Location
Ateliergebouw, room B, Hobbemastraat 22, AmsterdamDate and time
Consolidating Adhesives for the Conservation of Painted Cultural Objects
A New Research Initiative
Rebecca Ploeger*#, Christopher McGlinchey†, E. Rene de la Rie%&
*National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, #University of Torino, †Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, %University of Amsterdam, & Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation des Collections, Paris
28 October 2013, 14.30, Ateliergebouw, room B, Hobbemastraat 22, Amsterdam
A large number of products have been and are used for the consolidation of flaking or fragile paint layers occurring on paintings, polychrome sculpture, furniture and other cultural heritage objects. Most products in use, which include natural as well as synthetic materials, remain untested. In fact, very little research has occurred specifically geared toward the development of consolidants. A new initiative involving several research laboratories in the United States and Europe aims at understanding the properties required in consolidants and developing new materials.
Most synthetic materials used for consolidation consist of a solution or dispersion of a single polymeric component. These may not have the proper physical and mechanical properties, and have not been formulated using knowledge and expertise from the field of adhesion science. One of the few materials in use that has been specifically formulated as an adhesive for the conservation field is BEVA® 371, which contains several components. It was designed as a hot-melt lining adhesive in the early 1970s but has also been extensively used for the consolidation of paint layers. BEVA® lacks photochemical stability but remains popular because of its working properties. When investigating alternative formulations, careful consideration must be taken when choosing new components, as each ingredient plays a specific role in the adhesive’s physical properties. Using probe-tack, rheological and other measurements, the properties of BEVA® and alternative mixtures are being studied and applied to the design of new adhesives. In the first phase of our research we are studying the chemical and physical properties of BEVA® as well as the general properties required for consolidation, with the goal of developing one or more chemically and physically stable consolidants.
Rebecca Ploeger has a PhD in Chemical Sciences from the University of Torino, Italy, and a Master’s in Engineering Chemistry (co-supervised by the Master of Art Conservation program) from Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada. She has done postdoctoral work in collaboration with the Fondazione Torino Musei (Torino, Italy), the University of Torino, Italian conservators, and the Scientific Research Department of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Her main research focus is the characterization and study of the stability and degradation mechanisms of modern and contemporary synthetic materials used by artists and conservators, including paints, plastics, and adhesives.
Announcement as PDF here.