach – France and Italy".
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As all the papers presented were equally
interesting from different perspectives, it is
impossible to discuss at large each one of them.
However, we must highlight Claudiu Moldovan’s
intervention at the Snagov Church Monastery
in 2007 and that of Constantin Ritivoiu on
the iconostasis from the St. Nicholas Church
in Bucharest. Also, it should be reminded of
the intervention made by the young conservator
Maria Magdalena Drobota with Professor Oliviu
Boldura, that was focused on the conservation
of the fragments detached from the Princely
church of Curtea de Arges. Interesting cases
were also presented by Istvand Tuzes, about
the recovery of the paintings from Apor manor
from under the limewash layers and by Peter
Pal and Lorand Kiss on the research for the
identification of Transylvanian mural paintings.
An appreciated research was that of the young
professional Georgiana Zahariea together with
Professor Oliviu Boldura. The research was
focused on the properties of some materials
used in the consolidation of mural paintings.
The theoretical approach to some organic or
mineral consolidant agents was based on
laboratory tests and in situ situations. At
"The beheading of St. John the Baptist" Church
in Arbore, several emergency conservation
campaigns took place over the years. The
actual conservation project made possible to
study in-depth all the aspects. Thus, it was
observed that the product used 30 years ago
for consolidation of the support - calcium
caseinate - does not achieve its purpose due
to the high contraction degree, with time,
becoming a merely filling material with no
adhesive properties. This product was largely
employed by the conservators at that time,
being the only consolidant agent that was
available locally. However, at that time, calcium
caseinate served to the imperious safeguarding
of the monument.
Another research, this time focused on the
identification of an artwork by the Romanian
artist Petre Alexandrescu, was presented by
the conservators Oana and Dumitru Gorea. The
identification of the painting the "Descent from
the Cross", from Antim Monastery in Bucharest,
was only possible due to the restoration inter-
vention which revealed the original image from
under several overpaint layers. The work was
completed by a resourceful research that esta-
blished the origins of the painting, this being a
replica after the famous work of Daniele da
Volterra from the Trinita dei Monti church in Rome.
The well-attended workshop - among the audience, were experienced conservator-restorers, conservation scientists but also young professionals.
The Church from Arbore, a site in conservation, presented by Georgiana Zahariea and Prof. Oliviu Boldura from the point of view of the historical conservation interventions.
CONFERENCE REVIEW
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Another focus of the discussions was to point
out faulty treatments applied in the conservation
of some artworks. It was reminded about those
interventions on wooden support that aim at
the consolidation of the support and the treat-
ment against insects infestation using wax or
rosin. According to restorers Cornelia and Dinu
Savescu, these methods induce different types
of degradation at the support level which
implicitly influence the painting layer, as in
the case of the iconostasis from the Church of
Stelea Targoviste Monastery. Gabriela Stefanita
proved once more the great deal of damage
that paintings suffer due to incorrect inter-
ventions, showing comparative archive images
and photos of the present state of conservation
from St. Spyridon Church in Subesti. Another
aspect of this debate was the rather recent
paintings, from the last century, which are not
appreciated for their artistic value and thus, are
threatened with the ablation or the repainting.
As a conclusion to that already mentioned, it
should be said that the initiative for this event,
organised under the auspices of the Ministry of
Culture and Cults, is laudable. This occasion
gave specialists the opportunity of expressing
their ideas in regard to the ideal and optimal
conditions for a conservation process. At the
same time, it was possible to learn from the
particularities of each intervention and to
follow the evolution of the works. Some very
acute problems this unprivileged domain
confronts with right now were brought into
discussion. Those works that responded to the
conservation principles were well appreciated,
together with the observation spirit and the
correct attitude of the restorer. Nevertheless,
those attitudes of interpreting the professional
exigencies were critically commented.
It is striking, however, the absence from these
debates of those persons with decisional role
in heritage conservation, such as the bene-
ficiaries, who could have learned some of the
problems in this domain. This was one of the
wishes of the Ministry of Culture and Cults,
which tries to change the actual perception
on the restoration interventions into an indis-
pensable action which helps to the safeguard-
ing of the memory of a nation.
The initiator of the event, conservator Oana
Gorea, expressed some of the impressions and
experiences gathered on this occasion:
"I wish to thank all the participants for their
interest and participation to this event.
I am extremely pleased by the high number
of participants, especially of the young
professionals generation, who are given here
the opportunity to familiarise with problems
met “in situ” on the conservation sites for
the artistic components. At the time of my
graduation, me and my colleagues were not
given the chance to present our work and share
our experiences within different worksites, thus
now, through my position within the Ministry,
I wish to create this opportunity for the new
generations. The purpose of such action was to
resurge an older tradition which unfortunately got
lost with time, and that was to disseminate
Debates on the theme of recent monuments conservation, a subject brought into discussion by the study of Raluca Bitiu Dancus Ceicu, "Churches, monuments to-come".
CONFERENCE REVIEW
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and value this meticulous, laborious and little-
known work. I am faced almost every day,
during the receptions or inspections of the
worksites, with the rich activity of a large
number of conservators which I consider must
be shared. These efforts, our problems and
solutions, methodologies, briefly, all our
accumulated experience must be known
at least by our colleagues.
Another aim of this event was to valorise the
work of the young generation of conservators,
that comes now with a large experience
acquired during the university and completed
by scholarships or courses in other countries.
These people are often faced with complicated
work situations, such as faulty execution
technique, use of poor materials and incorrect
monument keeping, yet their work is rarely
made public. The Ministry tired this year to
reward these extraordinary efforts, by
according three prices for the worksites
finished last year. Within the framework
of the “Conference of the Specialists in the
National Cultural Heritage Domain” from
Sinaia, three important conservation works
were rewarded: the restoration of the mural
painting from the hospice of Bistrita
Monastery in Valcea, the conservation of
the mural paintings and decorations from
the Fronius House in Sighisoara and the
conservation works from the Concert Hall of
the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest."
Review by Anca Dina, conservator-restorer,
mural painting specialist.
For collaboration, we thank Oana Gorea,
conservator and initiator of the event from
the Ministry of Culture and Cults of Romania.
Text translated by e-conservationline.
CONFERENCE REVIEW
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CONSERVATION OF THE MURAL PAINTINGS from the Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel – “Mantuleasa”, in Bucharest
Worksite supervision:Simona Patrascu and Anca Nicolaescu,
specialist conservator-restorers
Period: since October 2007
It is not very common to find in the middle of
a tourist capital such as Bucharest a historic
monument in such advanced state of decay as
the Mantuleasa church. However, this was the
situation that the church faced until very
recently. Out of sight between high modern
buildings, it seems that all this time Mantuleasa
draw back from the traffic of the city centre,
remaining somehow isolated from the consider-
ation that it is worthy of.
Fortunately for the monument an on-site conser-
vation project was started by Restauro Art Grup
and continues at the moment under the coordi-
nation of Simona Patrascu and Anca Nicolaescu,
conservator-restorers of mural paintings.
Brancovenesc1 monument, Mantuleasa church
is a reference for the Romanian art from the
early 18th century. According to the portal
lettering, the church was erected in 1733, by
Mariia, the sister of Boyar Manta and by Stanca,
his wife. The monument is characterised by
equilibrated form and shape, refined by sculpted
1 Constantin Brâncoveanu (1654 – 1714) was Prince of Wallachia between 1689 and 1714. The architectural style derived from his name - the "Brâncovenesc style" - is known as a synthesis of Renaissance and Byzantine architecture.
Mantuleasa Church (up) and the portal inscriptions (down).
NEWS
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decoration and painted ornaments, such as
vegetal motifs and stylised crosses. Simple and
elegant in a basic chromatic scale (red, black
and ochre), the ornaments embellish the church
tower, the porch columns and arches.
Unfortunately, time left several traces over the
monument such as environmental factors, earth-
quakes and the parishioners’ needs. Thus, several
inevitable repairs and modifications took place
since its erection until 1924 when a first written
testimony concerning a conservation inter-
vention is mentioned in the archives. The most
important modification was the enlargement
of the interior space of the church, by the
extinction of the wall between the narthex
and the nave, meant to divide members from
different social classes. Suppressing the wall,
however, had major negative effects on the
stability of the entire architectural ensemble.
Another unfortunate intervention was the oil
repainting of the interior murals, with the
exception of the porch vaulting.
Still, the 1924 project recovered as much as
possible from the original aspect of the church,
both at the level of architectural components
and wall paintings. The restoration of the paintings
focused on removing the oil repainting and
cleaning the original and was performed by
Paul Molda, conservator-restorer. The procedure
used on that time to remove oil repaintings
was not appropriate in regard to the conser-
vation principles, using rich lime and sodium
bicarbonate, soda provoking more damage to
the original painting, such as exfoliation,
powdering and salt efflorescence. After the
earthquake from 1940, the severe damages
required a new intervention, this time however,
one destructive by its own nature: the tower
were rebuilt using reinforced concrete, the
masonry was remade of rich lime, the bricks
were darned with cement, the ensemble was
consolidated with coupling bars, the interior
painting was washed and replenished and the
facades were remade together with the orna-
ments and the exterior painting.
What we see today on the painting is the result
of the damages made by these several factors,
from candle smoke to previous actions in the
spirit of restoration. The painting, however, is
still an 18th century reference, with its simplified
chromatic harmonies, made up by blue (charcoal
black and lime), green (clay pigmented with
iron hydroxide) and red (clay with anhydrous
iron oxide).
Both the architecture and the mural painting
of high quality require a rigorous approach to
the undergoing conservation intervention. The
The porch columns with decoration in a basic chromatic scale (red, black and ochre).
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project is structured according to the priorities
and among its aims, it proposes:
- The conservation of the exterior painted deco-
ration and the renewal of the plaster and the
architectonic profiles. At the moment, all the
facades were plastered except the tower profiles
from under the cornice and the medial belt
which still presents painted ornaments. From
this reason, they are now in an advanced, un-
aesthetic state of decay. The intervention in
these areas will be executed by construction
specialists supervised by the conservators’ team.
The final aim of this intervention is to regain
the artistic configuration of the monument.
- Emergency intervention to protect the areas
where consolidation works are already undergoing,
both on the inside and outside of the church.
Porch north vaulting, actual conservation state.
Nathex to central nave, during the conservation.
NEWS
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- Assistance for the structure consolidation works.
- The conservation of the interior mural paint-
ings. The conservation project proposal was
made after a preliminary thorough in situ re-
search. Thus, several stratigraphic tests were
carried on to establish the painting stratigraphy,
tests for the removal of the adherent deposits
and improper anterior repairs. After in situ
sampling of the support, salt crystallisations,
anterior intervention mortars and paint layer,
the research laboratory provided data regarding
the nature of these materials which helped to
the establishment of the appropriate inter-
vention methodology.
At the present time, the consolidation of the
structure was finished, based on the good
cooperation between our conservator’s team
and the constructors. The areas to be consoli-
dated by injection were previously prepared
by the conservators. Initially, the damages
were hard to evaluate due to the thick layer
of dirt that covered the entire surface. During
the preliminary operations for the emergency
intervention, the previous repairs were removed,
fact that facilitated the evaluation of the
monument’s stability and unity. Thereby,
measures were taken for a safe emergency
intervention: scaffoldings to sustain the
arches, especially the triumphal arch in the
central nave and the north and south arches
Detail of a saint medalion, dome. Initial state of conservation (up), after the removal of previous improper repairs (upper right) and after filling of the lacunas with mortars (lower right).
NEWS
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Restauro Art Grup S.R.L. was founded in 2000 by the
conservators Simona Patrascu, Anca Nicolaescu and Silviu
Petrescu. It is a conservation enterprise accredited by the
Romanian Ministry of Culture that has run several conservation
projects for important historic monuments in Romania,
among which the conservation of the mural ensemble from
the Surpatele Monastery (2002-2003), the mural painting
conservation from the Church of Jgheaburi Monastery
(2003-2004) and the conservation of the exterior murals and
original renderings from Coltea Church (2006).
from the narthex, which presented severe cracks
and strong detachments of the masonry.
As an emergency conservation operation, the
degradation of the painted surface has also
been stopped, by the consolidation and re-
attachment of the pulverulent colour layer on
extended areas. This operation was performed
by treating differentially the multiple types of
detachments of the surface, this selective
treatment up to each degradation type having
accomplished the adherence of the colour
layer to the support.
Presently, a new stage is undergoing, that of
the aesthetical presentation of the lacunas:
large areas are to be treated archaeologically,
using coloured mortars, small lacunas of the
support and colour layer are to be chro-
matically integrated by tratteggio and finally,
the small loses of the colour layer by velatura.
Our intervention had the aim of assuring the
entire ensemble a high resistance capacity,
adequate for an eventual future seismic activity.
By the end of the year, we expect to finalise
the conservation of this monument. Once accom-
plished, the final results of our intervention
are to be presented in a future article.
Text by Simona Patrascuand Anca Nicolaescu
NEWS
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May
200
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Stone Consolidation in Cultural Heritage - research and practice
8th Triennial Meeting for Conservators of the Baltic States
Apri
l 200
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AIC 2008 Annual Meeting
Date: 21 –24 April Read more...
Place: Denver, USA
The theme for AIC’s 2008 Annual Meeting
is Creative Collaborations. The theme is
an intentionally broad, meant to highlight
successful projects completed by conservators
partnering with professionals in other fields,
such as scientists, engineers, artists, owners/
shareholders, or industrial representatives.
Technarte2008
Date: 24-25 April Read more...
Place: Bilbao, Spain
TECHNARTE is an international conference on
art and technology that seeks to become the
most important event of its kind. The aims are
to present technological developments that
enhance a broader expression of modern art,
and to provide a forum for debate and reflection
on the convergence between technology and
art. It was born as a conference where the most
important thinkers in the sector and the most
advanced technologists can be heard.
Heritage 2008: World Heritage and Sustainable Development
Date: 7-9 May Read more...
Place: Vila Nova de Foz Côa, Portugal
HERITAGE 2008 aims to gather in an International
Conference several worldwide experts on the relation-
ships between Heritage and Human Development,
Natural Environment and Building Preservation.
One of the main goals of the Conference is to promote
significant discussion on these relevant issues.
More and more Heritage must be addressed in innovative-
sustainable ways, underlining the role of human and
natural heritage as one of the contra-hegemonic trends
in a more and more global world.
The events in this section
are linked to the original homepage
of the organisers. In case the event
does not have an individual page,
the calendar of events will open at
www.conservationevents.com.
Click on "Read more..." to find out
more details about each event.
Date: 6-7 May Read more...Place: Lisbon, Portugal
This Symposium will focus on the present state of the
art and state of the practice as regards consolidation
mechanisms, degradation of consolidated stones, novel
products for consolidation and long term monitoring of
consolidation interventions on monuments aiming at
discussing both research and practical issues.
Date: 7-10 May Read more...
Place: Tallinn, Estonia
The aim of this meeting is to enhance the role of
preservation of cultural heritage as well as to point out
the importance of the conservation. Theoretical and
practical approaches to preservation, conservation and
research as well as new technical solutions will be
presented and discussed during the sessions.
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arti
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Preparing for the Unexpected
Protection and Security for Cultural Collections
Date: 12-13 May Read more...
Place: Philadelphia, USA
This program is intended for staff charged with
collections care, including conservators, librarians,
archivists, curators, collections managers, and
stewards of historic house museums, and for staff
responsible for the safety of collections, such as site
and facility managers and security and safety staff.
Museum studies in the 21th century
The Problems of Research and Teaching
Date: 14-15 May Read more...
Place: St. Petersburg, Russia
Saint-Petersburg State University invites you to take
part in the international scientific conference "Museum
studies in the 21th century: the Problems of research
and teaching". The topics themes are: Museum as a
phenomenon of modern culture; tasks of modern museum
studies; scientific investigations in the museums;
ascription and examination in the museums; protection
of the museums; Museums and tourism.
International Paper Historians Congress 2008
Date: 27-30 May Read more...
Place: Stockholm, Sweden
The event will be organized in conjunction with the 100
years anniversary of SPCI, the Swedish Association of
Paper and Pulp Engineers. The overall theme of the
Congress will be The Birth of an Industry – from Forest to
Paper during the 19th Century and it will concentrate on
describing the huge structural changes that took place
during this period when the papermaking changed from a
handicraft type of activity to a continuously operating
process industry.
Vernici, Solventi e Colori da Ritoco nel Restauro
Date: 20-23 May Read more...
Place: Vicenza, Italy
Attraverso una serie di lezioni teoriche, dimostrazioni e
sessioni pratiche, questo workshop si prefigge di
aggiornare i restauratori/conservatori ai più recenti
sviluppi nei materiali e tecniche di verniciatura.
May
200
8
Mar
ch 2
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Technologies and Techniques.RX Futures Conference 2008
Date: 10 May Read more...
Place: Reading, UK
RX, Research Exchange in the History of Art, Architec-
ture and Design, is a consortium of nine university
departments (Birmingham, Bristol, Brighton, Kingston,
Oxford Brookes, Reading, Roehampton, Southampton
and Warwick). Its third annual postgraduate conference
takes place on 10 May 2008 at the University of Reading.
Art2008 - 9th International Conference
Non-destructive testing, microanalysis and
preservation in the conservation of cultural
and environmental heritage
Date: 25-30 May Read more...
Place: Jersualem, Israel
The main objective of Art2008 is bringing together
experts in nondestructive evaluation and material
analysis with professionals from the fields of
preservation of cultural heritage, archeology, art
history and architectural researchers of ancient
structures.
24 e_conservation
EVENTS
Study and Serendipity: Testimonies on Artists' Practice
June
200
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Multivariate Analysis and Chemometrics applied to Environment and Cultural Heritage
Date: 1-4 June Read more...
Place: Ventotene Island, Italy
The Meeting will be interest to theorists, researchers,
professors, experts, technicians, involved in multi-
variate techniques in order to improve the knowledge
of the environment and of the cultural artifacts. Every
analytical technique/method is welcome if it can be
used in a multivariate way.
Symposium on Archaeological Storage
Date: 6-8 June Read more...
Place: Los Angeles, USA
This symposium will bring together directors of
excavations and of centralized storage repositories for
archaeological collections, archaeological conservators
who have achieved innovative and accessible storage
methods, and archaeologists who have developed
digital management systems for portable finds.
Workshop in Paste Paper in Conservation
Date: 9-13 June Read more...
Place: Ascona, Switzerland
Historical paste paper techniques as needed for
adequate infills and bindings have not changed
fundamentally since the 17th century.
This course will help participants to understand the
fascinating processes, "read" the originals and
produce the required papers. Insights into history,
chemistry and surfaces are given. Insights into history,
chemistry and surfaces are given.
Digital Directions
Fundamentals of Creating and Managing Digital
Collections
Date: 10-12 June Read more...
Place: Jacksonville, USA
This revitalized version of the three-day School for
Scanning conference presents the essentials of
digitization and is geared toward participants with a
beginning or intermediate level of digital knowledge.
From file formats to funding, from metadata to rights
management, learn how to create and manage
sustainable digital collections.
Latest research into painting techniques of Impressionists and Postimpressionists
Date: 12-14 June Read more...
Place: Cologne, Germany
The event is planned to accompany the exhibition
„Painting Light – Hidden techniques of the Impressio-
nists“. The keynotes of the event are information on
the current state of scholarship and interdisciplinary
exchange between conservators and art historians.
June
200
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Date: 12-13 June Read more...
Place: Glasgow University, Scotland
The aim of this meeting is to explore artists' practice
from all disciplines and periods as recorded in visual
and written testimonies; from treatises and manuals to
correspondence, ledgers, diaries and journals, as well
as images: paintings, prints, photographs, film etc.
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EVENTS
arti
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AREAS OF PUBLISHING
Conservation TreatmentMural Painting
Painting
Stone
Sculpture
Textiles
Paper / Documents
Photography
Metals
Tile / Ceramic / Glass
Furniture
Music instruments
Ethnographic assets
Archeological objects
Conservation ScienceScientific research
Material studies and characterisation
Analytical techniques
Technology development
Biodeterioration
State-of-the-art
Reviews
Preventive ConservationTheoretic principles
Case studies
Documentation in ConservationStandardisation
Documentation methods
Data management
Conservation TheoryEthics
Conservation History
Art History, Iconography,
Iconology, Chemistry, Physics,
Biology, Photography, Cultural
Management, Museology,
Computer Science, Legislation
and Juridical Processes,
Conservation Policies
and any other field applied to
Conservation and Restoration
of works of art.
Check out more: www.e-conservationline.com
JUAN TORRES, ALBERTO POSSE, JOSÉ MANUEL MENÉNDEZ, ARACELI GABALDÓN, CARMEN VEGA, TOMÁS ANTELO,
MARIÁN DEL EGIDO & MIRIAM BUESO
VARIM
A Useful System for Acquiring
and Composing Images in Painting
Analysis Techniques
Introduction
Along the history, art has always been linked
to technology development. As new techniques
have arisen, the way artists show their ideas
has changed. Nevertheless, technology progress
has not only affected the creation of artistic
compositions but has also improved their study
and analysis, as well as their conservation and
restoration. The different sort of analysis offer
different information about works of art:
advances in the chemistry field make possible,
for instance, to carry out an exhaustive study
of the art materials’ composition, new tech-
niques of microscopic analysis provide with
more data about the state of the paintings, etc.
The increasing development of the computer
systems and the advances in the image pro-
cessing algorithms and computer vision not
only provide new instruments of analysis
but also permit to improve the ones already
existing. In addition, this improvement allows
the reduction of costs, making the technology
accessible to a greater number of conservator-
restorers, curators, art historians and researchers
in general.
Having this idea in mind, the VARIM project
(Visión Artificial aplicada a la Reflectografía de
Infrarrojos Mecanizada – Computer Vision
applied to Mechanized Infrared Reflectography)
was born. In this project, a complete system
for acquiring and composing the infrared re-
flectography mosaic was designed and created.
This system is able to create, in an automatic
way, the entire image of the underdrawing
layer of a painting using advanced computer
vision techniques. But its main importance
lies in offering study tools even to users having
scant resources and knowledge due to a user
friendly design. Moreover, it is an all-purpose
tool which not only can create a reflectographic
mosaic but its modular structure makes possible
its use for other analysis techniques such as
radiography, as further shown.
VARIM history
The infrared reflectography [1] is an analysis
technique used since the 70’s and it consists
of acquiring a set of contiguous images of a
painting using a video camera sensitive exclu-
sively to the infrared area. These images are
later merged to obtain a unique image called
mosaic. A large number of images of a painting
are required so small details can be appreciated.
The final mosaic offers information about the
underdrawing layer which is not directly visible
by the human eye. Although this technique
has been used for decades, the traditional
method entails several problems that make
the task very slow and tedious. Moreover,
as it was already stated, this kind of analysis
has not been accessible to modest institutions.
Thus, VARIM project tried to solve a set of
problems which can be found in other systems
offering a versatile tool for everyone.
Among the difficulties, VARIM has brought
improvements to old methods, such as:
- Usually, the acquisition task is done in a
manual way, placing the camera in front of the
desired area of the painting for each capture.
If a high resolution is required, the number of
captured images must be increased. This implies
a monotonous task, placing and controlling the
camera in the right position.
- The mosaicing is also a manual task. The user
should select the sub-images one by one and
mark at least a similar point in two of the
28 e_conservation
JUAN TORRES et al.
consecutive sub-images. Depending on the
number of sub-images, this task can involve
several hours of tedious work.
- In the traditional method, different computing
applications are used for each step: acquisition,
processing and mosaicing. To handle several
programs for the same process can cause incom-
patibilities among them while integration in one
only makes easier the user’s tasks.
- The imperfections of the infrared camera, the
mechanical elements and the variations in the
light conditions make very difficult to obtain
high quality mosaics.
This way, VARIM provides different tools that
solve the difficulties already enumerated, as
well as it brings additional advantages to be
mentioned further on.
System Description
The VARIM system is formed by two components:
the physical devices composing the hardware
architecture, and the software application
which handles these devices and includes
useful image processing tools. Although not
all the physical devices are available to any
user -for instance the infrared camera is an
expensive device- the software application
can be used independently to acquire colour
images and to join any kind of images, i. e.,
colour, ultraviolet and radiography ones. In
addition, the software is distributed for free
and released under the terms of the GPL
license. Any interested person can download
the application from the web page of the
VARIM project.
Figure 1. VARIM application
29e_conservation
VARIM PROJECT
Figure 2 shows VARIM’s physical diagram archi-
tecture, which is composed of the painting, a
mechanical position system (handled through
an Ethernet module), a near infrared camera, a
lighting system, and a PC platform with a frame-
grabber.
The mechanical position system is formed by:
- A stable structure that allows camera con-
trolled movements among an area of 1x1 meter
Figure 2. VARIM’s physical structure set up for infrared reflectography mosaicing
(two degrees of freedom) operated by the PC
using the Ethernet module. This structure can
be transported to place it in front of the work o
f art at the laboratory or outside (left and
center images in Figure 3).
- A mobile structure that makes the stable
structure to achieve a height of 6 meters,
allowing the system to reach paintings that
can not be moved, such as those in a church
(right image in Figure 3).
Figure 3. Hardware sub-system.
JUAN TORRES et al.
The system is able to move the structure in a
smart way, acquiring each sub-image that will
configure the mosaic and inserting them auto-
matically in the application. This process is
carried out without any other human intervention
besides the input of some data: the initial and
the final positions and the selected overlapping
area between the acquired images. Human
errors during the movement are thus avoided
with this automatic acquisition.
The lighting system is placed in a fixed way on
both sides of the painting in order to obtain a
uniform light condition all over the painting
surface.
Software application
VARIM application is designed as modular
software and it can be used separately. The
different modules are as follows:
- A Video and Image Acquisition Module (VIAM).
This is the module in charge of the camera control,
that is, the automatic acquisition of the sub-
images which compose the entire mosaic.
- An Image Processing Module (IPM). Some
generic image processing tools are imple-
mented in this module besides the mosaicing
algorithms (VIPS library is used). As well as
the generic tools, three important methods
have been designed and developed:
1. A noise pattern suppression method.
This is an algorithm able correct the wear
that some old infrared cameras have. This
wear produces an undesirable pattern in
all the captured images.
2. A geometrical distortion correction algo-
rithm [2]. Some cameras show a geometrical
distortion due to the imperfection of their
lenses. Thus, a method for correcting this
effect has been implemented.
3. An automatic luminosity control inFigure 4. VARIM software,main and secondary windows
31e_conservation
VARIM PROJECT
acquisition [3]. This algorithm has been
implemented in order to maintain a regular
luminosity during the acquisition process,
correcting the differences in the incident
light and its variation in each capture.
- A Mechanical Control Module (MCM). It
is in charge of the manual and automatic
movement and of positioning the camera
in front of the painting.
A main window interface, where all the acquired
sub-images are listed and organized by rows,
gives access to all the implemented func-
tionalities. Figure 4 shows an example of the
application. The background window lists the
acquired sub-images; the foreground window
shows the composed mosaic, together with a
detail of a particular union and its position in
the whole mosaic. In order to form the mosaic,
every image registration in the mosaicing
process requires one or two correspondence
points in two consecutive (horizontal or
vertical) images, points that are found by an
automatic algorithm [4]. Then, VIPS library
is used to merge the two images using those
automatic calculated points. Figure 5 shows
an example of this image registration.
Figure 5 - Automatic image registration
As an example, one of the most recent studies
has been selected: "Estudio comparativo de
tres pinturas sobre tabla". This study presents
the fieldwork done due to the "Sumas y restas
de las tablas de Arcenillas" exhibition in the
Zamora Museum. In this exhibition, three
wooden paintings belonging to an alterpiece
ascribed to Fernando Gallego were shown:
"Adoración de los Magos" (nowadays in the
Museo de Bellas Artes of Asturias), "Noli me
tangere" and "Pentecostés" (both in the
Zamora’s Cathedral Museum). It is believed
these paintings were made in the 15th century
for the altarpiece of the Zamora’s Cathedral.
In the 18th century, this altarpiece was
replaced and purchased by a nearly village
called Arcenillas. In 2007, a comparative
analysis of the three paintings was requested.
The applied intervention protocol was the
regular one used by the IPHE’s laboratory of
Physics Studies and the stages where VARIM
was used were divided into two steps: the
acquisition and mosaicing of the infrared
reflectography and the mosaicing of the
digitalized X-ray images.
As earlier stated, some of the features of
VARIM are available using specific physical
devices. For instance, to acquire images in
an automatic way, the mechanical position
system is required. Nevertheless, the compo-
sition of any kind of images and the image
processing tools can be used without any
restriction.
Applications and Results
Nowadays, the VARIM application produces
very satisfactory results. Indeed, almost all
the projects carried out by the Physics Studies
area of the Instituto del Patrimonio Histórico
Español (IPHE) use this software application.
32 e_conservation
JUAN TORRES et al.
Figure 6. “Adoración de los Magos” (visible).I.P.H.E. Sección de Estudios Físicos
33e_conservation
VARIM PROJECT
The infrared reflectography
The first stage in a study on the response of
a painting to infrared radiation is to decide
between a better spectral or spatial resolution.
Thus, initially a double sampling of the paint-
ing is done because the type of sensor to be
used depends on the pigments’ properties:
infrared reflectograph (mounted in an analog
camera) or CCD (mounted in a conventional
digital camera, with no infrared filter).
In this case, the spatial resolution was the
decisive feature, thus a CCD was chosen. This
kind of sensor is low cost (compared to the
infrared one) and more accessible to
researchers.
All the images acquired and composed were
obtained using VARIM application and the
study was divided in four stages:
Figure 8. “Pentecostés” (visible).I.P.H.E. Sección de Estudios Físicos
Figure 7. “Noli me tangere” (visible).I.P.H.E. Sección de Estudios Físicos
1. Decision of the size of the mosaic. As this
depends on the motif to be studied, its size
was decided using a previous tracking of the
painting.
2. Location and assembly of the mechanical
position system. The mechanical support is
usually taken in pieces because of the move-
ment. Because of this, it is important to check
if all devices are perfectly adjusted before
acquisition. Moreover, this system must be
placed parallel to the painting from a distance
previously established in order to obtain a
correct automatic composition. Later, the
camera was placed in its support using a B+W
093 filter to avoid visible radiation inside the
camera lens.
3. Acquisition and mosaicing. Using contiguous
images, horizontal and vertical, the partial
displacements were decided in order to obtain
34 e_conservation
JUAN TORRES et al.
Figure 9. “Adoración de los Magos” (reflectography).I.P.H.E. Sección de Estudios Físicos
35e_conservation
VARIM PROJECT
a correct overlapping area between images.
This parameter depends on several factors but
the main one is the type of drawing. Once the
images were acquired, they were integrated in
the workspace and the final mosaics were
obtained.
4. Analysis and exhibition of the obtained
results [5]. As a conclusion, some similarities
in the preparatory drawing of the three paint-
ings have been found. In fact, this also occurs i
n other studied paintings from the same author
(Fernando Gallego), as for instance, in the altar-
piece of Trujillo (Cáceres) and in "La Virgen de
la Rosa" (Salamanca’s Cathedral Museum).
Next, some observations can be drawn from the
pervious statements. Firstly, the drawing is of
high quality and the lines are confident, ex-
pressing a vigorous image. Moreover, in general,
the visible composition fits with the prepara-
tory drawing. A first approach to the pieces
Figure 11. “Pentecostés” (reflectography).I.P.H.E. Sección de Estudios Físicos
Figure 10. “Noli me tangere” (reflectography).I.P.H.E. Sección de Estudios Físicos
could give the sensation of great differences
but similar areas demonstrate that the creation
process is the same. Lastly, only one label1
(regarding the green colour, "verde") has been
found in "La Adoración de los Magos" (Figure 9).
The X-ray analysis
First of all, it must be mentioned that this is a
comparative study which will comprise other
11 wooded paintings from Arcenillas’ Church
(Zamora). Thus, all the X-ray belonging to the
wooden boards were made2 and developed3
under the same conditions. The used film4 has
1 The artists usually draw some texts in the underdrawing giving instructions to their pupils. In this case some labels regarding colours were drawn.2 Each X-ray was obtained in one shot using a Philips MCN 165 device under the parameters 40 kV and 184 mAxs/m2.3 In an automatic process during 8 minutes and 30 ºC.4 Type II norm ASTM (D-7 by AGFA)
36 e_conservation
JUAN TORRES et al.
Figure 12. “Adoración de los Magos” (X-ray).I.P.H.E. Sección de Estudios Físicos.
37e_conservation
VARIM PROJECT
Figure 14. “Pentecostés” (X-ray).I.P.H.E. Sección de Estudios Físicos
Figure 13. “Noli me tangere” (X-ray).I.P.H.E. Sección de Estudios Físicos
usually a format of roll of 30 cm width and
61 meters long. The film was cut into strips
of the same height as the boards. Altogether
more than 7 meters of film was needed. Once
the X-ray was obtained, it was digitalized.
The dissemination of the obtained digital docu-
ment is important for conservation and the digi-
talized X-ray makes easier the study of the paint-
ing for a great number of researchers because
no additional and expensive devices are needed.
On the other hand, the preservation of this
digital document is very important and its
manipulation must be avoided. The document
is of high importance as a witness of the
conservation status of the painting.
VARIM was also used in the joint of digita-
lized plates. Previously, other image processing
applications were used but a clear and artificial
line appeared in the joint area due to the lack
of an overlapping area in the images. Using
the union algorithms provided by VARIM, the
joint process is automatic and instantaneous.
On the other hand, the exhaustive analysis
of these documents provides valuable data,
invisible to the human eye. In this case study
(Figures 12-14), some metallic staples were
found in order to reinforce some cracks in
"La Adoración de los Magos" (Figure 12).
The other paintings do not have any staples
in spite of some cracks of the wooden boards.
In addition, some differences were found
38 e_conservation
JUAN TORRES et al.
regarding the fabric placed between the
preparatory layer and the painting. This fabric
is complete in the case of "La Adoración de
los Magos" while the other two painting
present fabric in the panels joints and in the
cracks. Finally, some similarities were found
between "La Adoración de los Magos" and
"Pentecostés", where an incisive drawing and
a clear vanishing point appears in both X-ray
(Figures 12 and 14).
Conclusions
The VARIM system has demonstrated that it is
of inestimable help and has brought improve-
ment compared to the traditional method. VARIM
is an application that integrates in only one
work environment all acquiring and mosaicing
tasks. This makes the entire process more
efficient. Thus, the use of workspaces and the
storage of all the information is done in an
easy and fast way which is especially useful
due to the great number of images that are
handled in each session.
Another interesting feature is the use of temporal
and work directories. Using the application
preferences, the user can specify the work
directory and a different one where the partial
results are stored.
Furthermore, in a real environment, the applica-
tion offers a tool where the acquisition and
mosaicing tasks are user-friendly and easy.
Moreover, thanks to the automatic methods
previously mentioned, the system allows to
save a considerable amount of time.
Even users without deep computer knowledge
can use the application in an easy way, thanks
to the accessibility criteria applied in the design
stage.
Finally, thanks to the fact that the software is
distributed for free, its extensive use and the
obtained feedback made possible to correct
some bugs and to improve its functionalities.
One of the main objectives established at the
beginning of the project was achieved: to
create a functional tool, easy to use and
accessible to a great number of people.
References
1. J. R. Van Asperen de Boer, “A contribution
to the examination of earlier European
paintings”, PhD thesis, University of
Amsterdam, 1970
2. J. Torres and J. M. Menéndez, “A practical
algorithm to correct geometrical distortion
of image acquisition cameras”, IEEE
International Conference on Image
Processing, vol. III, pp. 2451-2454,
October 2004
3. J. Torres and J.M. Menéndez, “An adaptive
real-time method for controlling the
luminosity in digital video acquisition”,
IAESTED International Conference on
Visualization, Imaging and Image
Processing, pp. 133-137, September, 2005
4. A. Posse, J. Torres and J.M. Menéndez,
"Matching points in low contrast images”,
International Conference on Image
Processing (ICIP), San Diego, USA, October
2008 (Under revision)
5. T. Antelo, A. Gabaldón and C. Vega,
"Sumas o restas: incógnitas en torno al
retablo de Arcenillas”, in Sumas y restas de
las tablas de Arcenillas. Fernado Gallego y el
antiguo retablo de la Catedral de Zamora,
Zamora, 2007
39e_conservation
VARIM PROJECT
VARIM: A USEFUL SYSTEM FOR ACQUIRING AND COMPOSING IMAGES IN PAINTINGS ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
www.upm.es
Polytechnic University of Madrid
Grupo de Aplicación de Telecomunicaciones Visuales(G@TV)
Visual Telecommunication Application Group
G@TV is a research group that belongs to the
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), one
of the most important universities in Spain.
This group has experience in image/video
processing, in the development of Intelligent
Transport Systems and surveillance systems.
The experience on image and video extends
throughout computer vision applied to art
conservation and restoration, coding, computer
graphics, image restoration and analysis, object
and movement location and tracking, etc.
Instituto del Patrimonio Histórico Español (IPHE)
Spanish Historical Heritage Institute
IPHE operates within the Dirección General de
Bellas Artes y Bienes Culturales of the Spanish
Ministry of Culture and takes care of the
development and implementation of plans for
the conservation and restoration of historical
heritage. Movable heritage and historical
buildings are included.
The IPHE also co-operates with other
public administrations and public or private
institutions for the development of these
plans. The IPHE works on the available
documentation, organization of work produced
and archival on the historic heritage of the
country, as well as research and study of
criteria, methods and updated techniques
in conservation and restoration of cultural
heritage.
JUAN TORREScontact: [email protected]
He received the Telecommunications Engineer
degree (Hons.) in 2004 from E.T.S. Ingenieros
de Telecomunicación of the Universidad Poli-
técnica de Madrid . Since 2002, he is a member
of the Signals, Systems and Radio communi-
cations Department of the E.T.S. Ingenieros
de Telecomunicación. In 2006, he obtained
the Researcher Aptitude in the Ph.D. program
called "Communications Technologies and
Systems". Nowadays, he is a PhD candidate
researching on the variations of the internal
parameters of the video cameras digital
acquisition.
His master thesis was performed in the VARIM
Project (Artificial Vision applied to Mechanized
Infrared Reflectography) framework, funded by
the Ministry of Industry.
Moreover, he is author of several international
and national papers and scientific contributions
and has been invited to several national
Congresses. In addition, he has taught a
course belonged to a Master in Arqueometry
of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
40 e_conservation
JUAN TORRES et al.
www.gatv.ssr.upm.es
www.mcu.es/patrimonio/MC/IPHE/
ALBERTO POSSE
He received the Telecommunications Engineer
degree (Hons.) from E.T.S. Ingenieros de Tele-
comunicación of the Universidad Politécnica de
Madrid in 2007. His master thesis was performed
in the VARIM Project (Artificial Vision applied
to Mechanized Infrared Reflectography)
framework. His professional interests include
image and digital video processing, image
registration, remote sensing and computer
vision. He is Ph.D. candidate and researcher
assistant at the Visual Applications Tele-
communications Group being involved in
several R&D National and European Projects
in relation with Audiovisual and Remote
Sensing technologies.
JOSÉ MANUEL MENÉNDEZ
He received the Telecommunications Engineer
degree (Hons.) in 1988 and the Ph.D. degree
in Communications (summa cum laude) in
1996, both by the E.T.S. Ingenieros de Tele-
comunicación of the Universidad Politécnica
de Madrid. Since 1988 he is a member of the
Signals, Systems and Radio communications
Department of the E.T.S. Ingenieros de Tele-
comunicación, becoming associate professor
in 1996. His professional interests include
computer vision, image processing, digital
video broadcasting and visual communications.
He has been actively involved both in European
(Eureka, Race, Esprit, ACTS, and IST, since
the II FP) and in national projects since 1988.
Dr. Menéndez has published about 40 inter-
national publications about computer vision
and image processing, both in international
journals and conferences, and he is co-author
of a book (in Spanish) about Audio and
Video Technology for undergraduate
engineering level.
ARACELI GABALDÓN
Bachelor's Degree in Physical Science, X-rays
installation supervisor at IPHE (Madrid) and
the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
(Madrid), she contributes to research and to
develop technical studies with electromagnetic
radiation on cultural beings.
She is employed at IPHE Physical Studies
Section since 1971.
CARMEN VEGA
Ph.D. in Biophysics, she has been collaborating
at IPHE Physical Studies Section since 2001 as
expert on infrared reflectography studies on
cultural assets. She participates on publications
and congresses about this specialised subject.
TOMÁS ANTELO
Bachelor of Arts, X-rays installation operator,
he develops projects on X-rays, UV, IR, visible
studies on cultural assets at IPHE Physical
Studies Section since 1970.
MARIÁN DEL EGIDO
Bachelor's Degree in Physical Science, Curator of
Museums and Chief of IPHE Scientific Department
since 2000, she is involved in several projects
on scientific studies of cultural heritage.
MIRIAM BUESO
Bachelor of Arts and Archaeology, Graduate
in Conservation on the speciality of Archae-
ology and Assistant Curator of Museums, she
is working at IPHE Physical Studies Section
since 2005, contributing to develop research
and publications about physical studies of
cultural assets.
41e_conservation
VARIM PROJECT
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MATERIALS USED IN ROMANIAN MANUSCRIPTSFROM 15th TO 19th CENTURYStereomicroscopy
by MIHAI I. A. LUPU
Introduction
The paper presents the results of compared
stereomicroscopy for the pigments used in the
Romanian manuscripts dated between 15th and
19th century from the National Museum of Art
of Romania (NAMR) collection. This type of
analysis was done because it was not possible
to take samples for microchemical analysis.
An Olympus stereomicroscope SZ 60 was used
to compare the pigments with others already
determined. The results are presented synthetically
and show similarities with the pigments used
in the same period in Western Europe [1, 2].
Three different kinds of inks were determined:
a black one - containing vegetable charcoal;
a gold one - gold powder; and a red one -
cinnabar or red lead. The pigments correspond
to all those already mentioned for that period:
ceruse (white lead), ultramarine, azurite, smalt,
malachite, red and yellow ochre, cinnabar and
red lead, green and brown earth, massicot and
litharge, orpiment and realgar, gold sheet and
some unidentified organic pigments.
Another possibility to make these analyses
without sampling was carried out using the
following in-situ techniques: X-ray Fluorescence
(XRF), micro-Raman, Fiber-Optic Fourier Transform
Mid-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy and Near
Infrared (NIR). This was possible due to the
European research project MOLAB with the help
of the University of Perugia in 2005 at Putna
Monastery which focused on the research of
the most important illuminated Romanian
manuscripts from the 15th century. The results
indicated the presence of: gelatine, iron gall
ink and charcoal for the black ink; colloidal
gold for the gold ink; and cinnabar for the red
ink. According to the analyses, the results
were similar to those obtained by stereo-
microscopy (SMC), but much more precise
and it was possible to determine calcite and
gypsum, even in very small quantities. [3]
The Romanian Medieval Art Department of
NMAR contains a collection of 33 illuminated
manuscripts from the 13th to the 19th century,
some written in Greek, some bilingual, written
in Greek-Romanian and Slavonic-Romanian,
one in Romanian written in Slavonic and one
in Latin alphabet.
This study presents the results of the microscopic
research in the visible and U.V light for 13 of
these artworks, for the pigments used in the
miniature paintings and manuscripts decorations
(Table 1), which were presented in the second
volume of the book “Miniatura si ornamentul
manuscriselor din Colectia de Arta Medievala
Romaneasca”, published by Simetria, Bucharest
(2006), written by the Romanian art historian
Liana Tugearu.
Imag
e 1,
Man
uscr
ipt M
s. 1
0/12
617.
44 e_conservation
MIHAI I. A. LUPU
No. Name Inventory No. Year Language Monastery County
1 Gospel Ms. 4/12611 1435-36 Slavonic / Bulgarian Neamt Moldavia
2 Gospel Ms. 6/12613 1511-12 Slavonic / Romanian Neamt Moldavia
3 Gospel Ms. 7/12614 1518-19 Slavonic / Romanian Walachia
4 Gospel Ms. 9/12616 16th century Slavonic / Romanian Putna Moldavia
5 Gospel Ms.12/12619 1579 Slavonic / Romanian Walachia
6 Gospel Ms.10/12617 1575 Slavonic / Romanian Moldavia
7 “Omliile” Ms.31/68257 1581 Slavonic / Romanian Walachia
8 Gospel Ms.11/12618 1583 Slavonic / Serbian Walachia
9 Gospel Ms.13/12620 16th century Slavonic / Romanian Moldavia
10 Gospel Ms.20/12627 1940 Slavonic / Romanian Walachia
11 Gospel Ms.21/12628 1946 Slavonic / Romanian Radauti Moldavia
12 "Rand la slujba" Ms.22/12629 1656-57 Slavonic / Romanian Walachia
13 "Talcuire" Ms.18/12625 ~1775 Slavonic / Russian Ukrainian
Kiev
Table 1. The studied manuscripts, the monasteries or counties where they were made and the period.
Results and discussions
Table I presents in chronological order the
studied manuscripts and the Monasteries or
Counties where they were made.
The Illuminated Manuscripts are written in the
Slavonic alphabet, which was used in the official
Romanian medieval documents and by the
Orthodox Church between the 12th and the
19th century.
The manuscripts were made in Moldavia,
the north-east side of the Romanian present
territory and in Walachia, the south-east region.
The first of them was written in Bulgarian and
the last one in Russian-Ukrainian language.
Most part of the illuminated manuscripts have
two different kinds of decorations: one of them
is used for the beginning and the final parts of
each Gospel (images 1-3 and 5) while the other
one depicts the images of the Four Evangelists.
Sometimes the authors used the same pigments
while other times differences between the number
and the tones of the used colours can be seen.
Identification of the materials was made by
comparison with original pigments. The results
are presented in Table 2.
Image 2. Manuscript Ms. 10/12617, detail of decoration.
45e_conservation
ROMANIAN MANUSCRIPTS
Imag
e 3,
Man
uscr
ipt M
s. 4
/126
11
46 e_conservation
MIHAI I. A. LUPU
Manuscris / Pigment
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Lead White
Massicot
Litharge
Oripiment
Realgar
Yellow Ochre
Red Lead
Cinnabar
Red Ochre
Azurite
Smalt
Lapis lazuli
Malachite
Green Earth
Brown
Gold
Indigo
Black
Table 2. Pigment results. Pigments presence is shown by the coloured rectangles.The numbers of the manuscripts are correspondent to Table 1.
As an example, the manuscript MS 9/12616 from
Putna Monastery, Moldavia will be presented.
Decoration: red lead, red ochre, green earth,
azurite, gold powder, litharge, candle black.
Illustration: red lead, red lead + charcoal
black, malachite, green earth, yellow ochre,
reddish-violet: cinnabar + lead white + azurite,
azurite, red-orange: cinnabar, Natural Umber,
charcoal black, pink: cinnabar + ceruse, gold
powder, lead white (image 4).
The difference between the decoration and
illustration consists in the double number
47e_conservation
ROMANIAN MANUSCRIPTS
of colours, 7 for the first and 14 for the
second. The miniaturist tried to represent
in a pictorial mode the Four Evangelists,
and thus, he could not limit himself to use
a smaller number of colours - he either mixed
some of them or added more pigments.
In this particular manuscript the technique is
most similar with that used for the Byzantine
Icons from the Balkan Peninsula (Greeks,
Serbian, Bulgarian and Romanian) and Russia.
The portraits are painted from dark colours
(proplasma) to lighter ones.
This method does not permit to see if the
ground layer from the Gospel illustration is
similar with that usually used for icons. In
the Illuminated Manuscripts the original
technique uses the whiteness of the vellum,
prepared with lead white [3].
Previous studies regarding Romanian icons
from the same period and the comparison
with the Illuminated Manuscripts indicate
the use of best quality pigments (lapis-lazuli,
massicot, litharge and orpiment), especially
in the 15th century, when the Byzantine
culture was very well represented in Moldavia
and Walachia. Until the 18th century, gold
was preponderantly used for text and
illustration; after this, it was replaced with
yellow ochre.
Acknowledgements
This study could not have been possible
without the decisive contribution of Ms. Liana
Tugearu, art historian, specialist in Romanian
Illuminated Manuscripts.
I would also like to thank my colleague, Carmen
Tanasoiu, art conservator, for her help with the
documentation for this paper.
References
1. M. Clark, “The analysis of medieval European manuscripts”, Reviews in Conservation (2001), pp. 3-172. Cenino Cennini, “The Craftsman’s Handbook”, translated by Daniel V. Thompson, Jr., Dover Publications, New York (1960)3. MOLAB, “User Report”, Access, Research and Technology for the Conservation of the European Cultural Heritage (2005) 4. J. Plesters, “Cross-section and Chemical Analysis of Paint Samples”, Studies in Conservation 2, (1956), pp. 134-155 5. M. I. A. Lupu, "Microchemical Analysis of Inorganic Materials used in Romanian 16th-19th Century Icons”, Part I, Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Non-destructive Testing and Microanalysis for the Diagnostics and Conservation of the Cultural and Environmental Heritage ART’99, Rome, May 1999, pp. 2141-21516. M. I. A. Lupu, “Microchemical Analysis of Inorganic Materials used in Romanian 16th-19th Century Icons”, Part II, Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Non-Destructive Testing and Microanalysis for the Diagnostics and Conservation of the Cultural and Environmental Heritage (ART 2002), Antwerp, 2-6 June 2002, pp. 631-639.
Image 4. Manuscrpit Ms. 9/12616, Luke the Evangelist.
48 e_conservation
MIHAI I. A. LUPU
Image 5. Manuscript Ms. 6/12613, ensamble of decoration.
49e_conservation
ROMANIAN MANUSCRIPTS
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
e_conservation magazine is open to the submission of articles on a wide range of relevant topics for the cultural heritage sector.
Next deadlines for article submission are:
for Issue 5, June 2008 – submission due 30 April 2008
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Nevertheless, you can always submit your manuscript when it is ready. Between the receival of the manuscript until the final publication may pass up to 3 months according with:- the number of the manuscripts on hold, submitted earlier by other authors- the release date of the upcoming issue- the pre-allocated space in the magazine to each section
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MIHAI I. A. LUPU
Contact: [email protected]
National Museum of Art of Romania
Calea Victoriei 49-53, Bucharest Romaniawww.mnar.arts.roPhone: 0040-21-313 30 30Fax: 0040-21-312 43 27
Mihai Lupu is a conservator scientist
at the Conservation Department of National
Museum of Art (MNAR) from Bucharest.
He has continuously worked in the
conservation field since 32 years,
performing research and acquiring
experience in different materials such
as metals, graphic documents, painting,
mural painting and textiles.
He collaborated on the analysis and
conservation of the mural paintings from
Agapia Monastery and several other painted
monuments from Romania. The results of his
research were published and presented at
national and international conferences
among which ART 1999, 2002 and 2005,
Triennal ICOM-CC meetings in 1987, 1993
and 1996, METAL 1995 and 1998, etc.
He was also member of the Artistic
Components Commission, Ministry of
Culture and Cults from Romania.
50 e_conservation
MIHAI I. A. LUPU
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dy
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by NICCOLO CALDARARO
GEORGES DE BATZ
The Mysterious Case of an Art Collector
Extraordinary Found by Examination
of a Paintingcase
stu
dy
GEORGES DE BATZ
The Mysterious Case of an Art Collector
Extraordinary Found by Examination
of a Painting
Cultural objects appear in our museums as the result of the efforts of particular individuals who
decide to collect certain kinds of objects for a variety of personal reasons. As a cultural trait we
find collections in many different cultures, civilizations and different periods of history. One
example is the Aztec collections mentioned by many of the Spanish at the time of their contact
with Native American societies and summarized by Pietro de Marytr in the early 16th century.
This paper investigates two mysteries; one describes the personal journey of one modern
collector, whose contributions to two major American museums were substantial, but whose
history is little known especially regarding his demise and the dispersal of his personal fortune;
the other mystery surrounds a huge painting he possessed and its examination.
Part I: The Nature of the Collector
The story of Georges de Batz, accomplished
collector and dealer in fine arts, encompasses
two mysteries, one which is about his fortune
and another which tells the tale of the authen-
ticity of a painting he possessed at his death.
I first met Georges de Batz (Figure 1) in early
1979 when I accompanied Achenbach Foun-
dation Assistant Curator Maxine Rosston to
his home on Polk Street in San Francisco.
It was not the usual duty for a museum pro-
fessional. I was to provide moral support and
act as that kind of convenient person who can
produce the reminder that it is time to leave.
This was really the most essential part of my
role as I was to learn later, since Mr. de Batz
was neither threatening nor formidable. He was,
simply, very talkative and very eccentric. Rather
"San Francisco" in many ways.
I worked in the Achenbach Foundation with the
Western Regional Paper Conservation Laboratory
and Painting Conservation Departments of the
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The latter
Department was really made up of Ms. Terri
Picante and myself at the time. Mostly we
worked at the De Young Museum as the studio
at the Legion of Honor was only the size of a
large dining room.
It was so small we often had to take large
paintings into the hallway to turn them
around or over to be able to work on the verso
or recto. However, my museum duties did not
qualify me for my task that day. Frankly, I was
chosen mainly due to the fact that I was a
young man and being such I would function as
a distraction for the purpose of Mrs. Rosston's
visit. Achenbach Foundation Director-in-Charge,
Robert Johnson had agreed with Ms. Rosston
that she should not go to Mr. de Batz' apartment
without a "second". Her mission was to deliver
a check to de Batz, an installment payment for
the part purchase and part donation of his rather
lavish, but at the same time, curious and frus-
trating collection of prints and drawings. This
arrangement had been negotiated some years
before by then Museum Director Mr. Thomas Carr
Howe and its arrival was as rewarding a treasure
as its owner was an enigma.
I could not conceive that my brief meeting
with this strange but brilliant little man that
e_conservation 53
GEORGES DE BATZ
day would connect with a grand mystery related
to another fabulous work of art of which he was
the central character. For several years I had
occasionally seen Mr. de Batz in the Achenbach
speaking with Mrs. Rosston and Mr. Johnson.
This was always an animated affair, either
de Batz was upset and angry or happy and
almost delirious. His range of mood was both
unexpected and unnerving. As he was a small
man, with a robust and fleshy body, his
intensity was a surprise, yet since he spoke
French as his native tongue his English became
unintelligible as his ardor increased. One was
left with a great deal of consternation at how
to regard and respond to his distress or joy.
Mr. de Batz had been a collector known to cura-
tors and dealers from coast to coast in America.
His achievements live on in both the Achenbach
Foundation and in the Boston Museum of Fine
Arts (MFA) Asian Art collection, which were first
displayed at the Museum in Boston in 1953.
Both de Batz' connoisseurship and his generosity
are reflected in his museum donations. He was
as great a mystery as his collections were rich.
According to art historian Allen E.J. Carr, de Batz'
father had also been a collector and dealer of
fine art in France. In the preface to the Boston
MFA catalogue of the de Batz collection [1],
Curator George Boas tells us that Georges de
Batz came to the U.S. in the autumn of 1939
on the last ship leaving France as the Second
World War began. Georges arrived with his
baggage filled with drawings. From the begin-
ning of his arrival he impressed all he met with
a wonder for things, from art to "Christmas
tree ornaments from Woolworths". His taste
was of such developed quality that friends and
colleagues soon recognized the virtuoso that
he was, which was certainly remarkable for
how deeply moved he was by every purchase.
His home was considered a private museum
NICCOLO CALDARARO
Figure 1. Photographic image of Georges de Batz,published in the San Francisco Examiner.
by collector and scholar and was so renowned
that a photograph of a part of the interior was
included in the Boston catalogue. From Shang
bronzes to Rembrandt drawings, his apartment
was seen as a most special creation of a rather
rare character.
Yet, if we look for other images of that character,
of personal elements of his life and history, we
are defeated. His abilities are legion in regard
to the arts and we are told that Johns Hopkins
University produced several exhibitions (1940-
1942) organized by de Batz of Persian manuscripts,
old silver, glass, jewelry, textiles, miniatures
54 e_conservation
and paintings. His activities aided the education
of students from 1939 to 1942 by providing
the most exquisite experiences of art and
beauty; demonstrations with examples of
encounters he had had with artists, musicians,
etc. followed by discussions or lectures of the
most lively nature. He organized a catalogue
of the art of Vincent van Gogh in aid of the
American and Dutch war relief at Wildenstein
in 1943 and wrote a number of catalogues for
other exhibitions at Johns Hopkins and
Wildenstein at the end of the Second World
War. But despite all this, we know little of
the man himself.
The time that I visited his apartment in San
Francisco with Mrs. Rosston his garrulous
nature exposed me to a variety of rich vignettes
of famous people – artists, collectors, military
generals, poets, the rich; and within these
tales would be found the lesson of his great
"finds". A Michelangelo here, a Chasseriau
there, and so on. This was the stock in trade
of his conversation, as I recall from his visits
to the Achenbach and from the comments of
others concerning their meetings with him.
His apartment was luxuriously decorated but
a bit crowded and rather cluttered with curios,
artifacts, books, papers and magazines pilled
about here and there on chairs, tables and the
floor. Still, there seemed to be order and not
chaos as he produced objects and documents
from amid these mounds at will to illustrate
some point or story.
It was common knowledge around the Museum
that de Batz had been a friend of former
Achenbach Director E. Gunter Troche. Former
Achenbach Curator Fenton Kastner and former
Asian Art Museum Conservator, Alex Penkovic
often spoke of their association and how this
friendship between collector and Director had
involved both shining lights of exhibitions
and art for the Museums, and shadows of
the Second World War, including trips to
Argentina and Uruguay. Darker recollections
were made about earlier acquaintances in
Europe before the Second World War. It was
rumored that Troche had come to the USA
from South America where he had been a
dealer of fine art. His resumé lacked a certain
precision during the period of the Second
World War in Germany and after, and encour-
aged some rumors and speculation. But this
element of the fragmented history and mystery
of the life of Georges de Batz did not become
important until I was asked to look at huge
painting more than a decade later owned by
Mr. Herbert Hoover of San Francisco.
Mr. Hoover is a successful dealer and appraiser
of fine art and once owned a commercial art
gallery in San Francisco. He is also the author
of a book on the art scene in San Francisco in
the 1980s. In the mid 1990s I conserved a
number of paintings for Mr. Hoover. One day
Mr. Hoover called me to come and examine a
large canvas he had purchased in the 1980s
which had suffered a blow to the surface
(Figure 2).
His apartment was
luxuriously decorated
but a bit crowded and
rather cluttered with
curios, artifacts, books,
papers and magazines
pilled about here and
there on chairs,
tables and the floor.
GEORGES DE BATZ
e_conservation 55
This was a large figurative work of a seated man,
painted on an absorbent ground, typical of
paintings produced in Europe by a number of
painters around the turn of the 20th century
and into the 20s and 30s. Mr. Hoover had pur-
chased the painting at an auction held at Butter-
fields of de Batz' estate. It had been sold as a
rug, unframed and folded several times. But
when he opened it up, he saw it was a painting.
At that time, the late 1980s, he had it framed.
He later purchased a Germain Seligman mono-
graph on the French artist, Roger de la Fresnaye.
The book had belonged to de Batz and contained
the original dedication from Seligman to de Batz
as well as many letters from Seligman to de Batz
relating friendly and warm correspondence
(Figure 3, see online Appendix).
In order to conserve the painting I needed
information about the absorbent ground,
pigments and the working method of the artist.
Such analytical work is not thought to be
Figure 2. Roger de la Fresnaye painting in Hoover Collection.
Figure 3. Letter from Seligman to Georges de Batz.
See also the online Appendix with photographs of letters glued into a book owned by Mr. Georges de Batz.
NICCOLO CALDARARO
56 e_conservation
always necessary in conservation, but is
however very helpful, if not crucial, and in
this case, it was important since understanding
the ground was essential to the conservation
of the work. Mr. Hoover thought that the
painting might be by de la Fresnaye, as the
catalogue contained a number of images similar
to that in the painting and the technique
seemed quite similar. I took samples of the
pigment from the painting and sent them to
Walter McCrone, an international forensic
scientist and expert on pigments and grounds.
He compared the pigment from the Hoover
painting to samples sent from museums which
owned other de la Fresnaye paintings. The
pigments were so similar and the grounds as
well, that McCrone concluded that the Hoover
painting was produced by the same artist
using the same palette (see report, Figure 4).
There was a nagging question about the
painting that bothered me. It was not listed
in the monograph by Seligman [2] and although
Seligman stated in the text that it was not
complete, it seemed strange that someone as
familiar with Seligman as de Batz would possess
a major work by the artist and not share it
with his friend so it might be included in the
artist’s anthology. I contacted the Boston MFA
to find out if any personal papers or other
information on de Batz were available. None
were, and they surveyed local collectors for me
to no avail. Mr. Hoover did the same at the
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, but
nothing was found.
Dr. Catherine C. Bock-Weiss of the School of
the Art Institute of Chicago, who had written
on de la Fresnaye considered the painting a
possible work by the artist, but could offer no
information on de Batz or Seligman. She specu-
lated that de la Fresnaye had been involved in
a number of salons and performances. He was
known to have been a friend of artist Marie
Laurencin who was active in the production
of drawings for the Ballets Russes.
Figure 4. Report on analysis of samples by Walter Mcrone.
GEORGES DE BATZ
e_conservation 57
This association is also mentioned by Seligman
[2]. I had extensive conversations with Nancy
Van Norman Baer about Laurencin's work in the
1980s and recognized that the materials often
used in this setting bore a similarity to the
Hoover painting. For example, the canvas fiber
of the Picasso "Rideau…" in the Pompidu Center
in Paris, which I have seen, is the same. Bock-
Weiss suggested I speak to a Mr. Robert M.
Murdock who had interviewed Seligman and
had done some research on de la Fresnaye.
Mr. Murdock was helpful, contacting local
collectors for information on de Batz, but could
not enlighten us either about the painting or
the Seligman/de Batz relationship. While he had
met Seligman, he did not have access to his
papers. Attempts to contact the family were
also not successful. He suggested Dr. Kenneth
Silver at New York University, who had written
about de la Fresnaye [3].
I contacted Dr. Silver who was interested in
helping and thought we might meet when
I examined a painting by de la Fresnaye at
the The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New
York. We were disappointed when we viewed
the painting however, as it had been lined and
coated with a heavy varnish. Nevertheless,
Dr. Silver contributed some advice concerning
both the Selgiman/de Batz link and the nature
of the Hoover painting. A picture of the artist
and the complication of his life came into
focus as a factor in the fate of the painting.
We had known that de la Fresnaye had been
a war hero in France after the First World War,
and that his fame was doubled by the tragic
wounds he had received which prematurely
ended his life and career. Unexpectedly, however,
Silver related that de la Fresnaye was homo-
sexual and that this was entwined with the
family’s regard for him and his public assess-
ment. A relative had controlled the sale of his
work after the war and then after his death.
Paintings and other works had been distributed
to friends and lovers and there was a marked
coolness between family and de la Fresnaye’s
friends. Silver and Murdock both suggested
that access to work might have been limited
to Seligman and that de Batz, who was also of
the same sexual inclination may have had
access to other sources not available to the
family or to Seligman. What might also have
been true, according to Silver, was that the
Hoover painting may have been the property
of families which were dispossessed by the
Nazis. Thus we had at least two explanations
of why the painting would not appear in the
Seligman book; firstly that it had been given
to a lover or friend renounced by the family
and unavailable to Seligman when he wrote
the book, and secondly that it had been seized
by the Nazis and was illegal contraband which
de Batz had somehow acquired.
It still seemed as if de Batz had no past at all,
we could find little about the man as he lived
except for his passion of collecting art and
donating to the public. So we decided to seek
him posthumously. We went to the auction
house, Butterfield's for clues. Here we came to
another dead end. Their records were only kept
for five years and then destroyed. So we went
It still seemed as if
de Batz had no past at all,
we could find little about
the man as he lived
except for his passion
of collecting art and
donating to the public.
NICCOLO CALDARARO
58 e_conservation
to the probate court to find what might have
been the disposition of his property and perhaps
his papers. Here again, we were disappointed.
The probate court had the files containing his
property and the sales, papers filed by this
lawyer, Bruce Walkup when de Batz was found
unable to care for himself and was removed to
a care facility in the early 1980s.
We found the documents created by Walkup
for the sale of de Batz's art but nothing that
could give us a clear picture of what had been
the origin of the painting or its relation to
de Batz. To our amazement, we also found
another mystery, in the final disposition of
the de Batz estate, the last file of the probate
was missing. We could not trace where his
personal effects went or who received the more
than $1 million in proceeds from the sale of
his art and property. I called the Walkup office
in San Francisco to find that Mr. Walkup had
died some years ago. I was able to speak with
the woman who had been his secretary. But
when I asked about the files for Walkup's work
with de Batz she informed me that the office
did not have them. She told me to go to the
de Batz Foundation. I contacted the Georges
de Batz Trust for the Arts, whose only trustee
was a Mr. Henry W. Howard, who was quite
elderly and seemed confused each time when
I spoke to him. I did find out that he did not
have any files or personal effects of de Batz.
I asked if there were any publications of the
Foundation, or other documentation of the
work of the Foundation. He said the Foundation
had been only himself and that he had given
the money away over the years to art organiza-
tions and religious charities, especially those
that had programs for children. I was told there
were no publications about this giving, and
that no records were kept. Mr. Hoover could
not believe this report on the Foundation,
and so he arranged to meet Mr. Howard. This
was delayed several times due to Mr. Howard's
illness, but when it took place he found the
information was correct. There were no
records, the Foundation was nearly out of
money and Mr. Howard referred us back to
Walkup's office. We contacted the Walkup
offices again but were told they had nothing
relating to de Batz or the Foundation.
I called a number of arts organizations in San
Francisco and a few recalled that they had had
visits by an elderly man once in a while who
would hand them a check for $10,000 or so.
And thus Georges de Batz' life was as much a
mystery as the dispersal of his fortune and yet,
Mr. Hoover's painting is a masterwork of a man
sitting in a chair surveying a world with such
interest that one can only imagine the bemused
face of de Batz looking out amid the cubist
fragments.
Part II: Conservation Examination for Treatment: its role in Research using a case study of a painting by Roger de la Fresnaye from the Collection of Herbert Hoover 6/01
1. Introduction
The conservator is often faced with difficult
problems presented by paintings. These prob-
lems can include multiple layers which lack
adhesion, sometimes caused by poor execution
by the artists, by inadequate storage conditions,
incorrect methodology of application, etc.
Perhaps the problem may reside in determining
the original paint from overpainting and
attempting to resolve with the curator or owner
a balanced treatment which reflects the intent
of the artist [4]. Questions of authorship often
arise which can only be addressed by reference
GEORGES DE BATZ
e_conservation 59
to the analysis of similar types based on
scientific analysis [5]. In these cases the
conservator can be asked to join in the art
historical or curatorial debate to investigate
fakes, forgeries and reproductions [6, 7].
Often, however, even the best efforts are de-
feated by the ideas of art styles of the time
and the development of fashionable tastes that
influence the concept of the original [8].
A good example of this is the Shapira Scroll,
a scroll made of skin presented to the British
Museum and other public and private collections
in the last century as an original volume from
the ancient libraries of Israel [9]. As Kahle
and I described [10], the scroll appeared too
new in the context of other scroll fragments
from the same period, but when a detailed
examination of the state of preservation of
these scrolls was put in series and related to
the variations in manufacture and how condi-
tions of storage affected ageing, then the
condition of the Schapira scroll could be
understood and found to be authentic [11].
We will never know, unfortunately, for the
Schapira scroll disappeared.
At times our laboratory has been asked to
solve relatively simple conservation tasks only
to become involved in more elaborate forensic
work. One case of this kind is the Hoover
painting which was brought to our attention
due to distortions in the canvas with a rough
and uneven surface. The owner was concerned
that the painting appeared to be suffering
some deterioration. In this section of this article
I will describe our attempt to identify the condi-
tion of the painting and to study its materials
and method of execution, both essential to
understanding the appearance of the painting
and its conservation and yet, secondarily,
productive in information to the determina-
tion of its authenticity.
2. Canvas
A sample of the canvas was taken at the top
right area above the strainer on the verso of
the painting. Several samples of paint and
ground were taken from the verso of the canvas,
all pigments were sampled. The canvas sample
was compared with the fiber content of several
la Fresnaye paintings in American collections.
The Hemp-like fiber of the Hoover painting can
be found in the sample from the Philadelphia
Museum of Art (which also has a open weave,
gauze-like appearance) and it is well known
that fibers used for artist's canvas at the turn
of this century were quite varied and many
contained mixed fibers [12].
This painting is on a wide woven fabric (likely a
species of hemp). Fiber comparison was made
with samples from several museums (see Table
1). Comparison with standard reference samples
[13, 14] indicates hemp. This fiber is found in
paintings of the period 1900 to 1940 by a number
of painters including, Kirchner, Stat-geschiter
(1911), Paul Klee, Uberschach (1937), Ferinand
Hodler in his monumental mural scenes at the
Zurich Kunsthaus, Jacques Lipchitz in his
"Personnage Debout" (1916), Fernand Leger,
in "Le reveil-matin" (1914), and his "Feme en
rouge et vert" (1914), in Picasso's "Nature
Morte" (1922), in Sonia Delaunay's "Prismes
electriques" (1914) and Nathalie Gontcharova's
At times our laboratory
has been asked to solve
relatively simple
conservation tasks only to
become involved in more
elaborate forensic work.
NICCOLO CALDARARO
60 e_conservation
"Les porteubes" (1911), and was used in numer-
ous other paintings of the period. However, the
specific wide weave of the Hoover canvas is
found on a subset of these works, both large
and small, but generally they are larger.
Interestingly, the Hoover canvas is nearly identical
in weave size, fiber color to a large theatrical
background by Picasso, "Rideau pour le ballet",
"Mercure" (1924) and the already mentioned
Hodler mural.
The painting measures approximately 7 feet
by 10 and one-half feet, but this may not have
been the original size as it has been recently
mounted onto a strainer, while holes in the
canvas indicate an earlier mount which may
have been slightly smaller. These unusual
marks and holes may be related to its original
use, perhaps in a theatrical installation or
ballet piece.
3. Paint and Ground
The pigment appears to be in an oil medium, but
rather very flat and brittle like tempera, coated
in lower center and central figure areas with a
shiny media. The appearance is similar to that
described for French paintings of the period
that are categorized as painted on "absorbent
canvas" [15, 16]. While there was variation in
why artists used absorbent canvases and specu-
lation about this by art historians and conser-
vators [17], in general an attitude was present
that associated the absorbent canvas with a
prohibition against varnishing.
Test results from Harlan Associates for the
ground by FT-IR show it to be composed of
barium sulfate and lead chromate with calcium
carbonate as a minor component. It also con-
tains an ester polymer indicating a natural
resin or oil. If it is oil, it was applied with
a lower oil to pigment ratio. Barium sulfate was
a frequent component of grounds used by French
painters in absorbent ground paintings according
to Bomford et al., 1990. This is similar to the
paint described for "Les Collines au-delà de
Meulan", in the collection of the Indianapolis
Museum of Art [18]. Present tests of the Hoover
Collection painting with gas chromatography
and IR spectrographic analysis indicate a lin-
seed oil medium. Pigments include aluminum
silicate, barium sulfate and lead chromate
(green chromate) and zinc stearate [19].
The ground which la Fresnaye used in his
"The Conquest of Air", in the collection of the
New York Museum of Modern Art is primarily
lead white and a small amount of calcite [20]
(see Figure 5 for detail of pigment on canvas).
Analysis of pigments in a number of paintings
by de la Fresnaye in American collections and
the Hoover painting conducted by McCrone
Associates demonstrated the pigments were
virtually identical and probably from the same
palette (see copy of McCrone report, Figure 3).
The ground is very thin, coarse, and mixed
with pigment in most of the canvas. Thin,
incompletely applied grounds are found on
la Fresnaye paintings in the U.S.A., e.g., "Les
collines au-delà de Meulan" at the Indianapolis
Museum of Art [21]. A sample of the ground
was also analyzed by Harlan Associates indi-
cating it was primarily composed of barium
sulfate and zinc stearate with a binder of an
oil containing palmitic acid and stearic acid
by FT-IR. Emission spectrographic analysis
produced results of barium and zinc, calcium,
magnesium, aluminum, iron, silicon and copper.
Barium sulfate was a frequent component of
grounds used by French painters in absorbent
ground paintings according to Jirat-Wasiutynski
& Newton [22].
GEORGES DE BATZ
e_conservation 61
The size of the original canvas is unknown
as it was purchased wrapped into squares.
The size of the painting, which is now 7 feet
high by 10 and 1/2 foot in length (Figure 2),
is very similar to that of "The Conquest of Air".
There is evidence of an unusual installation of
the painting on the canvas as mentioned. This
evidence is contained in tacking holes in the
canvas as a tacking edge and by tacking holes
which are either painted around by the artist
or had a plate or other cover over them during
the execution of the work. This may be remnants
of how the artist set the canvas for painting
on a temporary easel, or as attached to a wall
in the studio (marouflage). However, this could
indicate the canvas was used as a theatrical
background as the "Picasso Rideau...". The dis-
tortions in the canvas from folding are not
severe and are only noticeable in raking light.
Transmitted light, however, demonstrated the
same feature of the design soaking through the
canvas as in the absorbent ground paintings
examined by Jirat-Wasiutynski & Newton [22].
No damage to the paint layer has resulted and
thus I did not recommend an extensive cleaning,
remounting or other treatment at the time
other than a light surface cleaning and adjust-
ment of sagging in some areas of the canvas
by re-stretching.
A number of paintings by de la Fresnaye are
in public collections in the U.S.A. and were
identified by use of the catalogue raisonné
by Germain Seligman [2]. A survey of these
paintings was undertaken to acquire any
available technical information (Table 1).
Many of de la Fresnaye's paintings in America
are lined and this limits the ability to sample
both fiber and ground for testing. A detailed
study of "The Conquest of Air" at the Museum
of Modern Art in New York City was conducted
to compare surface features, tonality, canvas
and ground. The exercise was not very fruitful
as the painting had not only been varnished
Figure 5. Close-up of paint surface of de la Fresnaye painting
NICCOLO CALDARARO
62 e_conservation
heavily, but had been relined with the wax-
resin method by the Kecks. They had removed
an earlier heavy varnish which had yellowed
[23]. However, in conversation with Dr. Steven
Silver of New York University (NYU), we noticed
that the painting shared some similarities of
execution with the Hoover canvas, most
apparent was the incomplete application
of ground and pigment leaving areas of raw
canvas and ground as part of the painting
surface. This has been shown to be common
LOCATION PAINTING FABRIC WEAVE
Metropolitan Museum of Art Nature Morte aux pommes avec pichet de faience tests results not available
Portrait: Goerges de Mire linen ?
Nature Morte a la bouteille, pipe et pot a tabac tests results not available
La conquete de l'Air linen open filled with wax
A. Silbermann Galleries, New York L'Homme Buvant et chantant (gallery defunct) ? ?
Indianapolis Museum of Art Les Collines au-delà de Meulan linen open weave
Philadelphia Museum of Art Le village de Meulan linen/hemp open weave
Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo Marie Ressort avec ses vaches, la Berbere "linen-like fiber"
open weavegauze-like
Nature morte aux trois anses results not available
Minneapolis Institute of Art La vie conjugale cotton-linen blend
close weave
Barnes Foundation La vie conjugale results not available
Museum of Art, Toledo Nature morte a la cafetiere linen light weight plain weave
Phillips Collection, Washington La Mappemonde canvas relinedno sample possible
Sara Lee Corporation (now in collection of Houston Museum of Fine Arts)
Les Baigneurs sample pending
M. Knoedler & Co. Portrait de L'Artiste not available
Grande nature morte aux tasses blanches not available (on panel)
Musee Contemporary City of Paris Le Quatorze Juillet probably linen close weave
Le Cuirassier probably linen close weave
examined by Richard Buck, found “normal” ground.
Table 1. Fiber analysis of Canvas Information in Museum or Gallery Publications or provided by phone conversations with institution staff.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
in many of de la Fresnaye's works. The de la
Fresnaye painting, "Le Cuirassier" (1910-11)
is now at the Musee d'Art Contemporary of
the City of Paris and appears to be varnished.
I could not examine the verso to determine
if it had been lined, however. The fiber appears
to be linen and close-weaved. The de la
Fresnaye, "Le Quatorze Juillet" (1914) is also
painted on linen and is close-weaved. It does
not show the same ground as the Hoover
painting.
GEORGES DE BATZ
e_conservation 63
64 e_conservation
PAINTING RESULTS SOURCE
The Conquest of Air lead white/calcite Ordonez
Georges De Mire Calcium carbonate Harlan
Hoover Barium sulfate/ zinc stearate Harlan
Frederick Church Calcium carbonate and glue Zucker (reported in Jirat Wasiutynski, 1998)
Les Collines au-delà de Meulan Barium, zinc, calcium,Magnesium, iron, silicon, copper
Harlan
Table 2 - Results of Ground and Pigment Tests
Design and Execution
The design of the Hoover de la Fresnaye is
similar to "L'Homme Assis" (1913-1914) in the
Musee National d'Art Moderne which is smaller
(131x162cm) and less so to "Le Quatorze Juillet"
(1914) which is very small in comparison (74x
92cm). The largest of these two is, therefore,
almost 1/2 the size of the Hoover painting.
However, the La Conquete de L'Air (1913) is
107x89 inches approximately, making it almost
exactly the same size. As Seligman states about
these other two paintings, they were painted
in the period of the years of the great figure
compositions and still-lifes. We must assume that
if the Hoover painting is a de la Fresnaye it would
have to have been painted during this time.
Seligman refers [2] to de la Fresnaye's admiration
of Italian frescos which one biographer notes
is where he derived his fresco-like quality of image
and tone. Such an admiration would insensibly
lead to a desire to paint in a large format.
Cogninet & George [24] come to a similar
conclusion. The support for the painting, a rough
open-weave fabric, is more characteristic of ad
hoc theatrical sets as in a scrim for a Ballets
Russes and de la Fresnaye's association with artist
Marie Laurencin [2] places de la Fresnaye in the
company of artists who regularly worked in the
theater [25;26]. This may be improbable by
the fact that most of Diaghilev's stage settings
were painted in water based pigments on the
floor. All this parallels many other French
paintings of the period where the paint soaks
through the canvas [22] (Figure 6).
De la Fresnaye produced a number of works of
varied subjects which were curious in intent
and also never exhibited in any of the salons,
like the "Jeanne d'Arc" (1912). More interesting
is the fact that de la Fresnaye was interested in
the color experiments of Robert Delaunay [2]
and that "La Conquete de l'Air" is characterized
as an experiment in pure color as Delaunay
was conducting. Many of de la Fresnaye's paint-
ings are executed on an absorbent ground
similar to that seen in Delaunay's paintings.
It is in the gradual increase in such experi-
ment in color and size of painting that we
find a place for the Hoover de la Fresnaye, as
Seligman argues that in "Le Quatorze Juillet"
de la Fresnaye had heroic proportions in mind
for the final version of the canvas [2].
Between 1912 and the first 7 months of
1914 de la Fresnaye's production was consider-
able and in the pressure of the time an ad hoc
work on a fairly cheap support might be expected
which approaches the limits of grandeur. This
is, nevertheless, a dangerous place to approach,
for most fakes and forgeries tend to be created
to fill in such missing pieces of an artist's
NICCOLO CALDARARO
e_conservation 65
As in the mystery of the dispersal
of de Batz's fortune, we cannot
solve the problem either of
the authenticity of the painting
nor of its provenance.
work, the expected great masterpiece which
completes a series [27]. As Seligman states
[2], "Le Quatorze Juillet" was destined to
remain an unfinished monument to an
unfinished life.
Still, we lack the analysis of the ground of
"La Conquete de l'Air", though we have the
results of the analysis of the Hoover painting
and the Georges De Mire. It would be interesting
to compare these results with an analysis of
the pigment in the painting in the Musee National
d'Art Moderne ("L'Homme assis"), with close-
up photos of the weave in the Hoover and Paris
paintings, which might provide additional
materials to our analysis. Analysis of a surface
sample from "La Conquete de l'Air" by Eugena
Ordonez [28] - which may prove to be ground,
although she was not entirely sure - showed
the sample to be lead white and a small amount
of calcite.
Conclusion
The working method in the Hoover painting
compared to that in "Les Collines au-delà de
Meulan" show considerable similarity, with areas
scraped and reworked*, but with similar color
schema piled, drawn and pared down. More
studies of de la Fresnaye paintings for working
method evidence will enhance our understanding
Figure 6. Verso of de la Fresnaye painting in transmitted light
GEORGES DE BATZ
*References to condition and examination notes of paintings taken from documents supplied by various museums and private collectors.
66 e_conservation
of de la Fresnaye's approach. The combination of
the scientific data available from a number of
other de la Fresnaye paintings, compared with
paintings by other artists of the period provide
a strong basis for placing the Hoover de la
Fresnaye in context with the body of work by
Roger de la Fresnaye. Further art historical
information is necessary although the infor-
mation on Georges de Batz and his relationship
with Seligman contained in their letters is
compelling but does requires some clarifica-
tion. What is reproduced in Figure 4 and the
online Appendix are photographs of letters
glued into a book owned by Mr. Georges de
Batz. The letters are written by Seligman to
de Batz and indicate an intimate relationship.
Information drawn from the papers of Mr. Herbert
Hoover, including a sales receipt, show that
the Hoover painting was purchased from Butter-
field's auction a few years after the main sale
of the de Batz estate. Conversations with the
executor of the de Batz estate and the Director
of the Georges de Batz Foundation, demonstrate
that many of the paintings from the de Batz
house and the estate were disposed of outside
of the initial Butterfield's sale. Some of these
were accomplished by the first lawyer for the
estate, Bruce Walkup.
The physical evidence of the materials of the
painting, the method of execution and the
presence of the painting in San Francisco at
the same auction house as the sale of the
de Batz collection and de Batz's connection with
Seligman all go far to establishing a link be-
tween the painting and Roger de la Fresnaye.
It is not the place for a conservator to deter-
mine an attribution of a painting, rather we
more often provide evidence which undermines
such attributions. In this case we have inves-
tigated each and every aspect of the painting
in a physical sense and attempted to disprove
its association with the painter. We have come
to the conclusion, however, that this cannot be
achieved, nor, however, can we use this same
information to establish, without a doubt that
the painting is by the artist.
It is simply beyond our brief and yet we can
recognize that the painting shares material and
aesthetic qualities with works of that artist. Yet
as in the mystery of the dispersal of de Batz's
fortune, we cannot solve the problem either
of the authenticity of the painting nor of its
provenance. How de Batz gained possession of
this painting is a mystery, though we know that
the Ballet Russes did come to New York in the
early part of the last century so if the painting
was created for the Ballet it could have come to
America then. Yet de Batz or his father, who was
also a collector, could have acquired the painting
in France before the Second World War or directly
from de la Fresnaye. All of our questions remain
open and yet the trail has gone cold. In every
case Georges de Batz remains, like the painting,
an intriguing enigma waiting for solution.
NICCOLO CALDARARO
Acknowledgements
A research project like this one cannot be
carried out without the cooperation and
genuine professional care of many conservators,
collectors, art historians and scientists. I am
especially indebted to Walter McCrone and his
wife/colaborator, Lucy for the analysis of
pigments from several museums. The willingness
of institutions to provide samples and take the
time to take them and label and send them
was of great benefit and I am both humbled and
heartened by their dedication to building
our knowledge. David Miller & Don Steele of the
Indianapolis Museum of Art helped in this way,
but also provided other information about the
e_conservation
References
1. George Boas, “An Exhibition of The deBatz Collection”,
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, 1953.
2. Germain Seligman, “Roger de la Fresnaye with a
Catalogue Raisonne”, New York Graphic Society, 1969.
3. Kenneth E. Silver, “Esprit de Corps: The Art of the
Parisian avant-garde and the First World War, 1914-
1925”, Thames and Hudson, London, 1989.
4. Eric C. Hulmer, “The Role of Conservation in
Connoisseurship”, University of Pittsburgh 1955
(available from University Microfilms International,
Ann Arbor, Michigan).
5. N. Caldararo, "Fake or transitional form? Analysis of
a purported Pre-Columbian Olmec artifact and
comparison with similar published objects from
Mesoamerica", Mexicon, vol. 23, June 2000, pp. 58-63.
6. N. Caldararo, "Tribal art: authenticity and 'fakes'",
Antique West, Feb., 1992, pp. 2,6,32.
7. N. Caldararo, "Profiting from reproductions",
Archaeology, 46, 2, 1993, pp. 14.
8. C. Caple, “Conservation Skills: Judgement, Method
and Decision Making”, Routledge, London, 2000.
9. J. M. Allegro, “The Shapira Affair”, Doubleday,
Garden City, 1965.
10. T. B. Kahle and N. Caldararo, "State of preservation
of the Dead Sea Scrolls", Nature, vol. 321, n. 6066,
8 May,1986, pp. 121-2.
11. N. Caldararo, "Storage conditions and physical
treatments relating to the dating of the Dead Sea
Scrolls", Radiocarbon, 37, 21-32, 1994.
12. Katrina Vanderlip Carbonnel, "A study of French
painting canvases", JAIC, vol. 20, n. 1, 1981, pp. 3-20.
13. W. A. Cote (ed.), "Papermaking Fibers", Syracuse
University Press, 1980.
14. Marilou Florian, "Identification of plant and animal
materials in artifacts", in M. Florian, D. P. Kronkright,
and R. Norton, Conservation of Artifacts Made from
Plant Materials, Getty Trust, Princeton U. Press,
1990, pp. 29-79.
15. L. Mayer and G. Myers, "American Impressionism,
Matteness and Varnishing", JAIC, vol. 43, n. 3,
2004, pp. 237-254.
16. A. Katlan, "American Artists’ Materials", vol. 2,
Madison, Conn., Soundview Press, 1992.
17. D. Bomford, J. Kirby, J. Leighton and A. Roy, "Art
in the Making: Impressionism", National Gallery,
London, 1990.
18. David Miller, Personal Communication, 1998.
19. Harlan & Associates, "Report on the results of GS
and IR spectrographic analysis of samples from the
Hoover Painting", 1997.
20. Eugena Ordonez, Personal Communication, 1997.
21. D. Steele, D. Marquis and D. Miller, Personal
Communications, 1997.
22. V. Jirat-Wasiutynski and T. Newton, "Absorbent grounds
and the matt aesthetic in Post Impressionist
painting," in Painting Techniques: History, Materials and
Studio, Contributions to the Dublin Congress, 7-11
September 1998, ed. A. Roy and P. Smith, London,
IIC, pp. 235-9.
23. Sheldon and Caroline K. Keck, Conservation Report,
dated 9/9/48.
24. Raymond Cogniat and Waldemar George, "Oeuvre
Complete: Roger de la Fresnaye”, Paris, editions
Rivarol, 1950.
25. Nancy Van Norman Baer, “Bronislava Nijinska:
A Dancer's Legacy”, Fine Arts Museums of San
Francisco, 1986.
26. Van Norman Baer, Personal Communication, 1984-88
(and my own personal experience and research while
working with artifacts from the Ballets Russes in
several shows installed in the Fine Arts Museums of
San Francisco).
27. O. Kurz, “Fakes”, Faber and Faber, New York, 1967,
ed. Dover Books.
28. Eugena Ordonez, Personal Communication, 1997.
GEORGES DE BATZ
de la Fresnaye in their collection and worked
with the curators there to answer other
questions. The same role was played by David
Marquis, of the Upper Midwest Conservation
Association Laboratory, Suzanne Penn of the
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Lucy Belloli of
the Metropolitan Museum of Art was also of
assistance, Jim Coddington, Michael Duffy,
Eugena Ordonez and Christopher McGlinchey
of the New York Museum of Modern Art, Andrea
Guidi di Bagno and Wynne H. Phelan of the
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Professor
Catherine C. Bock-Weiss of the School of the
Art Institute of Chicago, Dr. Kenneth E. Silver
of New York University, Dr. Linda D. Henderson
of The University of Texas at Austin, and
Mr. Robert M. Murdock of New York.
67
Niccolo Caldararo is Director and Chief
Conservator of Conservation Art Service in San
Francisco, a private conservation laboratory.
He is also an Adjunct Professor of Anthro-
pology at San Francisco State University.
He received his BA in Anthropology from
the University of California, Berkeley in 1970
after working in the Anthropology Department's
Archaeology Laboratory under J. Desmond
Clark. He received his MA in Anthropology
with a specialization in archaeological
conservation in 1983 from San Francisco
State University, having set up a conservation
laboratory at the University's Tiburon Center
for archaeological excavations on Da Silva
Island for Dr. Gary Pahl.
Niccolo's research in conservation was concerned
with the evolution of decision making with
specific focus on treatment development by
different conservators dealing with similar
problems, and the durability of treatments
over time. One publication that resulted from
this research was published in Studies in
Conservation, v. 42, 1997:157-164 on painted
surfaces on ceramic and glass. Another was
just published in the AIC Objects Specialty
Group's Postprints for the 2004 Annual
Meeting in Portland, Oregon mainly on the use
of ultrasound and benefited form work with
Robert Organ and John Asmus.
Today his research is organized around how
different peoples preserve their heritage in
contrast with his nearly 20 CAP reports on
specific museums and historical societies
in the USA in the past 20 years. Niccolo has
been employed by a number of museums over
the past 30 years including the California
Academy of Sciences, the Asian Art Museum of
San Francisco, the De Young Museum and the
California Palace of the Legion of Honor.
68 e_conservation
NICCOLO CALDARARO
CONSERVATION ART SERVICE,[email protected]
P.O. Box 77570,
San Francisco, California 94107
NICCOLO CALDARARO
docu
men
tati
on
Contribute to conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage in Europe
by GIULIA PELLEGRI
SURVEY AND DRAWING FOR A CONSERVATION-RESTORATION PROJECT.A STUDY FOR GENOA AND SAVONA
THE WATERFRONT OF GENOAStudies and Surveys
Introduction
This article concerns the facades of the water-
front of Genoa in Italy, and puts in evidence
the studies about the actual architectonic con-
figuration principally through the deep analysis
of the medieval building components. The 31
single facades of the urban front have been
surveyed and drawn in scale 1:50 in order to
evidence and to study the architectonic, stylistic,
structural, decorative and typological charac-
teristics. The architectonic and decorative par-
ticulars have been drawn in scale of 1:20, such as
building textures which are particular interest-
ing as far as the study of wall stratification units
(Unità Stratigrafiche Murarie) are concerned. The
work was developed on the basis of three funda-
mental themes: Analysis, Survey and Evolution.
Analysis is the first step of the historical and
iconographic research; survey is a very important
knowledge instrument, both architectonic and
formal, especially through the study of the
drawing representation of the building materials;
evolution and building transformations are the
basis to find the original medieval typologies.
GIULIA PELLEGRI
70 e_conservation
Image 1
The survey is not only the process of measuring
a building’s form. In fact the critical survey,
supported by studies about history, town-
planning situations and cultural incidences,
is a scientific method to analyse the building’s
typological, structural, distributive, linguistic
and stylistic characteristics. From this point
of view, historical research becomes essential
to the survey phase as fundamental knowledge
instrument.
Historiography, historical cartography and
iconography represent very important steps
during the study; many pencil proportional
drawings of the facades and studies about
the planimetrical development connected to
Genoa’s historical centre were made.
The first survey stage consisted in direct
measurements which were compared by the
means of more sophisticated survey instru-
ments such as Nikon total station and photo-
grammetry software (straightened photos).
The archaeological stratifications bases were
applied to some parts of the fronts to put in
evidence the historical sequences and to help
to the comprehension of the original aspect
and architectonic form.
The final step of the study concerns the
drawing up of the synthesis cards: general
description of every single front, architectonic-
decorative cards, typological individuations,
survey and analysis of building stratification.
During the research project the author took
into consideration the next principal phases
for the complete waterfront study:
Inspection of the site
- Taking note and examining the object of study
- Checking the accuracy of the previous and
old survey records
- Photographic recognition from panoramic to
detail
Historical Analysis
- Historical research and inquiry about typolo-
gical urban building evolution
- Cadastral and Archive research
- Bibliographic research
- Study of architectonic and town-planning
evolution site
- Planimetric individuation of plots through
spaces and types with the passing of the
centuries
Survey
- Geometric survey with direct method
- Architectonic and metric survey for the
fronts’ details
- Indirect survey using total station Nikon DTM 200
Facade historical stratifications
- Studies upon the front materials characterization
- Individuations and analysis of the wall
historical stratifications
Survey Drawings
- Planimetric individuation of the water-front
buildings in the urban context - scale 1:200
- The 31 studied buildings - scale 1:100 and 1:50
- Wall textures details - scale 1:20
- Plastic and painted facade’s decorations -
scale 1:20
Cards
- General description (data found at the Super-
intendence of Architectonic and Environmental
Liguria Goods, Historical Archive of Genoa,
bibliography)
- Architectonic-decorative description
(front analysis: elevation fascias, individuation
SURVEY AND DRAWING FOR CONSERVATION
e_conservation 71
of decorative, plastic and painted
particulars)
- Typological description (types connected to
the historical matrix)
- USM survey and analysis of the wall historical
stratifications (critical interpretation of the
Harris Matrix)
For every front of Ripa Maris, the study
compared all the literary sources, facts and
known events, photographic documentation
and anterior studies (ancient and original
drawings of the buildings, old maps of the city
of Genoa, historical views and contracts about
plan modifications).
The research also put in evidence the very
important theme: colour-architecture. Genoa is
not only historically the city of Painted Fronts,
and for this reason famous among the many
other “painted” cities in Italy and in Europe,
but Genoa also rises occasions to debate about
the "theme-problem", to compare right metho-
dological approaches and new techniques for
restoration.
This debate concerns not only the architectonic
scale of single buildings (the theme of the
“Painted Fronts” International Congress in
Genoa, 1982) but also the environmental
urban scale: streets, squares and every urban
route. Thus, all the historical or non-historical
components which influence the material
aspect and therefore the historical, social,
morphological and stylistic values must be
considered.
Conservation recognizes the importance of this
contextual aspect as a whole, taking in consider-
ation and associating all the factors required by
the complexity of a historical building.
The Colour is a fundamental aspect because it
is always a characteristic element of a place
and consequently, it is a cultural element, both
as applied colour and as used material.
The waterfront of Genoa is characterized by
a continue colonnade, being planned as
a service infrastructure and not just as
a passageway.
In fact, in 1133 and 1143 "Consules de Communi"
decided (due to the rules for regularizing the
arcade’s forms and materials) to lean the arcade
against the walls of the buildings, with the
intent of boosting houses’ widening by taxes
exemption for new buildings and raisings.
Image 2
GIULIA PELLEGRI
e_conservation 73
Image 3. Drawing restitution of survey from front n.1 to n. 27; original drawing scale 1:50.
Image 4. View of the first part of waterfront - the evident ideal cut of elevated railway.
Historical mentions
The new colonnade was built with 4,5 meters
high stone columns with cross vaults and a
vault or plan roof. In fact, due to the law
approved by the consuls concerning the houses’
widening the total width of the arcade passage
was then comprehended between the arcs and
the houses (actual Via Sottoripa).
During the XIIIth century a new service element -
the aqueduct - was leaned against the walls of
the houses of Sottoripa; in this way it became
possible to build new mezzanines at the height
of the aqueduct’s pipes.
The individuation of a consistent number of
the existent building characteristics of the
different historical phases permitted to re-
construct the progressive buildings transfor-
mation process.
The most significant elements of Ripa Maris
buildings are: building type, distributive and
functional characteristics, linguistic and stylistic
elements, technological and technical-structural
components to testify the many processes
which characterize this unitary architectonical
"organism" (urban archaeological site).
As far as the constructive and material
elements are concerned, Ripa still presents
medieval components: the ponderous
Romanesque buildings became lighter in
the XIIIth and XIVth centuries, using stone,
marble and bricks with new doors and
windows openings, whose traces are still
visible on the walls.
Image 5. Giolfi, L. Giuidotti, view of Ripa Maris buildings with Ponte Reale, Spinola e Calvi leaned to the sea-walls (1796).
Image 6. Upper left: Medieval tissue cut. Upper right: Marble Terrace Plan. Down: Plan of first and second stretch of Carlo Alberto street.
SURVEY AND DRAWING FOR CONSERVATION
74 e_conservation
In the case of the waterfront buildings, which
are the result of elementary cells aggregation,
the unifying horizontal direction plays an
important role both in the elevation alignment
and in the structural elements of the complex
image configuration of the colonnade with
unified and raised houses.
A further transformation phase took place
during the XVIIth century, with the construction
of the sea-wall (image 5).
In 1836, in front of Ripa Maris a new road was
constructed - Via Carlo Alberto – which was
considered a very important commercial street.
In fact to construct this road great cuts of the
medieval urban tissue had to be made (image
6).
The street goes from San Tomaso Door (Porta
dei Vacca) to the actual Raibetta Square, cutting
most of the medieval houses of the Waterfront
first stretch, from Porta dei Vacca to via Ponte
Calvi (lots in succession from n.1-8).
On this occasion the arcades were covered by
new palaces and part of Via Turati arcs
disappeared under the new buildings. In fact,
because of the new Raibetta Square opening in
1861, great buildings with portico have been
erected. The central part, between Via al
Ponte Calvi and De Marini square, remains
the only part with original portico.
The arcades from Via al Ponte Calvi to Vico
Giannini were restored in 1893 and in 1898 as
well as the part between Vico Giannini e Vico
Morchi in 1893 and 1903.
The restoration plan included the demolition
of the parts that covered the medieval portico,
through the recomposition of the internal and
external fronts. Archive research has brought
to light the original plan-drawings for the
painted facades of the buildings between Vico
Giannini and Vico Morchi.
Unfortunately, these painted decorations
completely disappeared, but the historical
photos (from Historic Archive of Genoa) put
into evidence the beautiful, precious facade
decorations (images 7, 8).
The typological description is aimed to put
in evidence the principal matrix courses and
the urban context through a synoptic table
about building types of Ripa Maris.
Some fronts (n. 12, 13, 16, 17, 23, and 25 to
27) are very interesting to study, the walls
stratification research being based upon the
Image 8. Plan drawings of painted facades between Vico Giannini and Vico Morchi, Historic Archive of Genoa, scale 1:100.Image 7. Historical photo, fronts n. 14-15.
GIULIA PELLEGRI
e_conservation 75
critical interpretation and application of the
“Harris Matrix” connected to the date scheme
about direct, absolute direct, absolute and
relative indirect dating.
The unification of all the found elements and
their interpretation as stratified components
help to recover information on the architec-
ture history and on the cultural development
of the environment.
The Matrix card permits to memorize all the
observed data and further, the technological
aspect permits to gather information on the
relationship between superficies, forms and
decorative elements.
As Mariette De Vos noted1, "the correct exam
of materials, techniques and findings used for
decorative facing, their geographic diffusion
and also the precise diachronic, quantitative
and qualitative estimation are necessary to
reconstruction..."
In the case of Ripa, principally there are Basis
Types which are the matrix of the typological
development of the building: one-family
building cell with one (A1) or two arcs (A2)
at the ground-floor, where the access is made
from the portico or sometimes from the lateral
front (variante d’angolo – corner variant), and
two or three original floors on the foundation
level, with reduced height from high to low
and width of the front between four and six
metres.
Generally, the principal front has a central
window, but if the stairs allow, a new slimmer
window can be added (basis type A1). For the
basis type A2, two windows are placed in axis
with the arches of the foundation. The base is
in promontory stone and the elevation part is
made in brick load-bearing wall.
The union of many basis types gives origin to
remelting (transformation of basis types into
multifamiliar-multiple buildings).
Image 9. Synoptic table of Ripa Maris Building Types:A1 Basis type (tipo-base) and Angle Variant of A1.A2 Basis type (tipo-base), Variant and Corner Variant of A2: Remeltings, remelting variants, multiple remelting.
1 Mariette De Vos, "La scheda di unità stratigrafica di rivestimento (pavimenti e decorazioni)", in Storia dalla terra. Manuale di scavo archeologico, A. Carandini, Einaudi, Torino, 1991.
Image 10. Fronts n. 25-26: Actual plan (left) and hypothetical medieval reconstruction (right)
SURVEY AND DRAWING FOR CONSERVATION
76 e_conservation
The economic growth of Genoa during the XVth
century induced a great level of urbanization
near the port, the multiple remelting being the
most frequent case of typological transforma-
tion of the medieval buildings of Ripa Maris
(Figures 9, 10).
During the centuries, different town-plans and
buildings restorations involving the waterfront
have brought the author to individuate five
principal lots. These lots differ one from the
other because of their many peculiar typologi-
cal and stylistic characteristics.
The study put in evidence the principal phases
of transformation of the single parts: the XIIIth
and XIVth centuries constructive phase, the
floors replacement, the walling up of the arches
and the opening of the XVIth and XVIIth cen-
turies rectangular windows, the remeltings
and raisings from the XIXth century and the
restoration plan of the XXth century that brought
to light the medieval pre-existences.
Images 11-13. Survey updating of fronts n.1 to 8 (upper left), Porta dei Vacca (upper right) and drawing restitutionof survey original scale 1:50 Fronts n. 1 to 8 (lower).
Waterfront’s sections
The first section of the waterfront, from Porta
dei Vacca to Vico del Serriglio, (fronts n. 1 to 8)
is completely modified because of the construc-
tion of the new road Via Carlo Alberto; the arcade
was absorbed into the new foundation of the
new palaces, but the covered arcades “Dark
Ripa” remained unaltered in matter and form.
The second lot, from Ponte Calvi to Vico Morchi
(fronts n. 9 to 17), is particularly interesting
because of the façade continuity. Here, 17
basis types have been fused into the continue
portico, presenting evident traces of the first
constructive phase: the first and second floors
have stone and brick walls and stone with white
marble arches (images 14-19).
The buildings that occupied the actual lot n. 18
were destroyed by the bombs of the Second
World War and so the original buildings were
substituted by modern buildings (images 20-22).
GIULIA PELLEGRI
e_conservation 77
Images 14-19. Survey update of fronts n. 9 to 17 (upper left), photographic images of wall facing stratifications of front n.13 (upper right) and drawing restitution of survey, original scale 1:50, fronts n. 9 to 17 (lower).
Images 20, 21. Fronts 18-19 destroyed from the bombs of the Second World War. Image 22. The new buildings.
SURVEY AND DRAWING FOR CONSERVATION
78 e_conservation
The third portion, from Vico del Serriglio to
Via al Ponte Reale (fronts n. 19 to 22), is
characterized by facades that do not have a
stylistic unity. In fact, the development traces
of remeltings, raisings and unification of
different types must be considered. Here the
portico is partially covered by the aqueduct
(images 23-25).
Image 24. Updating survey of fronts n.19 to 22.
Image 23. Drawing restitution of survey, original scale 1:50, fronts n. 19 to 22.
Image 25. West view of the fronts n. 20-21-22-23 with the original part of aqueduct.
The arcades of the fronts n. 23 to 27 have main-
tained the original medieval peculiarities: the
promontory-stone pillars of the base part, the
traces of acute arches and the facing from the
constructive phase of XIIIth and XIVth century.
Images 26, 27. Fronts n. 23-25-26-27: Matrix of Harris and dating of the wall stratification.
The fronts n. 23 (Cattaneo Adorno Palace), n. 25
and n. 26 are very interesting as far as wall
stratification analysis is concerned: the walls
present different plaster treatments and strati-
fications, making possible to read the construc-
GIULIA PELLEGRI
e_conservation 107
tive phases connected to the different wall
stratification units.
Finally, the last fronts (Via Turati) were erected
over the medieval traces. There are 4 great neo-
renaissance style buildings, with basis part with
rusticated and round arches built in 1866.
Image 28. Front n. 23
Images 29 - 31. Updating survey of fronts n. 28 to 31 (upper left), aerial photography of the Via Turati buildings (upper right) and drawing restitution of survey original scale 1:50 (lower).
Colour and Project for the Waterfront of Genoa
Fronts 1, 2, 3. Porta dei Vacca Front n. 3
SURVEY AND DRAWING FOR CONSERVATION
Colour study of the facades of Ripa Maris: fronts n. 1, 2 and 3. Colour study of the fronts n. 4, 5/6, 7 and 8. Fronts n. 9, 10 and 11. Fronts 9, 10 and 11. Colour study of the fronts n. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. Colour study of the fronts n. 19, 20, 21 and 22.
Fronts 20, 21, 22.
Fronts 5, 6.
Front 4. Fronts 12, 13.Front 8.
Fronts 16, 17.
GIULIA PELLEGRI
Colour study of the facades of Ripa Maris: fronts n. 1, 2 and 3. Colour study of the fronts n. 4, 5/6, 7 and 8. Fronts n. 9, 10 and 11. Fronts 9, 10 and 11. Colour study of the fronts n. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. Colour study of the fronts n. 19, 20, 21 and 22.
Fronts 12, 13. Via Pia in Savona
Via Pia in Savona constitutes an interesting
case from several reasons. First of all, it con-
stitutes a challenge in regard to the methodo-
logical application for the conservation of the
historical building facades, especially of the
coloured and painted facades, a typical phe-
nomenon of Liguria. On the other hand, this
historical city episode is particularly interesting
for the complexity, richness and stratification
of its valuable architectonic elements.
Contrary to the cases of coastal historical centers
with painted facades, where the architectonic
elements are all uniform, here a totally new
fact can be observed: an historical road axis
of medieval origins, with a series of evolution
building examples, that report to the various
ages, documenting the transformations of the
original medieval matrix with many different
elements of great interest. The facades are also
various in external finishes, so that the continu-
ous street wings of Pia road constitute a sole
testimony palimpsest of buildings history and
of Savona’s historical centre culture. Here,
typical characteristics are in perfect correspon-
dence with those of the Genovese historical
centre and those of Liguria culture.
On Pia road, in the sequence of the compact
buildings with crowd typology, there are still
many medieval building examples, with the
single units testified by the brick arches of the
windows and marked by the medieval hanging
arches of separation between the ground floor
and the first floor. Moreover, some of the most
interesting examples of successive transfor-
mation in the houses’ medieval arcades are
still conserved, due to the commercial
specialization of 1200.
Figure 30. Via Pia n.14 - Graffiti decoration facade.
Figures 31, 32. Photo during survey phase (left) and straightened photo and screening of contrast (right).
SURVEY AND DRAWING FOR CONSERVATION
e_conservation 81
The Renaissance fronts are characterized by the
painted facade, deduced from the contemporary
Genoa models. Some examples are particularly
significant: the palace of the Rovere-Cassinis
(n. 5), the Sormano Palace (n. 1) and the most
recent but very precious graffito example from
the beginning of the twentieth century.
The "requalification" of the fronts of Pia road
contains a more ambitious restoration plan
of a city-environmental image, based upon
an extended knowledge concerning the facades
with decorations, the materials and colours,
the state of conservation and the types of
degradation. It is planned to valorize and
conserve the building culture, which represents
in this case a stratified and rich example of
a strong and evocative medieval matrix.
Figure 33. Restoration of the facades of Via Pia in Savona, survey and graphic restitution. Intervention phases: -Photographic recognition from panoramic to detail; -Direct and indirect survey; -Drawing restitution; -Colour survey (direct); -Fronts analysis, cards: general description, architectonic - decorative - historical description; -Specifications for restoration.
Figures 34, 35, 36 and 37. Pia Street, n. 14, Savona – Digital photos of painted decoration and straightened photos and screening of contrast.
GIULIA PELLEGRI
82 e_conservation
heri
tage
in d
ange
r
Giulia Pellegri graduated at the Faculty of
Architecture of the athenaeum in Genoa in
1994 and since then she is collaborating with
the course of Survey of Architecture at the
Department of Science for Architecture (D.S.A.)
of the Faculty of Architecture in Genoa.
In 1999 she presented her PhD thesis in Re-
search in Survey and Drawing Representation
of the Architecture and Environment. Since
2001 she teaches courses in the areas of
measurement and architectonic survey at
the Faculty of Architecture. She also teaches
several other seminars at the Faculty of
Engineering in Genoa since 2003, focused
on computerized methodologies in survey,
photographic straightening and chromatic
elaborations, among others.
She develops her research at the Department
of Construction, Urban Planning and
Engineering Materials (DEUIM) of the Faculty
of Engineering in Genoa through research
conferment in 2003-04 and 2004-05 and at
the Department D.S.A. of the Faculty of
Architecture in Genoa through research
conferment in 2005-06. She also co-
supervised several degree thesis at the
Faculty of Architecture in 2006/2007.
UNIVERSITY OF GENOA – FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE,Department of Science for Architecture (D.S.A.)contact: [email protected]
GIULIA PELLEGRI
SURVEY AND DRAWING FOR CONSERVATION
e_conservation 83
heri
tage
in d
ange
rEMERGENCY AND PREVENTIVE
CONSERVATION
of Abandoned Churches in Transylvania
by PÉTER PÁL and LÓRÁND KISS
The reformed church of Nima before conservation.
e_conservation
The present paper is a contribute to the
conservation works performed on medieval
churches and abandoned or ruined buildings
on the periphery of ethnic communities, in
the light of preservation of their artistic
components (mural paintings, woodcarvings,
wooden furniture, etc.)
The emergency conservation interventions
were made by Imago Picta SRL, a conservation
enterprise that deals with the preservation
and safeguarding of endangered monuments,
research and mural paintings conservation.
Since 2004, the enterprise is focused mainly
on the conservation of church monuments in
Transylvania.
Even if our basic activities are focused on mural
paintings, we consider important to outline the
geographical, social and historical background
of the phenomenon.
Geographical and historical background
All the examined churches are geographically
located in specific regions: the Hungarian
communities, especially those of the Calvinist
Reformed religion, are displayed in Southern
Transylvania, in Alba and Hunedoara counties,
and those in northern Transylvania are
located along the Somes river, in Cluj and
Bistrita river.
The reason for the desolation of these
churches could be due to the fact that along
the course of those rivers, the population
often had to suffer the consequence of raids
more than in hidden territories of mountains
or basins.
Another group of churches is that of the
Saxon Evangelical churches. The departure of
these communities started during the
communist period and ended after the
revolution, due to their massive exodus.
These churches are located mostly in the
south of Transylvania, in Sibiu, in Brasov
County and near the Tarnava river. Another
smaller group can be found in the north of
Bistrita area.
The reformed church of Nima with a protector rooftop.
The church of Chimindia during our intervention.
ABANDONED CHURCHES IN TRANSYLVANIA
e_conservation 85
Our activity started with the research and
the emergency conservation of some of those
churches. We quickly realized that we are
facing not just a few particular cases, but a
symptom affecting larger areas. This kind of
actions require directives for a concept to
organize our work.
We acted voluntarily or partially supported by
civil organizations. This activity was meant to
compensate the lack of governmental support
in such areas. Even though there were endeavors,
until the present time no real help came from
the state.
As a first step of our long term project we
worked on the research of a few endangered
churches. This way we could estimate the size
and location of certain values and to evaluate
the priorities of the interventions.
The first priority was, no doubt, the case
of buildings left uncovered, but bearing
important works of art, such as valuable
wall paintings.
In many cases the mural painting itself was
the factor that mobilized parts of civil society,
such as foundations, and made possible the
minimal preservation for the building, like
in the case of building a roof for the church
of Chimindia.
As far as conservation is concerned, the
churches with formerly uncovered mural
painting took advantage. In most cases,
the amount of interventions did not
exceed the preventive conservation
of the monuments.
The initial state of conservation, details from the church of Ormani.
PÉTER PÁL and LÓRÁND KISS
86 e_conservation
Our leading principle was the preservation in
the light of today's conservation concepts. A
complex conservation and restoration took
place only in a few cases.
In our vision, the research and preventive
conservation of these monuments should be
followed by the creation of a documentary
database distributed to specialists, as well
as to the owners of the monuments.
Even though we are struggling to preserve and
stop the deterioration of these murals, there are
several problems exceeding our professional and
financial possibilities. Such problems include
the monitoring of the monument, its maintenance
in time and its promotion in the local and
European art history, tourism, etc.
Church of Nima, detail of mural painting under conservation.
Detail from Nima Church under conservation. The advanced biologic attack on the surface of the painting can be noticed.
e_conservation 87
ABANDONED CHURCHES IN TRANSYLVANIA
Short study of a particular case
The Reformed church of Nima – the conservation of its mural paintings
The intervention in an emergency status took
place as a request of The Reformed Church of
Transylvania in November 2006.
All started previously in the year 2003 with
a stratigraphic research of the church walls.
That time the building was a ruin with the
roof destroyed and huge vegetation growing
inside. The paintings were discovered in 1970.
Today one can see the fragments of a 14th-
15th century painted layer in the a fresco
technique, depicting a gallery of apostles
The murals on the eastern and southern walls of the church of Nima during the intervention (up) and detail of mural painting (right).
88 e_conservation
PÉTER PÁL and LÓRÁND KISS
on the three sides of the choir. On the south
wing of the exterior walls, a solar disc is visible
with roman digits, and over it an inscription
with capital characters:
The conservation
On the surface of the walls there are several
fissures. These, and the falling stones from
the superior parts of the wall, deteriorated
persistently the layer of mortars.
The mortar became friable and pulverous being
exposed to extreme weather conditions.
Biological attack is also present, with a large
surface covered by mould and fungi, affecting
the surface, especially the color layer.
The methodology was as follow:
- The transitory fixation of the dislocated
fragments of the mortar. Materials used:
Japanese paper and CMC (carboxy methyl
cellulose sodium salt);
- Clearing the surface from additional mortars,
some of them mixed with cement, and fixing
the edges of the original layer. Materials
used: lime-based mortar proportion 1/3
(washed sand with medium granulation);
Details from the southern wall of the altar in the church of Nima.
e_conservation 89
ABANDONED CHURCHES IN TRANSYLVANIA
A.D.:163.. DIE.. MAYGEORGIUS ENYEDI RECTOR SCHOLAE
NEMAINAE
- Injecting the mortar with Primal solution in
the areas endangered by fall off;
- Padding the different size holes and cracks
with an apposite material as color and
structure. Materials used: lime-based mortar
proportion 1/3 (washed sand with different
granulation according to the size of the holes);
- Cleaning the surface of the painting from
lime and impurities;
- Disinfecting the surface by spreading
Sintosept QR 15 solution. Afterwards the
surface was treated with alcoholized water;
- Impregnation of friable mortar with a
silicate based solution. This solution was
applied on the whole surface of the existing
original because of its continuous exposure
to altering weather conditions. Materials
used: Estel 100 (non-hydrophobic).
After our intervention, a protecting roof was
built over the altar with the hope that in
2008 a final rooftop will be executed. The
intervention performed is assuring for now
only the preventive conservation of these
mural paintings.
Our future aim is, besides to sensitize the
public to such cases, to attract and involve
state institutions for financial and professional
support. This way, a larger strategy could be
developed at a regional level, for the safe-
guarding of a segment of art especially
endangered that belongs to the European
heritage.
Details from the mural painting of Ormani after the conservation intervention. The still wet fillings of the lacunas can be seen.
90 e_conservation
PÉTER PÁL and LÓRÁND KISS
Pál Péter (b. 1961, Tîrgu Mures) is a conser-
vator and member of S.C. Imago Picta SRL, a
conservation enterprise that deals with the
safeguarding of endangered monuments, re-
search and conservation of mural paintings,
since 2004. He previously worked for several
conservation enterprises such as S.C. C.R. and
S.C. Ars Antiqua S.R.L, on the conservation of
the church-monuments from Daia and Chilieni
in Covasna. Currently he is also an assistant at
the Human Sciences Faculty of the Sapientia
University in Cluj, teaching "Image Interpreta-
tive Methods and Techniques". He graduated
in Monumental Art and Conservation from N.
Grigorescu Art Institute in Bucharest. He has
received several awards and grants, from the
The Union of Romanian Plastic Artists and
from Kemeny Zsigmond Cultural Institute, for
a postgraduate course in conservation at the
Direction of Historic Monuments in Budapest,
Hungary.
PÁL PÉTER
contact: [email protected]
KISS LÓRÁND
contact: [email protected]
Kiss Lóránd (b. 1973, Tîrgu Mures),
conservator, is working for S.C. Imago Picta
S.R.L. since 2004. He is also a professor at
the Arts School from Tîrgu Mures. He
graduated from the Arts School in 1991 and
followed education at the Ion Andreescu
Academy of Visual Arts from Cluj, Romania,
obtaining his degree in Graphic Arts in 1996.
He also he attended a course in conservation
from the Direction of Historic Monuments in
Budapest, Hungary, granted by the Kemeny
Zsigmond Cultural Institute. He worked in
on-site conservation projects within S.C. Ars
Antiqua S.R.L. between 1999-2004. At the
moment his activity at Imago Picta is
focused on emergency interventions and
preservation of abandoned monuments
from Transylvania.
Two layers from different time periods on the southern wall of the church in Chimindia.
e_conservation 91
ABANDONED CHURCHES IN TRANSYLVANIA
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No. 4, April 2008
ISSN: 1646-9283
Registration Number125248
Entidade Reguladorapara a Comunicação Social
Propertye-conservationline, Teodora Poiata
PeriodicityBimonthly
CoverPhoto by Rui Bordalo
Mural Painting (1534), Church of"St. John the New" Monastery in Suceava, Romania
Executive EditorRui Bordalo
EditorsTeodora Poiata, Anca Nicolaescu
Collaborator:Anca Dina
Graphic Design and PhotographyAnca Poiata, Radu Matase
ExecutionTeodora Poiata
Address Rua Peixinho Júnior, nº 9, 1 D
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