The impact of artists' moral rights legislation on conservation practice in the UK and beyond

Conservators are increasingly concerned with the conservation of modern and contemporary artworks. They pose particular practical and ethical problems; recent legislation may also affect the way conservators think about contemporary works of art. This paper discusses legislation in the UK and other countries which may have a bearing on the way conservators treat contemporary artworks. The paper is a preliminary exploration of the issues raised as a result of considering the options for the conservation of a textile artwork by Robert Rauschenberg

Normansfield theatre scenery: materials and construction revealed through conservation

Described as one of the finest collections of stock scenery in the country, and a rare survival from the 19th century, the painted scenery from Normansfield Theatre is the focus of this paper. A team of conservators from the Textile Conservation Centre, in collaboration with paintings conservators, conserved a representative selection of painted flats, a backdrop and a false proscenium for display on the stage as well as stabilising and storing the other items in a bespoke system so that they are accessible to researchers. Normansfield Theatre was a small private Victorian theatre and entertainment hall built in the grounds of a former hospital for people with learning difficulties. The theatre was used by the staff and patients for both therapeutic and recreational purposes between 1879 and 1909. The stage is a miniature version of a typical Georgian theatre, with grooves for scenic flats and mechanisms for hanging backdrops, set within a Victorian proscenium arch. Unusually over 100 pieces of stock scenery, created by established scene painters and dating from the 1870s, survived in its original setting. Although textile conservators are familiar with treating painted textiles, the Normansfield scenery with its large flexible canvases and water soluble, under-bound paint presented new conservation challenges. Research into the scenery’s materials and construction, collaboration with paintings conservators and the conservation treatment itself were able to shed more light on the scene painter’s art

A literature review of analytical techniques for materials characterisation of painted textiles - Part 2: spectroscopic and chromatographic analytical instrumentation

Part Two of this Literature Review of analytical techniques for materials characterisation of painted textiles focusses on the application of vibrational and x-ray spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques used in the analysis of painted textiles to inform understanding of their materials, methods of making and degradation. The principles of detection methods, technique limitations and advantages, and how they complement each other, are explained and advances in techniques applicable in the study of painted textiles are discussed, such as mapping in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman, surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy, and secondary ion mass spectrometry. Most informative work relating to painted textiles comes from close collaboration between conservators and scientists in interpreting findings and this literature review provides a useful starting point to further develop the capabilities of analytical techniques to enhance the study and conservation of painted textiles

A literature review of analytical techniques for materials characterisation of painted textiles - Part 1: categorising painted textiles, sampling and the use of optical tools

Many types of painted textile are represented in museum collections. Their flexibility, draping qualities, and heterogeneous, layered nature make painted textiles complex objects to conserve. What do we know about their materials and making? There has been limited research into painted textiles and particularly their analysis. Whilst much valuable information can be gleaned from paintings analysis, there are many distinct differences in materials behaviour between stretched paintings and painted textiles that need to be identified and addressed. This paper, together with Part 2, aims to raise the awareness of textile conservators, in particular, of potential analytical techniques to identify and characterise the materials, thus enhancing understanding and conservation of painted textiles. Part 1 focuses firstly, on the categorisation of different groups of painted textile providing a context for their study and secondly, it reviews sampling and optical techniques that can be used by conservators, highlighting some of the challenges they present

Re-evaluating Student Treatments of Barkcloth Artefacts from the Economic Botany Collection, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Since 1995 textile conservation students have treated 17 pieces of barkcloth from the Economic Botany Collection, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. A re-examination of 8 treated objects has enabled comparison of the effectiveness of interventive treatments. Humidification has been applied by varied techniques, all found to give consistent, lasting results. Structural support for tears again used varied materials: nylon net in the 1990s, Reemay, Japanese paper, and reworked fibres; all have proved stable, although in some cases acrylic paint had stiffened the material. The objects’ role as part of a study collection means that easy access is required; mounts were therefore designed to allow examination of objects with minimal handling, e.g. through the use of trays. Documentation was not always adequate for this re-evaluation exercise, lacking detail on adhesive preparation or colouring. Overall, past conservation was found to have lasted well, with the proviso that some storage solutions have had to be revisited in the light of use. Close collaboration between curators and conservators has been crucial to this success

Quantifying and visualising change: strain monitoring of tapestries with digital image correlation

A three-year research project at the University of Southampton (2007–2010) investigated whether monitoring techniques commonly used by engineers to assess the strength and durability of materials could be usefully applied to inform the condition assessment of historic tapestries. To date it has not been possible to obtain an objective picture of the overall condition of a tapestry; the study investigated whether it is possible to identify precursors of structural damage. The two techniques, digital image correlation (DIC) and optical fibre sensors, were used to monitor a representative wool fabric, specially woven tapestry samples, a newly woven tapestry, and historic tapestries, both in the laboratory and in situ in a historic house. This study first sets out to answer the question: can DIC be used to monitor and visualize strain in historic tapestries? It is shown that DIC can be used successfully. Secondly, it discusses the map function, a novel development which allowed the monitoring equipment to be moved, so that it could be used in situ in a historic house. Thirdly, it provides further details of the experimental work using optical fibre sensors to confirm the accuracy of the DIC technique

'Like-With-Like’: A Comparison of Natural and Synthetic Stitching Threads used in Textile Conservation

This paper reports research undertaken to investigate thread types used in textile conservation by quantitatively evaluating tensile strength and damage to conserved samples. A literature review and questionnaire sent to textile conservators were used to establish the most commonly used threads for laid-thread couching treatments and the rationale behind thread choice. Most common threads found were two-ply hair silk and polyester Tetex as well as other fine polyester, silk and cotton varieties. Three natural fibre plain-weave artefact samples conserved by laid-thread couching with five different thread types (lace cotton, hair silk, organsin, Skala and Tetex) were subjected to either tensile strength testing or a fixed-load experiment for two weeks. The tensile strength tests determined that the conservation treatment provided effective support and different thread types did not give statistically different results. The fixed-load experiment determined that longer time periods created more damage, even with lighter loads

Development of non-destructive methodology using ATR-FTIR with PCA to differentiate between historical Pacific barkcloth

Barkcloths, non-woven textiles originating from the Pacific Islands, form part of many museum collections and date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The ability to determine different plant species which have been used for producing barkcloth is required by art historians to help understand the origin and use of the cloths and by conservators for whom the species type may have an impact on textile durability, deterioration and hence conservation. However, to date the development of a non-destructive, robust analytical technique has been elusive. This article describes the use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflection (ATR-FTIR) and principal component analysis (PCA) todifferentiation between historic barkcloths. Three distinct groups of historic cloths were identified using PCA of the FTIR region between 1200 and 1600 cm−1 where molecular vibrations associated with tannins and lignins are dominant. Analysis of contemporary cloths only identified Pipturus albidus cloth as different and highlighted the difficulties around producing a representative textile sample to mimic the historic cloths. While the methodology does not itself identify species, the use of historically well-provenanced samples allows cloths showing similarities to group together and is a significant aid to identification

Lessons from the Long View: Observations and Insights on Developments in Private Practice from the 30 Year History of One Independent Textile Conservation Studio

No abstract available

Mechanical properties of wool and cotton yarns used in twenty-first century tapestry: preparing for the future by understanding the present

The conservation of historic tapestries is a complex and highly skilled task. Tapestries now being woven will need conservation in years to come. Can we, by understanding the properties of these contemporary works, assist the conservators of the future? The recreation of the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries being undertaken by the West Dean Tapestry Studio offers a unique opportunity to access the materials being used and to create a body of data on their initial properties. This study uses tensile testing of the warp and weft materials to determine their maximum load at break, extension at maximum load, and specific stress (tenacity). Wool weft yarns from two different sources and of two thicknesses were examined. These wools were dyed ‘in house’ and the effect of the different dyes used was also assessed. These parameters all showed some significant (P < 0.05) differences. Cotton warp yarns of differing thickness and a gold thread were also tested. The comparison of how cotton and wool break demonstrates that when a tapestry is put under sufficient stress the cotton will snap but the wool may only stretch. However, this could often be beyond its recovery range resulting in a failure to return to shape