The Role of Canvas Attachments in the Strain Distribution and Degradation of Easel Paintings

Cusping, tearing along tacking margins, and failure around tacking points are common features of easel paintings. They are related to the methods used to attach the canvas to the wooden support. These features are part of the mechanical degradation process and therefore important in understanding the overall deterioration of a painting. The attachments have a significant effect on the strain distribution within the painting. Understanding these effects will help to identify vulnerable areas and aid the choice of attachment method when restretching a painting which has undergone treatment. The historical evolution of attachments and present-day methods used as part of structural conservation treatments are discussed briefly. The strain distribution resulting from attachments on butt-jointed stretchers has been investigated experimentally using a combination of electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) and biaxial tensile testing. The results showing the strain distribution are presented, and the contribution to strain concentrations introduced by the type of attachment (tacks and staples), orientation, and spacing are compared

The Role of Canvas Attachments in the Strain Distribution and Degradation of Easel Paintings

Cusping, tearing along tacking margins, and failure around tacking points are common features of easel paintings. They are related to the methods used to attach the canvas to the wooden support. These features are part of the mechanical degradation process and therefore important in understanding the overall deterioration of a painting. The attachments have a significant effect on the strain distribution within the painting. Understanding these effects will help to identify vulnerable areas and aid the choice of attachment method when restretching a painting which has undergone treatment. The historical evolution of attachments and present-day methods used as part of structural conservation treatments are discussed briefly. The strain distribution resulting from attachments on butt-jointed stretchers has been investigated experimentally using a combination of electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) and biaxial tensile testing. The results showing the strain distribution are presented, and the contribution to strain concentrations introduced by the type of attachment (tacks and staples), orientation, and spacing are compared

Development of a physical model of a typical nineteenth-century English canvas painting

The chemical and mechanical degradation of typical nineteenth-century English canvas paintings has recently been examined. A physical model of such a painting was developed, consisting of fine Ulster linen, rabbitskin glue size, and lead white/oil ground layers. The model painting composite was artificially aged and its validity assessed by comparison with archival specimens prepared by Roberson in the nineteenth century. The failure mechanisms and selected mechanical properties of the model and the archival specimens were compared. The development of such model systems will lead to a better understanding of physical deterioration processes in paintings on canvas supports and to improved approaches to conservation