Conservation of Cultural Heritage: Key Principles and Approaches

428 Pages·2013·12.423 MB·English

by  Hanna M. Szczepanowska

Conservation of Cultural Heritage:
Key Principles and Approaches
Hanna M. Szczepanowska
Conservation of
Cultural Heritage
Conservation of Cultural Heritage covers the methods and practices needed for future
museum professionals who will be working in various capacities with museum
collections and artifacts. It also assists current professionals in understanding the
complex decision-making processes that face conservators on a daily basis. The
uniqueness of this book lies in correlating the aspects of material science and the
behavior of artifacts in a museum environment. It will be of special benefit to
museum professionals not trained in conservation.
Covering a broad range of topics that are key to sound conservation in the
museum, Conservation of Cultural Heritage is an important tool for students and
professionals alike in ensuring that best practice is followed in the preservation of
important collections.
Hanna M. Szczepanowska is a conservator at the Smithsonian Institution, and
was formerly Adjunct Professor at George Washington University teaching the
Museum Preventive Conservation course for the Art History, Museum Studies
and Anthropology departments.
She received her Master Degree in conservation from the University of Nicolaus
Copernicus in Torun, Poland and PhD in material science from the University of
Lyon, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France.

Conservation of
Cultural Heritage
Key Principles and Approaches
Hanna M. Szczepanowska
First published 2013
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2013 Hanna M. Szczepanowska
The right of Hanna M. Szczepanowska to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by
him/her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by
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Every effort has been made to trace and acknowledge ownership of copyright. The publishers will be
glad to make suitable arrangements with any copyright holders whom it has not been possible to
contact.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-0-415-67474-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-67475-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-08119-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo Std and ITC Stone Sans Std
by Saxon Graphics Ltd, Derby
Contents
List of figures viii
List of plates xxiv
List of tables xxxvi
List of charts xxxvii
Preface xxxviii
Acknowledgments xl
Foreword xliii
Dedication xlv
Part i
general collection care practices 1
1 Conservation in a museum context 3
Museum – an overview: building, collections, functions 3
Role, functions and responsibilities of a conservator 9
2 Preventive conservation 14
An overview of preventive conservation concepts 14
Building 16
Museum environment 17
Integrated Pest Management and housekeeping 33
Emergency preparedness and response 42
vi Contents
3 Collection care processes 47
An overview 47
Tracking artifacts: marking and labeling systems 48
Examination and documentation 52
Laboratory examination of artifacts 64
4 Exhibit and storage 77
An overview 77
Open exhibit versus display cases 78
Materials – on exhibit and in storage 82
Supports for objects on exhibit and in storage 86
Part ii
Materials and conservation practice 93
Introduction to Part II 93
5 Indigenous cultures and Western concepts of preservation 95
An overview: museum preservation versus intangible heritage 95
Artifact preservation in Native American communities 97
Native American artifacts 99
NAGPRA and repatriation challenges 102
Australian museums and Aboriginal cultures 103
Maori culture of New Zealand 104
Pacific Ocean indigenous cultures 106
6 Organic materials of plant origin 109
An overview 109
Cellulose and lignin 111
Plant fibers: morphological characteristics, viewed as diagnostic
features of artifacts 113
Historically important writing supports 117
Paper 127
Textiles 143
Baskets 151
Wood 154
Plant-derived adhesives and exudes 164
Plant materials: summary of recommendations 166
Contents vii
7 Organic materials of animal origin 168
An overview 168
Characteristics and properties of proteinous materials 168
Skins 170
Other materials of animal origin: collagen 181
Other materials of animal origin: keratin 187
Preventing damage to protein-based materials 200
8 Inorganic materials: metals 202
An overview 202
Metals and metal alloys: processing technologies 203
Metal processing technologies 204
Corrosion of metals and metal alloys 207
Examination of metal artifacts 221
Handling, exhibit and storage of metal objects 224
Metals: preventive treatments 225
9 Inorganic materials: non-metal minerals and artifacts 227
Minerals and pigments 227
Mineral pigment descriptions 228
Non-mineral pigment descriptions 231
Glass (author: Steven Koob) 232
Ceramics 239
10 Man-made materials 260
An overview 260
Polymer characteristics 261
Natural and semi-synthetic polymers 263
Synthetic, man-made polymers 270
Inorganic and synthetic fibers 276
Materials designed for space exploration 280
Time-based media 282
Bibliography 287
List of Useful Websites 305
Index 308
list of figures
2.1 A twentieth-century pastel drawing warped as a result of exposure
to elevated humidity. Expansion is greater between the areas of
attachment with metal staples, visible as undulations. The
attachment itself is incorrect and the metal staples will eventually
corrode and stain the paper. 19
2.2a The mineral pyrite is sensitive to RH above 40 percent, and
undergoes chemical decomposition. 20
2.2b The dark brown stain visible on the storage box is caused by
sulfuric acid given off when the pyrites oxidize in the presence
of humidity. 20
2.3 The salts on this Mycenaean ceramic jug from 1400–1200 bc
formed as a result of the combination of chloride contaminants
from burial with a long-term exposure to acetic acid vapours
within its display case. The treatment of this object and
environmental retro-fit of casework is supported by the IMLS. 20
2.4 Severely deteriorated glass requires special care and ideally a
microclimate storage to prevent further deterioration. 21
2.5 Two to three days’ exposure to humidity above 75 percent (at
room temperature) and presence of liquid water on surfaces
promote biodeterioration. Green fungal residue on this silk
support and paper artwork is the most common indication of a
fungal outbreak. Color of colonies may be gray, black, green
or brown. 22
2.6 Low humidity and high temperature affect paper, leading to
structural damage, tears and losses. 22
2.7a Geiger counter, a schematic illustration. The probe is pointed at
the tested object, and the level of radiation is displayed on the
List of figures ix
small screen, by movement of the needle or lamp and/or by
sound. The indicators (sound or light) are intensified the closer we
get to the radioactive source. 32
2.7b Geiger counters, although they come in many design variations,
all operate on the same principle, that is detection of radiation by
ionization produced in a low-pressure gas in a Geiger-Müller tube. 32
2.8 Furniture beetle: all stages are visible under a magnifying glass.
Larvae burrow into wood causing structural damage, as seen on
Figure 2.9. 35
2.9 Losses of wood and holes indicate that the larvae have pupated and
emerged as adult forms to begin the lifecycle again. Wooden
stretcher under a painting damaged by insects. 35
2.10 The silverfish is a wingless insect, and the adult form is usually
about half an inch long (12mm). 35
2.11a Illustration of silverfish on a salted paper photograph. The
characteristic pattern of the silverfish grazing area which is revealed
by light colored paper underneath. 36
2.11b Detail of Figure 2.11a showing the area damaged by silverfish.
Silverfish utilize polysaccharides, such as starches and glue, causing
damage to book bindings in addition to all kinds of papers. 36
2.12 Casemaking cloth moth (Tinea pelionella). 36
2.13 Larval stage of webbing cloth moth and casing made of fibers.
Moth is destructive during the larval stage only. Formation of the
case is when most of the damage to textiles occurs, resulting in
holes and losses of fabric. 37
2.14 A bookworm-infested book; all stages of development were found
in the spine, paper pages and book covers. Larvae hatched from
the straw-board that was used for the book covers during later
rebinding. 37
2.15 Sticky traps are a simple yet effective way of monitoring the
collection. A systematic program has to be designed for checking
the traps. 39
2.16 Fumigation tent in which infested collections are treated with CO
2.
The gas replaces oxygen, so that through anoxia (deprivation of
oxygen) all forms of insects are killed. The treatment lasts several
weeks. 41
3.1 Polynesian and Melanesian weapons showing polyethylene sleeves
with attached museum catalogue number barcodes. 49
3.2 Tags with accession numbers and barcodes are attached to objects
on cotton strings, utilizing the shape of the artifact. 50
3.3a Less obtrusive and more compatible with the material of an object
is application of a Japanese paper tag. Klamath basket showing
applied catalogue number and tag with catalogue number barcode. 50