This paper discusses field tests developed by the Getty Conservation Institute to evaluate inject... more This paper discusses field tests developed by the Getty Conservation Institute to evaluate injection grouts for comparison and quality control of materials and mixtures. Field test methods discussed include injection with syringe, flow with syringe, expansion and bleeding, wet density, drying shrinkage, and final setting time. Four commercial grouts and an ICCROM grout with four modified versions were tested to demonstrate the use, effectiveness, and limitations of these field tests. Field test methods for comparative evaluation of lime-based hydraulic injection grouts for the conservation of architectural surfaces
Authors: Giancarlo Buzzanca, Gaetano Palumbo, Leslie Rainer, Mitchell Hearns Bishop The scandal t... more Authors: Giancarlo Buzzanca, Gaetano Palumbo, Leslie Rainer, Mitchell Hearns Bishop The scandal that Siqueiros unleashed when he painted a mural entitled Tropical America with a highly revolutionary theme in downtown Los Angeles, only died down when the mural was plastered over. In recent years the mural has been uncovered, and the aim now is to make it visible once again through documentation and conservation. A team made up of GCI experts supported by an ICR specilist has developed in situ documentation techniques, based on digital photography, which have enabled the restorers to compile the condition report directly on site. This procedure is the result of experience gained at ICCROM and ICR and has evolved in an entirely original manner making use of GIS software and programming techniques. It demonstrates the need for data recording procedures that are regulated, standardised, repetable and cost-efficient.
In Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, and other archaeological sites destroyed by the 79 AD eruption... more In Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, and other archaeological sites destroyed by the 79 AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, in large areas of the wall paintings, the original paint has suffered from the high temperature reached because of the hot lapilli fall, the hot gases, or the hot pyroclastic/mud flow, depending on the distance from the volcano. This has produced visible changes in the color of the pigments. The most well-known case is the conversion of yellow goethite to red hematite, causing extensive yellow background panels of many frescoes to turn red [1]. This transformation has been studied as an effect of heat, both as an unintentional result of fire, and as traditionally practiced by artists and craftsmen to intentionally calcine yellow ochre to achieve a broader palette. The induced phase transition can actually be observed directly under the Raman laser beam if the laser energy is not properly controlled [2]. This poses the interesting question of recognizing what was origina...
Ochre-based pigments have been employed since the first artistic expressions of mankind, with wid... more Ochre-based pigments have been employed since the first artistic expressions of mankind, with widespread diffusion during the Roman civilization. Such prominent use influenced their technological development, focused on functional and aesthetic optimization through complex manufacturing procedures. Furthermore, their appearance is also influenced by degradation processes, sometimes driven by natural disasters such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, in which yellow ochres of Vesuvian sites were sometimes converted to red by thermal alteration. In this contribution, a multi-analytical approach was adopted based on preliminary non-invasive investigations complemented by laboratory analyses to characterize the painted surfaces of the tablinum of the House of the Bicentenary (Herculaneum) with a particular focus on the ochre-based monochrome backgrounds. The study was aimed at (a) reconstructing the original color scheme of the walls and (b) deciphering the complex decorative te...
The conservation of the architectural surfaces in the tablinum of the House of the Bicentenary at... more The conservation of the architectural surfaces in the tablinum of the House of the Bicentenary at the ancient Roman site of Herculaneum is a collaborative project of the Getty Conservation Institute, the Herculaneum Conservation Project and the Soprintendenza Pompeii. The tablinum was selected as a case study given the significance, beauty, and severe deterioration of its decorated surfaces. A multi-disciplinary team with a wide range of expertise, comprised of conservators, chemists, geo-physicists, engineers, and conservation scientists, worked in partnership across a number of institutions with the objective to study the wall paintings in the tablinum. Scientists and conservators worked together to test the feasibility of portable techniques and in situ investigations to better understand Roman painting technology; identify previous restoration materials; determine the presence of alteration products; and characterize deterioration mechanisms commonly found on architectural surfa...
... Slater of the National Park Service at Bandelier National Monument was an essential liaison f... more ... Slater of the National Park Service at Bandelier National Monument was an essential liaison for the media session and the postcolloquium tour. ... 1993) Parts of the Balkuwara Palace (Creswell 1940: 265-70; Leisten 2003: 69-71, 81-104) The Qasr al-Ashiq (Creswell 1940: 361 ...
This paper discusses field tests developed by the Getty Conservation Institute to evaluate inject... more This paper discusses field tests developed by the Getty Conservation Institute to evaluate injection grouts for comparison and quality control of materials and mixtures. Field test methods discussed include injection with syringe, flow with syringe, expansion and bleeding, wet density, drying shrinkage, and final setting time. Four commercial grouts and an ICCROM grout with four modified versions were tested to demonstrate the use, effectiveness, and limitations of these field tests. Field test methods for comparative evaluation of lime-based hydraulic injection grouts for the conservation of architectural surfaces
Authors: Giancarlo Buzzanca, Gaetano Palumbo, Leslie Rainer, Mitchell Hearns Bishop The scandal t... more Authors: Giancarlo Buzzanca, Gaetano Palumbo, Leslie Rainer, Mitchell Hearns Bishop The scandal that Siqueiros unleashed when he painted a mural entitled Tropical America with a highly revolutionary theme in downtown Los Angeles, only died down when the mural was plastered over. In recent years the mural has been uncovered, and the aim now is to make it visible once again through documentation and conservation. A team made up of GCI experts supported by an ICR specilist has developed in situ documentation techniques, based on digital photography, which have enabled the restorers to compile the condition report directly on site. This procedure is the result of experience gained at ICCROM and ICR and has evolved in an entirely original manner making use of GIS software and programming techniques. It demonstrates the need for data recording procedures that are regulated, standardised, repetable and cost-efficient.
In Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, and other archaeological sites destroyed by the 79 AD eruption... more In Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, and other archaeological sites destroyed by the 79 AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, in large areas of the wall paintings, the original paint has suffered from the high temperature reached because of the hot lapilli fall, the hot gases, or the hot pyroclastic/mud flow, depending on the distance from the volcano. This has produced visible changes in the color of the pigments. The most well-known case is the conversion of yellow goethite to red hematite, causing extensive yellow background panels of many frescoes to turn red [1]. This transformation has been studied as an effect of heat, both as an unintentional result of fire, and as traditionally practiced by artists and craftsmen to intentionally calcine yellow ochre to achieve a broader palette. The induced phase transition can actually be observed directly under the Raman laser beam if the laser energy is not properly controlled [2]. This poses the interesting question of recognizing what was origina...
Ochre-based pigments have been employed since the first artistic expressions of mankind, with wid... more Ochre-based pigments have been employed since the first artistic expressions of mankind, with widespread diffusion during the Roman civilization. Such prominent use influenced their technological development, focused on functional and aesthetic optimization through complex manufacturing procedures. Furthermore, their appearance is also influenced by degradation processes, sometimes driven by natural disasters such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, in which yellow ochres of Vesuvian sites were sometimes converted to red by thermal alteration. In this contribution, a multi-analytical approach was adopted based on preliminary non-invasive investigations complemented by laboratory analyses to characterize the painted surfaces of the tablinum of the House of the Bicentenary (Herculaneum) with a particular focus on the ochre-based monochrome backgrounds. The study was aimed at (a) reconstructing the original color scheme of the walls and (b) deciphering the complex decorative te...
The conservation of the architectural surfaces in the tablinum of the House of the Bicentenary at... more The conservation of the architectural surfaces in the tablinum of the House of the Bicentenary at the ancient Roman site of Herculaneum is a collaborative project of the Getty Conservation Institute, the Herculaneum Conservation Project and the Soprintendenza Pompeii. The tablinum was selected as a case study given the significance, beauty, and severe deterioration of its decorated surfaces. A multi-disciplinary team with a wide range of expertise, comprised of conservators, chemists, geo-physicists, engineers, and conservation scientists, worked in partnership across a number of institutions with the objective to study the wall paintings in the tablinum. Scientists and conservators worked together to test the feasibility of portable techniques and in situ investigations to better understand Roman painting technology; identify previous restoration materials; determine the presence of alteration products; and characterize deterioration mechanisms commonly found on architectural surfa...
... Slater of the National Park Service at Bandelier National Monument was an essential liaison f... more ... Slater of the National Park Service at Bandelier National Monument was an essential liaison for the media session and the postcolloquium tour. ... 1993) Parts of the Balkuwara Palace (Creswell 1940: 265-70; Leisten 2003: 69-71, 81-104) The Qasr al-Ashiq (Creswell 1940: 361 ...
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