The work of the conservator demands both the highest standards of craftsmanship and extensive knowledge, and has its own specialist vocabulary. On this page you’ll find explanations of the terms, processes and methods used in the descriptions of conservation work.
- Saturation (of varnish surfaces)
- Aged and degraded varnish layers can be regenerated with subsequent applications of thinned, solvent based coatings.
- Delamination
- Delamination refers to the seperation of two layers from one another, due to loss of adhesion.
- Lining
- Reinforcing a degraded or damaged original canvas through the attachment of a second canvas with various forms of adhesives under pressure, heat or both.
- Thread-by-thread tear mending
- This conservation technique allows the repair of tears in a fabric support by reconnecting severed threads. Missing thread sections are replaced with new threads and rewoven according to the original weave pattern.
- Varnish
- Transparent coating that lies over the final paint layer. The varnish gives the painting gloss and depth (saturation) as well as a certain protection against mechanical abrasion. In addition to earlier oil and egg white varnishes, typical formulations in the past centuries have consisted of a resin component (mastic or dammar) and a volatile solvent (e.g. turpentine oil). Synthetic resin varnishes have also been used since the 20th century.
- Insert
- A selected piece of fabric with similar qualities of construction to be inserted into the loss of an existing textile support.
- Filling
- Filling of losses in the ground and/or paint layer, usually with a mixture of chalk and animal glue.
- Paint layer compression
- Through shrinkage of the painting support, the edges of cracks compress into onanother and deform upwards, sometimes delaminating completely.
- Retouching
- Structural and chromatic integration of losses.
INVESTIGATIVE METHODS AND ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE
- Lead isotope analysis
- The analysis of lead isotopes from a paint sample is used for determining the geographic provenance of lead. The results provide information about the source of the lead used for the production of lead white.
- Gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC/MS)
- Gas chromatography with mass spectroscopy is a technique that enables the identification of binding mediums present in a specific sample. This technique yields precise identification of drying oils, waxes, protein-containing glues and natural resins.
- Infrared reflectography (IRR)
- Examination method that uses reflected infrared radiation to visualise carbon-based underdrawings beneath the paint layer.
- Raking light photography
- Photographic documentation with light source positioned at an acute angle (usually from the upper left) across the surface of the painting, accentuating any deformations in the paintsurface.
- X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF)
- XRF is a non-destructive method for analysing pigments. With the help of X-rays, the elemental composition of the paint layer can be analysed within a measuring point of approx. 1 sq.mm.
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