Cultural heritage conservation

Lahanier et al. Cited in Janssens K (2005) A survey of the recent use of X-ray beam methods for non-destructive investigations in the cultural heritage sector, Cultural Heritage Conservation and Environment Impact Assessment by Non-Destructive Testing and Micro-analysis, Van Grieken R, Janssens K (Eds) AA Balkema Publishers, London, pp. 265-308. 

The book has been structured into roughly three parts. First (Chap. 1), an overview of analytical methods applied in the study of cultural goods is presented to situate electrochemical methods in their analytical context. The second part contains voltammetric methods devoted to the identification (Chap. 2), speciation (Chap. 3), and quantitation (Chap. 4) of microsample components from works of art and/or cultural and archaeological pieces. The third part of the book presents selected examples of the deterioration of metal artifacts, outlining aspects peculiar to the cultural heritage conservation field (Chap. 5), and describes hisforic and current issues regarding electrochemical techniques used in restoration treatments and preventive conservation (Chap. 6). 

Surface parameters are also used in research in forensics, physical anthropology, archeology, and cultural heritage conservation. 

The conservation of cultural heritage is a particular field where the use of nondestructive characterization methods is mandatory, considering the uniqueness of the objects under study. Even in cases where sampling of tiny volumes is allowed, non-destructive testing offers the possibility of applying complementary techniques to obtain more information on one specific sample. In this section we focus on the application of the described profiling technique to study paintings. The... 

Fernandes, P. (2006), Applied microbiology and biotechnology in the conservation of stone cultural heritage materials, App. Microbio. Biotech. 73, 291-296. 

Art conservation, particularly painting restoration, is an important endeavor to preserve our cultural heritage and maintain the aesthetic value of an artistic piece. Chemical reactions occurring on a microscopic level are the origin of the macroscopic changes that we observe as ageing. 

Bussotti L., Castellucci E., Matteini M., The Micro-Raman Technique in the Studies for the Conservation of Art Works Identification of Lakes in Paints, Science and Technology for Cultural Heritage 1996 5 (1) 13. 

There are a huge number of applications of GC/MS to lipid analysis in cultural heritage reported in the literature. Lipid characterization, together with the study of lipid degradation processes, is an important research area in conservation science [1 31]. 

C.Urzi, Microbes and Art the Role of Microbial Communities in the Degradation and Protection of Cultural Heritage A Report on the International Conference on Microbiology and Conservation, Environmental Microbiology, 1, 551 553 (1999). 

R. Arbizzani, U. Casellato, E. Fiorin, L. Nodarib, U. Russob, P.A. Vigato, Decay Markers for the Preventative Conservation and Maintenance of Paintings, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 5, 167 182(2004). 

S. Bianchin, U. Casellato, M. Favaro, P.A. Vigato, Painting Technique and State of Conservation of Wall Paintings at Qusayr Amra, Amman, Jordan, Journal of Cultural Heritage, 8, 289 293 (2007). 

The development of scientific procedures that are able to use very minute samples (a few micrograms), together with the increased availability of advanced analytical instrumentation, have led to great interest in the chemical study of materials used in cultural heritage. This has given rise to a sharp increase in research studies at the interface between art, archaeology, chemistry and the material sciences. As a result, successful multidisciplinary collaborations have flourished among researchers in museums, conservation institutions, universities and scientific laboratories. 

With careful selection of the combination of starting alkoxides and appropriate synthesis conditions, silica-based sol-gel technology is now widely applied to the conservation of art objects and cultural heritage. For example, a hybrid sol-gel coating protects the fourteenth-century... 

Application of scientific methods to archaeometry and the conservation of cultural heritage is carefully carried out to ensure that the methods chosen are in line with the purposes of the research. According to Lahanier [5], methods currently available are classified into three categories ... 

Kulicki J (1991) Use of thermography as an investigatory method in conservation research outhne of problems in science, technology, and European cultural heritage proceedings of the European symposium, Bologna, 13-16 June, Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers, 566-570. 

Antonio Domenech-Carb6 (Valencia, 1953) holds a PhD in Chemistry (University of Valencia, 1989) and is currently a Professor in the Department of Analytical Chemistry of the University of Valencia (Spain). His research is focused on supramolecular electrochemistry, electrochemistry of porous nanostmctured materials, and electroanalytical methods applied to the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage, as well as educational problems in science teaching. He has published more than 150 articles in scientific journals and monographs. He was a recipient of the Demetrio Ribes award (Valencian Regional Government) in 2006. 

This paper reviews studies of fluorine in artefacts of cultural heritage and archaeology. F is an element which is omnipresent in water and soil environments. It can be incorporated into archaeological artefacts such as bones or flints in different ways during their burial, depending on geochemical conditions and artefact conservation states. 

Other important products include radiation cross-linked foamed polyethylene which is used for thermal insulation, floor mats, crash padding, floating jackets, and wood/plastic composites cured by gamma irradiation. These have been used successfully for flooring in places such as department stores, airports, hotels, and churches where their excellent abrasion resistance, the beauty of the natural grain, and low maintenance costs are important. This latter technique is also being used in the conservation of objects made of stone and wood of interest to our cultural heritage. 

Wacker-Chemie, Conserving a Cultural Heritage (Ed. Wacker-Chemie GmbH), Munich, 1997, p. 1-180. 

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