Articles

NaCl-related weathering of stone: the importance of kinetics and salt mixtures in environmental risk assessment

Salt weathering is one of the most important causes of deterioration in the built environment. Two crucial aspects need further investigation to understand the processes and find suitable measures: the impact ...

Authors: Sebastiaan Godts, Scott Allan Orr, Julie Desarnaud, Michael Steiger, Katrin Wilhelm, Hilde De Clercq, Veerle Cnudde and Tim De Kock

Correlation between the cracking pattern of historical structure and soil properties: the case of the church in Kożuchów

The paper presents a diagnosis of damage to heritage structures based on the case of the historic church in Kożuchów. The Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary dates back to the thirteenth cent...

Authors: Krzysztof Raszczuk and Anna Karolak

Design and validation of tailored colour reference charts for monitoring cultural heritage degradation

Colour changes of cultural heritage objects can be related with degradation of materials, thus a proper colour monitoring system can be used to detect conservation problems. With this purpose, a monitoring met...

Authors: Blanca Ramírez Barat, Emilio Cano, María Teresa Molina, Miguel Antonio Barbero-Álvarez, Juan Antonio Rodrigo and José Manuel Menéndez

Aiding the cleaning of four 19th-century Tsimshian house posts: investigation of museum-applied surface coatings and original polychromy

The collection of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, includes a set of four elaborately painted 19th-century Tsimshian house posts that have been on continuous open display for more than a centu...

Authors: Federica Pozzi, Elena Basso, Samantha Alderson, Judith Levinson, Madeleine Neiman and Soraya Alcalá

Colorimetry to assess the visual impact of dust deposition on mosaics at sheltered archaeological sites

One of the most important alteration factors for archaeological sites is the deposition of dust, primarily onto horizontal surfaces, because it affects both the conservation state of the remains and their appe...

Authors: Cristina Cabello Briones, Santiago Mayorga Pinilla, Daniel Vázquez Moliní and Antonio Álvarez Fernández-Balbuena

The rediscovery of an Adoration of the Shepherds by Jacques Jordaens: a multidisciplinary approach combining dendroarchaeology and art history

The implementation of multidisciplinary research approaches is an essential prerequisite to obtain comprehensive insights into the life and works of the old masters and their timeline in the production of the ...

Authors: Johannes Edvardsson, Andrea Seim, Justin Davies and Joost Vander Auwera

Correction to: A new method for the conservation of ancient colored paintings on ramie textiles

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Jiaojiao Liu, Yuhu Li, Daodao Hu, Huiping Xing, Xiaolian Chao, Jing Cao and Zhihui Jia

Technical examination of Liu Kang’s Paris and Shanghai painting supports (1929–1937)

This article presents an overview of Liu Kang’s (1911–2004) canvas painting supports from his early artistic phases, Paris (1929–1932) and Shanghai (1932–1937). The research was conducted on 55 artworks from t...

Authors: Damian Lizun, Teresa Kurkiewicz and Bogusław Szczupak

Scratching the surface: the use of sheepskin parchment to deter textual erasure in early modern legal deeds

Historic legal deeds are one of the most abundant resources in British archives, but also one of the most neglected. Despite the millions that survive, we know remarkably little about their manufacture, includ...

Authors: Sean Paul Doherty, Stuart Henderson, Sarah Fiddyment, Jonathan Finch and Matthew J. Collins

Fungal communities in the biofilms colonizing the basalt sculptures of the Leizhou Stone Dogs and assessment of a conservation measure

The Leizhou Peninsula in China is very famous for its unique folk art creation, especially for the stonework, like the basalt sculptures of the Leizhou Stone Dogs, which have a history of more than two thousan...

Authors: Yali Wang, Huan Zhang, Xiaobo Liu, Xiaoqing Liu and Wei Song

Statistics of the early synthetic dye industry

From the invention of Perkin’s Mauve in 1856, to publication of the first edition of the Colour Index in 1924, more than 1200 synthetic organic colourants were introduced. Some achieved commercial success, while ...

Authors: Eric Hagan and Jennifer Poulin

Characterization of seventeenth century papers from Valvasor's collection of the Zagreb Archdiocese

Valvasor's library is a unique example of a Seventeenth century personal library, including over 7300 prints and 1530 books. Today, it is kept in the Metropolitan Library of the Zagreb Archdiocese which is par...

Authors: Andreja Dragojević, Diana Gregor-Svetec, Jedert Vodopivec Tomažič and Branka Lozo

Preliminary photographs and improved positives: discovering the New York Public Library’s Arctic Exploration album

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, original photographs were sent to publishers so that they could be reproduced in print. The photographs often needed to be reworked with overpainting and masking, and...

Authors: Elena Basso, Federica Pozzi, Jessica Keister and Elizabeth Cronin

Organic colorants based on lac dye and brazilwood as markers for a chronology and geography of medieval scriptoria: a chemometrics approach

This work presents the first proof of concept for the use of molecular fluorescence signatures in medieval colours based on lac dye and brazilwood lake pigments. These two important medieval dyes were tested a...

Authors: Paula Nabais, Maria J. Melo, João A. Lopes, Márcia Vieira, Rita Castro and Aldo Romani

Composition and origins of decorated glass from Umayyad Cordoba (Spain)

Recent archaeological excavations carried out in the western suburbs of Cordoba (Spain) brought to light numerous fragments of archaeological glass from the caliphal period (929–1031 CE). The typological and c...

Authors: Jorge De Juan Ares, Yasmina Cáceres Gutiérrez, Maudilio Moreno Almenara and Nadine Schibille

Restoration method of sootiness mural images based on dark channel prior and Retinex by bilateral filter

Environmental changes and human activities can cause serious degradation of murals, where sootiness is one of the most common problems of ancient Chinese indoor murals. In order to improve the visual quality o...

Authors: Ning Cao, Shuqiang Lyu, Miaole Hou, Wanfu Wang, Zhenhua Gao, Ahmed Shaker and Youqiang Dong

A pilot study of solvent-based cleaning of yellow ochre oil paint: effect on mechanical properties

Nanoindentation and dynamic mechanical analysis were used to measure changes in the surface and bulk mechanical properties of Winsor & Newton Yellow Ochre oil paint films following exposure to deionized water,...

Authors: Ashley Amanda Freeman, Judith Lee, Cecil Krarup Andersen, Naoki Fujisawa, Michał Łukomski and Bronwyn Ormsby

Architectural ruins: geoculture of the anatomy of buildings as illustrated by Casa Ippolito, Malta

Ruins are a statement on the building materials used and the construction method employed. Casa Ippolito, now in ruins, is typical of 17th-century Maltese aristocratic country residences. It represents an illu...

Authors: Lino Bianco

The formation of formates: a review of metal formates on heritage objects

Metal formates sometimes occur as degradation products on heritage objects due to the use of wood products or other sources of formic acid and formaldehyde. They are often related to alkaline surfaces which tr...

Authors: Gerhard Eggert and Andrea Fischer

Close up to the surface: reflections on a preliminary forensic study of four Chinese bronze mirrors

This article presents a generic, objective and evidence based forensic study of 4 very different Chinese bronze mirrors. The work was done within the Architectural Conservation Laboratory (ACLab), the Departme...

Authors: Jiafang Liang and Quentin Parker

Highly sensitive terahertz non‐destructive testing technology for stone relics deterioration prediction using SVM-based machine learning models

The hollowing deterioration of stone relics required effective non-destructive testing (NDT) methods for their timely restoration and maintenance. To this end, a new NDT method based on terahertz (THz) technol...

Authors: Tianhua Meng, Rong Huang, Yuhe Lu, Hongmei Liu, Jianguang Ren, Guozhong Zhao and Weidong Hu

Correction to: Investigations of the relics and altar materials relating to the apostles St James and St Philip at the Basilica dei Santi XII Apostoli in Rome

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Kaare Lund Rasmussen, Johannes van der Plicht, Jacopo La Nasa, Erika Ribechini, Maria Perla Colombini, Thomas Delbey, Lilian Skytte, Simone Schiavone, Ulla Kjær, Poul Grinder-Hansen and Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta

A transparent dialogue between iconography and chemical characterisation: a set of foreign stained glasses in Portugal

This work presents the first results of the iconographic study and analytical characterisation of a set of four stained-glass panels that are part of the collection of National Palace of Pena (Sintra, Portugal...

Authors: Alexandra Rodrigues, Mathilda Coutinho, Andreia Machado, Bruno A. Martinho, Luís Cerqueira Alves, Maria Filomena Macedo and Márcia Vilarigues

The microstructure of multicolor hare’s fur glaze: the correlation between morphological and compositional characteristics and glaze color

The hare’s fur glazed Jian wares characterized by radial fur-like strips, as one of the typical representatives of Chinese ceramics in the 10th-13th century (A.D.), were famous for the aesthetic values in high...

Authors: Ming Guan, Baoqiang Kang, Xiangjun Wei, Gen Li, Cui Jia, He Li, Yinzhong Ding and Yong Lei

Imaging spectroscopies to characterize a 13th century Japanese handscroll, The Miraculous Interventions of Jizō Bosatsu

Scientific imaging of a large fragile work of art can be especially challenging, but especially rewarding to better grasp the complexity and changes that have occurred during its creation and lifetime. Here, n...

Authors: Matthew L. Clarke, Francesca Gabrieli, Kathryn L. Rowberg, Andrew Hare, Jiro Ueda, Blythe McCarthy and John K. Delaney

Validation of passive samplers for monitoring of acetic and formic acid in museum environments

Acetic acid and formic acid are volatile pollutants leading to degradation of some heritage materials. They are usually determined in museum environments with various types of passive samplers. In this work, S...

Authors: Ida Kraševec, Eva Menart, Matija Strlič and Irena Kralj Cigić

Correction to: First insights into the archaeometric analysis of the Los Amores Mosaic in Cástulo (Linares, Spain): the Judgement of Paris

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Authors: Alberto Sánchez, José Tuñón, Manuel Montejo, Pilar Amate, Bautista Ceprián, Anastasia Rousaki, Mafalda Costa, Delphine Saelens, Sylvia Lycke and Peter Vandenabeele

Geo-environmental monitoring and 3D finite elements stability analysis for site investigation of underground monuments. Horemheb tomb (KV57), Luxor, Egypt

The Valley of the Kings (KV) is a UNESCO world heritage site with more than thirty opened tombs. Since the first tombs were constructed, at least 24 historical flash flood events has been identified, each of w...

Authors: Sayed Hemeda

In situ acoustic analysis of two twentieth-century heritage carillons

Carillons are a diverse and global form of musical and civic heritage: musical instruments comprised of a series of 23 or more bells, typically hung in a tower-like structure, tuned chromatically and played fr...

Authors: Scott Allan Orr

Altered identity: fleeting colors and obscured surfaces in Van Gogh’s Landscapes in Paris, Arles, and Saint-Rémy

The Thannhauser Collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, represents an important survey of European avant-garde art production during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among the works in...

Authors: Federica Pozzi, Elena Basso, Silvia A. Centeno, Louisa M. Smieska, Nobuko Shibayama, Roy Berns, Megan Fontanella and Lena Stringari

A new method for the conservation of ancient colored paintings on ramie textiles

Textiles are valuable cultural heritage items that are susceptible to several degradation processes due to their sensitive nature, such as the case of ancient ma colored-paintings. Therefore, it is important t...

Authors: Jiaojiao Liu, Yuhu Li, Daodao Hu, Huiping Xing, Xiaolian Chao, Jing Cao and Zhihui Jia

Investigations of the relics and altar materials relating to the apostles St James and St Philip at the Basilica dei Santi XII Apostoli in Rome

Two types of materials were sampled as part of an investigation of the relics of the Holy Catholic Church of the Apostles St Philip and St James in the Basilica dei Santi Apostoli in Rome: bone- and mummy-mate...

Authors: Kaare Lund Rasmussen, Johannes van der Plicht, Jacopo La Nasa, Erika Ribechini, Maria Perla Colombini, Thomas Delbey, Lilian Skytte, Simone Schiavone, Ulla Kjær, Poul Grinder-Hansen and Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta

Craftsmanship and materials: painted Bodhisattva sculptures in the Fengguo Temple dated to the year 1020 in Yi County, Northeast China

As a royal temple, the Fengguo Temple has profound historical, artistic, scientific and social values. With a thousand-year history, it is one of the three existing temples of the Liao Dynasty in China. Now th...

Authors: Jiahang Song, Wei Xiang, Shaojun Yan, Weiqiang Zhou and Linyan Ma

Strengthening of masonry rings with composite materials

The paper presents the results of experimental testing of six masonry rings built to technical scale and strengthened with CFRP strips and sheets and also with an FRCM system with PBO, glass, basalt and carbon...

Authors: Jerzy Jasieńko, Krzysztof Raszczuk, Piotr Frąckiewicz, Kajetan Kleszcz and Łukasz Bednarz

Studying a 2 millennia old bronze kettle using easily accessible characterization techniques

A bronze kettle dating from the 1st to 2nd century was found in a riverbed of the Kupa river in Croatia. After excavation it spent another 50 years in a depot of a museum in atmospheric conditions prior to sta...

Authors: Marta Kotlar, Nives Matijaković Mlinarić, Vladan Desnica and Katarina Marušić

Guangzhou Tongcao painting in late China Qing Dynasty (1840–1912 AD): technology revealed by analytical approaches

Guangzhou Tongcao paintings in Qing Dynasty of China witnessed the exchange of economy, culture, art and technology between China and foreign countries, which were an important export product in historical China....

Authors: Chan Zhang, Jianbin Huang, Tiequan Zhu and Rongling Zhang

First insights into the archaeometric analysis of the Los Amores Mosaic in Cástulo (Linares, Spain): the Judgement of Paris

This paper discusses results obtained from in situ analysis of the tesserae of the Roman mosaic of Los Amores (Cástulo site, Linares, Spain) dating back to the turn of the 1st to the 2nd century AD. Specifical...

Authors: Alberto Sánchez, José Tuñón, Manuel Montejo, Pilar Amate, Bautista Ceprián, Anastasia Rousaki, Mafalda Costa, Delphine Saelens, Sylvia Lycke and Peter Vandenabeele

Influence of grass lawns on the summer thermal environment and microclimate of heritage sites: a case study of Fuling mausoleum, China

The thermal environment and microclimate of heritage sites has been severely impacted by rapid urbanization. This study collected various meteorological measurement data as a reference for computational fluid ...

Authors: Xiaoyu Wang, Peng Liu and Gongwen Xu

Restoration of non-structural damaged murals in Shenzhen Bao’an based on a generator–discriminator network

Shenzhen is a modern metropolis, but it hides a variety of valuable cultural heritage, such as ancient murals. How to effectively preserve and repair the murals is a worthy of discussion question. Here, we pro...

Authors: Jiao Li, Huan Wang, Zhiqin Deng, Mingtao Pan and Honghai Chen

Nanorestart: Nanomaterials for the restoration of works of art

Authors: P. Baglioni, D. Chelazzi and R. Giorgi

Effects of sticky rice addition on the properties of lime-tile dust mortars

The present study focused on the characteristics of lime-tile dust mortars with sticky rice addition, which were prepared according to historic Chinese accounts. Results showed that addition of sticky rice int...

Authors: Kun Zhang, Ying Sui, Liqin Wang, Fude Tie, Fuwei Yang, Yan Liu and Yue Zhang

The interaction of water with archaeological and ethnographic birch bark and its effects on swelling, shrinkage and deformations

The aim of this study is to gain specific information on the water vapour interaction with archaeological and ethnographic birch bark. Water is involved in a number of curative and preventive conservation meas...

Authors: Johanna Klügl and Giovanna Di Pietro

Analytical study of Buddha sculptures in Jingyin temple of Taiyuan, China

With exquisite design and unique style, the painted sculptures of Tutang Buddha and two attendants Buddha in Jingyin Temple are precious cultural heritages of China. The sculpture of Tutang Buddha, which was c...

Authors: Xiaojian Bai, Chen Jia, Zhigen Chen, Yuxuan Gong, Huwei Cheng and Jiayue Wang

Soot removal from ancient Egyptian complex painted surfaces using a double network gel: empirical tests on the ceiling of the sanctuary of Osiris in the temple of Seti I—Abydos

In this study, we evaluated the ease of removal of soot layers from ancient wall paintings by employing double network gels as a controllable and safe cleaning method. The ceiling of the temple of Seti I (Abyd...

Authors: Ehab Al-Emam, Abdel Ghafour Motawea, Joost Caen and Koen Janssens

The chemical composition and manufacturing technology of glass beads excavated from the Hetian Bizili site, Xinjiang

The Hetian Bizili site in Lop County, located on the southern route of the Silk Road in Xinjiang, China, was a trade and cultural hub between the East and the West in ancient times. In 2016, a large number of ...

Authors: Dong Wang, Rui Wen, Julian Henderson, Xingjun Hu and Wenying Li

Formation of zinc oxalate from zinc white in various oil binding media: the influence of atmospheric carbon dioxide by reaction with ¹³CO₂

The formation of metal oxalates in paintings has recently gained a great deal of interest within the field of heritage science as several types of oxalate compounds have been identified in oil paintings. The p...

Authors: Kim Pilkjær Simonsen, Josephine Niemann Poulsen, Frederik Vanmeert, Morten Ryhl-Svendsen, Jesper Bendix, Jana Sanyova, Koen Janssens and Francisco Mederos-Henry

Discovery of Vespasiano Bignami paintings at the National Theatre of Costa Rica through technical photography and UV–Vis spectroscopy

Establishing and understanding large format paintings are key to provide accurate information about the artist’s palette and developing conservation strategies. Therefore, investigating the artworks of a popul...

Authors: Geraldine Conejo-Barboza, Eduardo Libby, Carmen Marín and O. A. Herrera-Sancho

Plasticiser loss in heritage collections: its prevalence, cause, effect, and methods for analysis

Plasticiser loss is a topic frequently mentioned in discussions on the degradation of plastic artefacts in museum collections, particularly for plasticised poly (vinyl chloride) and cellulose acetate. Plastici...

Authors: Rose King, Josep Grau-Bové and Katherine Curran

Integrated analytical approach to unveil the secrets of the recently discovered “Sphinx Room”: a new piece of Domus Aurea puzzle

The recent discovery of the Sphinx Room, belonging to the Domus Aurea Esquiline wing, thanks to the framework given by the project “Non-destructive analytical studies at Parco Archeologico del Colosseo (Rome, Ita...

Authors: Maria Cristina Caggiani, Alessia Coccato, Paolo Mazzoleni, Alessandro D’Alessio, Alfonsina Russo and Germana Barone

Revealing the organic dye and mordant composition of Paracas textiles by a combined analytical approach

The object of this study is a wide selection of dyed cotton and camelid samples from an important collection of 2000-year-old Paracas textiles, now at the Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia...

Authors: Francesca Sabatini, Martina Bacigalupo, Ilaria Degano, Anna Javér and Marei Hacke