AIC's 43rd Annual Meeting

This paper will focus on losses, their values and their meanings. Do losses provide a negative interference in a work of art? If not, are we assigning to losses a historical and aesthetic value and physical qualities that coexist with the intrinsic quality in a work of art? Lacunae are visual memories linked to the object. But if we perceive damages as negative interference, how can we objectively evaluate the amount of integration we should undertake on a work of art in order to respect its identity and history? As the work of art survives throughout the centuries it will be subjected to the physical superimposition of historical moments that conservation treatments will attempt to eliminate, reduce or enhance. The size, location, and number of losses or abrasions determine the type and level of intervention. Damages may also allow for a recovered reading of a work of art or they can become meaningful memories that provide a different understanding and a different level of art experience. The approaches to loss compensation have been widely discussed over the past decades offering a wide range of aesthetic and practical solutions. When discussing the treatment of lacunae, Italian theories have emphasized the historical and aesthetic values of a work of art to which the fundamental principles of visible inpainting techniques, developed in the XX century, are linked. Though the reasoning behind visible inpainting is to respect the historical and aesthetic identities of a work of art, it also allows for a discrete remembrance of the lacunae by not concealing them completely. While the fundamental principles that guide the integration of losses have been defined, the level of integration, which may or may not be directly proportionate to the conservation state of the work of art, is driven by subjective decisions. Though a clear definition of the different types of losses can help define the framework, the final appearance of an art object, even when following basic theoretical and practical rules, is a projection of the aesthetic taste of both conservator and curator, of the practical ability of a conservator, and more in general of the institution that owns the work. This paper will engage and discuss these queries with an emphasis on paintings, though works of various natures will also be considered.

In October of 2002, the Renaissance sculpture Adam by Tullio Lombardo fell to the floor in The Metropolitan Museum of Art when the pedestal beneath it collapsed. The impact of the fall caused the marble sculpture to break into 28 large pieces and hundreds of small fragments. Dated 1490-95, Adam is considered the most important monumental Renaissance sculpture in North America, and, prior to the accident, was in nearly pristine condition.

The Museum’s conservators and curators agreed that the importance of the sculpture warranted a multidisciplinary collaboration to investigate new approaches to large scale sculpture treatment. A team of conservators, conservation scientists, materials scientists, and engineers was brought together to determine the most effective, reversible, and least invasive treatment for the large marble sculpture. Initial investigations began in 2003, starting with 3D laser scans of the major fragments. The laser scans led to a variety of research avenues including finite element analysis, which informed the team about the stresses and strains resident in the sculpture as well as the nature of the breaks. Several additional studies were carried out to determine the best adhesives and pinning materials for the treatment.

Adam’s fresh breaks posed several challenges to the conservators and required them to diverge from traditional sculpture conservation techniques. An innovative external armature was developed that was sufficiently substantial to support the assembled sculpture without adhesive. The armature not only supported the sculpture but also served as the method of clamping the fragments once adhesive was applied, resulting in very tight joints. This treatment is notable for its use of mock-ups and empirical studies carried out in an effort to minimize handling of the fragile break surfaces on the sculpture.

The finite element analysis, adhesive, and pinning testing carried out for this project might be characterized in the language of science as fundamental studies. In moving from theory to practice (from what is most desirable to what is doable) these fundamental studies provided background for further empirical studies—trials of interventions based on the former studies. These empirical studies both confirmed information from the fundamental studies and provided new information. Many lessons were learned from the project, but perhaps the greatest lesson was establishing an arc from virtual reality to material reality and finding and valuing the contributions of each participant in the successful completion of that arc.

Dedicated in 1903, the Sherman Monument is the centerpiece of Grand Army Plaza in New York’s Central Park and is widely regarded as Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ finest work. The artist labored over the massive sculpture for more than ten years, working and re-working every detail. When it came to the overall appearance, Saint-Gaudens was no less demanding, experimenting with various gilding and toning treatments until he was satisfied with the final result. Although none of the original finishes remain on his exterior works today, one can surmise Saint-Gaudens strived to achieve the same warm tones and highlights on his exterior gilded work as found on his gilded pieces which have spent their lives indoors, protected from the elements. Unfortunately, none of the toning methods explored by Saint-Gaudens lend themselves well to the longevity of any exterior gilding system. The combinations of paints, acids and other concoctions he used, have a deleterious effect on any exterior gilded surface and will cause premature failure of the system due to several different mechanisms, not the least of which was continuing infestation by the urban pigeon population in NY City. Saint-Gaudens actually had two separate layers of gold (some say three) applied to the Sherman Monument at his expense, hoping to extend the life of the coating. Unfortunately, the finish began to seriously deteriorate within 10 years and was completely re-gilded in 1934. During the 1960’s the sculpture was cleaned down to the bronze and waxed. Two decades later a private donor contributed the funds to repair and gild the sculpture again. This work was completed in 1989. The new gilding was “toned” with an un-tinted layer of paste wax, but most agreed this did not begin to approximate what was thought to have been the original appearance. Shortly after completion, the 1989 gilding began to show signs of failure. In the intervening years the finish system decayed to the point of losing it’s physical and visual integrity. In 2005, the Central Park Conservancy began researching how best to conserve the Sherman Monument. The overarching principle was to gild and tone the sculpture to reflect the artist’s original intent. At the same time the coating system had to be rigorous enough to stand up to the pigeon infestation. This talk will cover the research, development, testing and application of the new gilding and toning system, which was installed in 2013 and failed shortly thereafter. In spite of all the research and rigorous testing, both in the lab and in situ, the system broke down and required complete removal and re-gilding in the space of a year. Exactly what happened and how the decisions were made to use the failed system will be explored as well as the remediation of the failure with the development and application of a new gilding and toning system.

When Miami-Dade County requested a conservation assessment of their collection of African textiles in 2013, the works had already been subject to decades of non-ideal storage and display conditions. After acquisition, the works were prepared for display by stretching over wooden strainers with the overhanging edges both stapled and taped in position. When taken off display, this mounting was preserved while in storage, which enabling stacking and leaning of the pieces. Throughout this time, both while on view and in storage, they were also subject to multiple insect infestations and excessive exposure to full-spectrum light. Recognizing the seriousness of the collection's condition, Miami-Dade County decided to have the works conserved in preparation for reinstallation. However future plans will continue to present challenges to their long-term stability. The textiles will be displayed at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building, the county's main courthouse, for a general audience. Proposed locations for the works include narrow hallways and large waiting rooms, all with fluorescent lighting. Given the gravity of the building's primary function, maintaining ideal conditions for the display of even very sensitive artworks will necessarily be an afterthought, not a priority. In light of the collection's history, current condition and future plans, what is a reasonable objective for its conservation and preservation? What is the conservato's obligation to the collection, considering its purpose and role, its various values and the current standard of care to which it is accustomed? Rosa Lowinger & Associates has been working with Material Culture Conservation and Miami-Dade County to answer such questions, in order to develop and execute a realistic conservation plan for the collection. This talk will outline the process of setting conservation priorities and working to meet them when operating with limited influence over the daily care of a collection. This project addresses not only treatment of each textile, including stabilization, cleaning and restoration, but also designing a display plan for long-term exhibition in the conditions described above, mounting the textiles and providing guidelines for storage and long-term care.

Fifteen years ago, the conservation team at Curtains Without Borders set out to conserve a small number of 100-year old painted theater curtains. There was no precedent for working on-site with clients that ranged from municipalities to opera houses to very small, volunteer-run community centers. We knew we would be working under conditions that ranged from clean and well-managed to dirty and neglected. The primary challenge for our collaborative of conservators (with specialties in painting, textiles, paper and preventive conservation) was to produce methodologies that were cost-effective and flexible. We presented our approach to AIC during the early days of working in Vermont, but since then, we have found ways to improve and simplify virtually every component of every stage of conservation from de-installation to re-installation, so that we now work much more quickly and efficiently. The level of treatment ranges from preparation for safe storage to stabilization for on-stage use. Both the handling of the “artifacts” by local citizens and their use or storage in unsupervised and environmentally uncontrolled locations runs counter to traditional conservation standards. However, our approach has been shaped by realism and compromise in order to best treat a large number of stage curtains in so many locations with limited personnel and financial resources. We have now conserved over 250 historic theater curtains in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and northern New York. We constantly revisit installations of a decade ago to make improvements and to refresh local owners' knowledge about care and handling. After all, these theater curtains are public art: in some cases they are still used for plays and variety shows. In other cases, they serve as backdrops for town meetings and social events. Even those in storage need to be monitored as buildings are modified or, sadly, sometimes fall into neglect. Our mission to locate, document, and conserve historic stage scenery is expanding through a nation-wide inventory of historic stage scenery. We are working on ways to share our adaptive, flexible, and low-cost approach to conservation so that historic painted theater curtains can remain in the public eye for another 100 years of use and display. The challenge is to keep an open mind because no two curtains are the same. This presentation will discuss the challenges of adaptation: working on-site, the incorporation of volunteers, and compromises we make to insure the long-term preservation of these public works of art.

The canales at Tumacácori National Historical Park (TUMA) have traditionally shed water away from the roof of the Spanish Colonial-era adobe mission church during and after rain events. Rendered with lime then smooth-finished with brick powder embedded, the technical aspect of canales design and construction was critical in the water control and management of water in the arid Southwest by the Spanish missionaries repeated elsewhere in water-related built structures. In 2014, two different approaches to preserving the canales were implemented based on material integrity and conditions, current use, aesthetics, and repair history of respective canales. The critical step in the decision to intervene differently was meeting the practical limits imposed on the preservation workings of TUMA, set by compliance needs, fiscal year restrictions, and the seasonal environmental conditions that all combine to dictate the timing and the extent of the preservation project. The work on the canales illustrates how conservation theory plays out within the real world and the challenges are brought to light during the project planning and implementation. The presentation also explores further opportunities for research and investigation into repair materials and cyclical maintenance techniques.