David Miller

Narayan Khandekar

Dusan Stulik

Herant Khanjian

Janice Carlson

Richard Wolbers

W. Christian Petersen

The cleaning of a work of art often involves removing not only dirt and grime but also unwanted layers of varnish, gilding, and paint from the work's surface. The challenge for conservators lies in finding a cleaning agent that will act on one layer without affecting the layer being preserved and without leaving any harmful residues on the cleaned work. This book, which examines gel cleaning in the treatment of paintings and painted works of art, presents the methodologies, data, and results of a collaborative project of the Getty Conservation Institute and Winterthur Museum. Among the issues covered are the theory and application of gel cleaning systems, the detection of residues left on the surfaces of objects cleaned with these systems, research into solvent-gel and solvent residues, stability of surfactants during natural and artificial aging, and recommendations for formulating gels for specific cleaning tasks.

The Residue Question

Solvent Gels for the Cleaning of Works of Art

Michele R. Derrick

James M. Landry

This book provides practical information on the use of infrared (IR) spectroscopy for the analysis of materials found in cultural objects. Designed for scientists and students in the fields of archaeology, art conservation, microscopy, forensics, chemistry, and optics, the book discusses techniques for examining the microscopic amounts of complex, aged components in objects such as paintings, sculptures, and archaeological fragments. Chapters include the history of infrared spectroscopy, the basic parameters of infrared absorption theory, IR instrumentation, analysis methods, sample collection and preparation, and spectra interpretation. The authors cite several case studies, such as examinations of Chumash Indian paints and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Institute’s Tools for Conservation series provides practical scientific procedures and methodologies for the practice of conservation. The series is specifically directed to conservation scientists, conservators, and technical experts in related fields.

Infrared Spectroscopy in Conservation Science

Dusan Stulik

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