Painting works by Anton Möller on the background of Gdańsk’s painting workshop of the last quarter of the 16th and the first half of the 17th century

This works presents the research on painting technology and techniques of selected panel paintings by Anton Möller (1563/5-1611) and the paintings attributed to his workshop and circle of his artistic influences such as Isaac van den Blocke (before 1589-after 1924) and Hermann Han (1580-1627/8). Gdańsk’s painting of the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries was a combination of technology and techniques derived from local traditions influenced by northern trends: German and Dutch, as well as their assimilated Italian art. The results of performed analysis revealed that the works by Anton Möller had a great influence on the development of the painting workshop in Pomerania. The white ground and grey imprimatura and colorful ground characteristic for the Gdańsk artist were identified, among others, in the Gronau epitaph and works by Hermann Han and Isaac van den Blocke. Artists working in this area could be influenced by the painting school of Anton Möller, and they could draw technical achievements directly from the Netherlands. The dominant pigments in Möller’s painting palette are lead white, lead-tin yellow, red and yellow iron pigments of natural origin, cinnabar, minium, organic red pigment, smalt, natural azurite, iron umber, charcoal. Anton Möller and Isaac van den Blocke as the only Gdańsk artists used natural ultramarine in their paintings. Anton Möller’s work distinguishes the use of bright colors similar to Italian and Flemish paintings. The artist in some way experimented with color. He used various colors of mortar, imprimatura, and underpainting to achieve the desired effect, including a white imprimatura for illuminating the surface of the painting or a pink gound layer for painting the sky. The composition of the painting was underpainted with brown paint that gave a warm tint. When painting garments, especially red, he used strong contrasts of shimmer, where the vivid red was assembled with a plane painted red with the addition of a large amount of lead white. These treatments were supposed to give the impression of luminosity, which brings even closer the way of color compositions with Italian painting. Anton Möller applied the principles of technology and painting techniques typical of the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries in European art and belongs to a group of outstanding artists active in Gdańsk

Zagadnienia XVII-wiecznego warsztatu malarskiego na przykładzie wybranych obrazów z terenów dawnych Prus: „Epitafium rodziny Hansa Gronau” z Bazyliki Mariackiej w Gdańsku i obrazu „Koronacja Najświętszej Marii Panny” z kościoła p.w. św. Trójcy w Jeżewie

This paper discusses the issues related with the painters’ workshop of the first half of 17th century, originating from the territory of Duke’s Prussia. The technology and technique of two paintings is being presented: an epitaph painting of Hans Gronau from Our Lady’s Basilica in Gdańsk, related with the circle of followers of Anton Möller (1563/65 Królewiec – 1611 Gdańsk) and a painting with the representation of Coronation of Virgin Mary from the Holy Trinity Church in Jeżewo, attributed to the atelier of Herman Han (1574 Nysa – 1627 Chojnice).

Long term chemical and ecological recovery of Kinghorn Loch (Scotland, UK) following red mud pollution

The estimated global production of red mud, a by-product of alumina production, is ~120 million t per year. Little is known about the long-term chemical, physical and ecological responses in aquatic ecosystems following pollution with red mud. To date, no whole-lake assessment of the impact of red mud and recovery trajectories has been conducted. Kinghorn Loch, Fife, Scotland, is an important example of a red mud polluted aquatic ecosystem. This is due mainly to the availability of long-term data documenting changes in the lake during the pollution and recovery following diversion of red mud leachate in 1983 to date. Long-term data were assessed to determine the time scale of recovery for a range of specific pollutants in the surface waters of Kinghorn Loch, and field surveys and a laboratory controlled experiment were conducted to investigate lake sediment-pollutant interactions and arsenic (As) species bioaccumulation in aquatic plants. Results showed recovery of the lake water column, with a significant decrease of pH and the concentrations of all red mud constituents in surface water since the cessation of pollution. Using generalised additive models the chemical recovery period was 5 years for pH and from 22 to 26 years for As, vanadium (V) and phosphorus (P), with aluminium (Al) still not reaching the end-point recovery following this period. A 12- month field survey showed that concentrations of phosphate (PO4-P), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved and total As and V in lake water varied significantly throughout the year, with depth of overlying water contributing to variation in P concentrations in water above sediment. A range of physico-chemical factors, including dissolved oxygen (DO), pH and concentrations of pollutant binding element controlled seasonal and spatial variations in water column contaminant concentrations. The behaviour of V differed from As and P concentrations in water, with maximum V concentrations occurring in spring and the highest concentrations of As and P in surface water and dissolved As and PO4-P in water above sediment observed in summer. With the exception of V in deeper layers of the water column in spring and winter, observed total As and V concentrations met standards for Protection of Aquatic Life in the UK (50 and 20 μg L-1, respectively). Sediment in Kinghorn Loch is still contaminated 30 years into the lake recovery period. The highest seasonal mean concentrations in the upper (0-4 cm) sediment layer were 231 mg kg-1 for V and 185 mg kg-1 for As, the latter considerably exceeding Canadian Sediment Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Aquatic Life for As (17 mg kg-1). Evidence from the laboratory experiment and the field observations suggests that the lake still processes red mud contaminants, with seasonal mobilisation of As and P from lake sediment under reducing conditions. In contrast, release of V from sediment into overlying water appeared not to be driven predominantly by redox conditions, but instead by interactions between pH, competitive ion concentrations and DO. Higher pollutant concentrations observed throughout the year in deeper layers of the water column compared to surface water indicated that the impact of sediment on the water column is generally confined to the bottom waters of the lake. Macrophytes in Kinghorn Loch contained relatively high concentrations of As, predominantly in the inorganic form which is most toxic to organisms. The highest As content measured in roots of Persicaria amphibia (L.) Gray (40.4 – 218 mg kg-1) greatly exceeded the 3 – 10 mg kg-1 range suggested as a potential phytotoxic level. Accumulation of toxic As species by plants suggested toxicological risk to higher organisms in the food web and indicated that ecological recovery of the lake is still in progress. The results of this research at Kinghorn Loch will help water resource managers to understand not only the environmental and human health effects of multiple pressures related to red mud pollution, but also the likely recovery time scales in relation to water quality targets

Zagadnienia warsztatu malarskiego epitafium Hansa Gronau z Bazyliki Mariackiej w Gdańsku

The paper presents technical structure of the epitaph painting of Hans Gronau from Our Lady’s Basilica in Gdańsk. The painting was executed in Gdańsk painter’s workshop in the year 1612. Basing on the integrated physical, chemical and instrumental research artists’ materials applied have been identifi ed. In relation with historic and technological knowledge the most characteristic features of painters’ workshop, that executed the painting have been characterised. Artists’ technique and technology employed while executing the epitaph painting of Hans Gronau has been rooted in the tradition of 17th century painting. The results of presented research contribute to the history of technology of painting of the Gdańsk school ofthe period from 17th to 19th century

Practical measures for reducing phosphorus and faecal microbial loads from onsite wastewater treatment system discharges to the environment:a review

Onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS), the majority of which are septic tanks, are a contributing factor to phosphorus and faecal microbial loads. OWTS contribute to waterbodies failing to meet Water Framework Directive (WFD) objectives and as such, measures to improve the quality of OWTS discharges are required. Literature has been reviewed for a range of measures designed to reduce phosphorus and pathogen concentrations in effluent from OWTS. A feasibility assessment focussed on their application, effectiveness, efficiency, cost and ease of adaptation. A wide range of measures have been identified that could potentially improve water quality. Results show no one solution could be applied to reduce phosphorus and pathogen loadings to the water environment. The literature suggests that OWTS need to be designed to the local flow and load characteristics of the effluents streams,as well as site specific conditions. With that in mind, measures such as awareness raising, site planning, and maintenance are likely to contribute to reduction of impact of OWTS on the environment. The level of load reduction possible from measures such as awareness raising is difficult to quantify, but it is low-cost and relatively easy to implement. Those most effective for phosphorus and pathogen removal are post-tank measures that maximise physical removal, through adsorption and filtering, and maintain good conditions for biological breakdown of solids and predation of pathogens

Zagadnienia technologii i techniki malarskiej Gerarda de Lairesse na podstawie traktatu o malarstwie „Het Groot Schilderboek”

Treatise Het Groot Schilderboek (“The Great Book on Painting”) of Gerard de Lairesse (1640–1711) belongs to important works which apart from theoretical issues include relevant information concerning painting technique. In the 17th and 18th century theoretical papers on the painting enjoyed great interest in the whole of Europe. The treatise by de Lairesse was well-known also amongst the artists active in Gdańsk, Toruń, and Elbląg in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Up to the 18th century artists in Poland-Lithuania received their professional training within the framework of a guild system. The system of learning required copying of the famous ancient and modern works from prints. In Gdańsk and Toruń the works by de Lairesse enjoyed considerable popularity and were often copied. Given the significance of the work of the Dutch artist in Royal Prussia a project was initiated to recreate the painting technique described in his treatise. A copy of a painting by the artist was made fallowing available literature and an in-depth study of the treatise itself. The aim was to recreate in a practical way the technical details of the old workshop practice. The results of the analyses and of technological reconstructions can be used in conservation practice as well as in artistic activity.Traktat Het groot schilderboek („Wielka księga malarska”) Gerarda de Lairesse (1640–1711) należy do znaczących dzieł, w których oprócz zagadnień teoretycznych zawarto istotne informacje dotyczące techniki malarskiej. W XVII i XVIII wieku prace teoretyczne o malarstwie cieszyły się dużym zainteresowaniem w całej Europie. Traktat de Lairesse’a znany był na przykład wśród artystów Gdańska, Torunia, Elbląga. Do wieku XVIII artyści polscy zdobywali doświadczenie głównie w ramach systemu cechowego. System nauki wymagał m.in. kopiowania znanych dzieł antycznych i nowożytnych reprodukowanych w postaci sztychów. W środowisku gdańskim i toruńskim dużym powodzeniem cieszyły się reprodukcje dzieł de Lairesse’a, które były często kopiowane. W związku ze znaczeniem pracy holenderskiego artysty w środowisku malarskim ówczesnych Prus Królewskich zajęto się badaniami, które umożliwiły odtworzenie techniki malarskiej opisanej w jego traktacie. Opierając się na dostępnej literaturze i dogłębnych studiach nad traktatem wykonano kopię wybranego obrazu artysty. Praca miała na celu praktyczne poznanie tajników dawnego warsztatu, praktyki. Wyniki analiz i rekonstrukcji technologicznych mogą być wykorzystane w praktyce konserwatorskiej oraz przy wykonywaniu prac artystycznych

Rodzaje opracowań w technice mazerunku na wybranych przykładach dziewiętnastowiecznej stolarki kościelnej z terenów Pomorza Zachodniego.

Artykuł prezentuje techniki mazerunków z wybranej i reprezentatywnej dziewiętnastowiecznej stolarki kościelnej z terenów Pomorza Zachodniego. Mazerunek, czyli zdobniczą technikę malarską stosowano na różnych podłożach dla imitowania usłojonej powierzchni szlachetnego drewna. Na Pomorzu Zachodnim odwzorowywano głównie usłojenie drewna dębowego, rzadziej orzechowego. W celu dogłębnego poznania techniki mazerunków, wybrane obiekty zabytkowe poddano specjalistycznym badaniom laboratoryjnym. Wykonano zestaw badań chemicznych i instrumentalnych, szczególnie pomocne okazało się zastosowanie energodyspersyjnej analizy rentgenowskiej z użyciem mikrosondy elektronowej SEM–EDS

Rekonstrukcja technologiczna i badania nieinwazyjne wybranych czerwonych laków organicznych

The identification of old organic lake types used in painting techniques is a crucial research issue. Over the centuries, a rich diversity of methods and manners in obtaining organic dyes, including lakes, was utilized for art purposes. In order to fill in the specimen indispensable to precise analysis of art masterpieces, the reconstruction technology of chosen red organic dyes such as: dyer’s madder (Rubia tinctorum L.), red wood of Pernambuco (Caesalpinia crista L.) as well as American cochineal (Dactylopius coccus Costa) was applied. The experiments were conducted based on the set of historical prescriptions (15th– 17th) found in written sources. The attention was shifted towards issues such as: the type of material used and the manner of obtention, which were not neutral for the final colour or properties of obtained lakes. The painting layer was also examined with infrared radiation by means of false colour technique (IRFC). Lakes were mixed with water and resin-oil binder to check how the change of the lake’s colour has been influenced by the binder, the way of coating and the obtention technology