e-conservation

the online magazine No. 13, February 2010

 editorial
Paradox of Choice

Conservation is, above all, about making decisions. In conservation, ideas, knowledge and
decision-making are essential for good practice. After all, it is those decisions that have a deep
implication in the future survival of a work of art. However, to make decisions requires not only
experience but also information and time: time to imagine, time for reflection, time to find the
most appropriate solution. The problem is that at the present current pace we no longer seem to
have available that required time.

Nowadays, information and time are deeply linked. Not long ago I was discussing with a friend
about the difference between the newer and older generations of conservators. When we think
more precisely about these differences, we find that before there was more time for reflection but
limited access to information whilst today we virtually have access to any possible information
source but quite limited time for its perusal.

Bibliographic resources were once scarcer, as was also the access to scientific research. Today there
are hundreds of books published in our field every year in both conservation and conservation-
science areas. However, are we better conservators for this? Are we now able to make better decisions
that will ensure the survival of works of art for future generations?

The last decade and a half has been characterised by the boom of information technologies and the
World Wide Web. In fact, today we have access to a potentially unfathomable amount of
information like never before in the entire History of Man. Nevertheless, I believe we stay as
ignorant as ever.

Diderot once said that there would come a time “when it will be almost as difficult to learn
anything from books as from the direct study of the whole universe”. Those times can’t be very far
away anymore. Right now the problem is no longer if there is information about a certain issue, but
how to find it. Information access is a real problem, for example, the search for a technical sheet of
a product is probably as difficult as it was 20 years ago. Furthermore, I would argue about the
validity of the information sources we use nowadays but that would digress to a whole new topic.

Returning to the present, today we can hardly let a day pass without checking our email or doing
some search on the internet. However, no actual useful information is necessarily being found in
these ways. In the end we spend our time dealing with a lot of worthless information and we can
often end up making decisions based on incomplete data which may be useless out of context. Even
I usually thrive on more information, such as when I find a new website or book, however these
tend to be equally and easily forgotten as soon as I discover yet another website or book. This ends
up being like the paradox of choice: the more we have, the more confused we get. And we must
confess that indeed the access to more information does not necessarily make us better
professionals.

This is the situation of today. But I wonder, what does the future reserve for us? Will we perhaps be
more organised? Or will we just get more confused? So… wait and see.

Rui Bordalo
Editor in Chief

e-conser vation
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 INDEX

NEWS & VIEWS 6 The Application of Myth in Contemporary Ethnographic Conservation

By Daniel Cull

8 REVIEWS

8 MATCONS 2009. Matter and Materials in/for Heritage Conservation

September 15-19, 2009, Craiova, Romania
Review by Irina Crina Anca Sandu

13 COST Training School:

Indoor Air Quality in Museums, Galleries and Archives
May 5-9, 2009, Vienna, Austria
Review by Oana Chachula

18 The 15th International Heritage Show

November 5-8, 2009, Paris, France
Review by Anca Nicolaescu

21 ANNOUNCEMENTS

EVENTS 25 UPCOMING EVENTS

March 2009

ARTICLES 28 The “restoration” of the Turin Shroud:

A Conservation and Scientific Disaster
by William Meacham

43 The Critical RH for the Appearance of “Bronze Disease”

in Chloride Contaminated Copper and Copper Alloy Artefacts
by Alexios Papapelekanos

53 Aspects of the Scientific Research of the Historical Monument

from Heresti, Romania
by Dragos Ene and Roxana Radvan

ARP PROCEEDINGS 65 The Altar Frontal of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade
De Santarém
by Eva Armindo

78 The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Thomás Luis

by Filipa Raposo Cordeiro

e-conser vation 5
news & view THE APPLICATION OF MYTH IN CONTEMPORARY
ETHNOGRAPHIC CONSERVATION
by Daniel Cull

Returning from the Canadian Conserva-
tion Institute’s ‘Symposium 2007’ I wrote
a review in which, quoting from the pro-
gram, I noted:
“The symposium was organized using the
traditional circle, described by Gilbert W.
Whiteduck (Algonquin from the Kitigan
Zibi Anishinabeq First Nation) as allow-
ing for 'reflection, open dialogue, and
consensus'.” [1]
“We must give each other the benefit of the doubt
for honesty and good intentions. Consensus is not
the same as majority rule; it’s not a competition.
We are all working together to figure out the right
thing to do”. [3]
Returning to the organizational consultations for
the Symposium, we can observe the same logic re-
peated, participants noted that the process created
"a respectful environment [...] as well a common
focus on the task at hand" [4], and that it was suc-
cessful "despite the diverse backgrounds, pro-

However, it wasn’t until recently that I

began to consider as significant the con-
nection between the idea of consensus,
noted in my review, and contemporary
ethnographic conservation praxis; which
is built on such theories as intangible
cultural heritage and stewardship, and
the practice of consultation. The conser-
vation literature despite widely discuss-
ing consultation affords scant details to
the process itself. However, it is clear that
consultations do not follow established
hierarchical decision making processes [2],
and it is my contention that a modified
form of consensus best fits the logic of
such meetings. Consensus is a remarkably
common system found amongst indige-
nous groups, the Quakers (Religious So-
ciety of Friends), alter-global activists
and the feminist movement. Although
From 'Anarchism in Action: Methods, Tactics, Skills, and Ideas'.
the formalities vary, the concept of con- Second Edition. Complied and Edited by Shawn Ewald.
sensus could be summarized thus: http://aia.mahost.org/

e-conser vation

fessions, and experiences of those in attendance"
[5]. In other words, creating an environment in
which participants assumed good faith, and worked
toward deciding what was the ‘right thing to do’,
the meeting was more successful than it would
have been had everyone come to push their own
pre-set agendas.
Consultations then are more than handing over
conservation decision making to others, the real
story is far more complex and nuanced, and al-
though consultations do not exhibit any of the
formal systems of consensus (blocks, stand asides,
hand signals, etc), their underlying logic appear
to align. Intriguingly they also both rely on myth
creation for their success. Within activist forms of
consensus “the conditions for moral transparency
can only be maintained by a kind of make-believe”
[6] such as the necessity of never casting doubt on
others intentions, where as, in the consultation
process make belief additionally plays out in the
concept of stewardship; a mutually sustained myth
in which legal positions of ownership are ignored
in order to produce an environment of equality;
mythical as consultations ultimately have to mesh
with hierarchical superstructures of museum boards,
tribal councils, etc.
Conservation realizing that cultural objects are
the result of social relationships, has undergone
a readjustment towards an emphasis less on cul-
tural artefacts and more on concern for living cul-
tures; an act the situationists defined as a “search
for lost unity” [7], in an interesting parallel con-
sensus has been suggested as “a way of seeking
commonality” [8]. Contextually then in imagining
consultation as a consensus process we can begin
to (re)define conservation as facilitating the in-
tense and ongoing (re)negotiation of social rela-
tionships surrounding material culture.
e-conser vation
VIEWS
Notes:
[1] D. Cull, "Preserving Aboriginal Heritage: Technical
and Traditional Approaches: A Review", ICON News,
Issue 13, November 2007, pp. 39
[2]'Robert's Rules of Order', www.rulesonline.com
[3] ‘Mark’, during a spokescouncil meeting in Burling-
ton, April 17th 2001. Quoted in: David Graeber,
Direct Action: An Ethnography, AK Press, Edinburgh
and Oakland, 2009, pp. 123
[4] Gilbert Whiteduck, in Preserving Aboriginal
Heritage: Technical and Traditional Approaches,
Proceedings of Symposium 2007, Ottawa, 24-28
September, 2007, Carole Dignard et al. (Eds.),
Canadian Conservation Institute, 2008, pp. xv
[5] J. Inch, in: Dignard et al., 2008, pp. vii
[6] Graeber, 2009, pp. 331
[7] G. Debord, Society of the Spectacle, Black and Red,
Detroit, 1980, pp. 180
[8] ‘Chris’ at a DAN facilitation training, Spring 2000.
Quoted in: Graeber, 2009, pp. 304
DANIEL CULL
Assistant Conservator
The Musical Instrument Museum
Website: http://dancull.wordpress.com
Contact: daniel.cull@themim.org
Daniel Cull is an ethnographic objects conservator,
collaborator with e-conservation magazine, and
a conservation blogger. He holds a BSc in Archae-
ology, an MA and MSc in Conservation, was an
Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the National Museum
of the American Indian/Smithsonian Institution,
and currently works at the Musical Instrument
Museum, Arizona.
7
REVIEWS
MATCONS 2009
Matter and Materials in/for Heritage Conservation
Review by Irina Crina Anca Sandu
September 15-19, 2009, Craiova, Romania
http://www.forummuzeulolteniei.ro
Organisers and financial support: Dolj county Council, Museum of Oltenia and ICOM Romania, with the
Conservation Institute from Copenhagen, Turin University, Craiova University and ICPI Bucharest
MATCONS 2009 was an important conference or-
ganised in Romania in the fall of 2009, that brought
together experts from different areas of the conser-
vation of cultural heritage and conservation sci-
ence, both from Romanian and foreign institutions.
The arrival, registration and accommodation of the
participants were done on Monday, 14th of Septem-
ber and a welcome dinner was offered by the or-
ganisers at the Park Hotel Restaurant in Craiova.
The conference was structured in morning and
afternoon sessions, complemented by parallel
events. Key lectures1 were given by renowned ex-
perts and specialists invited from abroad, such as
Jan Wouters and Annemnie Adriaens from Belgium,
Luigi Campanella, Maria Perla Colombini, Piero
Baglioni, Lorena Botti and Matteo Placido from
Italy, René Larsen from Denmark, Marianne Odlyha
from England, Manfred Schreiner from Austria,
1 Foreign specialists brought interesting contributions to
the conference, such as Dr. Jan Wouters ("Philosophies, in-
struments and networks aiming at a better understanding
and conservation of cultural heritage"), Prof. René Larsen
("The IDAP Assessment Programme: Recent development
and examples of its use in practice"), Dr. Annemie Adriaens
("The use of carboxylate coatings on lead as environmentally
safe corrosion inhibition"), Prof. Piero Baglioni ("Conservation
of cultural heritage: there is plenty of room for colloid sci-
8 e-conser vation
Andras Morgos from Japan, Jana Subic Prislan
from Slovenia, Leonor Loureiro, Patricia Monteiro,
Milene Gil and Irina Sandu from Portugal, etc.
The parallel sessions were held at the Oltenia Mu-
seum Lecture Hall on 15, 16 and 17 of September.
After the opening session, an interesting National
Exhibition of Movable Cultural Heritage Restora-
tion was inaugurated in the newly restructured
building of the Museum.
The conference registered 125 participants, from
Romania and other countries, such as Belgium,
Denmark, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Portugal,
Ukraine, Slovenia and Japan.
The Romanian participants came from all the re-
gions of the country, being professionals from the
national network of the Ministry of Culture and
Cults, together with researchers and teachers per-
forming activities related to the conservation of
ence"), Prof. Maria Perla Colombini ("Saving wall paintings:
organic materials characterization and restoration processes"),
Prof. Marianne Odyhla ("Understanding microclimates in
museums and their impact on heritage materials"), Prof.
Manfred Schreiner ("Non-destructive analysis for artifacts
of parchment and paper"), Dr. Laura Botti et al. ("Photogra-
phic printing processes: studies and analysis"), Dr. Patricia
Monteiro ("Portuguese treatises and their relevance to mural
paintings"), etc.

Romanian cultural heritage. Besides the personnel
from the Museum of Oltenia in Craiova, that brought
a fundamental contribution to the organization
of the conference, many specialists participated
from museums all around the country.
Romanian research institutions and universities
were also represented, such as the National Re-
search Institute for Conservation and Restoration
(INCCR), the National Research and Development
Institute (ICPE-CA), the National Research and
Development Institute of Leather and Textile - ICPI
Division in Bucharest and the Art and Design Uni-
versity in Cluj Napoca.
The first session of lectures was introduced by Dr.
Virgil Nitulescu, President of ICOM-Romania. His
intervention focused on the actual situation of cul-
tural heritage in Romania and on the educational
system established for training conservators-re-
storers and conservation scientists. In this respect,
the first invited speaker, Dr. Jan Wouters, re-cre-
ated a panoramic view on the research in Europe
in the field of heritage science and on the utility
of conservation science for a better understanding
and conservation of the cultural heritage.
Prof. Marianne Odlyha from Birkbeck College pre-
sented the results reported from several European
Commission projects: “Improved Damage Assess-
ment of Parchment” (IDAP), “Monitoring of Dam-
age of Historic Tapestries” (MODHT), “Improved
Protection of Paintings during Exhibition, Storage
and Transit” (PROPAINT) and “Sensor System to
Detect Harmful Environments for Pipe Organs”
(SENSORGAN).
Prof. René Larsen illustrated some projects on the
damage assessment of parchment in which a metho-
dology for assessing the phenomena of physical
deterioration and chemical degradation of parch-
ment and leather fibers at microscopic level was
applied.
e-conser vation
REVIEWS
Dr. Elena Badea and Prof. Giuseppe della Gatta form
the University of Turin (Italy) gave an interesting
lecture on the physical chemistry for preservation
and conservation of historical parchments, speak-
ing of the use of differential scanning calorimetry
(DSC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), IR, UV-
Vis spectroscopies, environmental scanning elec-
tron microscopy (ESEM) and atomic force micro-
copy (AFM) for the investigation of damages in
archival parchments from the State archives of
Turin, State Archives of Genova, State Archives
of Florence, Historical Archives of Turin and Na-
tional Archives of Stirling.
Prof. Manfred Schreiner presented a transportable
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer developed and
assembled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna
in order to allow in situ examination of works of
art in museums, libraries and in archaeological
excavation sites. Few case studies in which this
instrument was applied were also reported.
Prof. Alessandro Vitale-Brovarone made a very in-
teresting intervention about the history of the
Turin’s university library and the attempt to re-
store parchments that were fire-damaged in 1904
during a project started at the end of the ‘90s and
ended in 2004.
Prof. Piero Baglioni underlined the importance and
the role of Colloid Science in the conservation of
cultural heritage, exemplifying with few case studies
this kind of applications: nano-magnetic sponges
and oil-in-water nano-containers for cleaning of
works of art, nano-particles for wood and mural
paintings conservation, nano-technologies for
paper and canvas deacidification, etc.
Prof. Maria Perla Colombini gave a very interesting
lecture about the use of chromatographic mass
spectrometric techniques (HPLC/MS, GC/MS, Py-
GC/MS, DEMS) for organic materials characteriza-
9
REVIEWS
Monuments visited during the conference trip: Curtea de Arges, Monastery, early 16th century (left) and Prejmer medieval
fortified church, 13th - 14th century (right).
tion in wall paintings and for a better choice of the
intervention system. The conservation project of
the wall paintings in “Camposanto monumentale”
of Pisa (Italy) was presented on this occasion.
Patricia Monteiro from the Faculty of Arts and Lit-
erature, University of Lisbon, spoke about the Por-
tuguese treatises and their relevance to mural
painting materials and techniques, considering
also the difficulty in interpreting the information
they contain.
Among the Romanian lecturers a special mention
should be done for Dr. Nicoleta Zagura, UNESCO
expert, who spoke about the efforts done in Roma-
nia through the cultural association she founded
- Art and Heritage UNESCO Club - to increase the
interest and education about the local and inter-
nationally recognized heritage, and for Dr. Ioan
Opris, eminent art historian, who has drawn the
attention to the emergency strategy to be adopted
for the preservation of the cultural heritage of
Modern Romania.
An interesting workshop on “Conservation and
restoration of historical parchment and leather”
was organized in the evenings of 15th and 16th,
the participation being open to a certain number
of conference participants and to the Romanian
10
specialists in conservation of archives and library
materials. The organizers of this workshop were
the University of Turin (Prof. Giuseppe della Gatta),
the School of Conservation of the Royal Academy
of Fine Arts in Copenhagen (Dr. René Larsen) and
the National Research and Development Institute
for Textile and Leather in Bucharest (Dr. Luminita
Albu). The workshop had the objective to provide
and update the picture of the chemical and physical
nature of parchment as well as its ageing and de-
terioration processes caused by the environment.
On 16 of September a final round table on the
topic “Programs of research and training in the
field of conservation and restoration of cultural
heritage” was organized at the University House
in Craiova, and coordinated by Prof. Radu Constan-
tinescu from Romania and Prof. Giuseppe della
Gatta from Italy. The participants discussed the
topics of interest for a potential network to be
established at European level and about funding
opportunities in Romania and abroad.
Poster session were also organized between the
main sessions, giving place to debates, exchange
of opinions and contact among the participants.
The next three days were dedicated to visiting
places with cultural and historical significance
e-conser vation

from Romania, in a trip meant to illustrate the
richness of the Romanian natural and cultural
heritage in Transylvania region.
After the closing of the conference, a short visit
at the Monastery Curtea de Arges, famous historic
monument part of the Romanian built heritage
took place, and a traditional lunch in a Pilgrims’
guest house near the monastery was offered in
the afternoon of 17 of September. Afterwards, a
short visit was paid to the Ethnographic Museum in
Campulung Muscel and in the evening the parti-
cipants were housed at the Panicel guest house
near Rasnov city, in the green heart of the Transyl-
vanian Mountains.
The day of 18 of September was dedicated to other
visits to important monuments, such as the forti-
fied church of Prejmer, Rasnov Fortress, Bran Castle
and other museums and churches in Brasov county.
The last day, the morning of 19 of September, was
dedicated to the visit to Peles and Pelisor Palaces
in Sinaia, former residences of the Royal family of
Romania.
Participants to the conference hiking the hill to Rasnov fortress (13th - 14th century). Photo by Nicoleta Zagura.
e-conser vation
REVIEWS
Last but not least we should mention the precious
contribution given by the local organizing com-
mittee, formed by personnel from the Museum
of Oltenia in Craiova (Tutu Barbulescu, Simona-
Violeta Gheorghe, Rodica Florentina Opritescu,
Alina Maria Garau, Anisoara Vatuiu, Leonard Io-
nescu, Cristina Stamate) whose dedication and
hard work assured a fluent development of all the
activities during the conference and the success
of the wonderful trip to the important monuments
in the Transylvanian Mountains, an emblematic
region for the culture and history of Romania.
IRINA CRINA ANCA SANDU
Contact: irina.sandu@dq.fct.unl.pt
Irina Sandu (PhD) is an Assistant Researcher at the
Faculty of Science and Technology (FCT) of the New
University (UNL) in Lisbon, where she develops
research for the Conservation and Restoration of
Cultural Heritage. She is the author / co-author of
12 monographs on conservation and more than 45
published papers, and was involved in 20 interna-
tional research projects and scientific collaborations.
11
www.prorestauro.com

COST TRAINING SCHOOL: INDOOR AIR QUALITY IN MUSEUMS,
GALLERIES AND ARCHIVES
Analytical Methods and Preventive Conservation Strategies
Review by Oana Chachula
May 5-9, 2009, Vienna, Austria
Organiser: COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology)
http://www.cost.esf.org/
Between 5 and 9 May 2009 a new COST-sponsored
training course took place in Vienna, within the
frame of the COST Action D42 "EnviArt: Chemical
Interactions between Cultural Artefacts and In-
door Environment". The workshop was organized
by Dr. Erwin Rosenberg from the Vienna University
of Technology, Institute of Chemical Technologies
and Analytics, in collaboration with the Kunst-
historisches Museum, the Technisches Museum
and the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
The scope of this Training School was to address
significant aspects of indoor air quality in relation
to art objects exhibited or stored in museums, gal-
leries and archives. The workshop gathered par-
ticipants from diverse backgrounds and training,
from both the academic and the conservation field,
such as conservator-restorers, scientists, curators,
chemists, physicists or biologists working in muse-
ums, collections or archives. The workshop brought
together a total of 42 speakers and participants
who came mostly from European countries but
also from the USA.
The training course was planned in such a way as
to include both theoretical lectures and practical
laboratory work, combined with site visits to some
Viennese museums in order to demonstrate actual
e-conser vation
REVIEWS
problems, practices and possible solutions. A two-
way approach to understanding these issues was
adopted: on a theoretical level, analytical methods
and preventive conservation strategies were dis-
cussed, and on a practical level, measurements of
indoor air quality of museums or archives were
undertaken.
The programme was even more diverse, including
visits to national and private museums and to la-
boratories and companies that provide services of
conservation, exhibit or transport of art objects.
The lectures proved to be extremely informative,
speakers coming from various fields related to
conservation of cultural heritage.
Rene van Grieken, from Belgium, in his lecture
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust: the fate of all things?
On indoor air pollution through particles” spoke
about climate, humidity, temperature, light, air
pollutants and gases from archives with a particu-
lar emphasis on how important preventive conser-
vation is, namely by improving the environmental
conditions (microclimate and chemical pollution)
around the work of art. On the same line, discus-
sions were continued by Dr. Dario Camuffo from
Italy, who focused on the general interaction be-
tween environmental factors and works of art,
13
REVIEWS
especially moisture, and the interaction of water
molecules with the environment.
Prof. Dr. Manfred Schreiner spoke about corrosion
of glass and enamel artefacts and the influence
that air quality has on this process. He focused on
conservation problems and preventive conserva-
tion strategies of medieval stained glass, present-
ing six glass weathering theories.
It appears that many museums around the world
have similar problems related with indoor emis-
sions, building materials, particle filtration or
ventilation. For example, at the Metropolitan Mu-
seum of Art particles of Sodium Nitrate (NaNO3)
have been detected in galleries, showcases and
storerooms. Among the many actual problems re-
lated with air quality in museums and galleries,
particles interaction is the least studied. However,
even when the answer to such problems is not al-
ways easy to find, one possible solution would be
a better air filtering.
Group photo of TS participants at Artex company, Vienna. Photo by Valentina Ljubic from the Technisches Museum Wien.
14
Helene Tello, from the Ethnological Museum, Na-
tional Museums Berlin, brought another issue in-
to discussion, namely which are the best strategies
and analytical methods to adopt for the use of bio-
cides in ethnographic collections: the organic or
the inorganic ones. She discussed their impact on
collections and the arguments pro and against the
non-destructive analytical methods and available
technology. It was also underlined that attention
must be directed to the impact biocides have on
collection objects, but mostly on the human health.
From Norway, Terje Grøntoft presented "Simple
devices for monitoring and assessment of indoor air
quality for museums, archives, and historic build-
ings" and did a demonstration of use of EWO do-
simeters and monitoring concepts, dividing them
into Continuous Monitoring (C), Online Monitoring
(O), Active Measurements (A) and Passive Meas-
urements (P). Next, the theoretical concepts were
put into practice, participants being given the
opportunity to test the equipment and learn how
to interpret the results.
e-conser vation
 REVIEWS

A similar aspect was also addressed by Marianne
Odlyha and C.Theodorakopoulos from Birkbeck
College in London, UK, with a focus on the impact
of indoor environments corrosivity on complex
organic materials.
Another interesting visit was made to the private
company Artex Art Services from Vienna, where
their current practice and modern technology to
ensure optimal indoor air conditions for storage
and transport of art objects was demonstrated.

Several practical examples were offered from the Other visits with practical applications were or-
condition survey projects in museums from Nor- ganized at the Michaelergruft, the Technisches
way, from the National Archives of Finland (István Museum Wien and the Naturhistorisches Museum
Kecskemeti, PhD), the State Archives of Genoa and Wien (NHM, Natural History Museum). This last,
Turin (Marianne Odlyha, PhD), the Technisches Mu- founded in 1858 at the behest of Emperor Franz
seum Wien (Ing. Anita Preisler), or from churches Joseph I, possesses very valuable showcases that
(the Sistine Chapel in Rome and Santa Corona in represent by themselves a quality of the museum.
Vicenza). The necessity of preserving these original show-
cases dating from the 19th century was discussed,
On the protection of metal objects in storage, Mar- but also the methods of conserving the objects
tina Griesser-Stermscheg from the University of and organic materials therein. These issues were
Applied Arts Vienna presented the conclusions of
an experiment where several objects were kept in
Historic showcases at Naturhistorisches Museum Wien
oxygen free packages and in packages with oxy-
(Natural History Museum).
gen, and were compared with unpacked objects.
After 5 years, the research showed that the oxy-
gen-free packing is not recommended for metal
objects, while packing with oxygen offers a good
protection against oxidation and corrosion for
objects of silver, gilded silver, copper, lead and
steel. This application was put into practice at the
research laboratories of University of Applied Arts
Vienna in cooperation with the Scientific Labora-
tory of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

A very interesting intervention was done by Klaus

Pokorny, who spoke about the lighting concept in
museums and modern techniques used for light-
ing objects in the exhibition. He presented differ-
ent approaches to lighting in three exhibition case
studies from the National Portrait Gallery London,
Museum Liaunig Carinthia and Technisches Museum
Wien. The presentation was followed by a site visit
to the Technisches Museum Wien where the inte-
grated light, temperature and RH concept of the
exhibition rooms were discussed.

e-conser vation 15
REVIEWS
presented by Silvia Kalabis and Hans Reschreiter
in the paper "The adaptation of the historical show-
cases in the prehistoric collection of the NHM".
The visit to the Michaelergruft focused on the tombs
located in the basement, and aimed to discuss the
conservation methods of the coffins in their environ-
ment by reducing the humidity and temperature to
order to prevent the development of molds and the
degradation of the wood, the constituent material
of the coffin. Dr. Alexandra Rainer, scientific ad-
visor of the Michaelgruft, spoke about the historic,
restorative and technological aspects of this case.
Peter Brimblecombe from the Univerity of East
Anglia showed in his presentation "Air chemistry
and exchange with rooms and cases in a changing
climate" that in general, visitors are one of the
reasons for the presence of dust in galleries and
of the increased level of temperature and humidity.
In order to minimize the impact on the collections,
the visitors should keep away from objects that
are not protected by showcases, limiting the ex-
posure to pollutants. At the same time, he spoke
about a new challenge in terms of climate change,
and about what damages can occur if global tem-
peratures increase and if summers become signi-
ficantly drier. He showed that degradation is strictly
Outer view of Otto Wagner's villa, now housing the Ernst Fuchs Museum (left) and one of the rooms in the museum, with paintings
by the artist and the original Art Noveau stained glass windows. Photos by Erwin Rosenberg from the Vienna University of Technology.
16
connected to physical, chemical and biological
processes.
The Training Course was ended by a visit to the
first villa of Austrian Art Noveau architect Otto
Wagner that was restored in early 1970s by the
renowned painter Ernst Fuchs. The artist saved it
from being demolished and inaugurated in 1988
the “Ernst Fuchs private museum” that gathers a
large collection of his works.
After this 5-day workshop, we can conclude that
it is for us all to assume responsibility for the pro-
tection of both the environment and the cultural
heritage. Although there are many conservation-
scientists, few turn their attention to pollutants,
a process that acts both from the outside and the
inside. Situations may differ from one geographic
region to another, but collaboration among spe-
cialists in various fields can help to better under-
stand the degradation causes, mechanisms and
effects that objects in collections are subjected to.
Last but not least, as Dr. Erwin Rosenberg noted,
our “methods, devices and materials need to be
developed or further improved”. Therefore, we need
to employ the best preservation strategies and
conservation management methods that will help
us find adequate solutions for each individual case.
e-conser vation
 REVIEWS

Useful links: OANA CHACHULA

http://www.costd42.org
http://www.technischesmuseum.at Conservation Scientist
http://www.akbild.ac.at/.../restaurierung Contact: oana_chachula@yahoo.com
http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at
http://www.khm.at National Museum of Romanian History / Centre
http://www.iaq.dk of Research and Scientific Investigation

TS participants having an interesting discussion with Dr. Calea Victoriei, nr.12, S 3, 030026,
Alexandra Rainer in the courtyard of the Michaelerchurch. Bucharest, Romania
Photo by Valentina Ljubic of the Technisches Museum Wien.

Oana Chachula, conservation scientist expert in

biological investigations, graduated from the
Faculty of Biology Al. I. Cuza, in Iasi (Romania) in
2002. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Animal
Taxonomy field at Biology Faculty, University of
Bucharest. She has been working at INCCR as a
biologist for 3 years, her current work responsi-
bilities including the biological investigation of
movable objects and historical buildings.
Group photo by Miriam Bazán Castaneda.

e-conser vation 17
REVIEWS
THE 15th INTERNATIONAL HERITAGE SHOW
Review by Anca Nicolaescu
November 5-8, 2009
Paris, France
Organiser: Ateliers d’Art de France
http://www.patrimoineculturel.com
The 15th International Heritage Show took place
at the beginning of November 2009 in the presti-
gious setting of the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris.
The event brought together 250 international ex-
hibitors (from France, Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
Finland, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherland,
Portugal, Russia and Spain) and around 20 000
visitors.
This year, the International Show was for the first
time organized by Ateliers d’Art de France1, which
acquired the event in the spring of 2009.
Each year, the show is focused on a new theme in-
volving thus new exhibitors and visitors, new media
and promotional input. This year’s topic was “The
Heritage of Religions”.
Embracing the topic, the exhibitors displayed their
achievements in this area and offered their know-
how demonstrations to the visitors. Beside con-
servator-restorers, artists or craftsmen, the salon
also hosted: suppliers of materials and products for
movable or immovable assets or museum materials
1 Atelier d’Art de France is a French trade organization for
Crafts. Founded in 1868, it unites today 2,800 craft
workers – whether they are craftsmen, artists or craft
workshops – to lend them support and assistance towards
their promotion and development.
18
and equipment; decision-makers and project man-
agers (architects, entrepreneurs, trade organisa-
tions), training and education centres, universities
or institutes; players in the New Technologies and
suppliers of advanced materials (scientists, re-
search centres, laboratories); publishers; local au-
thorities, institutions and associations.
The participants were gathered under the same
goals in order to promote quality craftsmanship
and expertise, to set up and develop meetings
between conservators, craftsmen or artists and
potential clients, and to present the various stra-
tegies regarding the spiritual and cultural heritage
preservation and management.
To have a real perception of the complexity of the
salon, only the fields covered by exhibitors display-
ing a conservation-restoration activity, were vary-
ing from stained-glass windows, iron joinery, or-
gans, old clock and bell mechanisms to ceramic
and glass objects, furniture, textiles, leather, sculp-
ture, frames, wall paintings and decorations and
easel paintings. Almost anything one can connect
with Religious Heritage in general!
e-conser vation

For the orientation of the public throughout the
salon spaces, depending on interest and also to
ease the contacts exchange, the organizers pro-
vided a useful catalog with the participants’ pro-
file and contact details.
Walking into the fair, the visitors were first received
by informational stands of institutions, associations
or local authorities showing their past or current
projects throughout images, movies or short pre-
sentations on this year’s theme. That was the per-
fect place for visitors or participants to make con-
tacts for future partnerships in all kind of cultural
related areas, or to get updated with the new stra-
tegies of cultural interest.
Further on, the visitors were arriving in the sec-
tion dedicated to publishers on art and culture,
from printed magazines and online publications
to specialized bookshops.
Nearby, Art Schools, Institutes or Universities were
presenting their offers and giving all the demanded
details to students interested in courses and de-
grees in art and heritage conservation.
Deeper in the Carrousel du Louvre was the “melting-
pot” of the art and craft, conservation-restora-
tion materials and equipment suppliers, where
the exhibitors were giving demonstrations or
e-conser vation
REVIEWS
presenting samples of their work in stands resem-
bling corners of studios. It was a very interesting set
up of workshops and objects animated by artists
or restorers ready to introduce you to their work
or to answer your questions.
Visitors were able to see component fragments
of organ-pipes or even big brass bells, beautiful
trompe l’oeil of marble and wood patterns, mosaic
and frescoes fragments, religious furniture, jewels
and so on, done with extraordinary craftsmanship.
The religious heritage preservation is, actually, the
best example where knowledge of old traditional
techniques is very important for best conservation
and restoration achievements. Therefore, this mix-
ture of arts, old crafts and restoration presented at
the fair was a good opportunity for meeting mas-
ters who keep the tradition alive and are willing to
share details of their work with those interested.
19
REVIEWS
Another interesting aspect of the event was the
organization of discussion panels and seminars
with the participation of international experts and
specialists who informed the fair-going public
about topical subjects related to the theme of the
year, and debated heritage problems.The issues
brought into discussion covered a wide thematic
range such as: causes and consequences of the
religious heritage destruction and degradation in
history; the future of Europe’s religious heritage;
religious patrimony and contemporary art or sub-
jects regarding the advanced technologies in her-
itage conservation, to mention only few of them.
It is difficult to encompass in a short review the
complexity of this event with an immense area of
interest and exhibitors. For five days I constantly
went to Louvre’s Carrousel, willing to see and dis-
cuss with as many exhibitors as possible, but at
the end I still had the feeling that I might have
overlooked some stands. It was a huge concentra-
tion of interesting aspects of everything connected
Photo by Serban Bonciocat
20
with the fair’s subject – the Religious Heritage.
The next edition, the 16th International Heritage
Show, is already announced for 4-7 November
2010, focusing this time on “The Mediterranean
Heritage”. I'm certain that it is definitely worth
visiting it.
ANCA NICOLAESCU
Conservator-Restorer
Contact: anca.nicolaescu@e-conservationline.com
Anca Nicolaescu (BA, MA) is a conservator of wall
paintings, having coordinated various on-site
conservation projects from Romania. Her work
experience also includes international participa-
tion at conservation projects and seminars in UK,
Turkey, Uzbekistan, Japan and India. She is one
of the co-founders of Restauro Art Grup conser-
vation company and of e-conservation magazine,
where she presently works as an editor.
Photo by Mihaela Dumitru
Photo by Serban Bonciocat
e-conser vation
 NEWS

SUPPORT THE ISTITUTO CENTRALE PER RESEARCH IN BOOK AND PAPER

IL RESTAURO! CONSERVATION IN EUROPE
- a State of the Art -
The Istituto Centrale per il Restauro (ICR, Central
Institute for Restoration) was founded in 1939
in Rome and is one of the oldest institutions
dedicated to the conservation and restoration
of cultural heritage. ICR was recently renamed
Istituto Superiore per la Conservazione ed il Re-
stauro (ISCR, the Higher Institute for the Conser-
vation and Restoration) and in the end of the
month (February 2010) will be forced to leave
the historical premises of San Pietro in Vincoli
in Rome which it occupied since is foundation.
According to Professor Mario Micheli, the precipi-
Editor: Patricia Engel
tous transferral of the Institute could compromise
Publisher: Verlag Berger
the forthcoming and opportune reopening of the
Publication date: November 2009
Restoration School, and weaken the efficiency
Pages: 328 (Paperback)
of the Institute's technical-scientific structures,
ISBN: 978-3850284905
leading to its inevitable closure. In order to avoid
Language: English
this, an Open Letter to the President of the Italian
Republic Giorgio Napolitano was made available
This recently published book makes a timely
online in Italian and English at:
review of the research in the field of book and
http://www.gopetition.com/online/33441.html.
paper conservation in Europe. An overview of
the state-of-the-art will assist paper conservator-
e-conservation supports this appeal and asks its
restorers in their practical work, providing up-
readers to consider signing this worthy action
to-date information and results of conservation-
before the end of the month.
restoration in books, prints, drawings and other
artistic works on paper. The book aims to help in
the decision making process not only the conser-
vator-restorer, but also other key players in the
field, such as authorities, politicians and collec-
tors. Three main aspects of research are covered:
basic research, applied research and experimental
development in preservation and conservation-
restoration of books and works on paper.
The book is written in English because it aims
to reach a pan-European audience, the problems
and needs in conservation-restoration being
basically the same, regardless of the geographic
location.

e-conser vation 21
NEWS

NEW OPEN ACCESS PUBLICATIONS: A NEW DIRECTION IN CONSERVATION?

Two new open access journals dedicated to conser-

vation of cultural heritage were launched at the
end of 2009: “ecr – estudos de conservação e
restauro” and “Ge-Conservación”.
Not very long time ago there was a big void in our
field concerning online publications. In 2007, when
e-conservation magazine came online, we made
a survey that showed that very few professionals
heard of open access concept. Since then, we count
at least 3 new publications, namely from Belgium,
Spain and Portugal.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome their
advent on the internet, and witness perhaps the
emergence of a new direction in the publication
of conservation resources: in electronic format tary topics such as historic and artistic studies or
and with free distribution. production technologies and materials.
The first issue of the journal has been published
Ecr – estudos de conservação e restauro (“studies online in December 2009 and can be consulted
in conservation and restoration”) is a new Portu- at http://citar.artes.ucp.pt/ecr/.
guese journal published annually in open access
by CITAR (Research Center for Science and Techno- Ge-Conservación, Revista digital hispano-lusa de
logy in Art) from the Portuguese Catholic Univer- conservación y restauración ("Hispano-Portuguese
sity. The journal publishes peer reviewed articles, Digital Magazine of Conservation-Restoration"),
news and reviews in Portuguese, Spanish and En- is the new publication of GEIIC (Grupo Español de
glish. The journal is distributed under a Creative Conservación/Spanish Conservation Group of the
Commons license. International Institute for Conservation of Historic
Ecr defines itself as a publication wishing to become and Artistic Works), published in association with
a reference not only on the Portuguese academic the Duques de Soria Foundation.
scene but on international level as well through The journal, also published once a year, is addressed
the dissemination of scientific research done in mainly to Spanish and Portuguese-speaking
the field of conservation of cultural heritage. Ac- countries. Its aim is “to contribute to the scientific
cording to its director, Ana Calvo, the publication development, dissemination and exchange of know-
was born following the establishment in 2002 of ledge in the field of cultural heritage conservation
a course in conservation-restoration at the School and restoration”. The publishing areas include origi-
of Arts from the Catholic University and aims to nal academic research, significant case studies and
serve as an evaluation platform for the research opinion articles.
developed therein. The journal will publish studies The 2009 issue of this journal was published in
on material and technologic aspects of conserva- pdf format and is available to download from
tion-restoration treatments, including complemen- http://ge-iic.com/revista/index.php?lang=en.

22 e-conser vation
 NEWS

HAITI EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE

The News section is publishing diverse
The recent earthquake that stroke Haiti on January information on cultural heritage topics, such
12, as immediately echoed all around the world, as on-site conservation projects reports,
was truly devastating by any standards. Haiti’s conferences, lectures, talks or workshops
cultural heritage was also deeply affected and reviews, but also course reviews and any other
requires urgent attention, but even now it is still kind of appropriate announcements. If you are
difficult to assess the damages due to the collapse involved in interesting projects and you want
of the communication structure in Haiti. to share your experience with everybody else,
Continuous efforts are being made by ICOM through please send us your news or announcements.
its Disaster Relief for Museums Task Force (DRFM),
its Secretariat and its national committees to gather For more details, such as deadlines and
more data and to decide on the most appropriate publication guidelines, please visit
actions to be taken. ICOM’s latest damage asses- www.e-conservationline.com
sment report was made available on February 9.
According to the limited information made public
so far, several monuments and historic buildings
have suffered severe damages and libraries and
schools have collapsed or are in precarious condi-
tion. Fortunately, museum collections seem to have
been less affected by the earthquake.
Many institutions and organizations reacted im-
mediately, helping the victims or contributing in
any way possible to the relief activities. Any help
is precious in the present condition, and the loss
also depends on our efforts to salvage as soon as
possible what is left from Haiti’s cultural heritage.
The Association of National Committees of the Blue
Shield (ANCBS) has launched on online call for
conservator-restorers and other experts in the
cultural heritage field to register as volunteers.

Haitian women amidst rubble in Port-au-Prince, January 20, 2010.

Photo by U.S. Air Force

e-conser vation 23
Are you reading this?
So is everybody else...

For advertising
and other information on publicity,
please contact

general@e-conservationline.com

and request a copy of our mediakit.

e-conservationline

The events in this section are linked to the
original homepage of the organisers or to the
calendar of events at www.conservationevents.com.
Click on "Read more..." to find out more details
about each event.
International Symposium on
the future of Museum Climate
March 2010
In the context of Global Climate Change and
Energy Priority
Date: 1 March Read more...
Place: Copenhagen, Denmark
How can we create exhibitions and expose our
common cultural heritage in a sustainable way
which is also acceptable for future generations?
How can museums be run in a more CO2 neutral
way while simultaneously guaranteeing an ade-
quate indoor climate? These, and other crucial
questions and issues, will be discussed and scru-
tinized during this one day symposium.
Técnicas orientales aplicadas a
la restauración del papel
Date: 2-5 March Read more...
Place: Valencia, Spain
Las técnicas orientales de manipulación y
tratamiento del papel ofrecen al restaurador
occidental una gama de alternativas técnicas
extraordinariamente enriquecedoras, porque
ofrecen respuestas diferentes a problemas co-
munes. En este curso, la restauradora Katarzyna
Zych Zmuda, experta en este tipo de técnicas
internacionalmente reconocida, enseñará a
un grupo reducido de alumnos las técnicas más
interesantes para el restaurador mediante de-
mostraciones y prácticas guiadas desarrolladas
en un laboratorio de restauración.
e-conser vation
event
IRUG9: 9th Biennial Conference of the
Infrared and Raman Users Group
Date: 3-6 March Read more...
Place: Buenos Aires, Argentina
The IRUG biennial conferences offer an excellent oppor-
tunity for the exchange of scientific results and new
developments in the application of infrared and Raman
spectroscopy to the conservation and study of the cul-
tural heritage. Attendees to these conferences are sci-
entists, conservators, restorers, as well as curators within
the art conservation and historic preservation fields
interested in the application of IR and Raman spectros-
copy to the study of materials used in art and archaeology.
The Fifth DOCAM Summit
Date: 3-5 March Read more...
Place: Montreal, Canada
The DOCAM (Documentation and Conservation of the Media
Arts Heritage) Research Alliance invites submissions of
abstracts for the presentation of papers at the 2010 DOCAM
Summit, which will mark the end of five years of research.
DOCAM is an international research alliance initiated by
the Daniel Langlois Foundation for Art, Science, and Tech-
nology. Its main objective is to develop new methodo-
logies and tools to address the issues of preserving and
documenting digital, technological, and electronic artworks.
'Picasso, Materials, and Antibes' - Icon
Paintings Group Talk
Date: 3 March Read more...
Place: London, UK
The ICON Paintings Group invite you to a talk given by Dr.
Marilyn McCully, American art historian and exhibition
organiser. She has a particular interest in Picasso's use
of non-traditional materials, and in the ways in which
art historians, conservators and scientists might most
fruitfully collaborate on research.
 EVENTS
Preserving the Memory of the World
March 2010
Date: 12 March Read more...
Place: Vancouver, Canada
Inspired by UNESCO's Memory of the World Program, the
Association of Canadian Archivists UBC Student Chapter
(ACA@UBC) is organizing a seminar and conference aimed
to opening an interdisciplinary dialogue among the custo-
dians of the world documentary heritage - librarians,
archivists, documentalists and museum curators - and
the users of such heritage.
28th Annual Visual Resources
Association Conference
Date: 17-20 March Read more...
Place: Atlanta, USA
General areas of this conference interest include, but are
not limited to: digital photography; digital imaging and
presentation technologies; strategic planning; cataloging
and metadata (including non-western, non-art, and spe-
cial topics cataloging); trend forecasting for the visual
resources profession; copyright and fair use; user instruc-
tion; and professional status issues.
Glass and Glazing in the 21st century
Design & Preservation of Contemporary & Historic
Architecture
Date: 20-21 March Read more...
Place: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
The 2 days intensive conference will focus on developments
in architectural glasses for structural, energy saving, and
decorative uses in new building facades/building envelopes
and monuments, as well as their application in the resto-
ration and upgrading of existing structures.
26
Multidisciplinary Conservation:
a Holistic View for Historic Interiors
March 2010
Interim Meeting of Five ICOM-CC Working Groups
Date: 23-26 March Read more...
Place: Rome, Italy
The meeting will consist in three days of presentations.
Sessions will be dedicated to the main theme of the event
that highlights specific projects focussing on interdiscipli-
nary approaches, historical and methodological aspects,
environmental issues, conservation techniques, and guide-
lines for preventive conservation and maintenance. Each
working group will also have the opportunity to present and
discuss contributions and on-going research programmes
related to its specific area of interest.
Course: Working with Plastics
Date: 23-25 March Read more...
Place: Porto, Portugal
Instructors: Thea van Oosten and Anna Laganà
The main subject of this course is to acquaint you with
the current state of knowledge regarding identification,
degradation and conservation of plastics as used in
cultural heritage.
Conservation in Focus 2010
Date: 24-26 March Read more...
Place: Cardiff, Wales, UK
The conference aims to advance and share knowledge
about conservation issues in and beyond Icon's members
and to have an enjoyable conference where people have
time to talk and network. The first day will focus on the
two themes 'evidence based decision making in conser-
vation' and 'a sustainable future for UK conservation'.
The second day will provide the opportunity for the Icon
groups to host specialist half day seminars.
e-conser vation

Art History, Iconography,
Iconology, Chemistry, Physics,
Biology, Photography, Cultural
Management, Museology,
Computer Science, Legislation
and Juridical Processes,
Conservation Policies
and any other field applied to
Conservation and Restoration
of works of art.
Find out more:
e-conser vation
article
AREAS OF PUBLISHING
Conservation Treatment
Mural Painting
Painting
Stone
Sculpture
Textiles
Paper / Documents
Photography
Metals
Tile / Ceramic / Glass
Furniture
Music instruments
Ethnographic assets
Archeological objects
Conservation Science
Scientific research
Material studies and characterisation
Analytical techniques
Technology development
Biodeterioration
State-of-the-art
Reviews
Preventive Conservation
Theoretic principles
Case studies
Documentation in Conservation
Standardisation
Documentation methods
Data management
Conservation Theory
Ethics
Conservation History
www.e-conservationline.com
THE “RESTORATION” OF THE TURIN SHROUD:
A CONSERVATION AND SCIENTIFIC DISASTER
by William Meacham
 THE “RESTORATION” OF THE TURIN SHROUD

In 2002 the Shroud of Turin was subjected to a radical intervention aimed at ridding the relic of carbon
dust and charred material said to pose a serious threat to the image. Patches that were applied in 1534
to cover holes from fire damage were removed. Vacuuming was done of portions of both sides, and
other remedial measures were taken to optimise the appearance of the relic. This aggressive operation
was in stark contrast with modern precepts of conservation, and resulted in important scientific data
and heritage features being lost, along with great opportunities for sophisticated testing and
sampling. The long-term negative impact of the intervention is feared to be substantial; the underlying
premise, that the image was threatened, has been shown to be false.

Introduction

Whether ancient or medieval, the Shroud of Turin Figure 1. The Shroud image. The frontal image on the Shroud
as first photographed in 1898. All rights reserved.
poses one of the truly abiding mysteries of all ar-
chaeological and art historical artefacts. It is the
world’s most famous textile, and probably also the
most intensively studied object in existence, but
how the image was formed on the cloth remains
unclear. Crucial evidence however may have been
destroyed in a “restoration” conducted in the sum-
mer of 2002. Unlike the restoration of the Sistine
Chapel, over which there were sharply opposing
views on the composition of the original work, the
Shroud as an historical textile was well defined
and the parameters of its on-going study quite
clear. This unfortunate event dramatically illus-
trates the need for close collaboration between
scientists, conservators/restorers and curators/
owners before initiating aggressive interventions
on important archaeological objects. It may also
become a classic illustration of things that should
not be done.

How It Happened

For the millions who believed the Shroud of Turin

might really be the burial cloth of Christ, October
13, 1988 was the turning point. The results of car-
bon dating a tiny sample from the edge of the linen
sheet were released, and they seemed definitive:
the date fell between 1260 and 1390 AD. For the
academic world and the public at large, the relic

e-conser vation 29
WILLIAM MEACHAM

was deemed to be a fake from the Middle Ages, al-

beit a very strange one. Despite thousands of hours
of scientific study, its image remained unexplained
and was the subject of continuing controversy.

In Italy, the general reaction was quite different;

most people questioned the carbon dating method
rather than the relic. Doubts were widely expressed
about its reliability for this particular object. Many
felt that its constant handling and exposure in
churches would invalidate a carbon measurement;
others felt the resurrection might have altered
the Shroud's chemistry. Some even proposed a
bizarre conspiracy theory, that a British Museum
official had switched samples in order to discredit
the Shroud [1]. The then archbishop of Turin,
Cardinal Anastasio Ballestrero, and his science
adviser were crucified in the media for officially
accepting the date, while maintaining at a press
conference announcing the test results that the
Shroud was still a mystery and a precious icon that Figure 2. Shroud Face. Negative of the facial image.
should inspire reverence. Their uncritical accept- All rights reserved.

ance of the date made it appear that the Church

now believed that its Holy Shroud was a medieval
forgery.
The furor in Italy led Ballestrero to take early re-
tirement the next year. His successor, Cardinal
Giovanni Saldarini, declared that conservation
would be the priority. He asked researchers to
be “patient”, a term readily understood to mean
that no new scientific studies would be approved
for the foreseeable future. Indeed, none have been
authorized up to the present. Saldarini brought
together a group of five textile experts to advise
on conservation, and this group was later formal-
ized as the “Conservation Commission”. It began
to address issues related to the optimum preser-
vation of the cloth, one of the most important
being how to protect it from Turin's air pollution.
A few positive changes were made to the storage
conditions, notably that the cloth would be kept
flat instead of rolled on a spool, and it would be
kept at constant temperature and humidity in an
atmosphere of inert gas, with less than 1% oxygen.
A long flat case was specially constructed for this
purpose.
However, the Commission was quietly evolving into
something very different, and was heading towards
calamity. By 2000 only one of the five textile ex-
perts remained, and its membership now included
several Turinese dignitaries and was chaired by a
senior priest in the archdiocese, Mons. Ghiberti.
An admixture of good intentions, opportunism and
machiavellian scheming would soon lead the Com-
mission down a very different path from that of
passive preservation favoured by most modern
conservators for very important objects. In a high
and deeply regrettable irony, this “Conservation
Commission” would wreak havoc on the Shroud.

30 e-conser vation

A new archbishop of Turin was appointed in 1999.
Cardinal Severino Poletto is an outgoing and af-
fable man, with mediocre educational background.
I first met him at a “conference of world experts”
sponsored by the Turin archdiocese in March,
2000, at a villa outside the city. I came away with
the strong feeling that Poletto was dynamic and
we would soon see further testing of the cloth,
particularly a second round of carbon dating.
Never in a million years could I or anyone else
involved with the Shroud have imagined what
was to come.
The truly memorable moment during this confer-
ence was a visit to the Turin Cathedral. Poletto met
us in the nave and ushered us into a sideroom. It
was a heart-stopping moment. There, mounted
on a long board at eye level was the famous relic,
free of its usual glass display case, and naturally
lit from windows high up in the room. A red velvet
cordon about three feet away was all that separated
us from the relic. My attention shifted back and
forth between the bloodstains and the fainter body
image, as archaeological and historical curiosity
about this intriguing object intermingled with
feelings of awe.
This contemplation was interrupted after a while
when Poletto and a gaggle of people around him
moved up to the cordon. Suddenly, a flash bulb
went off and I turned around to see a fellow in a
baggy suit holding an old-fashioned press camera
with large flash attachment. Horrified, I went over
to Prof. Alan Adler, the only American member of
the Conservation Commission, and asked him how
in the world they could be using flash photography.
He shrugged his shoulders, saying it was the of-
ficial archdiocese photographer. I asked him to
try to stop it, but he replied there was no way he
was going to interfere, as this viewing was very
special. It was surprising that this simple issue
had not been considered beforehand and did not
e-conser vation
THE “RESTORATION” OF THE TURIN SHROUD
seem to bother anyone else. A tripod-mounted
camera and fast film would have given perfectly
good photographs without the use of a flash, and
would have spared the cloth that extra unneces-
sary exposure to light.
Worse was to come. A delegate was energetically
pointing out some feature on the Shroud to Poletto,
and they both stepped over the cordon to get a
closer view. The delegate suddenly pulled out his
ballpoint pen and pointed at the feature. The tip
of the pen was less than an inch away from the
surface of the cloth. Aghast, I started to intervene,
when he lowered the pen. Several other people
were watching the proceedings, and no one seemed
bothered by the fact that a possible ink stain had
been a slight tremble away. When it is recalled that
many archives do not even allow ink pens of any
kind to be brought inside, one can only shudder
at how poor the state of conservation awareness
was in Turin.
Yet another conservation issue was raised by Amer-
ican scientist John Jackson after the visit. He had
a particular interest in the old creases and “fold-
mark patterns” (as he calls them) preserved on
the Shroud, and he was very upset over how the
cloth was stretched on the board. It was so taut
that hardly any of the creases could be seen. He
raised the issue at the final plenary session of
the congress, saying: “I can state that storing
the Shroud in this condition for a long period of
time will destroy forever the precious fold mark
pattern, if it has not already done so”. The response
from Commission members was that the mounting
on the board was only a temporary arrangement.
This apparently was not true. In an article published
later by the same individuals it was stated that,
unlike in the past “the Shroud was [now] stretched
and fixed in a practically definitive position” [2].
In retrospect, these conservation issues were very
bad omens.
31
WILLIAM MEACHAM
“The Shroud has been restored”
Indeed, a major catastrophe was about to befall
the Shroud. Totally unbeknownst to anyone out-
side a small circle in Turin, an aggressive, invasive
operation officially termed a “restoration” was
being planned. The work was finally carried out
in secret during June and July of 2002. But word
leaked out, and in August a Rome newspaper ran
a story by its Vatican reporter that the Shroud had
undergone a radical intervention [3]. As details
emerged from the Turin archdiocese, it was con-
firmed that patches covering the 1532 fire damage
and a backing cloth added at that time had been
removed, and “dusts and residues” had been cleared
away. People were shocked, unable to believe that
such an invasive procedure could have been allowed
to take place, since there had been so much em-
phasis in recent decades on the need for non-in-
trusive, non-destructive testing.
While very little of this news was carried by inter-
national agencies, the press in Italy was buzzing
with stories, speculation and debate about what
had been done to the Shroud. A very senior politi-
cal and academic figure, Francesco Sisinni, wrote
an important piece asking: “Did this important
object, on whose material and historical authen-
ticity scholars from every part of the world have
worked tirelessly, and, above all, in front of which
millions of faithful from all over the world have
kneeled, really need to have undergone such a
massive intervention?” [4]. Turin was clearly on
the defensive, and announced that all would be
explained at a press conference in mid-September,
at which time photographs of the “restored” Shroud
would be available.
Jackson circulated an email with very powerful
criticisms, pointing out that “it is essential that
scientific information resident on the Shroud be
preserved. The only people qualified to know what
32
that information is are people who have spent
years, if not their lifetimes, thinking about the
Shroud in a scientific sense”. It was increasingly
clear that there had been no outside consultation
or peer review of this intervention. An American
textile chemist and original member of the Conser-
vation Commission, Jan Cardamone, was surprised
and shocked at the news. Textile conservator Sheila
Landi of England, also an original member of the
Commission, had the same reaction. Even two tex-
tile specialists resident in Turin and well acquainted
with the Shroud were not consulted.
It transpired that the one textile expert left on the
Commission was the person who had carried out
the work. Rumor had it that she and Ghiberti had
become the dominant force within the Commission.
According to Landi, who attended several meet-
ings in the 1990s, the atmosphere was character-
ized increasingly by manipulation: “All they wanted
was people who said what they wanted to hear”
[5]. This led to Landi's decision to withdraw in
1997. Jan Cardamone remained available but was
not invited to attend further meetings. It is not
clear what happened to the two Italian textile
conservators, but by 1999 the Swiss Mechthild
Flury-Lemberg was the only textile expert left in
the group. This may have been as in the Chinese
saying, “one mountain can only have one tiger”.
Other individuals with close links to the inner cir-
cle around Poletto were recruited onto the Com-
mission, from fields totally unrelated to textiles
or conservation.
Flury-Lemberg is a soft spoken woman, and an old-
style restorer with a Teutonic inclination for neat-
ness. It is unclear to what degree she persuaded
others of the need for “restoration,” but one ob-
server remarked that it was a good thing that there
was no articulate dry cleaner on the Commission.
She believed in her methods, of course, and a large
portion of responsibility lies with the other mem-
e-conser vation

Figure 3. Madame Flury-Lemberg at work on the “restoration” of the Shroud (photo courtesy of Telesubalpina TV, all rights reserved).
bers of the Commission and those in the Vatican
who did not seek any outside advice.
Poletto was clearly disturbed by the raging con-
troversy, and invited the delegates from the 2000
Turin conference for a private viewing of the “re-
stored Shroud”, followed by a press conference the
next day. Both events followed the same script:
opening remarks by Poletto and Ghiberti preceded
the main presentation by the scientific adviser,
Prof. Savarino. His case was most unconvincing,
especially his casual summation: “The Shroud was
filthy. I certainly wouldn't sleep in a sheet in that
condition”. At this there was a smattering of nervous
laughter, but most did not know whether to laugh
or cry. To the layman, and obviously to the aggres-
sive restorer as well, cleaning must seem a good
e-conser vation
THE “RESTORATION” OF THE TURIN SHROUD
and necessary thing. Some conservators have said
that “dirt is not the problem, cleaning is the prob-
lem”. Often it is not even attempted. Another re-
mark by Savarino was equally shocking. He said
that an effort was made to smooth out the creases,
but “unfortunately it was not entirely successful”.
I repeated his Italian word purtroppo (unfortunately)
out loud with the inflection of a question, and
he nodded. He apparently was unaware of their
possible historical value.
The “restoration” of the Shroud was diametrically
opposed to modern textile conservation practices,
as for example described by Orlofsky and Trupin
[6]. The cloth was handled every day for a month
without gloves; no gowns, lab coats or hair nets
were worn; no clean room controls were instituted;
33
WILLIAM MEACHAM
visitors, photographers, teams of technicians and
TV crews trooped through; the cloth was illumi-
nated by lamps without filters, shining for long
periods directly on the cloth at close range; the
relic was subjected to considerable stresses in the
removal of patches and backing cloth, and addition
of a new backing cloth. Furthermore, the operation
was not a true restoration back to original either,
but a series of radical, invasive alterations and
cleaning operations for cosmetic and misinformed
conservation purposes.
Even if the cloth were a proven medieval relic, with
no image at all, the 1534 repairs should have been
retained. Flury-Lemberg commented on this issue
in very strange terms: “The conservation [work] of
the poor Clare sisters from 1534 is certainly of his-
torical interest and therefore needs to be analysed
and noted for future research, but it does not present
a value in its own right. The same is true for the con-
servation measures of 2002”. [7]
It is very surprising to have repairs nearly five hun-
dred years old equated with those done a few years
ago. The patches and backing cloth were visible
elements of a rich heritage that had intrinsic value
as part of the history and commonly recognized
identity of the relic. It was recorded that the nuns
carried out the mending of the precious relic after
the fire of 1532 with great reverence and care,
praying as they worked. Old additions to or repairs
of an object become part of the object to be pre-
served unless 1) they pose a definite threat to it,
or 2) they seriously detract from the appreciation
of the original. There would be little disagreement
among conservators on this point. It would be a
very foolish conservator who would erase medieval
graffiti from a Roman temple in the name of return
to the original. Even on cosmetic criteria, reten-
tion of the patches would have been sensible; Flury-
Lemberg herself wrote that the patches covered
“big ugly holes left by the fire”. [7]
34
The argument has been made before that even with
a backing cloth on the Shroud it was hazardous to
mount the relic in a vertical position for display.
As the Shroud is now stored laid out flat in a glass
case, this would also be the best manner to ex-
hibit it according to Cardamone, i.e. with observers
moving around it in small groups, or on a walkway
above it. To remove the existing backing cloth only
to replace it with another seems to be the height
of folly, and no real advance on the repair work
of 1534. Further, the whiteness of this new lining
detracts from the image. The eye is struck by the
stark contrast of white spots (lining visible through
the holes) on straw coloured ground (the Shroud)
that makes the sepia body image seem even more
faint. To compare the Shroud before and after, see
www.shroud.com/examine.htm.
In the months following the unveiling, a consensus
of critique took shape. The main points were:
1) that the patches had been piously sewn on 450
years ago (according to legend the nuns who sewed
them used golden needles and maintained constant
prayer during the work) and thus constituted part
of the Shroud's heritage;
2) that scientific data had been lost due to poor
planning and/or ignorance;
3) that opportunities for sophisticated scientific
research were squandered; and
4) that great stresses were put on the cloth during
the month-long handling, unstitching and re-
stitching, and exposure to lights.
In 2003, comments from prominent Shroud re-
searchers began to be posted on www.shroud.com/
restored.htm, and most were scathing. Ray Rogers,
a nationally prominent chemist formerly with Los
Alamos National Laboratory, declared “as a result
of the restoration... a large amount of potentially
critical information has been lost forever”. Paul
Maloney, archaeologist, stated his virtual certainty
that the restoration was unnecessary. Dr. Frederick
e-conser vation

Zugibe, former Chief Medical Examiner of Rockland
County NY, expressed chagrin that the restorers did
not wear gloves and dust-free clothing. In an email
Rogers stated he believed that the action would
go down in history as “Poletto’s desecration”.
Flury-Lemberg [7] published a coffee table book
about the work in which a spirited defence was
mounted, claiming that the Shroud was threatened
by a process of progressive weakening and loss
around the charred areas, and by oxidation due to
the carbon dust particles spreading through the
cloth. The problem for these claims was that the
chemical processes she feared were unknown to
science [8]. And the extensive photographic record
since 1898 did not reveal one iota of evidence for
any loss of fabric around the char. Such claims
would not have survived the standard procedure of
evaluation by peer review, but this was not done
since the plan to conduct radical surgery on the relic
had been kept a jealously guarded secret.
Figure 4. Vacuuming. Vacuuming of dirt and carbon dust. (photo courtesy of Telesubalpina TV, all rights reserved).
e-conser vation
THE “RESTORATION” OF THE TURIN SHROUD
Data Lost
Ever since the first scientific examination of the
Shroud in 1933, there has been a great and entirely
proper emphasis on non-invasive techniques. Mod-
ern conservation shares this emphasis, as noted
above, and for important archaeological objects
there would be extreme reluctance to employ in-
vasive methods, e.g. for cleaning, that would put
information at risk. Ideally, there should be close
collaboration between the archaeologist or mu-
seum curator and the conservator. In the case of
the Shroud, this should have meant direct con-
sultation with the experts from various fields who
have studied the cloth and know the types of data
it contains, and most importantly, how this data
needs to be collected, extracted or preserved.
Savarino stated at the unveiling in Turin that “noth-
ing was lost or thrown away, everything was kept”.
I tried in the space of about two minutes to ex-
35
WILLIAM MEACHAM
plain to him why it is not simply retaining every
particle of debris and dust that is important, but
it is above all the structure of the evidence that
must not be lost, and that the manner in which
samples are collected is vital. It would be useless
for example to present an archaeologist with all the
objects from a site in a giant bag, with all stratigra-
phic and contextual information lost. During this
“restoration” of the Shroud we are told that the
debris and dust was collected and saved “in more
than 30 glass containers”. This makes it clear that
a tremendous amount of information has been lost,
since all 25 burn holes under the patches plus the
four sets of “poker holes” were scraped and vacu-
umed, front and back. There should have been se-
veral hundred divisions of this material for rigor-
ous study.
To cite an example, pollen from the Middle East
has been identified from the Shroud, apparently
in small clusters, but previous collection techniques
have been faulty. Other particulate material – plant
and insect debris, traces of natron, aloes, etc. –
has also been identified as important for study.
And yet, the vacuuming was done all around the
edges of the burn holes, with no microscopic search
of the areas carried out beforehand. Micro-remains
Figure 5 a, b and c. Before and After. On the left are X-rays taken in 1978, showing the burnholes under three of the patches.
On the right are the shapes of the holes after 'restoration' (X-rays courtesy of William Mottern, all rights reserved).
36
that could have been identified and extracted by
micromanipulator with precise provenance were
instead aspirated into the container along with
all the other debris from that general area.
Worse still is the destruction of the charred edges
of the burn holes. Here the structure of evidence
is crucial, and it was deliberately reduced to fluff.
The Commission was said to have decided that no
cutting would take place, and this would have
moderated somewhat the loss of data if that de-
cision had been strictly adhered to, and only loose
particles were aspirated away. It was thus shock-
ing to discover that intact segments between small
holes or around the edges of larger holes had gone.
Ghiberti wrote: “Cutting away the charred parts to
get back to the undamaged cloth would have pro-
duced an unnatural and devastating effect. It was
decided to use tweezers to remove material which
tended to give way when pulled and to reach the
brownish borders ...” [9]
This is a new method for preserving ancient textiles
– material which tends to “give way” when pulled
is removed! A photograph in Flury-Lemberg’s book
shows a scraping tool lying beside a pile of tiny bits
of charred fibre in front of the “brownish border”
e-conser vation
 THE “RESTORATION” OF THE TURIN SHROUD

Figure 6. Pokerholes in 1978. The uppermost set of ‘pokerholes’ as photographed in 1978 (copyright Barrie
Schwortz, all rights reserved).

Figure 7. The uppermost set of 'pokerholes' being scraped. The edges of the ‘pokerholes’ being scraped clean of char in 2002
(photo courtesy of Telesubalpina TV, all rights reserved).

e-conser vation 37
WILLIAM MEACHAM
which had become the new man-made edge of
the burn hole. When this slide was shown at the
unveiling its effect was “devastating”. Unfortu-
nately, instead of cutting, the “restorers” chose
to scrape away several dozen square centimetres
of charred cloth around the edges of the burn holes.
Since they wanted the frayed look, it would have
been better for science if they had cut the small
segment first, and then done the scraping.
The invasive (some would say “brutal”) nature of
this operation was seen painfully clearly in a pro-
gramme on Italian television which shows a few
seconds of scraping around one of the so-called
“poker holes” – small burns which pre-date the
1532 fire. This clip can be seen at www.hku.hk/
hkprehis/shrdvid2.htm along with other clips
showing the unnecessary exposure to light and
constant touching of the cloth during the “res-
toration”. These small so-called “poker holes”
for example are often thought to have been the
result of burning pitch or some acidic substance
being dropped onto the folded cloth and eating
through four layers. Any residues that might have
remained on the inner edges of the holes is now
dust residing in a container, the structure of their
original in situ deposit destroyed.
There is another category of evidence that might
have existed in situ in the charred material at the
edges of the burn holes that was scraped away
and pulverized. The intersection of the body image
and bloodstains with the charred area was, in the
view of several scientists, crucial for the future
study of those phenomena, especially if any paint,
pigment or other substance was used to create
or touchup the body image or bloodstain. The
physical and chemical changes that the deposits
would have undergone in the thermal gradient
from light scorch to char is most important, and
diagnostic pyrolysis products might have remained
in trace amounts. Whatever evidence there was
38
is now jumbled together with the carbon dust and
bits of fibre. Rogers termed this “a terrible, dis-
couraging loss”. To make matters worse, Savarino
relates without comment that certain scientific
measurements were made on the underside – re-
flectance, fluorescence and Raman spectra – but
after the carbonized deposits and brittle brown
fibres around the edges of the holes had been
scraped away.
There are several other types of data that have been
lost. One is the particulate evidence on narrow led-
ges of cloth beneath the patches that were effec-
tively sealed since 1534. There was general vacuum-
ing and mixing of material from the sealed and ad-
jacent open areas. The ultrasonic vaporizer (men-
tioned by Ghiberti) may have disturbed and dis-
persed particulate deposits. Sophisticated meas-
urements should have been made to compare the
degree of oxidation of the linen in and outside the
sealed areas, and on the underside of the cloth,
to quantify how much the exposed area has de-
graded due to exposure to light during the last
468 years.
Finally, there are old fold marks and creases, im-
portant for studying how the Shroud was stored
in earlier times. One prominent crease below the
neck area is believed by some to date to the 7th
century, from similar lines in an image thought
to have been copied from the Shroud. As noted
above, during the “restoration” an attempt was
made to smooth these creases by applying weights
onto the cloth; the creases were said only to have
been “eased” and remain visible. But new sewing
on each of the burn holes puts different tensions
on the cloth, as does its new flat storage, and many
of the old weaker creases may not be visible for
much longer. Shockingly, an important point where
an old crease ran under a patch and into a brittle
charred area, indicating that the crease pre-dated
the 1532 fire, was scraped away.
e-conser vation

Damage to the Relic?
Of infinitely greater danger to the Shroud than
its carbon dust, the invasive “restoration” put
enormous stresses on the cloth, even with all
the care in the world in handling it. It has often
been remarked that ancient objects will last for
centuries to come if we can just keep our hands
off them. Through all of its known history prior
to 2002, the Shroud has benefited from the con-
servative nature of the church hierarchy towards
relics; it was seldom exhibited in public, the cloth
was stored in a container in the dark, and hand-
ling has been minimal. These are very good his-
torical conditions for the preservation of a textile.
Alas, the temptation to improve or set things right
Figure 8. Ghiberti. Mons. Ghiberti, chairman of the Conservation Commission, speaking on Italian television with the Shroud
laid out in the background (photo courtesy of Telesubalpina TV, all rights reserved).
e-conser vation
THE “RESTORATION” OF THE TURIN SHROUD
is difficult to resist. The director of the Vatican
Museum reportedly remarked in relation to the
Sistine Chapel restoration: “We could not resist
the temptation to go ahead with it” [cited in 10].
The lighting has been mentioned above. Apparently,
ordinary desk lamps without filters were used at
very close range, ca 30 to 40 cm. Instead of being
bounced off walls or ceiling, the lighting was aimed
directly at the cloth. Close flash photography may
also have been done. Light is of course a great
danger to the preservation of any historic textile,
and especially for the Shroud whose image consists
of advanced yellowing and degradation similar to
that produced by aging. One can only wonder to
what degree the non-image surface fibres have
39
WILLIAM MEACHAM
been further aged by this month-long illumination.
It was thus extremely painful to watch Ghiberti, as
chairman of the Conservation Commission, giving
a television interview in front of the Shroud, while
a lamp shines on the cloth unattended. He was
speaking about the measures then being taken to
conserve the Shroud.
Another danger may be posed by the new backing
cloth. It was said to have been washed to de-size
and soften, and tested for chemical residues by
Savarino, but no other information is given. How
sensitive were the tests, and for what chemicals?
Flury-Lemberg writes that the cloth had not been
bleached, but Cardamone believed that the new
backing cloth could be a bleached cotton, as there
were small black specks or “neps” present (a nep
is a small knot of entangled fibres). Introduction
of a new material of whatever type, whether free
of bleach and sizing or not, introduces new im-
purities and constitutes a radical change that may
have an unforeseen impact on the relic over time.
The greatest damage may come from handling with-
out gloves. From the video clips that are available,
it appears that the cloth was touched thousands
upon thousands of times during the course of the
“restoration”. Flury-Lemberg responded to criti-
cism of this fact thus: “Anyone who has held these
fine silk organzine threads and the corresponding
needles in their hands will understand immediately
that we could not wear gloves for the needlework.
[…] If the restorer cannot feel what he is doing with
his fingertips he cannot do a good job”. [7]
While this could be a strong argument for keeping
restorers well away from any historic textile, one
can only wonder if sewing really does require more
sense of touch than brain surgery. Dr. Frederick
Zugibe, medical examiner for 30 years in New York,
wrote: “I stressed the fact that there was no ex-
cuse for not wearing fine surgical gloves because
40
even eye surgeons and micro surgeons wear them
during extremely delicate surgical operations” [11].
The argument for sensitivity does not explain why
the cloth was touched innumerable times simply
to provide pressure, and during the vacuuming.
Several close-up photographs and video clips re-
veal fingers constantly being placed on the cloth
to hold it steady. If bare hands were truly required
for stitching, one wonders if any consideration
(impact assessment) was given to the risk that this
might pose in the long term. Most of the sewing
was for mounting the new backing cloth, which as
we have seen was not urgently required and could
have been dispensed with altogether.
Textile experts advise that gloves should be worn
when handling any important or historic textile.
The Institute of Conservation (ICON) recommends:
“Wear fine cotton or thin vinyl gloves when handling
or touching the textile and remove jewellery that
may snag” [12]. In a factsheet published in 2001,
the Scottish Museums Council warned: “Damage
from touching however is usually gradual over time.
Textiles absorb salts and fatty substances from skin
and eventually they discolour, stiffen and weaken
fibres.” [13].
In 1978, the scientists involved in the study of the
cloth were required to wear cotton gloves.The 2002
“restoration” would thus represent a regression
in this regard. It is certainly true that the Shroud
has often been handled throughout its history,
but that fact cannot justify continued barehanded
touching today when the contamination effects
are known. It is quite possible that the Shroud was
touched more times by bare hands, and exposed
to more light, in one month of 2002 than in its
entire history as a relic. The devout nuns in 1534
were careful to preserve every part of the precious
cloth, even blackened remnants protruding into
ugly holes. The 2002 “restoration” was, alas, a
regression in this regard as well.
e-conser vation

Conclusions
Nothing can insure that any object or the informa-
tion it contains will survive, but conservation para-
meters are well known. Many of these were violated
in the ill-considered “restoration” of the Shroud.
The image on the Shroud presents a unique and
very complicated conservation challenge, and it
can only be met by the highest standard of scientific
collaboration. This needs to be addressed in a me-
thodical, scientific manner, subject to rigorous
peer-review at an international level.
Deep concerns over the “restoration” led a group
of 52 Shroud researchers to petition the Vatican in
2006. They requested that “an international com-
mission of respected scientists and other know-
ledgeable persons be appointed, to advise on all
matters relevant to the Shroud’s conservation,
scientific testing and long-term preservation as
an object of study”. It was suggested that repre-
sentatives of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences
and the Vatican Museum be included. There was
no response to the petition.
Seeking to justify the aggressive “restoration”, Flury-
Lemberg cited the words of the late Prof. Adler:
“If we are remiss in undertaking conservation/ preser-
vation studies and measures on the Shroud of Turin,
future generations will have every right to castigate
us for failing to meet our responsibilities. History will
not be kind to us” [14]. Sadly, his words were not
heeded, the studies were not undertaken, and his-
tory will indeed not be kind to those responsible.
Acknowledgments
Aldo Guerreschi for Figure 1;
Telesubalpina TV for Figures 3, 4, 7 and 8:
Barrie Schwortz for Figure 6;
William Mottern for the x-ray photographs in Figure 5.
e-conser vation
THE “RESTORATION” OF THE TURIN SHROUD
References
[1] B. Bonnet-Eymard, "The Holy Shroud Of Turin,
Silent Witness In Preparation For A Centenary
(1898 - 1998)", The Catholic Counter-Reforma-
tion in the 20th century, Paris, 1997
[2] G.M. Zaccone and B.Barberis, “The new
measurements of the Shroud”, in M. Flury-
Lemberg, Sindone 2002, L'intervento conser-
vativo, Preservation, Konservierung, Editrice
ODPF, Turin, 2003
[3] O. Petrosillo, “The Shroud has been changed:
the secret operation from June 20 to July 22”,
Il Messagero, August 10, 2002 [in Italian]
[4] F. Sisinni, “The Shroud is a unique object to
be conserved in its integrity”, Il Tempo,
August 11, 2002 [in Italian]
[5] S. Landi, personal communication, August 20,
2002
[6] P. Orlofsky and D. L. Trupin, “The role of con-
noisseurship in determining the textile con-
servator's treatment options”, Journal of the
American Institute of Conservation 32, no. 2,
1993, pp. 109-118
[7] M. Flury-Lemberg, Sindone 2002, L'intervento
conservativo, Preservation, Konservierung,
Editrice ODPF, Turin, 2003
[8] R. Rogers, “The chemistry of autocatalytic
processes in the context of the Shroud of Turin”,
www.shroud.com/pdfs/rogers3.pdf (accessed
on December 28, 2009)
[9] G. Ghiberti, Sindone le immagini 2002 Shroud
images, Editrice ODPF, Turin, 2002
41
WILLIAM MEACHAM

[10] J. Beck, Art Restoration: The Culture, the Busi-
ness, the Scandal, W.W. Norton, New York, 1996
[11] F. Zugibe, “Comments”, www.shroud.com/
restored.htm (accessed on December 28, 2009)
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
e-conservation magazine is open to submission
of articles on a wide range of relevant topics
for the cultural heritage sector.

[12] Institute of Conservation (ICON), “Care and Next deadlines for article submission are:
conservation of costume and textiles”,
www.icon.org.uk/images/stories/costume.pdf for Issue 14, April 2010 – submissions due
(accessed on January 31, 2010) 1st March 2010

[13] Scottish Museums Council, “Caring for Textile for Issue 15, June 2010 – submissions due
Collections in Museums”, discontinued, but 1st May 2010
still available at http://web.archive.org/web/*/
www.scottishmuseums.org.uk/pdfs/Factsheet_ Nevertheless, you can always submit your
textiles.PDF manuscript when it is ready. Between the
receival of the manuscript until the final
[14] A. Adler, “Conservation and preservation of publication may pass up to 3 months
the Shroud of Turin”, Shroud Spectrum Inter- according with:
national, no. 40, 1991, pp. 2-6 - the number of the manuscripts on hold,
submitted earlier by other authors
- the release date of the upcoming issue
WILLIAM MEACHAM - the pre-allocated space in the magazine
Archaeologist to each section
Contact: wmeacham@hkucc.hku.hk
Please check our publication guidelines
William Meacham is an American archaeologist for more information.
resident in Hong Kong since 1970. He has con-
ducted numerous excavations in Hong Kong and
Macau, and written widely on South China pre-
history, in particular on the origins of the Austro-
nesians. In 1983 he published a major study of
the Turin Shroud in the renowned journal Current
Anthropology, and in 1986 was appointed by the
Pontifical Academy of Sciences to a commission
to advise on carbon dating the Shroud. He was
one of 20 foreign experts invited by the Archbishop
of Turin to the unveiling of the “new-look” Shroud
in 2002. In 2005 he published The Rape of the
Turin Shroud detailing the twin fiascos of carbon
dating and “restoration” carried out on the relic
in recent years.

42 e-conser vation
THE CRITICAL RH FOR THE APPEARANCE
OF “BRONZE DISEASE” IN CHLORIDE
CONTAMINATED COPPER AND COPPER
ALLOY ARTEFACTS

by Alexios Papapelekanos

Copper (Cu) and cuprous chloride (CuCl) powders were used to establish the critical RH value that CuCl
transforms into copper trihydroxychlorides, the corrosion products of the so-called “Bronze Disease”.
XRD analysis of the tested samples showed that the rate of transformation is fast above the
deliquescence point of CuCl (68.4% RH at 19.4º C) but very slow below it. The critical RH value for CuCl
transformation was found to be at 63% RH. However, subtle variables such as air movement,
composition of samples and type of substrate may result in the depression of the RH value that this
transformation occurs. Nevertheless, the results of this study suggest that copper artefacts would be
safe from the occurrence of “Bronze Disease” in the ambient museum environment (45-60% RH),
provided that the upper limit is not exceeded. More experimental data are needed to clarify the above
suggestions.
ALEXIOS PAPAPELEKANOS

Introduction ure 1 along with the relative thickness of the cor-

rosion products. First there is the metal; then the
Corrosion of metallic artefacts in the museum CuCl layer, followed by the cuprous oxide (Cu2O)
environment layer and on top cupric salts are formed [5].

Archaeological metallic artefacts are susceptible

to accelerated corrosion reactions once they are
excavated and exposed to adverse environmental
conditions. High Relative Humidity (RH) levels in
a museum environment combined with high pol-
lutant concentrations increase the corrosion rate of
metals [1]. Archaeological metals can also become
heavily contaminated with salts from the burial Figure 1. Common corrosion product layers found in copper
and copper alloy artefacts from a burial environment (after
environment and the most well known examples
Payer et al., 1995).
are chloride contamination of iron and copper (see
equation 1). Iron artefacts contaminated with fer-
rous chloride may be subject to physical and chemi- “Bronze disease” ensues when the corrosion lay-
cal damage from cyclic corrosion reactions [2] and ers overlaying the CuCl are disturbed with oxygen
a similar phenomenon is noted from the oxidation and moisture oxidizing and hydrolyzing the CuCl
and hydrolysis of cuprous chloride (CuCl) contami- according to equation (2). This corrosion mecha-
nated copper artefacts [3]. nism is so quick that the CuCl layer transforms into
loose and powdery copper trihydroxychlorides
“Bronze disease” that cause major mechanical disruption to the
stable Cu2O patina (figure 2).
The term “bronze disease” is used in conservation
literature to describe the oxidation and hydrolysis
of CuCl into copper trihydroxychlorides:

Cu + Cl- = CuCl + e- (1)

4CuCl(s) + O2(g)+ 4H2O = 2Cu2(OH)3Cl(s) +
2H+(aq) + 2Cl-(aq) (2)
Figure 2. Photograph and microphotographs of the action of
'Bronze Disease' on a copper coin; (Bruce Nesset© 2006, All
Rights Reserved).
It is generally accepted that formation of HCl is
an important parameter of the corrosion reac-
tions and that HCl in turn attacks copper to form Historical background of “bronze disease”
more CuCl [4]: – Suggestions for environmental control

2HCl + 2Cu = 2CuCl + H2 (3)
Although the copper corrosion stratigraphy can
be complex, there is a general pattern which ap-
plies to burial environments and is shown in fig-
Rosenberg [6] was the first to recognize that oxy-
gen and moisture is required for “bronze disease”
to develop. He experimented with a series of satu-
rated salt solutions giving a range of different RHs
and he found that the transformation of cuprous

44 e-conser vation

chloride in bronzes occurred above 71% RH. Some
years later, it was proposed [7] that a RH in the
40-50% range should be specified by museums for
safe displaying of copper artefacts, but without
presenting experimental data that would justify
this suggestion.
It seems that the lack of experimental evidence
coupled with the daunting name of the reaction
has brought confusion concerning the RH values
that CuCl remains stable. This is exemplified by
the different suggestions brought up by different
authors. A common advice is that chloride-conta-
minated archaeological copper alloys should stay
in a dry environment [1]. Indeed this seems to be
the conservation approach in museums; copper
alloy artefacts, like iron artefacts, are being stored
and displayed under desiccated conditions.
Some [8] have recommended that the RH should
be kept in the 40-50% range, whereas others [9]
have stated that CuCl is unstable above 40% RH.
Scott [3], on the other hand, reported that CuCl
reacted at 70% RH within a day. He also suggested
that a RH between 42-46% is adequate for the stor-
age or display of untreated artefacts. The specific
suggestion was based on experimental results of
compressed tablets of cuprous chloride, powdered
cuprous chloride and copper powder mixtures kept
in a humidity cabinet for two years inside which
the RH fluctuated between 42-46%. After the end
of the experiment no change was observed to the
tested samples. However, Scott did not expose
the samples to a range of RH’s. This was done by
Tsatsouli [10] who found that CuCl powder does not
react at 45% RH and below, but when in contact
with copper powder it transforms into Paratacamite
(6% of the mixture), which is a sign for “bronze
disease”, at 40% RH.
Aims and objectives
Having said the above, the present study concen-
trates on the Cu-CuCl system to fill gaps in the
e-conser vation
“BRONZE DISEASE”
cur-rent knowledge on the critical environmental
con-ditions that lead to the manifestation of
“bronze disease”. Specifically, the aims and ob-
jectives of the study are:
- To suggest the critical RH value that CuCl trans-
forms into copper trihydroxychlorides.
- To investigate the aggressiveness of the corrosion
reaction leading to “bronze disease”.
- To test the theory developed during the project
that corrosion reactions leading to “bronze disease”
are apprehended below the deliquescence point
of CuCl.
- To use the results of this study to suggest safe
RH levels for copper and copper alloy objects and
thus contribute to the optimum management of
the museum’s environmental and financial re-
sources.
Materials and Methods
Sample preparation
Powdered samples for investigating “bronze dis-
ease” corrosion reactions have been used in pre-
vious studies [3,10] and seem to produce reliable
experimental results. They provide a large surface
area which produces faster corrosion reactions.
Indeed a few days are enough to determine if
“bronze disease” has occurred, due to the rapidity
and spontaneous nature of the corrosion reaction.
Analar grade CuCl and Cu powders were used to
make up the samples for the experiments. The
tested samples were:
- CuCl in contact with Cu powder. The ratio for
the CuCl/Cu mixtures was 1:1;
- CuCl on its own as a control;
- Cu on its own as a control.
Experimental procedure
The experimental tests were carried out in a Vötsch
Industrietechnik VC 4018 model environmental
45
ALEXIOS PAPAPELEKANOS

Experiment No. Samples Duration Temperature ºC RH level

1 Cu+CuCl, CuCl, Cu 10 days 20 38%
2 Cu+CuCl, CuCl, Cu 12.7 days 20 42%
3 Cu+CuCl, CuCl, Cu 5.8 days 20 62%
4 Cu+CuCl, CuCl, Cu 12 days 20 70%
5 Cu+CuCl, CuCl, Cu 7.9 days 20 65%
6 Cu+CuCl, CuCl, Cu 6.5 days 20 63%
Table 1. Sets of experiments, shown in the order they were carried out, for determining the effect of RH and different
compositions on the transformation of CuCl into copper trihydroxychlorides.

chamber. The test space has humidity and tempera-
ture sensors which are controlled via S!MPATI (Si-
mulation Package for Test System Integration)
computer software. Deionized water was used for
the operation of the climatic chamber.
For meeting the aims and objectives set out for this
project the following experiments were carried out
(table 1). A flexible approach was required for
identifying the critical RH value that CuCl trans-
forms into copper trihydroxychlorides. Therefore,
experimental conditions for each set of experiments
depended on the analytical results obtained from
the previous one. This order also reflects the un-
predictability of the project. The amount of vari-
ables was controlled by keeping the temperature
stable at 20 ºC.
The above experiments were carried out to sug-
gest the critical RH value of CuCl transforma-
tion. In ad-dition, experiment 4 was carried out
to investigate the aggressiveness of the corro-
sion reactions lead-ing to “bronze disease”, as
the samples were taken out of the environment-
al chamber at specified time intervals.
X-ray diffraction analysis
The specimens were analyzed by XRD on an XPERT-
PRO diffractometer system. The system’s scan step
size was set at 0.0170 [º2Theta], the scan step
counting time at 21.3216 [sec] and the scan range
at 5.0084-74.9634 [º2Theta]. The X-ray sources
used were Cu Kα and Cu Kβ and spectra were ac-
quired at 30 mA and 40 kV. The mineral phase iden-
tification and semi-quantitative analysis was per-
formed by X’Pert HighScore software. The com-
puter software searched the reference database,
with over 150,000 XRD patterns, for matches to
the specimen’s spectrum. It suggested the mineral
phases that may be present based on the existence
and position of peaks as well as the quality of the
peak intensities of the specimen.
The obtained powder diffraction peak lists were
always double-checked by visual inspection against
a number of mineral phases that were expected to
occur in the specimens. The d-spacing and relative
intensity of peaks were used as identification cri-
teria and the powder diffraction files used for the
visual checking belonged to the following crystal-
line phases:
- Cuprous chloride (CuCl)
- Copper (Cu)
- Atacamite – Botallackite – Clinoatacamite –
Paratacamite [Cu2(OH)3Cl]
- Cupric hydroxychloride [Cu(OH)Cl]
- Eriochalcite [CuCl2.2(H2O)]
- Cupric chloride (CuCl2)
- Cuprite (Cu2O)
Evaluation of the results of the experimental pro-
cedures was based on a combination of the visual
inspection of the colour of the samples and the
XRD analysis performed on them. Reference dif-

46 e-conser vation
 “BRONZE DISEASE”

fraction patterns of CuCl, Cu and Cu+CuCl from the
bottle were obtained to act as a standard and for
comparison with the tested samples.
Results
XRD results on the Cu+CuCl and CuCl samples ex-
posed at 38% for 10 days, at 42% for 12.7 days and
at 62% RH for 5.8 days showed no measurable
change in their mineral composition, and there-
fore no signs of “Bronze Disease”, when compared
with the reference samples from the bottle.
in the beginning (e.g. 3 days) and more by the
end of the experimental period (9 days).
XRD analysis results for the Cu+CuCl samples are
displayed in Table 2. The XRD spectra from three
different time periods of the experiment are com-
pared in Figure 3. For the Cu+CuCl samples no
change was observed during the first six hours,
but at 9 hours Cupric Hydroxide Chloride (CuO-
HCl), which is a metastable corrosion product,
and Paratacamite started forming. This mineral
formation was slow for the first two days and by
the beginning of the 2nd day CuOHCl disappeared.

Samples at 70% RH and 20ºC

Figure 3. Comparison of the XRD spectra between 3 Cu+CuCl
specimens exposed for 3 hours, 1 day and 9 days at 70% RH.
Eleven Cu+CuCl samples, 4 CuCl samples and 1 Cu The major peaks for Paratacamite are noted at 16.254, 32.437
sample were prepared and apart from the Cu sam- and 39.835 2θ(º).

ple the rest were taken out from the environmental

chamber at specified time intervals to evaluate the
rate of transformation of CuCl into copper trihydro-
xychlorides. CuCl samples developed a dark green
colour and had the consistency of thick slurry so
they had to be dried in desiccated storage before
XRD analysis. The Cu+CuCl samples were covered
with the characteristic pale green Paratacamite
powder, which is a sign for “Bronze Disease”, less

Table 2. Mineral composition of the Cu+CuCl samples including the reference sample from the bottle.
Copper Cuprous chloride Paratacamite CuOHCl
Cu+CuCl (reference) 49% 51% _ _

Cu+CuCl (3 hours) 49% 51% _ _

Cu+CuCl (6 hours) 53% 47% _ _

Cu+CuCl (9 hours) 42% 56% 1% 1%

Cu+CuCl (16 hours) 43% 54% 2% 1%
Cu+CuCl (24 hours)-1 day 39% 58% 2% 1%
Cu+CuCl (48 hours)-2 days 42% 56% 2% _

Cu+CuCl (72 hours)-3 days 36% 58% 6% _

Cu+CuCl (120 hours)-5 days (1) 38% 48% 14% _

Cu+CuCl (168 hours)-7 days (c) 32% 44% 24% _

Cu+CuCl (216 hours)-9 days 36% 42% 22% _

e-conser vation 47
ALEXIOS PAPAPELEKANOS

Cuprous chloride CuOHCl Paratacamite Eriochalcite

CuCl (1 day) 86% 10% 4% _
CuCl (4 days) _ 66% 19% 15%
CuCl (7 days) _ 57% 22% 15%
CuCl (12 days) _ 67% 21% 12%
Table 3. Mineral composition of the tested CuCl samples.

From the 3rd day onwards the concentration of Pa-
ratacamite increased at a faster rate, to reach 22%
on the 9th day of the experiment.
XRD analysis of the CuCl samples showed a different
picture (table 3) from that of the Cu+CuCl samples.
Although after 1 day CuCl concentration was very
high (86%), after four days there was no CuCl left in
the sample and instead CuOHCl was the major min-
eral phase (66%) followed by Paratacamite (19%)
and Eriochalcite (15%). The mineral composition
of the samples stayed more or less the same after
12 days. The Cu sample remained unchanged.
Samples at 65% RH and 20ºC
Samples at 63% RH and 20ºC
Two Cu+CuCl samples, one CuCl sample and one Cu
sample were prepared for this experiment and left
in the environmental chamber for 6.5 days. The
CuCl sample showed no colour alteration, where-
as the Cu+CuCl samples had very few tiny spots of
light green Paratacamite powder on their surface.
The XRD analysis results are shown in Table 5 and
the XRD spectra of the tested Cu+CuCl and of the
Cu+CuCl from the bottle are compared in Figure 5.
The Cu+CuCl sample contained 1% Paratacamite
whereas the CuCl sample had 1% CuOHCl. The Cu
sample remained unchanged.

Two Cu+CuCl samples, one CuCl sample and one Cu

sample were prepared for this experiment and left
in the environmental chamber for 7.9 days. The CuCl
sample developed a dark green colour, whereas
the Cu+CuCl samples had a few spots of light green
Paratacamite powder on their surface. The XRD
analysis results are shown in Table 4 and the XRD
spectra of the tested Cu+CuCl and of the Cu+CuCl
from the bottle are compared in Figure 4. The
Cu+CuCl sample contained 2% Paratacamite. The
Figure 4. Comparison of the XRD spectra of Cu+CuCl (65% RH,
CuCl sample had 1% Paratacamite and 3% CuOHCl. 7.9 days) and Cu+CuCl (bottle). The major peaks for Parata-
The Cu sample remained unchanged. camite are noted at 16.254, 32.437 and 39.835 2θ(º).

Table 4. The mineral composition of the tested specimens.

Copper Cuprous chloride Paratacamite CuOHCl
Cu+CuCl (7.9 days) 40% 58% 2% _

CuCl (7.9 days) _ 96% 1% 3%

48 e-conser vation
 “BRONZE DISEASE”

Copper Cuprous chloride Paratacamite CuOHCl

Cu+CuCl (6.5 days) 41% 58% 1% _

CuCl (6.5 days) _ 99% _ 1%

Table 5. The mineral composition of the tested specimens.

Discussion

The critical RH value for CuCl transformation

to copper trihydroxychlorides

XRD results on the Cu+CuCl and CuCl samples ex-

posed at 38% for 10 days, at 42% for 12.7 days and
at 62% RH for 5.8 days showed no measurable
change in their mineral composition when com- Figure 5. Comparison of the XRD spectra of Cu+CuCl (63% RH,
pared with the reference samples from the bottle. 7.9 days) and Cu+CuCl (bottle). The slight shift in the peak
positions denotes the presence of Paratacamite. The major
Similarly, the copper metal on its own did not peaks for Paratacamite are noted at 16.254, 32.437 and
change during the tested RH’s probably because 39.835 2θ(º).
rapid copper corrosion occurs only at around 95-
98% RH [11]. However, the Cu+CuCl exposed at
63% RH for 6.5 days showed the appearance of
Paratacamite at 1% concentration whereas the
CuCl sample had 1% CuOHCl.
Furthermore, the tested samples exposed at higher
RH’s showed that the rate of transformation of
CuCl into the copper trihydroxychlorides is RH-
dependent. Figure 6 clearly demonstrates that
samples left for short periods at high RH’s had
almost identical diffractograms with samples ex- Figure 6. The almost identical XRD spectra of Cu+CuCl
posed to lower RH’s for longer periods. exposed at 65% RH for 7.9 days and Cu+CuCl exposed at
70% RH for 2 days. The major peaks for Paratacamite are
noted at 16.254, 32.437 and 39.835 2θ(º).
The deliquescence point of CuCl

The XRD results of the tested samples at 63% and
65% RH show clearly that the manifestation of
“bronze disease” is much slower compared to that
at 70% RH. The increased transformation rate of
CuCl at 70% RH is probably due to the deliques-
cence point of CuCl which occurs at 68.4% RH when
exposed to 19.4ºC [12]. Above the deliquescence
point of CuCl, at 70% RH, liquid water is absorbed
into the crystal structure of CuCl and because water
is polar it gets attracted to the electrostatic charge
of the ions derived from the salt and therefore
the escape of water molecules is hindered [13].
Therefore, when the deliquescence point of CuCl
is reached, the water is incorporated into the
crystal structure of the mineral which results in
the quick formation of “bronze disease”. At 70%
RH, water and oxygen are freely available to be
consumed via the oxidation and hydrolysis of CuCl:

e-conser vation 49
ALEXIOS PAPAPELEKANOS
4CuCl + O2 + 4H2O = 2Cu2(OH)3Cl + 2H+ + 2Cl- (4)
The presence of HCl in the CuCl samples as a result
of equation (4) was verified by the measurement
of their pH which was found to be as low as 2.5.
Why “bronze disease” occurs at 63% RH? Not
as aggressive as is currently thought?
If water is freely available for corrosion reactions
only above the deliquescence point of CuCl then why
Paratacamite occurs at 65% and 63% RH? Since
water is required for the occurrence of “bronze
disease”, it means that CuCl incorporates water
into its crystal structure before the deliquescence
point is reached. It seems that there are other
factors, apart from RH and temperature, affecting
the kinetics of water absorption in a salt such as
the composition and type of substrate, and air
movement [13].
Overall, the results from this study show that where-
as the rate of CuCl transformation into copper tri-
hydroxychlorides is slow at 65% and 63% RH, it
dramatically increases above its deliquescence
point. In addition, the present study suggests that
the copper and copper alloy artefacts should re-
main stable at a RH below 60% and that the current
belief on the critical RH value of “bronze disease”
occurrence is overstated and exaggerated. How-
ever, this recommendation needs clarification with
longer experimental periods.
Conclusions
From the early part of the 20th century “bronze
disease” caused great concern among museum
curators [14]. Since then, several authors have
recommended that safe RH values for copper and
copper alloy artefacts should be below 40% RH.
These suggestions, apart from two exceptions [3,
10], are not backed up by scientific evidence.
In this study, it was found that corrosion reactions
50
leading to “bronze disease” are very fast above
the deliquescence point of CuCl, whereas they are
much slower below it. Furthermore, a Cu+CuCl
sample after 6.5 days exposure at 63% RH formed
Paratacamite but no change could be identified
in Cu+CuCl samples after 5.8 days exposure at 62%
RH. This finding does not necessarily mean that
63% RH is the critical point of CuCl transformation.
In fact there may be no critical RH for CuCl trans-
formation because the chemisorption of water in-
to the crystal structure of CuCl probably depends
on many subtle variables such as sample composi-
tion and air movement. However, the results of the
present study and taking into account the fact
that the experimental conditions were very ag-
gressive and would not occur in real conditions,
suggest that the copper and copper alloy artefacts
would remain stable at a RH below 60%. This means
that chloride-contaminated copper alloy artefacts
would not require any special attention and would
probably be safe in ambient museum environmental
conditions (45-60%) as long as the upper limit is
not exceeded. Longer experimental periods and
variable experimental conditions, especially in
the 50-60 RH range, are required in order to test
this suggestion.
The present study does not aspire to provide defi-
nitive answers on the optimum storage of copper
and its alloys. The word optimum also refers to
energy efficiency which is very important nowadays.
There has to be adequate justification for the spe-
cification of environmental conditions for cultural
objects, especially when air-handling units (e.g.
air-conditioners) with high operating costs are
employed. These costs will be higher if desiccated
conditions are specified.
Therefore, more scientific data are required to
elucidate our understanding of the mechanism
of CuCl transformation into copper trihydroxy-
chlorides so as to avoid basing environmental
specifications on largely empirical observations.
Based on the results of the present study it is
e-conser vation

suggested that museums become bolder in their
environmental approach of storing and displaying
copper alloy artefacts and quit the “better safe
than sorry” policy if they ever hope to be cost-
effective.
Acknowledgments
The following people are thanked for their valu-
able help in completing this article:
David Watkinson, my supervisor, for his continuous
support and useful discussions and comments that
much improved the scientific quality of the pro-
ject; Mark Lewis of the Cardiff University conser-
vation department for demonstrating the operation
of the climatic chamber; Louise Joyner and Ian
Freestone of the conservation department for their
kindness on showing me how to operate the XRD
and for the useful discussions; Michael Lambert,
Tom Cottrell and Amanda Valentine of the NMGW
for their kindness on showing me how to operate
the XRD.
References
[1] J. H. Payer, “Bronze Corrosion: Rates and
Chemical Processes”, in T. Drayman-Weisser
(ed.), Dialogue/89 - The Conservation of Bronze
Sculpture in the Outdoor Environment: A Dia-
logue Among Conservators, Curators, Environ-
mental Scientists and Corrosion Engineers,
National association of Corrosion Engineers,
Houston Texas, 1992, pp. 103-122
[2] B. Knight, “A Review of the Corrosion of Iron
From Terrestrial Sites and the Problem of Post-
Excavation Corrosion”, The Conservator 14,
1990, pp. 37-43
[3] D. A. Scott, “Bronze Disease: A Review of Some
Chemical Problems and the Role of Relative
Humidity”, Journal of the American Institute
e-conser vation
“BRONZE DISEASE”
for Conservation 29, no. 2, 1990, pp. 193-206
[4] D. A. Scott, “A Review of Copper Chlorides and
Related Salts in Bronze Corrosion and as Paint-
ing Pigments”, Studies in Conservation 45,
2000, pp. 39-53
[5] J. H. Payer et al., “Role of Transport Properties
in Corrosion Product Growth”, Materials Sci-
ence and Engineering A198, 1995, pp. 91-102
[6] G. A. Rosenberg, “Antiquities and Humidity”,
The Museums Journal 33, 1933, pp. 307-314
[7] R. M. Organ, “Aspects of Bronze Patina and
its Treatment”, Studies in Conservation 8,
1963, pp. 1-9
[8] W. T. Chase, “Bronze Disease and its Treatments”,
The Department of Fine Arts: Bangkok National
Museum, 1975
[9] S. Turgoose and S. J. Duncan, “Techniques for
Metal Sculpture Corrosion Inhibition”, in T.
Drayman-Weisser (ed.), Dialogue/89 - The
Conservation of Bronze Sculpture in the Out-
door Environment: A Dialogue Among Conser-
vators, Curators, Environmental Scientists and
Corrosion Engineers, National association of
Corrosion Engineers, Houston Texas, 1992,
pp. 275-287
[10] N. Tsatsouli, “Bronze Disease: The Influence
of Relative Humidity on Cuprous Chloride”,
Unpublished MSc in Conservation Thesis,
Cardiff University, 2004
[11] F. M. Howie, “Elements, Alloys and Miscella-
neous Minerals”, in The Care and Conservation
of Geological Material. Minerals, Rocks, Mete-
orites and Lunar Finds, F. M. Howie (ed.), But-
terworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 1992, pp. 51-55
51
ALEXIOS PAPAPELEKANOS

[12] C. P. Hedlin and F. N. Trofimenkoff, “Relative

humidities over saturated solutions of nine
salts in the temperature range from 0 to 90º F”,
International Symposium on Humidity and
Moisture, Proceedings, Washington, D.C., USA,
Vol. 3, chapter 31, 1963, pp. 519-520.
FREE
Available at: URL [pdf]

[13] C. Price, “Salt Damage in Porous Materials”,

in An Expert Chemical Model in Determining
CONSERVATION
the Environmental Conditions Needed to Pre-

RESOURCES
vent Salt Damage in Porous Materials, European
Commission Research Report No. 11 (Protection
and Conservation of European Cultural Heritage),
Archetype Publications, London, 2000, pp. 3-12

[14] T. Drayman-Weisser, “A Perspective on the

History of the Conservation of Archeological
Copper Alloys in the United States”, Journal
of the American Institute for Conservation 33 Art Conservation Research
No 2, 1994, pp. 141-152
conservationresearch.blogspot.com
ALEXIOS PAPAPELEKANOS

Contact: papapelekanos.cc.co@gmail.com
Website: http://www.collectionscare.com

Alexios Papapelekanos has studied in the U.K at

Durham University BA Archaeology (1999-2002)
and MSc Palaeopathology (2002-2003). Subse-
quently, he studied at Cardiff University MSc Care
of Collections (2003-2004) and BSc Conservation
of Objects in Archaeology and Museums (2004-
2006). Throughout the years of his study and sub-
sequent years he has gained expertise in the field
of metals conservation research and in the pre-
ventive conservation profession. On 2008 he be-
came the co-founder and Head Scientist of the
Collections Care Company (CCco) in Thessaloniki,
Greece. The company promotes the proper care and
preservation of collections housed in institutions
or privately owned by collectors.

52 e-conser vation
ASPECTS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
OF THE HISTORICAL MONUMENT
FROM HERESTI, ROMANIA

by Dragos Ene and Roxana Radvan

DRAGOS ENE and ROXANA RADVAN

Laser techniques are being successfully employed in the conservation of historical buildings in many
European countries and not only, proving the advantage in preserving historical layers otherwise
impossible, especially for very degraded stone or metal.
Today, optoelectronical systems make products out of the laser cleaning research projects, for example,
and laser investigation-diagnosis systems are more often desired. An increasing number of professional
conservator-restorers are also being acquainted with these new instruments and methods. The future
perspective of lasers in conservation will deal more and more with current applications.
This paper describes how a good practice demonstration based on an advanced laser technique generated
useful results in the frame of the “STONE HOUSE” Project - CLT2006/A1/RO-80 - under the Culture 2000
Program. Long-term microclimate monitoring and air quality periodical evaluation were associated with tempera-
ture distribution on exposed outdoor walls to identify the deterioration stress. Thus, a 3D model with the
thermal representation of the walls was generated, which is much more useful than a traditional thermal repre-
sentation. Measurements were made during the cold season up to July 2007. Also, repeated laser scanning
allowed to complete successive three-dimensional records of the surface at different moments that could
evaluate erosion speed and to check preliminary theoretical (analytical) stress distribution on the surface.

Introduction

Historical buildings and cultural heritage are af-
fected not only by natural ageing but also by nat-
ural calamities, inappropriate interventions and
modifications, and even vandalism. That is the
reason why documentation of works of art is so
important, mainly in what concerns fragile arti-
facts, monuments to be restored, or archaeolo-
gical sites under excavation works. Moreover, the
documentation of works of art, especially high
accuracy documents, allows the construction of
real and virtual models, providing basis for res-
toration studies and knowledge dissemination.
The general objectives of the project have been
focused on: shafting and highlighting the com-
mon cultural heritage of European significance;
disseminating know-how and promoting good prac-
tices concerning conservation and safeguarding
the community heritage; fostering an intercultural
dialogue and know-how exchange between Roma-
nia, Bulgaria, France and other countries from the
Balkan area (Serbia, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia
and Turkey).
Particularly, the challenge of the project consists
in the revitalization of a multi-ethnic element by
placing it in the chore of a regional anthropolo-
gical research net. The historical site, located at
35 km from Bucharest and 15 km North from the
Danube River, includes a piece of land of 6 ha, a
17th century Church, and two country castles. One
of those, known as the Stone House, is an archi-
tectural monument built in 1646 by the Chancel-
lor of the King Matei Basarab, following an Italian
Renaissance pattern. The import of this European
model was perceived at the time by the contem-
poraries as a sign of modernity. This particular
building, made of an unusual material for the vil-
lage, has become in time the mark of a local iden-
tity. The project aimed to place this memory ob-
ject in a larger values map (Balkans region).
An on-site demonstration of the results of this
multidisciplinary applied research implementa-
tion for historical monuments investigation was
organized, as good practice example, as one of the
planned activities of the project. Although the

54 e-conser vation

practice of scientific conservation is more and more
applied by universities and important museums it
is less known and respected when the monument
is outside of urban areas. The trained group in-
cluded students, young architects and conserva-
tor-restorers, but local people also assisted. This
demonstration certainly showed the polyvalent
result of the project.
Being characterized by shape, the building was
recorded and documented in 3D (three-dimen-
sional or volumetric) images in order to contain
more complete geometrical information and to
make possible volumetric reproductions, like ma-
terial replicas or virtual images. 3D Laser Scanning
is a technique that takes advantage of the coher-
ence properties of laser radiation, which consists
Figure 1. View of the Stone House in Heresti.
e-conser vation
ASPECTS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FROM HERESTI
in a very pure color and highly directional light
beam. This technique is able to acquire, store and
process 3D computer images and information of
the objects using a low power laser beam as the
light source and detecting the light reflected from
the object surface on very sensitive sensors.
As high quality solution, comprehensive and sup-
ported by expert professionals, 3D scanning is a
proper solution for a fast, complex and accurate
recording of historical building digital model.
Because of the unfriendly environment condi-
tions’ dynamics, with high temperature gradients
and direct exposure to seasonal strong wind, the
evaluation of differential erosion risk was only
possible by corroborated investigations and
measurements.
55
DRAGOS ENE and ROXANA RADVAN
3D Shape recording
The scanning measurements were structured, from
the resolution point of view, in both medium and
high resolutions scans. The 3D recordings were
made inside the house, namely in one of the base-
ments, shown in figure 2, at a resolution less than
2 mm, and two communicating rooms, and out-
side the house.
For 3D data acquisition a phase shifting scanner
was used, with a range from 1.5 up to 22 m. An-
gular resolution may vary from 17 up to 180 lines
per degree. This factor may give the value of the
spatial resolution, the highest value being less
than 200 µm when the distance between the ob-
ject and the scanner is the minimum (1.5 m) and
the angular resolution is the highest (180 lines/
degree).
Figure 2. General view of the basement in 3D.
56
The laser power is 15 mW with a wavelength of
690 nm. The scanner is connected to a laptop
which controls all the acquisition parameters
(angular resolution, angular coordinates, estim-
ative distance or object) and all the data are
downloaded on the laptop’s hard disk.
The format of exported data may be *.stl or
*.obj mesh format or 4 columns ASCII file (the
first 3 columns the xyz coordinates while the 4th
represents the value of the red intensity reflec-
ted and recorded by the scanner) for the points
format.
The highest resolution scans where made on the
inscriptions: three on the entrance of the base-
ments and another one in the right side of the
right entrance (reading “29 Juin 1883 / 29 Juin
1888 rendez-vous", see figure 4).
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 ASPECTS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FROM HERESTI

One scan was also made on the main facade, with

a planar resolution less than 3 mm.

Microclimate Monitoring

As many protocols and procedures request, micro-

climate monitoring is a compulsory activity for
the conservator-restorer from the very first stages
till the end of the intervention, and a permanent
responsibility of the monument keepers. The im-
portance of the microclimate monitoring will not
be stress here as it is beyond the objective of the
present paper.

A simple network of 4 dataloggers was implemented

in both levels (figures 6 and 7) for 1 year long
monitoring of the air temperature and relative
humidity. Obviously, all data collected during the
training and dissemination of scientific conser-
vation practice have its own value, useful to de-

Figure 3 (above). High resolution scan of the façade inscriptions.

Figure 4 (right). High resolution representations of the right
entrance inscription.
Figure 5 (below). 3D representation of the main facade.

e-conser vation 57
DRAGOS ENE and ROXANA RADVAN

termine microclimate dynamics and could be im-

mediately used by the conservators and adminis-
trative team.

Due to a relative mild winter, neither the temper-

ature nor the relative humidity gradients reach
alarming values. However, the parameter dynam-
ics has some high risk: possible biological con-
tamination and organic matter degradation.

Detailed measurement plots and values are avail- Figure 6. Plan of the ground floor with the localization of
able on the project’s website at http://inoe.inoe. sensors S7 and S15.
ro/stonehouse/.

Additional measurements of humidity in the walls

were made inside and outside of the main facade
(figure 9). An interesting fact is the similarity of
the corresponding values at 0.5 and 2 meters height.
Furthermore it can also be observed that it con-
verges to the same values as the ones at 0.5 meters
once the measured points get farther than North
East wall.
Figure 7. Plan of the first floor with the localization of
sensors S31 and S32.

Table 1. Variation of the temperature [0C] from 13.12.2006 to 28.02.2007.

Sensor Min Max Maximum variation mean
1 days 2 days 3 days 4 days 5 days 6 days 7 days
7 4.6 8 1.2 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.6 1.7 2.1
15 2.6 8 2.1 2.1 2.8 2.8 2.8 3.3 3.3
31 0.7 8.2 2.2 3.7 3.8 3.8 4.3 4.6 4.5
32 0.8 8.5 3.5 4.2 4.5 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.5

Table 2. Variation of the relative humidity [RH] from 13.12.2006 to 28.02.2007.

Sensor Min Max Maximum variation mean
1 days 2 days 3 days 4 days 5 days 6 days 7 days
7 54.1 74.1 13.4 15.3 13.2 14 13.1 11.4 14.5
15 52.8 72 14.2 17.9 16.6 17.1 14.2 13.8 14.4
31 46.1 86.3 22 24.7 29.6 31.1 27.8 29.7 28.3
32 41.3 81.8 25.9 27.2 29.7 29 27.2 24.8 24.8

58 e-conser vation
 ASPECTS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FROM HERESTI

Table 3. Variation of the temperature [0C] from June 1 to July 17, 2007.

Sensor Min Max Maximum variation mean

1 days 2 days 3 days 4 days 5 days 6 days 7 days
7 18 22 0.6 0.7 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6
15 18.7 24.4 1.3 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.2
31 22.4 29.6 1.6 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.8 2.8 3
32 21.1 33.5 6.4 7.7 7.4 7.5 7.2 7.2 8

Table 4. Variation of the relative humidity [RH] from June 1 to July 17, 2007.

Sensor Min Max Maximum variation mean

1 days 2 days 3 days 4 days 5 days 6 days 7 days
7 76 91.5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15 42.2 76.8 9.3 12.6 13.2 12.5 11.8 11.9 12.2
31 30.6 66.6 21.6 23 28.2 26.7 24.2 25.5 29.6
32 32.4 70.9 16.1 17 23.3 22 19.6 22 24.5

Figure 8. Plots of temperature and relative humidity variations recorded by the 15th sensor.

e-conser vation 59
DRAGOS ENE and ROXANA RADVAN

Figure 9. Humidity walls measurements (investigated points are highlighted in red).

Figure 10. Relative humidity variation on the facade wall in March 2007.

60 e-conser vation

Thermovision
Monitoring of historical buildings walls represents
one of the possible thermovision applications in
order to rebuild or conserve cultural goods.
The results of this technique are given with ther-
mal images, displayed in pseudocolors. The advan-
tage of this display method is that it offers better
intensity variations which are easier to identify.
Qualitative studies in thermography consist in the
study of the thermal images in order to identify
the presence of anomalies and their localization.
Using 3D matching algorithms, a 3D thermal rep-
resentation was obtained, the thermal image being
projected on the 3D surface.
As a consequence of the building’s age and its lo-
cation on a higher river bank with no tall vegeta-
tion, the windy winters strongly washed out the old
stone surfaces. The original allure of the building
was kept due to some new aesthetically well inte-
Figure 11. 3D thermal representation of the facade (December 2006).
e-conser vation
ASPECTS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FROM HERESTI
grated stone pieces. A perfect “fingerprint” of the
wind still exists on many of the original stones and
proves an unsuspected environmental stress over
the building.
The most interesting observation after preliminary
investigation can be extracted from the thermo-
vision inspection.
All thermal images, collected in different seasons
and at different moments of the day, indicate a
permanent distinct distribution of the temperat-
ure on the new and old stone pieces. On these,
the maximum gradient of temperature did not
exceed 3° C.
From previous experience, the surface decay in
similar cases but with high temperature gradient
on surface could also be explained by the signi-
ficant temperature stress.
61
DRAGOS ENE and ROXANA RADVAN
Figure 12. 3D thermal representation of the façade (January 2007).
We will start a long-term study on the possible
tension induced by similar categories of materi-
al but with not enough appropriate values of op-
tical absorbance, thermal emissivity and other
parameters.
Conclusions
Three dimensional representations of different
sets of measurements may represent a new and
better way to inspect the object characteristics.
This representation of the thermal distribution
on a 3D surface offers a better visualisation of
the thermal distribution, identifying the exist-
ing problems and stressful areas of the walls in a
different way and offering, finally, an improved
method for diagnosis.
Similarly, a three-dimensional representation of
imaging techniques may be obtained adding res-
ults of laser induced fluorescence (LIF), which
62
may be visualised in a 3D environment, offering
detailed 3D mapping of selected spectra.
The visualisation can also be improved using Dop-
pler vibrometry techniques. Vibration is induced
to the surface of the object by loudspeakers or
piezoelectric sensors. Then, the laser is scattered
and the Doppler shift (between an original beam
and the shifted beam) is recorded. Measuring the
frequency response, and combining it with a tech-
nique that acquires the response in time (laser
scanning), a 3D visualisation of the vibration’s
amplitude can be achieved. In this particular case,
the vibration may also be correlated with the ac-
tual shape of the object.
Acknowledgments
The activities at Heresti Sone House were deve-
loped under the Culture 2000 Program Project -
CLT2006/A1/RO-80. The authors are also thankful
to PNCDI II program 91-009-Imagist project and
Nucleu Program 09-27.01.01 for financial support.
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 ASPECTS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FROM HERESTI

Figure 13. 3D view of the first floor chambers.

DRAGOS ENE ROXANA RADVAN

Researcher Senior Scientist
Contact: dragos@inoe.inoe.ro Contact: radvan@inoe.inoe.ro

Dragos Ene graduated in 2007 from the Faculty
of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informa-
tion Technology at the Polytechnic University of
Bucharest, with specialization in Applied Physics.
Since the same year he is a PhD student at the
Faculty of Applied Science with the main focus
on optical methods used to study conservation
status of the monuments.
At the present he is part of the research team
from the Department of Advanced Methods and
Techniques for Artwork Restoration Conservation
of the National Institute of Research & Develop-
ment for Optoelectronics (INOE) 2000 in Bucharest.
Roxana Radvan received the BS degree in Applied
Optics and Fine Mechanics in 1990 from Polytech-
nic University of Bucharest and her doctoral
degree on non-conventional optics in 1996 from
Technical Army Academy of Bucharest. She is a
researcher at the National Institute of Research
& Development for Optoelectronics (INOE) 2000
and is working on optoelectronics application
on cultural heritage protection and conserva-
tion-restoration. She coordinates a thematic
national network in this field – PRO RESTAURO,
is COST G7 vice-president and member of
LACONA Permanent Scientific Committee.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE of RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT for OPTOELECTRONICS 2000

Contact: inoe@inoe.inoe.ro
http://www.inoe.ro/

e-conser vation 63
arp proceeding

Professional Association of Conservator-Restorers of Portugal

http://www.arp.org.pt/

SECOND ARP SEMINAR

The Practice of Theory – Treatments of Conservation-Restoration

This issue contains the third part of a temporary section dedicated to the publication of
the proceedings of the Second ARP Seminar, organised by the Professional Association of
Conservator-Restorers of Portugal.

The Second ARP Seminar, The Practice of Theory – Treatments of Conservation-Restoration

was held in the auditorium of the National Museum of Ancient Art (MNAA) in Lisbon on May
29-30, 2009. The proceedings were published in Portuguese by the association and the
English version of the articles presented at the meeting are being published by e-con-
servation magazine.

The series of articles in this issue is dedicated to the Conservation of Textiles and Paintings.
THE ALTAR FRONTAL OF THE CHURCH
OF NOSSA SENHORA DA PIEDADE
DE SANTARÉM

by Eva Armindo

The present article describes the conservation treatment of a 17th-18th century altar
frontal from the church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade in Santarém. The altar frontal is
decorated by a floral decoration in metallic thread on a beige silk damask fabric. The
conservation-restoration treatment consisted mainly in mechanical and wet cleaning
and physical stabilization which improved considerably its mechanical stability and
aesthetics. A new exhibiting system was also implemented along with preventive con-
servation measures.

The altar frontal is part of an extensive religious textile collection which has already
been catalogued. This intervention shows a beneficial collaboration between the
responsible for religious heritage and accredited conservation professionals in order
to preserve objects of art that are so often threatened by lack of economic resources
or simply by ignorance.
EVA ARMINDO
Introduction
The Church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade in Santa-
rém was selected in 2006 as the Pilot Church of
the Diocese of Santarém, under the “Safe Church
- Open Church” Project, developed by the Institute
of Police and Criminal Sciences. This project is
focused on the implementation of actions at the
level of safety and conservation for the protection
of churches and its heritage, both movable and
immovable. Among other measures, the inventory
of the church movable assets was carried out,
which allowed to quantify and to assess its tech-
nical quality and importance. It was also possible
to assess the overall conservation state of the
collections and to set up priorities for its conser-
vation. The inventory also allowed to establish the
predominance of textile objects in comparison to
other object categories, namely about 300 objects
from 700 (figure 1) [1].
The textiles collection is mostly composed of items
from the 17th-20th centuries, mainly with vegetal
decoration but presenting several typologies, tech-
niques and materials [2]. While most of the items
have a high artistic, historical or cultural quality,
there are others that have a lower technical and
artistic relevance. However, these are important
to characterise the local production and for the
local identity [1]. Thus, all the items were subject
either to conservation-restoration treatment or
to preventive conservation.
This project of inventory and preservation of the
church heritage was partially published as a cata-
logue which includes a series of specialised col-
laborations [1, 2]. This publication contains, among
others, a chapter dedicated to the definition,
conservation and preservation of the textiles, in-
cluding the altar frontal in study. It is expected
that this publication, along with other actions, will
help to raise awareness among the responsibles
of the other churches as well as of the general
66
Figure 1. Distribution of the movable heritage of the Church
of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, where the textile category is
predominant [1].
population in order to allow a better collaboration
with accredited conservators.
The altar frontal is an example of the assets that
were treated. Its physical condition was greatly
improved and stabilized by means of a methodo-
logy designed according to the current ethical
criteria. A new exhibiting system was designed
for its future preservation and display. At the same
time, preventive conservation measures were re-
commended which can also be extrapolated to the
entire collection with appropriate adaptations.
Altar Frontal
Technique and decoration
Altar fronts are objects that have the purpose of
decorating religious spaces, namely altars. They
are also known as antependium and have several
types of decoration depending on their manufac-
turing period. Nevertheless, they are always rich
in decoration and it was one of the most prominent
ornaments in the altar1 [3].
1 This ornament has its origin in the towel that covered the
altar table towards the floor, on the front and sides. With
time, to be more practical, this towel was eventually cut at
the corners and its front border part became an independent
vestment [3].
e-conser vation

The present altar frontal originally belonged to
the Convent of Donnas2, according to the inscrip-
tion found on a label sewn on the back (figure 2),
and it was one of the pieces later taken to the
church of Nossa Senhora da Piedade in Santarém
after the extinction of the convent, in the late
19th century.
The frontal has a rectangular shape and measures
280x100 cm (figure 3). It is made with beige da-
mask3 fabric with decorations sewn with laminated
golden-gilt thread (flowered4) and elements of
lacework (galloons and metallic fringe) applied on
a fabric support of brown taffeta which exceeded
the frontal upper limit at about 10 cm and the
laterals at about 4 cm.
The analysis of the manufacturing techniques (ta-
ble 1) has shown that the frontal is composed by
14 damask fabric elements, distributed as follows:
- 5 panels of the field and 5 frontal panels, with
50 cm wide each (distance between the lateral
Figure 3. General image of the frontal before the intervention (photomontage).
2 Convent of São Domingos das Donas was the feminine side
of the Dominican Order. It started in the 13th century and
it was extinct in the late 19th century [2].
3 Damascus is a type of fabric that, on its primitive form, con-
sisted of a background effect and a drawing effect given by
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ALTAR FRONTAL CONSERVATION
Figure 2. Identification tag with the origin of the altar frontal.
selvedges);
- 4 panels of smaller width, located on the frontal
and field lateral edges, which may result in addi-
tions or cuts of the existing fields.
In the frontal area, each panel is divided in the cen-
ter by galloon application, in a total of 10 small
panels of 25 cm wide. The galloons sewn with me-
tallic thread divide the different panels. The upper
and lateral perimeter of the object is finished by
two overlapped strips of beige gallon.
the warp and weft of a single needlepoint, having the par-
ticularity of being reversible [11].
4 Espolinado is a term used to describe a drawing effect
formed by a weft that limits its work to the width of its
motifs [11].
67
EVA ARMINDO

Table 1. Technical details of the frontal.

Designation Characterisation

Base fabric Beige damask silk *

Supplementary woof (from the Laminated gold-gilt thread, S torsion, with white silk core *
support fabric)
Galloon (perimeter contour) Galloon fabric of ivory silk *

Lacework Galloon fabric of laminated gold-gilt thread with white silk core
and S torsion *
Metallic fringe of laminated gold-gilt thread with yellow silk
core and S torsion *
Support fabric Taffeta fabric of vegetable fibres, brown colour, composed of
several patches of other similar fabrics.
* without appreciable torsion.

Concerning the decoration, the damask fabric
presents vegetal motifs developed symmetrically
around an axis of longitudinal symmetry. The
drawing contains highlighted flowers and leafs
surrounded by decorations made by laminated
golden-gilt thread in the espolinado technique,
drawing flower laces and garlanded strings. A ver-
tical selvedge which allowed to verify the deco-
rative sequence was also found concluding that
each panel of the field corresponds to a module
of the decorative pattern.
It should be noted that it was the combination of
the materials and techniques that gave the shine
and splendour to the frontal. When beige silk is
used, it is causing a highlight reflection with the
damask fabric. Part of the decoration is made of
satin, with smoother and more reflective surface,
contrasting with the taffeta areas. The lacework
and the metallic decoration have also a strong con-
tribution to the overall shine.
more detailed. Thus, the middle size of the frontal
motifs suggests that it belongs to a transition pe-
riod. In addition, the used of metallic thread and
the comparison with other frontals already dated
and that are stylistically similar, make it probable
that the frontal dates from the 17th century or
early 18th century.
Identification of materials
The morphology of the fibers was analyzed by op-
tical microscopy through the observation of the
longitudinal cross-sections of the fibres5 in trans-
mitted light (figure 4). The presence of silk on
the support damask fabric, on the frontal edge
galloon and in the core of the laminated thread
of the decoration and lacework was confirmed,
once the interior of the analysed fibres is smooth
which is characteristic of the silk fibers Bombix
Mori [5]. The same analysis was performed to the
support fabric which revealed the presence of

In this type of damask decoration the ornamental

motifs of large dimension from the 17th century 5 Optical microscope Bresser Biolux AL. The samples were pre-
evolved in the 18th century to designs increasingly pared on slides using glycerine.

68 e-conser vation
 ALTAR FRONTAL CONSERVATION

fibres with cellulosic constitution, most probably Figure 4 a and b.

linen6 according to the presence of nodules [5]. Optical microscopy
images by trans-
However, this last fibre was impossible to identify. mitted light from
the longitudinal
Concerning the laminated thread (figure 5), it cross-section of
the fibres.
was also not possibly to identify the component
materials. However, the characteristic golden shine Figure 4a (above)
suggests the presence of gold. Given the oxidation shows silk fibres,
characteristically
of the most exposed laminated thread, where in with the interior
some areas led to its browning, it is likely that the smooth while
metal should be either a metal such as Cu or Ag figure 4b (below)
shows a typical
or a gold-plated alloy, once the presence of pure image of a cellulosic
gold itself wouldn’t led to such strong darkening7 fibre, most probably
and since it is the noblest element used in the pro- linen due the
presence of nodules
duction of metal decorations applied in textiles on the interior.
[6]. Furthermore, the use of metallic threads made
of silver plated with gold (15th-17th centuries) and
golden copper threads (since the 17th century) re-
inforce the hypothesis of the golden alloy thread
from the 17th-18th century [7].

The material analysis verified the common use

of more noble fibres, such as silk and laminated
thread, on the visible decorations and cheaper
fibres on the support fabrics. The application of Figure 5. Optical microscopy image by reflected light from a
laminated thread was reserved, especially, to the laminated thread, where the S torsion of the metal around
the fiber core can be seen.
front side of the damask fabric.

This analysis was also important as it helped in
the selection of the materials to be used in the
conservation-restoration treatment, allowing thus
to select the most compatible materials with the
original ones.
Conservation and Restoration of the Frontal
it will be easier to develop and to implement the
solutions.
The frontal present problems mainly at a physical
and mechanical level, that contribute to its weak-
ness and that also affect its aesthetic reading.

6 The flax fibres are characterised by hexagonal cross sec-

Assessment of the conservation problems
In the analysis of the conservation state of a tex-
tile object it is important identify the degradation
of the object but also the degradation agents that
induce it. Thus, determining the problem source
tions [5]. In order to confirm the identification a transversal
cross section of the fibre would be required. This was not
performed due to the lack of the necessary resources.
7 Deposits of dirt, grease, lime deposits or even corrosion
products from the metallic alloy can be found over gold but
are not gold corrosion [6].

e-conser vation 69
EVA ARMINDO
The major forms of degradation (figure 6) can be
enumerated as follows:
- Loss of textile material by the presence of tears
(25% loss of warp threads) and lacunas (10% loss
of warp and weft threads);
- Loss of metal by the presence of lacunas (5%)
and detached metallic threads (30-35%);
- Wrinkles, creases and strains (10%);
- Oxidation and darkening of the metallic surface
(80% of the areas with metallic thread);
- Yellowing and darkening of the silk fibres (90%);
- Presence of dirt as agent of degradation, in the
form of solid particles (90%), damp stains (20%),
paint stains (3%) and rust lacunas or stains (5%,
especially on the support fabric);
The tears, caused mainly due to the loss of warp
threads, are located mostly in the central panels.
Furthermore, there are also some tears in the
areas under the fringe, here being caused by the
local galloon anchors in the fabric which induced
tensions, and abrasion in the fringe of the silk
fabric. The appearance of gaps is also consider-
able in the in the lower panels, near the lower end
which is also more favourable to wear, and espe-
cially in the first panel. In these same areas there
Figure 6. Schematic representation of the main conservation problems of the frontal:
detached metallic thread, - wrinkles and creases; – wax drops.
70
are more formal alterations such as wrinkles due
to the weight of the fabric and creases due to the
incorrect storage since the frontal was often folded
in the same areas, bearing the weight of other parts.
The areas with detached laminated thread are
mainly concentrated in the central area of the
panels and at the bottom, mostly due to the use,
handling and abrasion of the surface. The border
areas between the fabric and the decoration with
laminated thread are intrinsically weaker areas
as they are made from two different materials –
fibre and metal – that react differently to the rela-
tive humidity and temperature. Since environmental
conditions were not controlled, the frontal was
subjected continuously to cycles of swelling and
shrinking leading to the weakening of those union
areas and to the detachment of many laminated
threads.
Aesthetically, the frontal is affected by tears, la-
cunas and detached laminated threads revealing
the underlying support fabric of darker colour.
Furthermore, the oxidation and darkening of the
metallic surfaces led to the loss of its characteristic
golden glow. This alteration is due to the inherent
natural degradation of the metal and it occurs
especially in the most exposed metallic surfaces.
This has contributed to its abrasion and humidity
- lacunas and tears; - lacunas and
e-conser vation

absorption, and to oxidizing agents, such as some
pollutants and oxygen itself, since the metallic
surfaces located in the most protected areas in
the fringe still maintain a strong golden shine.
The silk fibres have a natural yellowing caused by
oxidation and aging due to ultraviolet. Dirt, dust,
sand and soot in particular, were more or less
adherent to the fibres and its interstices and ac-
cording to its nature it was difficult to remove.
The presence of fat particles, like wax, and several
types of stains, including ink, that adhered firmly
to the fibres was also observed.
Regardless of the nature of the dirt, it induced de-
gradation in medium to long term. Furthermore,
dirt can cause abrasion, loss of flexibility, irrevers-
ible colour change, increased acidity and occasion-
ally total destruction of the fibres [6].
Conclusions of the conservation state
The main conservation problems of the frontal
are the lacunas and tearing which prevent the
normal handling of the object and compromise its
stability. These degradations have a negative in-
fluence on the aesthetic reading of the frontal.
Considering all these problems, the conservation
state of the frontal should be qualified as poor but
given that the fibres and galloons are relatively
resistant, it can be considered reasonable.
The treatment will consist largely in the stabilisation
of the vulnerable and detached areas and cleaning.
The aesthetic improvement is mainly a direct con-
sequence of physical and chemical treatments.
Conservation and Restoration Intervention
Considering the nature of the materials and the
diagnosis of the conservation problems, the in-
tervention was divided into several stages ac-
cording to conservation principles and interven-
tion criteria currently established.
e-conser vation
ALTAR FRONTAL CONSERVATION
Disassembly of the frontal
This was an essential step for the continuation of
the following treatments, namely cleaning, wash-
ing, and lacuna stabilisation. The disassembly was
performed by separating the various components:
the support fabric of the several panels, the panels,
the fringe and the galloons. All items were num-
bered and marked, and their original location was
identified for future reference during the assembly
operation.
Mechanical Cleaning
Beyond fabric’s evident loss of brightness, the
observation under magnification revealed small
particles of dirt (dust and other solid substances)
and drops of wax that could be removed by me-
chanical means.
The cleaning procedure was performed using a
vacuum with thin nozzles, with controlled suction,
and with the help of tweezers and scalpels to re-
move the wax drops in the fabric, lacework and
support, on both sides. The most vulnerable areas,
those with metallic thread and tearings, were pro-
tected by tulle during this process.
The result was a considerable removal of solid dirt
particles which were less attached to the fibre’s
surface as seen in the filter (figure 7), as well as
several lines that originally sewed the frontal.
Figure 7. Dirt that was retained in the filters of white fabric,
during the vacuuming of the field panel and the frontal.
71
EVA ARMINDO
Wet Cleaning
Although mechanical cleaning removed a large
amount of dirt, there were still certain types of
stains more closely linked to the fibres and to the
metallic surfaces, likely to be removed only by
washing.
Washing is an irreversible operation and, as such,
it should be carefully considered.
The frontal presents on the support fabric one sin-
gle type of fibres – silk – that, despite the reported
problems, show favourable mobility and endurance.
At the same time, the damask is a composite ma-
terial with the presence of additional wefts of la-
minated thread which may cause a problem once
the actual cleaning methods of metals can degrade
the adjacent fibres [6].
The fibres and the laminated thread were capable
to withstand a soft cleaning which consisted in the
application of distilled water8 and a neutral and
anionic surfactant9. A test was performed on the
smallest element of the ensemble, in the frontal
upper right corner, which showed no alteration or
risk for the metallic elements.
The dimensions of the elements were recorded be-
fore and placed between tulle for easier handling
and protection during the washing. A natural sponge
was also occasionally used. After washing, the water
excess was removed with white Turkish towels and
flattened with weights.
After this procedure, there was a considerable in-
crease in the brightness of the silk fibres, despite
their yellowing and ageing, as well as some metal-
8 Water is the most polar solvent that is known. It has the
capacity to dissolve organic and inorganic polar dirt, to
dissolve the acidic degradation products of the fibers, and
to serve as plasticizer agent of polymers, improving their
flexibility and allowing the removal of deformations [6].
9 Tergitol NP9 (Nonylphenol Ethoxylate) was used to dissolve
polar and non polar dirt [6]. Technical sheet available at:
72
lic sheen. The ink stains and those caused by hu-
midity were reduced. The wrinkles and creases were
successfully removed and the fibres in the areas of
tears and lacunas were properly aligned. It was,
thus, a fundamental step to improve the conser-
vation state of the frontal.
Consolidation by needlepoint
This phase of the treatment was fundamental to
return the mechanic stability to the object as it
allowed to stabilise the areas with tears and la-
cunas and to consolidate the detached metallic
elements. Although mechanic, this intervention
it is completely reversible which brings signific-
ant advantages in terms of conservation.
To this end, we resorted to the application of par-
tial supports of natural silk10, fully compatible in
material, density, malleability and colour with the
original material. Each fabric support covered a
field panel and the respective frontal. The stabili-
zation of the tearings and lacunas and fixation
of the detached laminated thread was performed
using needlepoint with natural silk thread making
perpendicular lines to the weft and regular spacing
of approximately 5 mm. The number of stitches
was the minimum required to the stabilization of
degraded areas. In the areas with laminated threads
the spacing was bigger (8-10 mm) in order not to
be visible. At the end, some fixation points were
performed to fix the silk support uniformly across
the panels at regular space.
After consolidation, a partial facing of nylon tulle
was also applied for protection in the lower areas
http://www.dow.com/surfactants/products/nonylph.htm
(accessed on 17/05/2009).
10 The use of support fabric of compatible material to the
original is an assurance that the new fabric will have a de-
gradation pattern similar to that of the original silk, and will
react similarly to the environmental factors.
e-conser vation
 ALTAR FRONTAL CONSERVATION

of the panels that presented lacunas (figure 8). Figure 8. Detail of the area protected by tulle, before and
after the intervention.
Partial consolidation was performed in the gal-
loon of contour and support fabric using, in this
last case, partial supports of flax fibres.

Reassembly of the frontal

After the intervention, the frontal was reassem-

bled on its position taking into consideration the
order and original location of every individual
item (panels, galloons and fringe). During the
reassembly, the same stitches and lines of natural
fibres were used (figure 9).

Preventive Conservation

Exposure and use

Religious objects involve a symbolic nature for the

use in the church for which they were created.

Figure 9. Detail of some areas from the frontal with tears, lacunas and detached metallic thread, before (a, c and e) and after
(b, d, and f) the intervention.

e-conser vation 73
EVA ARMINDO
Whenever the conservation state of the object al-
lows it, it makes perfect sense to create systems
for its display and use.
The usual fixation method of the frontal to the al-
tar was using nails, pins and even adhesive tape
which caused damage to the frontal but also to
the altar. In order to prevent further damage and
to improve he display, the implementation of a
new exhibition system was proposed.
Textiles are fragile, sensitive to light and other
degradation agents, and therefore the exposure
time should be limited to short periods and rest-
ing periods should be scheduled. Thus, a remov-
able display of easy assembly and transport in case
of emergency was designed.
A system was proposed that consisted in the con-
struction of a wooden frame [8], of the same di-
mensions as the frontal (figure 10), which would
match the bars and beams according to the dis-
tribution of the galloons, with the application of
strips of Velcro® on all its extension. On the back-
side, a “lining” of washed cotton fabric was at-
tached by needlepoint to the support fabric. After-
wards, some strips of Velcro® were also sewn to
Figure 10. Dimensions (cm) of the frame and application points of the Velcro® for fixing the frontal.
74
that fabric in the area of the gallons, which it is
more resistant, in order to apply Velcro® in the
frame as well. The distribution of these strips was
planned to obtain a balanced weight distribution,
avoiding thus unnecessary stresses.
Besides the main advantage of adequate exhibi-
tion, the frame presents other relevant advantages
such as: the physical separation of the frontal from
the altar and its reduced weight, facilitating thus
its transport, even in case of emergency; the sus-
pension of the frontal at some distance from the
ground which will avoid further degradation of
the lower areas and the accumulation of dirt; the
possibility of using the frame with other similar
frontals and its use in other places than the church.
It is also advisable to protect the frontal during
the exhibition in order to avoid the deposition
of dirt and to prevent damage from visitors. The
most effective protection would be to place in
front of the altar an acrylic sheet with the same
dimensions and preferably with UV protection,
or at least a physical barrier to keep visitors at
some distance during the ceremonies (figure 11).
It is known that light is one of the main degrada-
tion factors of textiles, with cumulative effects and
e-conser vation

Figure 11. Exhibition of the frontal mounted on the frame at the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição in the Cathedral during
the Easter Triduum. A barrier was placed in front of the altar for further protection.
causing irreversible damages to the fibres. Although
churches are usually maintained in twilight, it is
advisable to reduce the light exposure at the maxi-
mum and take appropriate preventive measures11.
It is also strongly advised to expose the object for
no more than 3 or 4 months, after which the ob-
ject should be kept without light over a period of
a few months.
Another important aspect is that all the handling
should be made with gloves and by more than one
person due to its large dimensions.
At the moment, the frontal is only used in the
festive liturgical celebrations, namely on Easter
and Christmas, for a maximum period of one
month.
e-conser vation
ALTAR FRONTAL CONSERVATION
Packaging and storage
Prior to the inventory of the textile collection of
the Church of Piedade, the entire collection of
about 300 objects was kept inside two wood chests
in the church, being of a considerable volume for
such a small space. Due to economic and space
constraints, it was not possible to built a space
with appropriated conditions for the conserva-
tion of the collection. Nevertheless, during the
inventory it was possible to improve the storage
conditions by implementing shelves to avoid the
excessive overlapping, and rolls of silk paper in
the folds to prevent the formation of creases.
11 The current maximum illumination value is 50 lux and in
case the UV radiation exceeds 75 µW/lm UV filters should be
used in both lamps and windows [6].
75
EVA ARMINDO
The financial resources also did not allow the ac-
quisition of special storage materials, known to
the stable and chemically inert [9]. A satisfactory
low cost solution was implemented by the use of
cotton cloth unbleached and previously washed,
and white silk paper (ideally acid free). These ma-
terials should be washed and substituted on a
regular basis (annually).
Concerning the frontal, and given its dimensions,
it was decided to store it rolled12 up with the front
part, which is more voluminous, on the outside.
The rolling was done on a tube longer than the
frontal and with a diameter larger than 20 cm [10].
The roll should not be too tight and it should be
placed with an interface of other material to pro-
tect the surface of the object, and fixing the fab-
ric with strips of tissue or Velcro®. On this case,
previously washed and unbleached cotton fabric
and a sealed cardboard tube were used as inter-
face materials. The pieces were also properly la-
belled in a visible area for future reference.
The environmental parameters from storage and
exhibition areas should also be controlled in order
to achieve values with minimal oscillations with-
in relative humidity = 50 ± 5% and temperature
= 20 ± 5 º C [6].
Conclusions and Future Work
The conservation-restoration intervention here
reported was the starting point for the interven-
tion on other textile items from the same collec-
tion as well as from other parishes in the Diocese
of Santarém.
The current Diocesan Commission for the Church
Cultural Heritage from Santarém is the respons-
12 Ideally, the frontal should be stored flattened in the
interior of a box or shelf. However, due to the space
constraints, such thing was not possible.
76
ible for establishing the link between the churches
and accredited professionals, contributing thus
to increase the awareness of the heritage holders,
and promoting a closer coordination and collab-
oration to their real needs.
Thus, joint efforts have already begun to help safe-
guard the assets and in particular of the religious
textiles. Although the starting point has often few
resources, it is our objective to overcome these
initial limitations in order to solve new challenges
and develop solutions for the preservation of this
important heritage.
The adaptation of theoretical concepts to reality
is a continuous but essential challenge as the con-
servation-restoration is feasible within the search
of balance between the real and the ideal.
Bibliography
[1] E. Neves and M. Covas, “Igreja Piloto: Segur-
ança, Conservação Preventiva e Inventário”,
in E. Neves and J. Ganhão (coord.), Igreja de
Nossa Senhora da Piedade, Santarém – História
e Património, Diocese de Santarém, Santarém,
2008, pp. 52-57
[2] E. Armindo, “A Colecção Têxtil da Igreja de
Nossa Sra. da Piedade”, in E. Neves and J.
Ganhão (coord.), Igreja de Nossa Senhora da
Piedade, Santarém – História e Património,
Diocese de Santarém, Santarém, 2008,
pp. 122-129
[3] T. Alarcão and J. A. S. Carvalho, Imagens em
Paramentos Bordados. Séculos XIV a XVI,
Instituto Português de Museus, Lisboa, 1993
e-conser vation
 ALTAR FRONTAL CONSERVATION

[4] T. Alarcão and P. Tomás, “A arte dos têxteis:

os paramentos da Santa Casa da Misericórdia”,
in J. Fonseca (coord.), Misericórdia de
Montemor-o-Novo – História e Património,
Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Montemor-o-
Novo, Montemor-o-Novo, 2008

[5] C. A. Farnfield et al., Identification of Textile

Materials, The Textile Institute, Manchester,
1985
[6] A. Tímár-Balázsy and D. Eastop, Chemical
Principles of Textile Conservation, Butter-
worth-Heinemann, London, 1998
[7] P. M. Tomaz, “Estudo e Tratamento de uma
Casula do Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga”,
Conservar Património 1, 2005, pp. 55-62
[8] C. Arruda and M. F. Godinho, “Trabalho de
conservação e restauro de têxteis do
Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Almoster”,
Revista Estudos 4, 2003, pp. 78-80
EVA ARMINDO
Textile Conservator
Contact: eva.armindo@gmail.com
Eva Armindo is a textile conservator-restorer.
She has a Bachelor in Conservation and Resto-
ration from the New University of Lisbon. She
has worked as freelancer for a series of museums,
religious and governmental institutions and at
the moment she works, also as freelancer, at the
Institute of Museums and Conservation (IMC IP.).
She has published in national and international
publications among which the latest at the ICOM-
CC 2008.

[9] J. Tétreault, “Display Materials: The Good,

The Bad and The Ugly”, in J. Sarge (ed.),
Exhibitions and Conservation. Pre-prints of
the Conference held at The Royal College of
Physicans, Edinburg, The Scottish Society for
Conservation & Restoration (SSCR), 1994,
pp. 79-87

[10] J. Robinson and T. Pardoe, An Illustrated

Guide to the Care of Costume and Textile
Collections, Scottish Museums Council,
2000, available online at URL [pdf]
(last visited on 17/05/2009)

[11] Centre International d’Étude des Textiles

Anciens, Vocabulário Português de Técnica
Têxtil, C.I.E.T.A., Lyon, 1976 www.ConservationEvents.com

e-conser vation 77
THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED
VIRGIN MARY, BY THOMÁS LUIS
by Filipa Raposo Cordeiro

This paper aims to describe the study and scientific treatment of the 16th century
panel painting "Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Elizabeth" by the painter
Thomás Luis. At the present the painting is exhibited in its original location, the church
of the Holy House of Mercy (HHM) from the old Aldeia Galega do Ribatejo, now the
city of Montijo (Portugal). The systematic stages of the conservation intervention,
based on the principles of authenticity, compatibility, stability, reversibility and dif-
ferentiation, are here described. Criteria of de-restoration, re-restoration and exhibi-
tion are also discussed. The main objective of this paper is to sensitize the owners and
future conservator-restorers to three key issues: the uniqueness of the cultural object
(unicum), the authenticity (less is more), and the conservator-restorer versus other
professionals.

The Meaning of the Visitation at the Holy
Houses of Mercy
The HHM was founded in Lisbon by Queen Leonor
of Portugal, influenced by her confessor Friar Mi-
guel Contreiras, the same year the Portuguese
navigator Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route
to India, in 1498.
Later, this charity institution spread to other parts
of the country. The HHM of the old Aldeia Galega
do Ribatejo (now the city of Montijo), which had
social and strategic importance due to its loca-
tion near the Tagus river, was already known in
15551.
The Visitation of the Virgin to St. Elizabeth, so far
the only easel painting known by Thomás Luis,
was commissioned by the founder of the HHM of
Aldeia Galega, Nuno Alves Pereira, to the mannerist
painter Thomás Luis (also named “Thomás Luis
B” [1] or “Thomas Lewis” [2]). The preference for
this painter might be explained by the fact that
the founder maintained connections with the
House of Braganza [3] for whom he worked in Vila
Viçosa, namely at one ceiling at the Monastery of
Chagas (c. 1595-1600), and four ceilings at the
Ducal Palace (1602-c.1603).
A decade after the construction of the church (1571-
1578)2 the HHM commissioned the altarpiece
that would receive the Visitation by Thomás Luis
(figure 1).
The theme of the Visitation, the meeting between
the one that helps and the one that needs to be
helped, is deeply connected to the spirituality of
the Houses of Mercy, hence being its patron [1].
The day of the Visitation was established by a
royal charter of King Manuel I at June 17, 1516.
The HHM of Aldeia Galega is currently a private in-
stitution of social solidarity engaged in the prac-
tice of Christian charity and whose main objective
is, according to the 1993 commitment, to make
"acts of social solidarity and Catholic worship"3.
e-conser vation
THE VISITATION, BY THOMÁS LUIS
Figure 1. Localization of the Visitation altarpiece in the Church of
the Holy house of mercy in the old Aldeia Galega do Ribatejo.
The technique and the original materials
The interdisciplinary study of the technique used
in the Visitation revealed that the work is the in-
tervention of three artists. This is essential for
the comprehension of the technique used and the
role of artisans and painters in the Portuguese
painting of the late 16th century in the context
of contemporary European painting.
At that time, the panel ground was not prepared
by painters. The carpenter's workshop acquired
the wood, prepared the board surfaces and built
the frames, friezes and columns. In cities where
the painting “industry” was somehow developed
there were often guilds of carpenters specialized
in the preparation of wood panels and frames.
1 The founding date of Aldeia Galega do Ribatejo is not con-
sensual. According to José Simões Quaresma, it may have been
founded in 1520. In J. S. Quaresma, “Albergaria, Hospital e
Misericórdia de Aldeia-Galega do Ribatejo”, Author’s edition,
1948
2 The construction of the church was authorized by royal
charter from King Sebastian at July 17, 1571. The mason
Fernão Fidalgo worked in the church from 1571 to 1578.
In J. S. Quaresma, op. cit, 1948
3 Recovered in November 15, 2008; www.misericordiadomontijo.pt
79
FILIPA RAPOSO CORDEIRO
Documents revealed the Visitation’s altarpiece
wooden support was commissioned to a Flemish
master.
In August 1588, the HHM ombudsman Diogo Bo-
telho hired the master carpenter Jacques (or Já-
come) de Campos, that was living in Lisbon at the
time, to execute an altarpiece for the Church of
Mercy for the price of “one hundred and twenty
thousand reis” [3].
The monumental panel (291.5 x 212 cm), composed
of 8 boards with vertical wood grain according to
the board’s height, is assembled with double do-
vetails and reinforced with horizontal wood bars
(unfortunately lost) united by thin hand-forged
four-side nails, and with triangular heads, inserted
from the front side (figures 2-4). The use of nails
in this particular way was known in contemporary
Spanish and Italian panels.
The wooden longitudinal and transversal support
sections were analyzed with the help of a dicho-
tomous table to determine the type of tree specimen
used [4]. Thus, it was concluded that the wood is
a deciduous Quercus, more precisely an oak tree
which is very common in Portugal, especially in
Lisbon, and that was also imported from the Baltic
countries through merchants from Bruges and
Antwerp.
Figure 2. Double dovetail socket on the back of the wood panel.
Figure 3. Schema showing the nail connection between the wood beam and the panel.
Figure 4. Original nails, oxidized and without structural function, removed during the 2003-2004 intervention.
2 4
80
In May 16, 1591 the ombudsman António da Gama
de Mendonça hired two artists, also from Lisbon:
Thomás Luis, oil painter [5], and Domyngues Pa-
chequo [Domingos Pacheco], tempera painter [5],
who would perform the gilding of the columns and
the upper frieze according to a 1592 receipt [5].
The two artists signed the aforementioned receipt
that refers to a “middle panel painting”. By the
monumental dimension of the painting and its
subject, the Visitation is likely to be the center
panel of the altarpiece, finished in 1592 [1].
It is plausible that the receipt could refer to the
application of the ground layer which was a task
performed by craftsmen in the 16th century. The
ground of the Visitation, most probably applied
by Domingos Pacheco, is composed of one layer
with the thickness of 122 µm [1] (analyzed by
optical microscopy – OM –, and polarized light
microscopy – PLM [6]), composed of gypsum and
skin glue [6]. The material identification was
possible by the use of micro chemical tests (MT)
complemented with X-ray fluorescence spectro-
metry (XRF) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spec-
trometry (FTIR) [6].
The painting was subjected to infrared reflecto-
graphy (IRR) up to 2000 nm although no under-
drawing was observed.
e-conser vation

The presence of a localized coloured imprimatura
[1] was detected by close observation of the paint-
ing with a magnifying glass and by microscopic
analysis (OM and PLM) in some of the eight samples
removed. This is a yellowish layer with a thickness
of 63-70 µm that was not applied for physical rea-
sons, as a sealing intermediate layer between the
ground and the paint layer but, apparently, it had
an optical function that affected the tones of the
subjacent paint layers in the following areas: the
Virgin’s mantle; Saint Isabel robes, namely the
cap, cloak and tunic; and the carnation and bon-
net strip of the second female character.
Thomás Luis applied in general two to four paint
layers of an average thickness between 20 and 80
µm. Only occasionally, with an incidence of two
from the eight areas analyzed, the painter used
thick paint layers: one, with a thickness of 121 µm,
is a layer that corresponds to a pentimento (re-
pentance or, more precisely, an hesitation of the
painter in the orange robe of Saint Isabel) while
the second, with a thickness of 166 µm, corres-
ponds to a layer of azurite (on the bonnet strip
of the second female character), which required
to be applied thick to achieve a good colour
saturation.
The pigments were analyzed using several optical
and analytical techniques, namely OM, PLM, MT,
XRF and FTIR. Seven pigments were identified:
azurite, charcoal, yellow ochre, vermilion, red
ochre, lead white and a brown which is most likely
raw umber [1].
The excellent cohesion and adhesion between the
paint layers confirms that the execution was correct.
Thomás Luis, however, applied paint layers and ve-
latura in certain areas which, with the inevitable
natural aging of the materials, allow the observa-
tion of the underlying pentimenti. This is an authen-
ticity factor in the painting.
e-conser vation
THE VISITATION, BY THOMÁS LUIS
Above the oak support, the following structure and
materials are observed: ground layer made of a
protein-based binder and inorganic filler; absence
of underdrawing; localized yellowish imprimatura
made of inorganic and organic pigments with egg
and oil mediums; two to four paint layers with in-
organic and organic pigments and the same two
previously mentioned mediums; and an old resinous
protective layer [1].
Historic Background
The painting was found as a fragment and in an
extremely poor conservation state. However, the
historical background of the artefact helped to
comprehend the forms and extension of the ob-
served severe degradation. After its creation, the
Visitation reached its apogee, followed by a deca-
dent period. Most likely, the painting was in good
conservation state for a century and a half after
it was commissioned once a 1710 document [3]
refers to works in the church but mentions nothing
concerning the painting. After the 1755 earth-
quake the church was subject to major works in
the main chapel although unfortunately those were
not described in detail. It is likely that during
those works the painting had been removed from
its place and treated carelessly because in 1768
it was already described as in “state of oldness
and ineligibleness” [3].
In 1789-90, the HHM of Aldeia Galega hired the
carpenter Eusébio dos Santos and the painter-gil-
der Matias Gomes Neto to perform works in the
main altar [3]. Considered useless, it is most likely
that the painting was used at this precise time
as a work support judging by the long incisions
(vertical, horizontals and even semi-circular from
compass) that are present on the painting’s sur-
face. The almost definitive decadence of the paint-
ing occurred probably in 1799 when the painter
Manuel António Araújo was hired to paint a new
81
FILIPA RAPOSO CORDEIRO
Visitation for the tribune [7]. At that time the
painting was used for an alternative objective:
as a wooden wall of the 18th century Church of
Mercy’s tribune. For this purpose, the painting
was mutilated, cut and chopped on both its back
and front. Its bars were torn out and discarded,
leaving some of the nails that connected them to
the panel. After being fitted in the tribune, it was
repainted with white paint were it was visible, on
90% of its surface.
Punctually, the support presented a localized old
wood attack whose occurrence can’t be dated with
precision. The painting was forgotten for over two
centuries until its providential discovery in 1998
(figure 5). Afterwards, the painting was subject
to two conservation and restoration intervention
in the space of half a decade.
The 1998 discovery was an important contribution
to the history of Portuguese Mannerist painting,
in particular for the work of the master Thomás
Luis. Before this finding the painter was known as
an oil and fresco painter, although only examples
of the latter technique were known.
Following its discovery, the painting was subject
to a first intervention that was performed in two
phases. The first phase consisted in the cleaning
of the paint layer which involved the removal of
the white paint, the varnish and “three paint lay-
ers” [8]. As Serrão refers, this intervention only
contributed to “enlarge the wounds” of the paint-
ing through “an unfortunate intervention that was
uninformed (and not supervised)” [9] (figure 6).
The outlines of an underlying painting (painter’s
pentimenti), hardly visible by naked eye, have
probably suggested to the 1998 technicians the
existence of an older painting. Thus, they opted
to sacrifice “three paint layers” to uncover the
supposedly older painting. The criteria of inter-
vention were not applied in thoughtful and critical
manner, without prior knowledge of the technique
82
Figure 5. Discovery of the Visitation by Thomás Luis in 1998.
and original painting and causing two irreversible
pathologies: leaching4, with loss of original paint
layers (figures 7-9) and the rare pathology trans-
position5 (figures 10-12). Beyond these altera-
tions, the intervention also left residues of the
white paint and varnish (figures 13-15).
The analysis of the paint layer under normal light
and ultraviolet (UV) radiation allowed the detec-
tion of extensive areas where the varnish was in-
tact, not removed, and others with dispersed re-
sidues (figures 16-17).
The second phase of the 1998 intervention covered
also the “curative conservation” [10] treatment,
which included the removal of the boards from
the 18th century tribune and the placement of
4 Leaching is caused by the cleaning with a solvent that reacts
with the material to preserve. Upon contact of the paint layer
with the molecules of a solvent or mixture the medium is
weakened; when the solvent evaporates there is contraction
of the paint layer and loss of medium and pigment. The danger
of leaching lies in its irreversibility.
5 Transposition, term introduced by the author in 2003 in an
interdisciplinary meeting, is, like leaching, caused by an in-
adequate cleaning. The main difference is that while in the
leaching a partial loss of the paint layer occurs, in transpo-
sition the paint layer is displaced to a neighboring area. After
the swelling of the paint layer in response to an inadequate
solvent, it can occasionally be transposed mechanically form
its original place to a nearest area causing alteration of the
physical and optical characteristics of the painting.
e-conser vation
 THE VISITATION, BY THOMÁS LUIS

Figure 6. Panel after the conservation and restoration intervention from 1998.

e-conser vation 83
FILIPA RAPOSO CORDEIRO

Figures 7-9. Details of the paint layer in poor condition with leaching and visible underlying paint strata, including pentimenti
on the Virgin’s hand and the band and tunic of Saint Isabel.

Figures 10-15. Details of the Visitation. Pictorial layer in poor conservation condition.
Note the transpositions in the brim and crown of the Virgin’s hat and the mantle of Santa Isabel, and varnish and white paint
scattered residues.

Figures 16-17. Detail from the same area of the tunic and mantle of the Virgin under normal light and UV radiation. Scattered
varnish residues can be observed over the original paint layer in heterogeneously cleaned areas and in areas where the varnish
was not removed, that have the same fluoresce under UV radiation.

84 e-conser vation

eight new bars for the panel stabilization. It also
included a punctual “restoration” [10] of the sup-
port and paint layer, namely the filling of the gaps
with plywood and monochromatic retouching with
a light pink tone [11] possibly for readability of
the painting (aesthetic intervention). The clean-
ing was not completed. The painting remained for
half a decade with varnish to be removed.
The leaching, transpositions and varnish residues
were only detected above the “white line” left be-
tween the cleaned areas (that had been painted
in white) and the areas that were hidden in the
tribune structure, thus without white paint, and
that were in good conservation state except for
the oxidized varnish.
The chronological analysis of the Visitation allowed
to detect that the pathologies were caused by three
different degradation factors: environmental, bio-
logical and anthropological. The last factor was
the main one and the most dangerous of all.
The second and last intervention, herein described
in detail, was performed between 2003 and 2004.
Scientific Treatment
Because of the magnitude of the problems the
painting presented, the Visitation was subjected
to a complex, lengthy, rigorous and interdiscip-
linary study and conservation-restoration inter-
vention that involved thee different specialists:
the conservator-restorer, a chemical engineer and
an art historian. Unfortunately this practice which
is fundamental for the proper preservation of the
cultural property authenticity is still rare in Por-
tugal. The treatment based on scientific criteria
was divided into two phases: a direct intervention
(curative conservation and restoration) and an
indirect intervention (preventive conservation).
The first phase focused on three groups of ma-
terials: metallic elements, wood support and
e-conser vation
THE VISITATION, BY THOMÁS LUIS
paint layer (ground, imprimatura, paint layer
and varnish).
The original metallic elements were removed where
possible and kept for future reference. The remain-
ing nails were treated in three steps: cleaning (re-
moval of oxidation products), stabilization and
protection.
The treatment of the support aimed to complete
the previous intervention and to return the ori-
ginal rectangular form to the painting. The con-
servation intervention included the following
steps: removal of the plywood, cleaning, board
levelling, placement of two missing reinforcement
bars and substitution of five reinforcement bars
by two, filling of gaps (total lacunas and some
partial lacunas), punctual consolidation, and in-
secticide application on the back of the panel (pre-
ventive action). Only one step of restoration was
done to the new support fillings, namely the in-
painting with a brown monochromatic glaze tone
similar to the original wood.
Three stages of conservation were performed for
the paint layer - cleaning, filling and protection,
and one of restoration - inpainting.
The cleaning was performed in five different stages
and with equipment and products according to
the type of material to remove. The stages were:
superficial cleaning and removal of transpositions,
white paint residues, resinous varnish residues and
retouching with punctual monochromatic light
pink overpaint. This paper refers to the criteria
and results of the removal of three alteration pro-
ducts: transpositions, retouching with punctual
overpaint and varnish.
The transpositions, the monochromatic retouch-
ing and overpainting altered the painting reading
and raised the problematic of de-restoration [12]
which requires the comparison of the technical,
85
FILIPA RAPOSO CORDEIRO
Figures 18-19. Same detail of the Visitation under normal light and IR radiation.
aesthetic and documental (or historic) character
of those interventions. In this sense, one of the
problems of these interventions is discussed in
this study.
Behind the Virgin’s head there is an object that
could not be clearly identified. That area may be
seen in detail in figure 18. The object, most likely
a column, could have been painted to hide the
hat pentimento, could be an overpaint or a rare
degradation. Could the hat, in the place of the
frequent halo, be an innovative attribute used by
Thomás Luis on the Visitation?
Although no underdrawing was detected on the
entire painting surface, the IR reflectography
highlighted the existence a thin hat crown, not
visible at naked eye, and that was transformed
by the painter into a much larger crown (figures
18-19).
The Visitation Virgin’s peregrine hat resembles
that of Raimondi's engraving Flight into Egypt,
which was based on an engraving by Dürer, and
another painted by Tomás Luis with a different
iconographic value, profane and playful, in the
fresco’s ceiling at the Évora Palace Counts of Basto,
Eugénio de Almeida Foundation.
86
In 1563 the Council of Trent defined the standards
of religious iconography. Saint Charles Borromeo,
who played a decisive role in that council, mentions
in his book Instructiones fabricae et supellectilis
ecclesiasticae (1577) that the saints should be
distinguished by a “halo” [1]. At the same time,
Cardinal Paleotti recommended in his Discorso
intorno alle imagini sacre e profane (1582) that
the sacred character should be represented by
symbols that believers were used to observe [1].
The painter Francisco Pacheco, contemporary of
Thomás Luis, writes in his treaty Arte de la Pintura
(1649) that the Virgin from the Visitation should
be represented with a “hat” [1] although there is
no mention of the halo.
It is possible that Thomás Luis was influenced by
Pacheco’s treaty. However, Thomás didn’t follow
the counter-reformist rules and, instead of the
halo around the Virgin’s head, he placed an inno-
vative hat. The Visitation by Thomás Luis might be
the oldest example of mannerist’s painting that
used only this attribute.
The column that covered the hat crown (figure 18)
was indeed a transposition. This pathology was
also visible in other areas of the painting such as
on the hat’s brim and on the mantle of Saint Isabel.
The transpositions’ craquelure in the three areas
e-conser vation

previously mentioned did not match the aged cra-
quelure in the direction of the wood grain of the
final paint layer. The presence of this alteration
modified the aesthetic and historical reading of
the work, confusing the observer.
To undertake any conservation intervention it is
fundamental to consider always the need and the
feasibility of a curative treatment without forget-
ting that there are no standard treatments. When
tests do not show effective results that respect,
in the best interest of the object and to help pre-
serve its authenticity, more experienced profes-
sionals should be consulted or the task should be
postponed until future technologic advances are
available. According to Cesare Brandi each art-
work is unique (‘unicum’), cultural property can
never be compensated for a unfortunate conser-
vation work [13].
Figure 20. Detail of the Virgin before treatment. Note the hori-
zontal, vertical and oblique directions from the transpositions
in the column, hat, veil, hair and ear of the Virgin.
e-conser vation
THE VISITATION, BY THOMÁS LUIS
After testing different methods and products, it
was found that it is possible to remove the trans-
positions without leaving marks. In fact, although
the transposed painting had a reasonable cohe-
sion, it had a weak adherence to the original paint
layer which presented a high resistance to mech-
anical removal. The removal of the transpositions
was thus performed with the help of a scalpel and
a magnifying glass and a binary solution of non
polar organic solvents used solely for visualiza-
tion. The varnish residues, subjacent to the trans-
position, were removed with solvent gel.
This way it was possible to save precious details,
previously hidden under the transpositions, such
as the Virgin’s golden hair locks and Her hat knot
and cord (figures 20 and 21).
Apparently, the monochromatic pink retouching
was stable and there was no risk for the physical
Figure 21. Detail of the Virgin after treatment. Note the knot
of the virgin hat’s cord that before was almost imperceptible
among the lacunas, transpositions and varnish residues.
87
FILIPA RAPOSO CORDEIRO
or chemical integrity of the painting. However, in
ranking light it was seen that it covered punctually
the original paint layer altering its aesthetic read-
ing in areas such as the sky and the few cloud traces.
The 30 mm thick light pink overpaint was analyzed
by MT and FTIR and was made of titanium white and
an oil-based binder (figure 22). The overpaint that
Figure 22. FTIR spectrum of the light pink overpaint. Calcium carbonate, organic black (?) and oil were detected.
Figure 23. Detail of the sky before conservation treatment
(2003-2004). The lacunas borders from the original paint
layer (arrow) can be observed, as well as the support without
paint layer (X), hidden by inpainting and pink overpaint
(ranking light).
88
was applied in the previous intervention was pro-
gressively removed using a binary solution of non
polar organic solvents, leaving untouched the
original paint layer (figures 23 and 24).
The red-brown varnish layer was removed with the
help of a carefully selected solvent gel, due to its
Figure 24. Detail of the sky during the removal of the
retouching and punctual overpaint:
1- Progressive removal of the pink inpainting over the support;
2- Pink overpaint over the original sky; 3- Varnish under
overpaint.
e-conser vation

advantages, such as the control of the solvent’s
action by its limited area of actuation and its re-
duced toxicity. It was prepared with a ternary mix-
ture of solvents, two organic and one hydrophilic.
The level of cleaning was attained using UV radi-
ation.
Since the painting had large lacunas that disturbed
its aesthetic reading, the interdisciplinary team
considered several options for inpainting: general
inpainting; punctual inpainting in the central ver-
tical area; re-restoration of the upper left corner
(already retouched in 1998); or minimum inter-
vention, leaving them in the tone of aged wood.
It was decided that the large gaps of the paint layer
should not be reintegrated and that new additions
should be exclusively integrated with a brown tone,
as previously referred. This way, the conservator-
restorer does not take the role of the artist, nor
is he/she inventing new figurative forms that never
existed as sometimes still happens, originating
ambiguous historical, aesthetic and iconographic
readings.
Given this criterion, it was preceded to the filling
of gaps within the limits of the existent drawing
with a water-based material fully compatible with
the original ones, being stable and reversible. It
was also decided to perform a restoration stage
by selezione cromatica inpainting with the objec-
tive to facilitate the comprehension of the frag-
mented work. First, tempera based tones were ap-
plied and later glazes with pigments in an acrylic
binder. Between these two stages of inpainting a
thin layer of varnish (cyclohexanone) was applied
to act as barrier against external degradation agents.
The inpainting was performed based on laboratorial
analysis and according to traces of the original
paint layer.
The cross-section analysis of the Virgin’s tunic (chest
area) was fundamental for the understanding of
e-conser vation
THE VISITATION, BY THOMÁS LUIS
the inpainting in that area because it confirmed
the existence of an underlying green layer.
In the inferior area of Saint Isabel orange tunic
the inpainting was also based on the scientific
analysis results. The cross-section analysis revealed
that the beige drapery that crosses the orange
tunic of Saint Isabel corresponds to a hesitation
of the painter with two overlying paint layers,
orange over pink, almost removed in a previous
inadequate cleaning. The mentioned layers are
based on the same organic and inorganic pigments
and mediums (oil and egg) as in the other seven
samples aforementioned. These data allowed us
to reintegrate the Saint Isabel orange tunic with
regard to the original technique and to the painter's
intentions (figures 30 and 31).
In an interdisciplinary meeting between the spe-
cialists it was also decided not to cover the penti-
mento visible in the Virgin’s right hand in order to
allow future studies and to make the public aware
of the dangers of uncritical cleanings.
The pentimento seen because of the materials na-
tural aging, which increases transparency in the
top paint layers and leaves the underlayers visible,
such as in the face of the second character (fig-
ure 12), was not covered due to its importance as
authenticity elements – 'less is more'. The Visi-
tation is not less valuable if it shows signs of patina.
The inpainting done on selected areas where ori-
ginal paint layers were lost or abraded, was per-
formed with carefully selected materials - compa-
tible, reversible and stable -, and taking into ac-
count the environmental conditions of the church.
In the second phase of the treatment, preventive
conservation guidelines were offered to HHM on
a voluntary basis concerning the light, relative
humidity, fire, water, accidental impacts and vi-
brations. The phase also included a project for the
proper placement and exhibiting of the work on
a wooden structure [3].
89
FILIPA RAPOSO CORDEIRO

Figure 30. General view of the painting during conservation treatment (filling of lacunas).

90 e-conser vation
 THE VISITATION, BY THOMÁS LUIS

Figure 31. General view of the painting after the conservation treatment.

e-conser vation 91
FILIPA RAPOSO CORDEIRO
In view of the authenticity of the “setting” and
“function” (devotional), two of the authenticity
parameters defined in the UNESCO’s 1994 Nara
Document [14] and in the UNESCO’s, ICCROM’s and
ICOMOS’s 1977 Paris Document [14], the painting
was exhibited near its original location, in the
church’s main chapel, without relocating it, and
making it available to cult (figure 32).
The task of the conservator-restorer is similar to
that of a 'surgeon' [15] (ICOM-CC Ethics Code,
1984), and entails knowing how to evaluate the
impact of his actions. The conservator-restorer
“is not an artist nor a craftsman” [15] (E.C.C.O.
Ethics Code, 1993), it is his role to preserve the
authenticity of cultural property for our benefit
and that of future generations.
Photographic Credits
Figure 5: Municipal Historic Archive of Montijo
(AHMM), photographic documentation of the
1998’s intervention on the Visitation by Thomás
Luis, unpublished report;
Figures 17, 19 and 27: I. Ribeiro, P. Sousa, F. R.
Cordeiro, Visitação da Virgem, IMC IP. Archives,
José de Figueiredo Laboratory, Lisbon, 2004,
unpublished report ;
The other figures: F. R. Cordeiro, Visitation of the
Virgin Mary to Saint Elisabeth, Photographic Doc-
u-mentation Archive of Veritage, Preservação de
Bens Culturais Lda, Estoril, 2003/2004.
Acknowledgments
Filipa Raposo Cordeiro thanks to: the Portuguese
Foundation of Science and Technology (FCT) for
the PhD Scholarship for the study of Thomás Luis
work; Vítor Serrão (IHA/FLUL), art historian and
thesis coordinator; João Gaspar, Montijo HHM
92
Figure 32. The painting exhibited in the main chapel of the
church.
ombudsman; Tenente-Coronel José Manuel Sarreira
Lopes, old ombudsman; Manuel Cortiço, old Montijo
HHM secretary; Dr. Maria José Moinhos, from the
Conservation Department of the Institute for the
Management of the Archaeological and Architec-
tural Heritage (IGESPAR IP.); Isabel Ribeiro, che-
mical engineer and director of the Laboratory José
de Figueiredo of the Institute of Museums and
Conservation (IMC IP.); Dr. Maria do Céu Ramos,
director of Eugénio de Almeida Foundation and
to the team of Veritage, Preservação de Bens
Culturais, Lda. that was involved in the Thomás
Luis Visitation last treatment.
References
[1] F. R. Cordeiro, “Thomás Luis, pintor maneirista do
sacro e do profano: história, conservação e res-
tauro”, undergoing PhD thesis, Institute of Art
History/Faculty of Letters of the University of
Lisbon, Lisbon, 2009
[2] Simancas - Consejo de Estado, nº 839, Junho de
1594, in V. Serrão, IHA/ FLUL, Lisbon, unpublished
document, 23 May 2009
[3] AHMM, Lº 1º dos Inventarios desta Santa Caza
da Mizª, 1586-1589, fl. 25, in V. Serrão and F. R.
Cordeiro, Tomás Luís e o Retábulo da Igreja
e-conser vation

da Misericórdia, Edições Colibri/ Câmara Municipal
do Montijo, Lisboa, 2005
[4] J. Vasconcellos, Identificação de Madeiras pelos
seus Caracteres Macroscópicos, Agros, Instituto
Superior de Agronomia, Lisboa, 1929
[5] AHMM, Maço de avulsos da Mizª, sécs. XVI-XVII, in
V. Serrão, O Maneirismo e o Estatuto Social dos
Pintores Portugueses, Ed. Imprensa Nacional Casa
da Moeda, Lisboa, 1983
[6] I. Ribeiro, P. Sousa, F. R. Cordeiro, Visitação da
Virgem, IMC IP. Archives, José de Figueiredo
Laboratory, Lisboa, 2004, unpublished report
[7] ‘Os Painéis da igreja da Misericórdia do Montijo’,
Nova Gazeta, 26 de Novembro de 1999, in V. Serrão,
F. R. Cordeiro, Tomás Luís e o Retábulo da Igreja
da Misericórdia, Edições Colibri/ Câmara Municipal
do Montijo, Lisboa, 2005
[8] Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Montijo, Ofício ref.ª
614/04, 07/12/2004, photographic documentation
[9] V. Serrão, “O pintor maneirista Tomás Luís e o
antigo retábulo da igreja da Misericórdia de Aldeia
Galega do Ribatejo (1591-1597)”, Artis - Revista
do Instituto de História da Arte da Faculdade de
Letras de Lisboa, nº 1, Centro de História da Uni-
versidade de Lisboa/FLUL/FCT, Lisboa, 2002,
pp. 211-235
[10] F. Figueira, “Terminologia para a definição da
conservação-restauro do património cultural ma-
terial, Resolução aprovada pelos membros do
ICOM-CC durante o 15º Encontro Trienal, Nova
Dehli, 22-26 de Setembro de 2008”, translation
and adaptation of the french version, Conservar
Património, nº 6, ARP, Lisboa, 2007, pp. 55-56
[11] Oral testimony by Florindo da Silva Gonçalves,
main craftsman from the extinct Institute José
de Figueiredo, actual IMC IP. (private work).
[12] F. Tollon, “Quelques questions sur la de-restaura-
tion“, Restauration, De-Restauration, Re-Restaura-
tion, 4ième Colloque de l’Association des Restaura-
e-conser vation
THE VISITATION, BY THOMÁS LUIS
teus d’Art et d’Arqueologie de Formation Universi-
taire, Paris, 1995, pp. 9 -16
[13] C. Brandi, Teoria del Restauro, Giulio Einaudi
Editore, Torino, 1977
[14] J. M. A. P. Costa, “Estudos Cromáticos nas Inter-
venções de Conservação em Centros Históricos”,
LNEC/University of Évora, PhD thesis, Évora, 1999
[15] A. I. Seruya (Dir.), Cadernos de Conservação e
Restauro, Ano 1, nº 2, Instituto Português de
Conservação e Restauro, Lisboa, 2001
FILIPA RAPOSO CORDEIRO
Conservator-Restorer
Contact: f.cordeirofurtado@gmail.com
Filipa Raposo Cordeiro is a paintings conservator-
restorer with 16 years experience. She graduated
in 1995 from the Superior School of Conservation
and Restoration (ESCR) of Lisbon, with a speciali-
sation of in easel paintings. Afterwards, she per-
formed international internships in several insti-
tutions, among which the Opificio delle Pietre
Dure, the Canadian Conservation Institute and
the Victoria & Albert Museum. She also founded
the company Veritage, Preservação de Bens Cul-
turais Lda., dedicated to conservation and resto-
ration of works of art. At the moment she is a PhD
candidate with the thesis “Thomás Luis, mannerist
painter of the holly and the profane”, oriented
by Professor Vítor Serrão, at the Institute of Art
History (Faculty of Letters) from the University
of Lisbon.
93
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