e_conservation

the online magazine No. 5, June 2008

the online magazine

When we are part of the problem.

Not everyone is aware that the figure of the conservator-restorer is not homogeneous in Europe: from country to country we find significant differences in how society sees conservation and how this profession is regulated. Education is a good example of this fact: while some countries force vital university training courses to close, others dont hesitate to open as many as they can. This is a tendency that, although it is not new, it should not be ignored because it will significantly influence our profession in a few years. I recall, for example, that in northern European countries there are only few schools that provide university education in conservation and the number of professionals is controlled by numerus clausus; in some particular cases, student admissions are not even opening every year. On the other side, there are some cases of southern European countries where almost every major city has a university offering conservation degrees. Portugal is just one of these cases and, in 3 to 5 years, there will be more than 110 graduates per year to enter the already saturated market of this little country. On the other hand, we may consider the case of India where heritage is so rich that their training in conservation is just not enough. A particular case of European-Asian collaboration that addresses this concern can be read in this number's article "Education of Restorers in Ladakh, India". Although attributed a great deal to the actual crisis and its implicit low investment rate in the cultural field, in many countries the market saturation is the main factor of why so many professionals are now having economic problems. This is leading more and more to professional instability and heritage protection can be endangered. An obvious example is the increasing difficulty of young professionals to enter the market, to establish an enterprise or simply... to work. A way out is to extend the intern period, which is only intended to acquire some experience, into a longer period of many years where the professional is relegated to low salaries and low responsibilities. Behind these problems there are political and financial issues but perhaps we should also consider that this is partially our fault, as conservators, and that we should try to avoid it by uniting and working towards a stronger professional class. At the present moment, many international and national institutions are working towards this end, which we should be grateful to, but it is the lack of our individual efforts that is our main enemy. Concerning this issue, perhaps it will be enlightening to read Christabel Blackmans article "Spain: the European lacuna".

Rui Bordalo, Executive Editor

editorial

www.prorestauro.com

INDEX

NEWS

REVIEWS First ARP Seminar From Practice to Theory - Master and PhD Research 30-31 May 2008, Lisbon, Portugal
Review by Rui Bordalo

12

A Look into the Past "North Oltenia, Monuments Founded by Boyars" Symposium 8-11 May 2008, Tismana, Romania
Review by Anca Dina

20 24

ANNOUNCEMENTS, AWARDS, PUBLICATIONS REPORT Education of Restorers in Ladakh, India South North Project in Germany between ASA and THF Participants
By Suzy Hesse

EVENTS ARTICLES

29 33

UPCOMING EVENTS - July to August 2008 ETHICS Is Minimal Intervention a Valid Guiding Principle?
By Mara Rubio Redondo

38

CONSERVATION OF HISTORIC MONUMENTS The Restoration of Tsas Soma Mosque Leh, Ladakh, India
By Andr Alexander and Andreas Catanese

CASE STUDY

51

CASE STUDYS A Romanian Copy of an Italian Painting. The case of Daniele da Volterras "Descent from the Cross" by Petre Alexandrescu at Antim Monastery in Bucharest
By Oana and Dumitru Gorea

60

Conservation and Restoration of the Historic Furniture from the "Laboratorio Chimico" of the University of Coimbra. Methodology and Intervention Criteria
By Carlos Jos Abreu da Silva Costa

ETHICS BOOK REVIEW

67

Spain: the European Lacuna / Espaa: la laguna europea

By Christabel Blackman Patterson

72

Lucas Cranach the Elder: Painting Materials, Techniques and Workshop Practice.
Review by Rui Bordalo

e_conser vation

new

FIRST ARP SEMINAR

From Practice to Theory - Master and PhD Research
Review by Rui Bordalo

May 30-31, 2008 Lisbon, Portugal Organisers: ARP, Professional Association of Conservator-Restorers of Portugal www.arp.org.pt

The Associao Profissional de ConservadoresRestauradores de Portugal (ARP, Professional Association of Conservator-Restorers of Portugal) has among its main objectives the promotion of knowledge and experiences. As paradigm of the higher education in Conservation and Restoration, research in the field has become more and more important. Recently two PhD programs in Conservation opened in Portuguese universities and the adaptation to the Bologna Process of the undergraduate and graduate degrees is almost complete. Within these recent developments, ARPs direction board decided to organize a public seminar to promote the exchange of knowledge and to allow the conservation and restoration community to follow the research that is being done in Portugal or by Portuguese conservators in foreign universities. This first seminar was entitled 1as Jornadas ARP Da Prctica Teoria Investigaes de Mestrados e Doutoramentos (First ARP Seminar From Practice to Theory Master and PhD Research) and it was held at the auditorium of the National Museum of Ancient Art (MNAA) in Lisbon on May 30-31, 2008. The seminar attendance was free of charge and it was only limited to the auditorium capacity. Although some of the researches are made in English, all presentations were held in Portuguese. It should be underlined that all the participants were ARP members and, therefore, professional conservators. I believe this was a great opportunity for the participants to present publicly their work and for the audience to be
e_conser vation

SEMINAR REVIEW

introduced to new areas of study, new technologies and, in particular, to know a bit more of the research in conservation that is being made in Portugal. According to the objectives of the seminar, the presentations were made to disseminate among the audience the research subjects and the methodologies, while the results were secondary as most of the studies are still undergoing. The opening session of the seminar was made by MNAAs Director, who welcomed the initiative, and by ARPs President Alexandrina Barreiro, who welcomed the participants and the audience, and underlined the importance of the present seminar and the need for future similar initiatives. The seminar was organised in four sessions, each one opened by the supervisors of some thesis. The first session was started by the conservationscientist Dr. Antnio Joo Cruz, whose very interesting presentation was entitled "Existe investigao em Conservao e Restauro?" ("Is there research in Conservation and Restoration?") In order to assess the level of research in conservation, he evaluated in his study several factors,

such as the existence of periodic conferences and meetings and the publication of journals, books and thesis as positive arguments. He demonstrated that some of the most important conservation journals are categorised by specialised scientific publishers and research platforms, concluding that they are attributed to different and unrelated categories such as Art History or Chemistry. He also quantified the bibliographic references in Abstracts of International Conservation Literature (AATA Online) and found that, for example, the category G Materials and objects: analysis, treatment and techniques is, by far, the one under which more articles are assigned. He analysed the articles published in Studies in Conservation between 2006 and 2007 in factors such as the authors training and the analytical techniques employed, concluding that conservators are a minority in conservation research. Dr. Cruz kindly made his presentation available online at www.box.net/shared/86hkzbg0sk . The first student presentation was made by Tnia Costa who is making a master in Chemistry Applied to Cultural Heritage at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. She presented her

Dr. Antnio Joo Cruz, conservator-scientist, during his lecture "Is there research in Conservation and Restoration?"

e_conser vation

SEMINAR REVIEW

master work entitled "Synthesis of pigments according to the procedures described in old painting treaties and their characterisation". The pigments chosen to be synthesised were Verdigris and Cobalt Blue. During the initial bibliographic research, several recipes were collected for the laboratorial duplication. The analytical characterisation was made by FTIR, SEM and XRD and the results compared with other several samples, such as Azurite and Malachite in the case of Cobalt Blue. The first PhD presentation was the one of Jos Mendes who is pursuing a PhD in Conservation of Paintings at the School of the Arts of the Portuguese Catholic University. His thesis, "The Work of Nuno Gonalves technical study", is dedicated to the study of the 15th century painter and author of the well-known paintings St. Vincent polyptych, Martyrs of St. Vincent and Four Saints. These works were the object of previous studies, however, never in a systematic way, which is the new approach of the researcher: to take advantage of the scientific documentation that already exists in order to characterise and reconstitute the technique of the painter.

In the afternoon, the second session was started by Isabel Raposo de Magalhes, sub-director of the Institute of Museums and Conservation (IMC) who spoke about the role that IMC has in the protection of heritage. IMC is a new institute that resulted from the most recent governmental reorganisation, from the merge of the exPortuguese Institute of Conservation and Restoration (IPCR) and the exPortuguese Institute of Museums (IPM). It coordinates the National Museums network and has had an important role in many conservation projects around the country. Next, followed three presentations of thesis from the same university the School of the Arts of the Portuguese Catholic University . An interesting presentation was the one of Frederico Henriques, a 1st-year PhD student in Conservation of Paintings, who is researching "Photogrammetry applied to easel paintings: the convergent monoscopy process". The author is proposing a new application of photogrammetry, a technology applied in domains such as architecture and archaeology, in the conservation field. The acquisition of an orthophotography

Opening of the second session. Moderator and conference participants, from left to to right: Alexandrina Barreiro (ARP President) speaking with Frederico Henriques (PhD student), Isabel Raposo de Magalhes (moderator), Daniela Coelho (PhD student), Conceio Casanova (PhD student) and Maria do Rosrio Marcelino (Master student).

e_conser vation

SEMINAR REVIEW

allows to measure precise areas and distances in the paintings surface. This will permit conservators to obtain exact spatial references in the works of art. Daniela Coelho, a PhD student in Decorative Arts, presented "Painted furniture in Portugal from the end of the 17th century and first half of the 18th century: material study, techniques and conservation state". A set of furniture pieces was selected and analysed using several analytical techniques. Next was the presentation of Ana Fernandes, a Master student in Decorative Arts who presented a "Study of hand fans typology in the 19th century". This work includes the inventory of the hand fans in all IMCs palaces and museums in order to build a database. This tool will allow to standardise factors such as the terminology used, and to gather information related to the objects state of conservation, materials and techniques. Maria do Rosrio Marcelino brought a new subject into discussion: "Ethnographic heritage an ethical problem in conservation and restoration".

General view of the auditorium at the National Museum of Ancient Art (MNAA).

She is a master student at the Department of Conservation and Restoration of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology at the New University of Lisbon. Her research is made in partnership with the National Museum of Ethnology (MNE) and she is studying a painting from Bali that belongs to the museums collection. Very little was known about the painting but it was possible to study it in depth with laboratorial analysis. The treatment of this work as an ethnographic asset allowed the author to discuss the ethical implications of the intervention proposal.

Second day of the conference, opening of the thirth session. From left to right: Alexandrina Barreiro (ARP President), Milene Gil (PhD student) and Prof. Jos Aguiar (thesis supervisor).

e_conser vation

SEMINAR REVIEW

Next day, a Saturday, the morning session was started by Prof. Jos Aguiar, from the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University of Lisbon. His intervention a very interesting one - was dedicated to the colour that ancient Portuguese buildings had. He gave some examples of buildings where only some reminiscent traces can be seen. He then introduced Milene Gil, who is working in the same project and pursuing a PhD in Theory, History and Techniques at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the New University of Lisbon. I was also invited to present my 4-years PhD research, entitled "Characterisation of the alterations induced by excimer laser radiation in 19th century pigments" and made at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London and at the Welding and Quality Institute in Portugal. Laser technology has a big potentiality to be used in easel paintings but the great sensibility of painting materials makes difficult its application. This work is focused in the study of the discoloration induced by laser radiation at a wavelength of 248 nm of 8 pigments widely used in the 19th century. To this end, several mock-up samples were made, artificially aged, irradiated and characterised by several analytical techniques. Next presentation was about the "Compositional and typological characterisation and conservation of ceramic materials from Lusitania province Industrial Materials" by Ricardo Tries, who is pursuing his PhD in Geosciences at the University of Aveiro. As the title indicates, his work is focused in the study of ceramic as material used in the construction of new cities during the Romanisation process in the province of Lusitania, actual southwestern Iberian Peninsula. This is a broad study that includes the identification of the materials source, the composition analysis and the typology characterisation in order to contribute to a better understanding of those
10

materials and to define the conservation methodologies. Alexandra Antunes presented "Summer architecture in the county of Oeiras (1880-1940): inventory, characterisation and conservation state" in the context of her PhD in Architecture/Technologies at the Lusada University. Due to their privileged coast location, the ancient summer houses of this county are of patrimonial interest, by which they are being identified, categorized and their state of conservation is being assessed. At the end of the morning session, Leonor Loureiro, a PhD student in Paper Conservation at the Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts (London), presented "European decorative and printing coated papers 1850-1975: their classification for conservation purposes". Coated paper was produced and largely used since mid 19th century. Due to the profusion of materials used in its fabrication, from pigment mixtures to mediums and additives, its knowledge and characterisation are important tools for its preservation and help to establish a methodology for its identification. The afternoon session first participant was Alice Nogueira Alves, who is finishing her PhD in History and Theory of Conservation and Restoration at the Institute of Art History of the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon, with the title "Ramalho Ortigo and the Cult of National Monuments in the 19th century". The thesis focuses on the figure of Ramalho Ortigo, who had an important role in the protection of monuments in Portugal in the 19th century and in the patrimonial theories thereafter. One of the most interesting interventions was done by Conceio Casanova, conservator and
e_conser vation

SEMINAR REVIEW

responsible for the pilot project of the Archive of the Institute of Tropical Scientific Research, who discussed about the actual statute of the conservator-restorer. Her PhD thesis, made in Theory, History and Techniques at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the New University of Lisbon, is entitled "Between conservation theories and professionalisation theories notes for the characterisation of the figure of the conservator-restorer in the 20th century Europe". Beyond the 19th century and early 20th theories in conservation and profissionalisation, the actual conflict between the anglosaxon concept, linked to science, and the latin concept, linked to art history, was discussed. Actual concepts were also taken in consideration, such as the broadening of the heritage notion and the valorisation worldwide. However, it was concluded that the profession is insufficiently defined and that a characteristic image of the professional is lacking. The well-known mural paintings conservator Joaquim Incio Caetano is developing at the moment his PhD in Art, Heritage and Restoration at the Institute of Art History of the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon. His research is entitled Stamps motives in a fresco painting from the north of Portugal in the 15th and 16th centuries - relationship with easel paintings. After collecting and organising several patterns, the researcher noticed that many of the stamps are used for long time, even when mixing different artistic styles. The repetitive use of the same patterns allows the identification of several workshops and their participation in the contemporary easel painting practice. In this presentation, the researcher focused in particular on the relation between the mural painting and a 16th century building technique characterised by the use of light coloured, salient stone joins.

Vanessa Antunes presented the "Techniques and preparation materials of Portuguese painting from the 15th and 16th centuries". She is pursuing a PhD in Art, Heritage and Restoration at the Faculty of Letters of the University of Lisbon in partnership with IMCs Conservation and Restoration Laboratory. Her research includes the compilation and interpretation of the analysis performed and archived at IMCs laboratory in the 15th and 16th centuries panel paintings in Portugal. The objective is to gather sufficient data to enable a better knowledge of the techniques, materials and conservation state of the paintings. The last presentation was done by Elsa Murta, a master student in Decorative Arts at the School of the Arts of the Portuguese Catholic University, who spoke about "From the materiality to aesthetics: the golden woodcarving of the Chapel of St. Albert". Her thesis concerns the study and characterisation of the chapel of St. Albert and its golden woodcarving, among the main objectives being the inventory and the identification and characterisation of the materials. With such a full auditorium this was a successful initiative and I hope it will be continued in the future. It is also an indication that relevant research in conservation or conservation related fields is being made. Apart the formal conservation training, universities are centres of knowledge and it is important that these researches are spread into the community. This will help, in Portugal but also on European level, to the reinforcement of the statute of the conservatorrestorer in the society.

Note: All presentation titles except one were in Portuguese, thus the English titles in this text are free translations from the originals.
11

SYMPOSIUM REVIEW

A LOOK INTO THE PAST "North Oltenia, Monuments Founded by Boyars" Symposium
A review by Anca Dina

May 8-11, 2008 Tismana, Romania Organisers: National Union of Restorers of Historic Monuments (UNRMI), S.C. Carolin S.R.L. and S.C. Cardum 7 S.R.L.

In Romania conservation is a relatively recent practice and thinking on the actual economic situation contrasting with the rich heritage of the country, conservation activities do not take place as often as they should. That is why a dynamic change of experience between professionals in the field, such as the symposium "North Oltenia, Monuments Founded by Boyars" is an event that calls our attention once again. Held in Tismana on May 8-11, 2008, the event was organised by the National Union of Restorers of Historic Monuments1 (UNRMI) in collaboration with

the companies S.C. Carolin S.R.L. and S.C. Cardum 7 S.R.L., local companies attested for conservation of monuments. The event aimed to the establishment of contacts between restorers and entrepreneurs, namely contractors and employers, to the debate of heritage conservation common problems and to the in situ presentation of several monuments that are in conservation at the moment. Projected as a dynamic change of experience while visiting these monuments, the event was a small but important step to support conservation in a critical period for safeguarding the Romanian heritage. In these conditions, the central theme of the debate turned out to be the nowadays conservation practice in contrast with the situation of the last decades.

1 The association was established in 1991 and is formed by

78 enterprises involved in the conservation of monuments and aproximatively 200 individuals attested for practice in this domain.

12

e_conser vation

SYMPOSIUM REVIEW

For those that are not familiar with the situation of heritage conservation in Romania during the last half century, some preliminary remarks should be made. This time period is significant as communism influenced directly the actual mentality and the individual respect for the inherited values. At a first stage the instauration of the communist regime in 1947 did not affect the field of heritage conservation, probably because this activity did not interact directly with the partys ideology and goals. According to art historians2 in this period we can even speak about a certain care for heritage valorisation. New constructions occupied mainly barren spaces from the outskirts of the city and when a new artery was built the monuments were included in the new city structure3. The 1977 earthquake started, however, a new period for the communist regime in which the achievements of the new system were based on the depredation of the historic heritage. Ancient monuments that went through centuries unharmed did not survive to the party ideology2. The earthquake was nothing more than an awaited excuse for a new town planning and a false argument for the demolition of the old constructions. In Bucharest, for example, 20 churches4 and countless civil constructions were demolished, even if architects and engineers assured their stability. Less often, monuments were relocated while their sites were destroyed, damaged and hidden from sight behind new buildings. Due to this policy of gradual dereliction, victims of the "golden era" - as it was called by Ceausescu were standpoint constructions and valuable

The opening of the symposium held at Tismana Monastery.

works of art. Moreover, in the same year, the only institution to protect the Romanian heritage, the Historic Monuments Direction, was out of service. From this moment on, specialists who were engaged in the protection of monuments were dispersed and transferred to other institutions. In this situation, great efforts were made, for example, to save the valuable exterior frescoes from the church of Voronet Monastery in the moment when they were close to collapse. The 1989 revolution was of great joy for the militants in the field. Hope reborn and with it, the wish to take part in the protection of the heritage that survived. Still, the situation we are facing today is not much different from before. Nowadays the indifference is the main danger to deface the historic heritage. After communism had destroyed the sense of value, now we are confronted with the wish of enrichment at no matter what price. Personal interest overruns the aesthetic and historic respect. Valuable monuments are rapidly degrading due to owners lack of capital while others are left in

2 Sanda Ignat, Arhitectul Stefan Bals despre restaurarea

4 Arch. L. Anania, Arch. C. Luminea, Arch. L. Melinte,

monumentelor istorice (interview), BCMI 1991, no. 4

3 Constantin C. Giurescu, Istoria Bucurestilor, 2nd edition,

Arch. A. N. Prosan, Arch. L. Stoica, Arch. N. IonescuGhinea, Biserici osndite de Ceausescu, Ed. Anastasia, Bucharest (1995)

Ed. Sport Turism, Bucharest (1975)

e_conser vation

13

SYMPOSIUM REVIEW

purpose without roof or windows in order to accelerate their degradation so that the space can be used for new constructions. Although today those who act for the benefit of cultural heritage and for the preservation of national identity have the freedom of expression, words are not sufficiently heard by the directly responsible authorities. State financial support is, most of the times, insufficient to cover the great diversity of problems faced by numerous monuments, some of which are part of the UNESCO heritage list. In this context, there is much to be said about the UNRMI initiative. Since its establishment in 1991, numerous meetings, exhibitions and round tables have been organised. Prices with symbolic value are annually awarded for recognition of professional works. Nevertheless, all these activities remain acknowledged only by the small number of people that are directly involved, as media lack of interest put this field apart from the public. The symposium "North Oltenia Monuments Founded by Boyars" took place in the historical environment of Tismana Monastery. The first part of the event was dedicated to oral presentations of conservation projects, where different encountered and resolved situations were shown. After the opening made by UNMRIs chairman Arch. C. Hoinarescu, followed presentations of the invited speakers H.P. Sparondio and Dr. Neumann, representatives of the German building protection company Remmers, who presented some examples of buildings5 affected by humidity and spoke about their approach and solutions to these damages. From Russia, Anya Dujina from the Vlasov Atelier (Moscow) spoke about the restoration of the ensemble belonging to Rursmimki manor. The intervention aimed to the recovery of the original
14

elements and the reconstruction of the missing parts with new materials, based on archive images or on symmetric elements found in the ruins. The restoration, still undergoing for some of the components, is a contribute to the preservation and continuation of the local identity for the future. The oral presentations were followed by in situ presentations of conservation enterprises from the region of Oltenia (western Wallachia). As the symposium was held at Tismana Monastery, this was the first monument to be visited. Dating from the beginning of the 16th century6, the church is decorated with valuable frescoes from different time periods: 16th century - narthex, 18th century - nave and altar and 20th century - porch. The second paint layer in the narthex, from the

The church of Tismana Monastery, south-east elevation.

5 Buildings such as Lahusen Vila or Droistei in Pinneberg. 6 The monastery was reconstructed by the prince Radu the Great on the place where this was erected in the 14th century

by the monk Nicodim.

e_conser vation

SYMPOSIUM REVIEW

18th century, was detached in the 20th century and today these fragments can be seen in the monastery museum. The interior painting is in advanced state of degradation thus its conservation is on the list of priorities. The surface is covered by a thick layer of dirt which makes impossible the reading of the iconographic program and alters the original chromatic quality of the paintings. Here, all types of degradations specific for a centuries-old monument can be found, mainly due to humidity action and earlier unauthorised interventions. Traces of a previous intervention, most probably contemporary with the frescoes detachment, are still visible in the narthex: fillings of lacunas and remains of chromatic integration. The roof of the church and the rain water facilities were replaced but the facades, originally decorated by alternated brick and stone rows, were also plastered. This intervention, carried out in order to protect the brittle elements, ended up by changing the original image of the church. A thorough research of the paintings will take place once the conservation intervention will start, that is as soon as possible.

The chapel of Tismana Monastery (up), the only architectonic component that preserves the original aspect of the facades.

Interior mural painting of the church of Tismana Monastery, from different time periods: narthex - 16th century (left) and naos - 18th century (right).
e_conser vation

15

SYMPOSIUM REVIEW

Interior mural painting of the church of Tismana Monastery, executed by Grigore Popescu in the 20th century.

The church of Hurez Monastery (17th century), general ensamble.

The next monument visited was the most extensive ensemble of medieval architecture preserved in Wallachia, the 17th century Hurez Monastery. At the main church of the monastery, the conservation-restoration of mural paintings was recently completed7, complex operations on the colour and support layer being carried out. Here, the aesthetic approach to the work of art is remarkable, based on correct principles of restoration, giving value to the original nature of the painting without altering its authenticity.

Following the string of first rank religious monuments in the area, we stopped at the churches from Polovragi and Strmba monasteries8 and at the church of Vioresti9, where conservation works of the mural paintings are currently undergoing. This last is a small monument erected by Ion Ursanu in the end of the 18th century, dedicated to the "Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary". The a fresco mural painting, executed in 1801, differs from other monuments by its "popular character with narrative strength"10. The founders are depicted in the interior votive painting but
9 Conservation works carried out by: designer S.C. ABRALARTPRODUCT S.R.L. (Bucharest); general contractor - S.C. Diaconu Construction S.R.L.; infrastructure contractor S.C. Carolin S.R.L. (Quebec); coordinator of the mural painting restoration project - Elena Murariu, conservator-restorer. 10 Vasile Dragut, Dictionar enciclopedic de arta medievala romaenasca, Ed. Stiintifica si Enciclopedica, Bucharest, 1976, pp. 315
e_conser vation

7 The coordinator of conservation-restoration intervention for the mural painting is the restorer Teodora Spataru Ianculescu. 8 At the church of Strmba Monastery, the project for consolidation works is developed by S.C. CARDUM 7 S.R.L. The coordinator of the conservation project in this church and at Polovragi Monastery church is Serban Angelescu, conservator-restorer.

16

SYMPOSIUM REVIEW

The church of Hurez Monastery, sculpted decoration (left) and interior mural painting (right).

also in the remarkable exterior frieze surrounding the south, east and north facades, wearing traditional costumes. The scene is alternated by characters on horses and rosettes with decorative elements. The conservation of the church proved to be a complex process. At the time of the intervention, the church was in an advanced state of degradation induced mainly by previous alterations that had affected the masonry structure, such as the cutting out of the separation wall between the nave and the narthex and the enlargement of the windows. In the year 1895, the superior part of the nave was amended, the dome was opened and a wood steeple was added. The extensive conservation process began with the consolidation of the masonry structure, the resizing and reshaping of the windows to their original forms, the removal of the steeple, the modification of the dome and the restoration of the interior and exterior mural painting.

The church from Vioresti (lower), exterior view and detail of the exterior frieze representing the founders.

17

SYMPOSIUM REVIEW

Among the monuments in the program, the famous "Cule" from Maldaresti were also visited. These fortified boyar houses from Oltenia are traditionally provided with high basements and belfries. Cula Greceanu, from the 18th century, is a three-floor monument erected on an L-shaped plan, with balcony at the first floor and a two sides open turret at the top. Cula Duca, dated 1823, has a simple plan and a long rectangular turret at the upper floor. Currently, these two monuments are housing medieval and popular pieces of art, having museum status. In the last part of the event, the exhibition "Historical Monuments Romanian Identity Milestones" was visited, organized in Targu Jiu with posters of the conservation-restoration works of UNRMI members.
Image from the cemetery of Ceplea church. The crosses fixed on the tree trunk are related to those that deceased without a lighted candle, according to the Christian tradition.

Restoration seen as recovery of ruin constructions has been exemplified by the works at several sites: "St. Nicholas"11 church from Ceplea village (Gorj), Cornel Brailoiu12 house (Tirgu Jiu) and "St. John the Baptist"13 church from the Stolojani village (Gorj). The latter has been recast from recovered and new wood. During the works, the old foundation of a church was discovered and preserved under the current wooden church. On these walls traces of ancient mural paintings were found. The recovered items are now displayed by 8 glass panels built in the floor of the new wooden church.

At the end of the discussions, an optimistic attitude of UNMRIs chairman, Mr. Hoinarescu, could be seen. Related to the quality of the restoration works, Mr. Hoinarescu spoke about the "regeneration of a conservation school that managed to come together again after almost 50 years", "a crystallised school that has a unitary approach to conservation issues, evolving over the generation of the 70s because in relation to the monuments, imaginative interventions or additions stopped to appear.

11 Consolidation project by S.C. CARDUM 7 S.R.L. Trgu

Jiu, constructor S.C. CAROLIN S.R.L. Valcea.

12 Consolidation project by S.C. CARDUM 7 S.R.L. Trgu

Jiu, contractor: S.C. Sima Construct S.R.L. Ramnicu Sarat.

13 Contractor: S.C. Rustic Baia Mare.

The church from Stolojani, naos after the reconstruction of the ensamble.
e_conser vation

18

SYMPOSIUM REVIEW

Exterior images and interior details of the "Cule" from Maldaresti: Cula Greceanu (18th century) and Cula Duca (19th century), both monuments with museum status today.

19

NEWS

ANNOUNCEMENT
3rd International Meeting of Applied Technologies to Museology, Conservation and Restoration - EITEC The Department of Heritage Studies of the Faculty of Letters of the University of Porto, the Welding and Quality Institute and the companies Sistemas do Futuro (Multimedia, Gesto e Arte, Lda.) and Conservar-Inovar (Conservao e Restauro de Bens Patrimoniais, Lda.) are promoting the 3rd edition of EITEC Encontro Internacional de Tecnologias Aplicadas Museologia, Conservao e Restauro (International Meeting of Applied Technologies to Museology, Conservation and Restoration). This 3rd edition will take place at the Almeida Garret Library in Porto, Portugal, on October 23th-24th. During the two days, the participants will be able to attend presentations of invited speakers from Portugal and foreign countries. The program includes Portuguese speakers such as Antnio Portugal from University of Coimbra who will present a case study of fungi in historical documents and Jos Nero from Instituto Superior Tcnico who will discuss the conservation and rehabilitation of built heritage, among others. Among the foreign participants, Hans-Christoph von Imhoff will discuss the evolution of conservation-restoration field since Second World War, Javier Espadas Bardn from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation will speak about Museums and the Internet, and Piero Baglioni from the University of Florence will talk about nanomagnetic gels. The program and further information can be found at: http://www.sistemasfuturo.pt/eitec

AWARD
Museum of Science, Coimbra, Portugal The Museum of Science of the University of Coimbra (Portugal) was awarded the Luigi Micheletti Prize by the European Museum Forum for the most promising technical or industrial museum. The announcement took place in May 17th at the presentation ceremony of the 2008 European Museum of the Year Award. According to the press-release, among other factors, the Museum of Science impressed by the "sensitively restored and designed neoclassical Laboratorio Chimico". The interactive Museum of Science houses the scientific instrument collections of the University of Coimbra. The e_conservation magazine is publishing in this same number an article about the conservation intervention of the Laboratorio Chimico, performed by the Atelier Samthiago conservation enterprise. Few days ago the museum launched a new project "Digital Museum" which makes available online a part of the museum collection. This is the biggest database of scientific instruments at national level. The database presently counts over 19,000 pieces but the museum announced to make available online in the future all the collection which counts up to 250,000 pieces. Visit the University of Coimbras Museum of Science at: http://www.uc.pt/museudaciencia Contacts: Museum of Science Largo Marqus de Pombal , 3000-272 Coimbra E-mail: geral@museudaciencia.pt Schedule: From Tuesday do Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm
e_conser vation

20

NEWS

PUBLICATION
Mural Painting in the North of Moldavia. Aesthetic Modification and Restoration Author: Oliviu Boldura Publisher: Accent Print Year: 2008 Pages: 450 ISBN: 978-973-1772-12-7 Language: Romanian / English Price: disseminated free of charge, limited edition A new book dedicated to Romanian mural paintings conservation has been recently published. Titled "Mural Painting in the North of Moldavia. Aesthetic Modification and Restoration" the book synthetises an experience of more than 35 years of conservation practice of Dr. Oliviu Boldura, conservator and professor at the Department of Conservation-Restoration of Works of Art, Faculty of History and Theory of Art, within the National University of Arts in Bucharest. The launching of the book took place on 27th June 2008, at the History Museum from Bucovina Museological Complex in Suceava. This book is the result of the author's PhD thesis, defended last year and awarded magna cum laude, and focuses on the conservation and research of the most representative monuments and mural ensembles from the north of Moldavia, precisely from Suceava County. Most of these monuments are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List: Voronet, Sucevita, Moldovita, Arbore, Probota, Balinesti, St. George of the Monastery St. John the New in Suceava and the exterior painting from Patrauti. The conservation of each of these monuments took several years of continuous work followed by laborious research and documentation.
e_conser vation

Launching of the book at the History Museum from Bucovina Museological Complex in Suceava, on 27th June 2008.

Starting from these numerous case studies, the thesis establishes the causes of aesthetic modifications occurred in the mural paintings ensembles. Major importance is given to the interdisciplinary research, as the only way to establish a correct diagnosis and the premises of an intervention methodology adequate to each particular case. The book has the remarkable quality of addressing at the same time a public of various levels, describing in a fascinating way the encountered situations and illustrating them by a wide visual discourse using photographs taken during these 35 years. The reader of this book will be the restorer in his training process, who will find within its pages, through case studies or intervention proposals, the answers to his questions, but also the experienced conservator who may find similar solutions to the problems he is concerned. Nevertheless, the book is a worthwhile read for all those involved or interested in the conservation of cultural heritage. The book, edited by the conservator Anca Dina, was published with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Cults from Romania, as part of the collection "Bucovina Research, Conservation and Restoration Centre".
21

NEWS

ANNOUNCEMENT
ECPA Closure The European Commission on Preservation and Access (ECPA) has recently announced, on its Inkcorrosion-L mailing list, the end of its activity. ECPA is a non-profit foundation created in 1994 to promote the preservation of documentary records in European archives and libraries and to facilitate access to this heritage. ECPA was housed since its beginning by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences which is now under reorganization. This has led ECPA to reconsider itself and, due to the "profound changes in the field over the past decade, it was concluded that the new environment requires its own new networks, and restructuring the ECPA to meet these needs was not the best option." During its existence, ECPA has published several documents, promoted training courses, conferences and research projects. Among these last ones, the most relevant are: European Visual Archive (EVA), from 1991 to 2001, which aimed to develop the access to photographic collections; SEPIA project (Safeguarding European Photographic Images for Access), from 1999 to 2004, dedicated to the preservation of photographic collections; and, since 2004, TAPE project (Training for Audiovisual Preservation in Europe), which involved audiovisual collections, sound and moving images. The projects are available from the ECPA website, which will continue to work for some time. The four ECPA mailing lists - EPIC-LST, Inkcorrosion-L, SEPIA-LST, and TAPE will close in July, however, all the website resources have been transferred to several other organisations. ECPA Website: www.knaw.nl/ecpa The Ink Corrosion Website: www.knaw.nl/ecpa/ink Contact: ecpa@bureau.knaw.nl
22

The News section is publishing the most diverse information on cultural heritage topics, such as on-site conservation projects reports, conferences, lectures, talks or workshops reviews, but also course reviews and any other kind of appropriate announcements. If you are involved in interesting projects and you want to share your experience with everybody else, please send us your news or announcements. For more details, such as deadlines and publication guidelines, please check www.e-conservationline.com

e_conser vation

E_CONSERVATION SURVEY
Are conservators artists by nature?
Conservators are undoubtedly deeply interested in art but not necessarily artists themselves. Depending on personal belief, some think the creative touch is everywhere while others consider their artistic skills should be left outside their workshop. Many are the paths that took us to the conservation field, some of us, with strong background in art education, and others with none, except perhaps a personal artistic interest. We thought this topic would be interesting to discuss since in general, we are all curious to know more about our fellow conservators and we, at the magazine, about our readers in particular. We would like, therefore, to ask our readers to take a moment and to help us answer the question: Is the conservator an artist by nature? Many questions can be posed around this central issue, such as... apart conservation, do you create fine art works? Do you have visual art practice or education? Does your artist nature influence your work as conservator? Does the fact that you are a conservator influence the manner in which you work as an artist do you pay extra care to the technique and materials that you use? And regarding the major aim of conservation, to safeguard the authenticity of the artwork, do we have to constrain our artist nature in order to be good conservators? We would like to know what is your story and how did you become a conservator. If you are interested to participate in our survey, please visit: www.e-conservationline.com.

REPORT

EDUCATION OF RESTORERS IN LADAKH, INDIA South North Project in Germany between ASA and THF Participants
A report by Suzy Hesse

Within the South North Project, 4 students from India and Germany received scholarships, being given the chance to learn in Germany and India about conservation and restoration, with the purpose of acquiring experience in a foreign country and working as team in finding solutions for conservation problems. ASA is a network of global education which helps students and young professionals to get work experience worldwide and to take part in an active global learning process. ASA is a non-profit organisation and it is not related to any political party. It is administrated by InWEnt Capacity Building International (Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung gGmbH), who emerged from Carl Duisberg Society (Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft, CDG) and the German Foundation for International Development (Deutsche Stiftung fr internationale Entwicklung, DSE) in 2002. Every year ASA supports around 10 South North projects all over the world. In these projects the participants and members of the Southern partner organisations are cooperating to find solutions to issues concerning development questions. Normally the projects take place in the host country for three months and in Germany for other three months. The NGO THF (already presented in e_conservation magazine, no. 1, October 2007, pp. 29-40/124), as Southern partner, started to educate restorers in Ladakh in 2005 with the help of German students.
24

In Ladakh there were no local experts involved in the protection of cultural heritage. There are a number of Indian restorers but not enough to save the many temples one can find. Often, the temples are in such poor condition that many of them are close to collapse. Another problem we were confronted with was that locals do not show a real interest in the temple paintings. Often they are not aware of the figures represented and they are not interested to know them because the Buddhist traditions changed during the centuries so that these figures are no longer of interest for Buddhists of today. Even monks do not know all the old figures. Another Buddhist concept that contributes to the little interest in the paintings is that the image must be in a good and clear visible condition in order to meditate on it.
e_conser vation

By Deeptrivia - Creative Commons by-sa License 2.5

By Nichalpw, Planemad - Creative Commons by-sa License 2.5

In 2007, a so called South North Project was organized in cooperation with the European network for development education (Arbeits und Studien Aufenthalte, ASA) and Tibet Heritage Fund (THF).

REPORT

interior and only some traces of the old painting were visible at the time of the intervention. First Ladakhian students learnt basic conservation operations such as how to fill fissures and lacunas with mortar and how to consolidate plaster but also more advanced operations such as how to make chromatic integration by tratteggio. They had also drawing lessons and they learnt about the chemical and physical processes of the typical materials in Ladakh such as, for example, the mud that is traditionally used for plaster in every Ladakhian house. They also learnt about the ancient and contemporary work techniques. In 2006 more students from the University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt came to work together with Indians on the Chamba-Lhakhang in Leh. The main purpose of this initiative was to realize an exchange between Ladakh and Germany with the help of ASA. ASA makes a careful selection of people who are suitable for these projects and prepares them for the stay in the foreign country.

Guru Lhakhang Team (2005), from up left: Suzy Hesse, Yanchen Dolma, Skarma Lotus, Daniel Hackauf.

In these projects, THFs purpose is to train Ladakhis as restorers in order to sensitise locals on their ancient culture and to show them the importance of safeguarding the paintings for next generations. In this way, THF found 2 Ladhakis which learnt about the work of conservation and restoration and the ancient art and techniques in Ladakh: the dexterous and interested Yanchen Dolma and the painter Skarma Lotus who was a Buddhist monk for many years. The first project was the conservation of Guru Lhakhang temple in Leh, the capital of Ladakh. In 2004 the roof of the temple was already repaired so that in 2005 a first conservation-restoration student, Suzy Hesse, came from Germany to work on the paintings together with the Ladakhian students. The paintings were in very advanced deterioration state. The rain had infiltrated for years into the
e_conser vation

Yanchen Dolma, Chamba-Lhakhang, Leh (2006).

25

REPORT

Skarma, Suzy and Yanchen in Erfurt on the Petersberg mountain, Germany (left), Indian students grinding samples for investigation under microscope in the Laboratory in Erfurt (center) and working in Cologne on the Mosaic of Dionysos together with students from the University of Applied Sciences (right).

The project, suggested by Andr Alexander and Suzy Hesse, had as participants Yanchen Dolma and Skarma Lotus from Ladakh, the civil engineer Steffen Klein who teaches a course in preservation of historic buildings and monuments in Leipzig and the student Suzy Hesse from Erfurt, who made her diploma in conservation and restoration with the South North project. Yanchen and Skarma came to Germany from May to July 2007 to learn, with the help of the North participants, about preservation of historic buildings and monuments, conservation and restoration in Germany and Europe. Together with Steffen and Suzy, they learnt about European art history and building preservation. They visited cities like Berlin, Leipzig, Cologne and Erfurt. It was also possible for them to take part in several practical courses in the University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt. This way, they had the chance to work for 2 weeks on a mosaic project in Cologne together with the students from Erfurt. They undertook as well Chemistry classes, learning about pigments and typical materials often used in Europe for buildings and paintings. They also had practical classes in the laboratories of the University, using for the first time equipment for investigation of works of art.
26

In the studios of the city museum of Erfurt, they learnt book binding techniques, painting preservation and got in contact with many interesting people. They also took part on a meeting of 2007 Asia-ASA participants in the Eifel Mountain in Germany and gave a talk presenting their country, the Ladakhian traditions, the work they are doing and the many things learnt in Germany which are helpful for their work in Ladakh. In 2007 the North participants travelled to Ladakh from July to September and worked in Leh and in Alchi together with the South participants. Here, the work for the conservation of the 15th century paintings from the Tsatsapuri temple was started. Every year some students help THF to realize these projects. In 2007, one of them was Julia Giebeler from Cologne, who helped for 2 months at the restoration of the temple in Alchi. The project started with the research of the building condition and the conservation state of the walls and paintings. The causes of damage were identified and documentation drawings were made to map the different areas. It was decided that the most important thing for the paintings is to repair the roofs, task to be completed this year.
e_conser vation

Yanchen Dolma, Chamba-Lhakhang, Leh (2007).

The Ladakian students also took part in the conservation project of Chamba-Leh on the Lhakhang, helping to find the right mud composition for the fillings, consolidating the plaster and learning how to make chromatic integration. This was an exciting project where all participants could learn many interesting things about each other, about different cultures and traditions and about the restoration practice in different countries, resulting in a memorable experience for everyone. Thanks to everybody who helped to realize this project, to ASA and to THF.

The Tstsapuri-complex in Alchi: the 3 temples from 15th to 17th century.

SUZY HESSE
Contact Beth Shemesh Str. 2, 99734 Nordhausen, e-mail: lea-sue@gmx.at Suzy Hesse (b. 1980, Nordhausen, Germany) got her diploma in Conservation and Restoration from the Erfurt University of Applied Sciences (Germany) in 2007. Her professional experience includes working with Tibet Heritage Fund for the preservation and conservation of mural paintings in the Buddhist temples in Leh (India) in 2005 and Alchi (India) in 2007.
The leader of the southern partner, Andr Alexander (left) and Steffen Klein, the north participant from Leipzig (right).

Contacts: Steffen Klein, Industriestrae 26, 04229 Leipzig, e-mail: st.klein_80@web.de ASA - Arbeits und Studien Aufenthalte www.asaprogramm.de THF - Tibet Heritage Fund www.tibetheritagefund.org

e_conser vation

27

REPORT

Yanchen Dolma, Chamba-Lhakhang, Leh (2007).

28

e_conser vation

The events in this section

Durability of Paper and Writing 2nd International Symposium and Workshops July 2008
Date: 7-9 July Place: Ljubljana, Slovenia This event is devoted to all aspects of paper conservation science: fundamental and applied and consists of a conference and two practical workshops, aimed at the dissemination of results of two 6th Framework Programme projects, PaperTreat and SurveNIR. Read more...

are linked to the original homepage of the organisers. In case the event does not have an individual page, the calendar of events will open at www.conservationevents.com. Click on "Read more..." to find out more details about each event.

WORKSHOP - Iron Gall Inks July 2008

Date: 3 July Read more...

IV08-CHKV - Cultural Heritage Knowledge Visualisation

Date: 7-10 May Place: Tallinn, Estonia Read more...

Place: Amsterdam, The Netherlands This workshop provides relevant knowledge on history and treatment of iron gall inks and implements current research outcomes. The main focus is on problem solving, decision making, critical and creative thinking. Topics include iron-gall ink history and preparation, examination of artefacts, ink identification and risk management, among others.

A number of invited speakers and tutorial sessions will review current state-of-the-art developments and outline future directions. This embedded within the current research being undertaken in industry and in academia will provide coverage of the salient aspects and sub-areas of visualization and graphics.

Optical Coherence Tomography for Examination of Art

Date: 3-5 July Place: Torun, Poland The workshop is devoted to a new optical diagnostic method: Optical Coherence Tomography, which originates from medicine but was later adopted to examination of objects of art for conservation and inventory purposes. The technique is completely non-contact and noninvasive and was successfully used to investigate such objects as: paintings, jade artifact, porcelain and faience, glass and parchment. Read more...

Representao Digital de Artefactos Cientificamente Robusta,

na Documentao, Divulgao e Conservao Date: 9 July Place: Braga, Portugal A preservao digital de artefactos culturais que representam o nosso patrimnio requer normas internacionais robustas e que satisfaam um conjunto razovel de regras. Os profissionais envolvidos na preservao do patrimnio cultural lanam novos desafios comunidade cientfica para o desenvolvimento de ferramentas capazes de ir ao encontro das suas normas de "boas prticas", na expectativa que estas venham um dia integrar normas internacionais exigentes na representao digital de artefactos. Read more...

e_conser vation

events

EVENTS

Archaeometry and Heritage Science July 2008

Date: 9-10 July Place: Cardiff, UK Presentations include: - Research priorities for preventive conservation of archaeological materials - CT scanning of a 21st Century Sarcophagus - Preserving the biomolecular component in fluidpreserved natural history collections - New approaches to early glass - Conservation and characterisation of early iron: establishing a guide to good practice Read more...

ICNMTA2008 - 11th International conference

on nuclear microprobe technology and applications Date: 20-25 July Place: Debrecen, Hungary The ICNMTA2008 will be an opportunity for researchers in the field to introduce the latest developments in micro-beam technology. Furthermore, a wide range of applications will be presented. This conference will be combined with the 3rd International Workshop on Proton Beam Writing, to be held at the conference venue. Read more...

2008 Book, Paper and Photographic Materials Symposium

Date: 23-15 July Place: Canberra, Australia The aim of the symposium is to provide a forum for the presentation of original research and experiences, and for discussion of issues affecting the book, paper and photograph conservation profession. Read more...

Introduction to Laser Scanning in the Heritage Field

Date: 15 July Place: Liverpool, UK This 1-day course provides an introduction to the use of laser scanning in the heritage field and comprises a series of lectures, practical demonstrations, case studies and opportunity for discussion. It is aimed at all those working within the heritage field who would like to develop a basic understanding of laser scanning and its uses, including: museum curators, conservators, conservation officers, archaeologists, virtual reality providers, exhibition designers,among others. Read more...

Conservation in Context: Projects, Money, Deadlines, Science and Heritage Projects in Conservation
Date: 25 July Place: London, UK Many important conservation projects are often neglected after completion and important knowledge that could be shared is lost. This meeting, held jointly with the Historical Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry, will discuss conservation science, conservation of objects and conservation heritage projects in their historical, contemporary and national contexts. The overall programme of works includes a number of major conservation projects to the building's fabric and contents... Read more...

Workshop on Digital Preservation and Copyright

Date: 15 July Place: Geneva, Switzerland The aim of the meeting is to contribute to the debate among stakeholders and policy makers on how to develop and improve policies and practices that support digital preservation of copyrighted content. Read more...

30

e_conser vation

July 2008

EVENTS

New methods for cleaning surfaces August 2008

Date: 8 August Place: Brisbane, Australia These courses will be held at the Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art Conservation laboratory. They are aimed at paintings and objects conservators and consist of morning lectures and afternoon practical and discussion sessions - an arrangement allowing participants to try out in practice the discussed methods and materials. Read more...

5th International Conference on Cultural Policy Research

Date: 23-24 August Place: Istanbul, Turkey ICCPR 2008 acknowledges the multiplicity of meanings around the idea of culture and the inter-relationship of these meanings. However, whilst it takes a broad view of culture, encompassing a wide range of signifying practices that include the products of the media, the arts and various forms of government or religious display, ICCPR 2008 will attempt to maintain a focus on policies relating to culture as symbolic communication rather than culture in the anthropological sense as 'a whole way of life'. Read more...

74th World Library and Information Congress

Date: 10-14 August Place: Quebec City, Canada During the past decade, the growing awareness of the need to preserve our digital publications, has led to a better understanding of activities that a library should set up to implement a digital preservation workflow. We realise now that implementing a system is not enough: there are a number of organisational issues that have to be addressed apart from the technical ones. Read more...

Preserving Photographs in a Digital World

Date: 16-21 August Place: New York, USA A week-long program of lectures and workshops on photograph collection preservation techniques will expand your expertise on what materials are typically found in collections, how they deteriorate, how to store and protect them, and how preservation fits in with other collection activities. Read more...

The American Glass Guild (AGG) Annual Meeting

Date: 12-14 August Place: Philadelphia, USA This conference will present papers on various aspects relating to stained glass, including new design, technique, conservation, history of the medium and its practitioners, related materials, and business practices. The mission of the AGG is to provide an open forum for the exchange of information on stained, leaded and decorative glass and its creation, preservation, restoration, and history. Read more...

Standards in the science of conservation and restoration of historic monuments

Date: 30 August Place: Berlin, Germany This interdisciplinary conference has been designed to stimulate conservation and to allow restoration practitioners and researchers, scholars and conservation scientists to report on their work and take part in discussions on several topics. Read more...

e_conser vation

31

August 2008

article

AREAS OF PUBLISHING Conservation Treatment

Mural Painting Painting Stone Sculpture Textiles Paper / Documents Photography Metals Tile / Ceramic / Glass Furniture Music instruments Ethnographic assets Archeological objects

Conservation Science
Scientific research Material studies and characterisation Analytical techniques Technology development Biodeterioration State-of-the-art Reviews Art History, Iconography, Iconology, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Photography, Cultural Management, Museology, Computer Science, Legislation and Juridical Processes, Conservation Policies and any other field applied to Conservation and Restoration of works of art.

Preventive Conservation
Theoretic principles Case studies

Documentation in Conservation
Standardisation Documentation methods Data management

Conservation Theory
Ethics Conservation History

Check out more:

www.e-conservationline.com

IS MINIMAL INTERVENTION A VALID GUIDING PRINCIPLE?

by Mara Rubio Redondo

During the past thirty years, the world of conservation has experienced an important shift towards what has been known as the concept of minimal intervention. Presently, this widely accepted framework has given particular impetus to the application of preventive conservation measures for the preservation of collections and, in turn, it has suppressed other more interventive and active conservation approaches. The broad acceptance of minimal intervention as the "correct" modus operandi is primarily based on an increasing concern for the historical and documental value of the objects. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of minimalist approaches and consider whether noninterventive policies are sufficient to fulfil all conservation requirements posed by museum collections.

MARA RUBIO REDONDO

Introduction Over the last three decades, non-interventive and minimal intervention approaches have increasingly grown in importance and recognition as the leading principles for the preservation of cultural property. The wide spread popularity of this type of conservation strategy is now such that, in some disciplines, active conservation treatments have almost been discontinued, relying on environmental control or preventive conservation measures as the means to avoid or slow down deterioration. Non-interventive procedures are often seen to provide the most effective use of resources for the care of collections. In addition, they ensure the preservation of the authenticity, signs of age and the historical/documental integrity of the objects without obstructing potential retreatment in the future. On an international level, many large institutions have therefore adopted minimal intervention policies. The Origins of Minimal Intervention The preservation of aspects such as the history and documental value of the objects, their authenticity, the natural signs of ageing, etc, is a growing preoccupation among those concerned with the conservation of cultural property. This is probably one of the main elements giving rise to non-interventive conservation approaches. The idea is that by keeping interventive conservation treatments to a minimum, the risks of alteration to objects are limited and thus historical integrity is ensured. The development of preventive conservation and the re-evaluation of the concept of reversbility are the two other main elements influencing the current predominance of minimalist tendencies in conservation.
34

In the past 30 years, noninterventive or minimalist approaches have also been encouraged by the great development and impact of preventive conservation.
During approximately the last two decades of the 20th century, conservators started to question the existence of "true" reversibility and, inevitably, the conclusion that no conservation treatment is one hundred per cent reversible was reached. This was therefore a period of general discontent and the necessity of re-evaluating the terms reversible or reversibility became essential. In 1987, Applebaum introduced the concept of "re-treatability" recognising that, if not fully reversible, preservation activities should at least not obstruct the possibility of re-treatment in the future. In that context, minimalist conservation was found to be the best way forward. Since a minimalist line of action implies the application of less interventive treatments, the principle of re-treatability would be therefore fulfilled. In the past 30 years, non-interventive or minimalist approaches have also been encouraged by the great development and impact of preventive conservation. In this sense, the publication of the book The Museum Environment by Thomson, in 1978, was a major factor contributing to the dissemination of both environmental concerns and preventive conservation ideas. From this moment onwards, the interest was increasingly focused into museum environment issues and highly interventive conservation was increasingly abandoned.
e_conser vation

IS MINIMAL INTERVENTION A VALID GUIDING PRINCIPLE?

Limitations Minimal intervention policies have proven to be well suited to protect the historical integrity of the objects, as well as to comply with the principle of re-treatability. However, other similarly important conservation goals such as long-term preservation, improvement of aesthetic appearance or provision of access to the objects, cannot be accomplished by means of a minimalist approach alone. Most non-interventive or minimal intervention treatments can be expected to be short-term measures and, consequently, the long-term preservation of the object cannot be achieved. This implies that conservation treatments would have to be applied more regularly (a greater number of times) in order to maintain the objects physical condition and, in the end, this may result in greater change or damage. The primary value of many museum objects is often historical and/or documental (e.g. archival collections). However, there are other items which, as well as having historic value, have a purely aesthetic function. Works of art are a clear example of this as, for the majority of the public, their most obvious and important purpose is indeed aesthetic. Since minimalist conservation shows little interest for the improvement of the general appearance and the legibility of works of art, it fails to safeguard their aesthetic integrity. Similarly, ethnographic objects are in an almost identical situation because minimal approaches are unable to preserve both their conceptual and cultural significance. Another important limitation associated to minimal intervention is its conflict with accessibility. During the last decade, there has been an important increase in the number of travelling exhibitions as a response to the growing popue_conser vation

larisation of museums and exhibits among the general public. Access to collections has therefore experienced an increasing demand, and museums have the duty to fulfil it. The existence of a minimal intervention policy in a given institution can often mean that some items may be considered unfit to be lent or displayed because their condition is not sufficiently sound as to cope with the risks involved. In addition, the generalised use of glazing, show cases, etc, as non-interventive preservation measures may impair proper visual appreciation of the items, thus further restricting accessibility. Taking all these aspects into consideration, it appears that the wish to carry out minimal intervention treatments has lead to some interesting contradictions in the field of conservation, and a certain doubt about what the aims of treatment really are: to achieve long or short-term preservation? to provide accessibility or to ensure retreatability? The Way Forward Having understood the origins of minimalist conservation and weighed up its advantages and disadvantages, it is possible to conclude that minimalist approaches cannot be considered

All conservation codes of ethics state that treatment should be carried out to the minimum extent necessary. The question is, what is necessary?
35

MARA RUBIO REDONDO

as a complete guiding principle for the conservation of museum objects. Minimal intervention policies are incapable of addressing all the complex requirements posed by museum collections, since the treatment selection criteria based upon these policies is unclear and partial.

seeking interdisciplinary co-operation and integrating preventive measures with the required conservation treatment. Therefore these solutions may involve greater levels of intervention than currently considered as acceptable by minimal practitioners. Conclusion The increasing concern for the integrity of the objects, the acceptance of complete reversibility as an unachievable goal and the development of preventive conservation are some of the factors that have contributed to the current predominance of non-interventive or minimalist conservation approaches. Minimalist approaches are able to preserve the historical and documental values of the objects and to ensure re-treatability. However, minimalist conservation cannot be considered to be a complete guiding principle for conservation as it has important limitations: it cannot ensure longterm preservation, suitable access to the objects and improvement of their aesthetic appearance. Instead, conservation should provide balanced solutions appropriate to each individual case scenario and guided by common principles of professional practice. Therefore, both preventive measures and conservation treatment should be applied skilfully and intelligently to objects in order to ensure their physical, historical, aesthetic and symbolic integrities. References
1. P. Ackroyd and C. Villers, "The problem with minimalism", Alternatives to lining, BAPCR & UCIK Conference Proceedings, 19 September 2003 London, UKIC, London, 2003, pp. 9-14. 2. B. Appelbaum, "Criteria for treatment: reversibility", Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 26 (2), 1987, pp. 65-73.
e_conser vation

Conservation should provide balanced solutions appropriate to each individual case scenario and guided by common principles of professional practice.
All conservation codes of ethics state that treatment should be carried out to the minimum extent necessary. The question is, what is necessary? Do different items have different necessities? Pure minimalist intervention approaches may indeed be appropriate in certain cases where, for instance, the item is in storage and it is not going to be requested for loan. However, a certain level of treatment may become imperative if public access is to be facilitated. Yes, different objects do have different requirements. For this reason, conservation should always aim to provide balanced solutions in response to the necessities of individual objects or collections. Any conservation activity should, therefore, follow sufficient research in order to identify the needs of the objects and safeguard their values and functions. Often a compromise between the different conservation objectives (preservation of the physical, historical, documental, aesthetic and symbolic values) has to be reached according to the character, function and usage of the object. Balanced solutions can only be achieved by
36

IS MINIMAL INTERVENTION A VALID GUIDING PRINCIPLE?

3. S. Bradley, "Preventive conservation: The research legacy", Conservation Science, Conference proceedings, 22-24 May 2002 Edinburgh, Archetype Publications, London, 2003, pp. 3-7. 4. M. Clavir, "Preserving conceptual integrity: ethics and theory in preventive conservation", Preventive Conservation Practice, Theory and Research, Conference Proceedings, 12-16 September 1994 Ottawa, IIC, London, 1994, pp. 53-57. 5. J. M. Kosek, "Restoration of art on paper in the West: a consideration of changing attitudes and values", Restoration - is it acceptable?, Conference proceedings, 24-25 November 1994 London, British Museum Occasional Paper, 99, British Museum Press, London, 1994, pp. 41-49. 6. A. Oddy, "Does reversibility exist in conservation?", Reversibility - does it exist?, Conference proceedings, 8-10 September 1999 London, British Museum Occasional Paper, 135, British Museum Press, London, 1999, pp. 1-5. 7. N. Seeley, Reversibility - achievable goal or illusion?, Reversibility - does it exist?, Conference proceedings, 8-10 September 1999 London, British Museum Occasional Paper, 135, British Museum Press, London, 1999, pp. 161-167. 8. G. Thomson, The Museum Environment, Butterworth, London, 1986, 2nd ed.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

e_conservation magazine is open to the submission of articles on a wide range of relevant topics for the cultural heritage sector. Next deadlines for article submission are: for Issue 6, August 2008 submission due 15 July 2008 for Issue 7, October 2008 submission due 15 September 2008 Nevertheless, you can always submit your manuscript when it is ready. Between the receival of the manuscript until the final publication may pass up to 3 months according with: - the number of the manuscripts on hold, submitted earlier by other authors - the release date of the upcoming issue - the pre-allocated space in the magazine to each section Please check our publication guidelines for more information. Read more...

MARA RUBIO REDONDO

contact: Maria.RubioRedondo@bl.uk

Mara Rubio Redondo received an MA in Paper Conservation from Northumbria University, Newcastle, in 2004. She was awarded an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in Paper Conservation at Intermuseum Conservation Association, in Cleveland, US. Mara has worked at Dorset Archives, Durham University Library and she is currently employed as a Conservation Officer at the British Library.

e_conser vation

37

THE RESTORATION OF TSAS SOMA MOSQUE

Leh, Ladakh, India
by Andr Alexander and Andreas Catanese

Tibet Heritage Fund - THF Leh Old Town Initiative - LOTI www.tibetheritagefund.org

THE RESTORATION OF TSAS SOMA MOSQUE

Introduction Site history Ladakh has always been a crossroads of different cultures. Permanent Muslim settlements in the Ladakhi capital, Leh, are said to date back to the reign of king Senge Namgyal (ca. 1616-1642). At the time, Muslims were given the Tsas Soma ("New Garden") area, immediately to the west of the walled city of Leh. The mother of the King was herself a Muslim princess from neighbouring Baltistan. On this land, the traders built the Masjid Sharif mosque, the first in Leh. Both Sunni and Shia Muslims constructed places of worship, which still today stand side by side. Following the 1948 Indian partition and the 1962 border war with China, Ladakh no longer remained an important crossroads for Central Asian trade. Since that time, the mosque was used as a place of worship by women. It also served as a Madrasah (Koran school). Today, many elderly Leh Muslims still remember how in their childhood they studied here the Holy Scriptures. The small agricultural stream which flows through the area was used to perform the ritual ablutions before prayers. Perhaps because it was built in close vicinity to channels belonging to Lehs water system, and also near to a pool used to store irrigation, water infiltration caused severe damage to the walls and timber frame of the site. Finally it had to be abandoned in the early 1980s. Site location A small foot path leads from Lehs Main Bazaar to the west. After a few meters the Chutayrangtak Street branches off to the north, named after water mills that were once widely used in this area (now replaced by motorized flour mills). A fallen tree, considered sacred to Buddhists and Sikhs, creates a sort of natural gate to the area.
e_conser vation

Masjid Sharif, north elevation showing the entrance, the green wooden door to the left (upper) and west elevation (lower).

The "mirhab", the Mecca-facing niche (2007).

39

ANDR ALEXANDER AND ANDREAS CATANESE

THF / LOTI involvement In late 2005, the owner of the Sofi House in old Leh that has just been restored by THF proposed that we also work on the Masjid Sharif. The Anjuman Moin-ul Islam Society, the official owner of the mosque, then officially proposed to undertake the project in co-financing. In 2006 THF made a survey and developed the intervention plan. INTACH J&K (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage - Jammu and Kashmir Chapter) were also consulted and supported THFs proposal. The embassy of Finland provided half of the budget, and the Society matched these funds. In 2007 work could begin.

harvested, for example. The expert use of mud for walls, plaster and insulation gives traditional buildings excellent climatic qualities. In a seismically-active area, Tibetan and Ladakhi buildings have survived earthquakes for many centuries. Especially in the fragile environment of Ladakh, this aspect of restoration and construction is important. Our experience in working with historic buildings in the Himalayas shows us that the traditional skills and experience, handed down by many generations, is still the most sustainable way to build. For every improvement, we first need to see if it is possible to employ traditional technologies and materials.

Interior, showing serious settlement of timber frame and partial roof collapse (2006).

Intervention principles The fundamental principles for the restoration work were the use of mostly traditional materials, and the employment of local artisans. To maximize authenticity, the historic building was to be retained as much as possible even if it was ruined, re-using the original elements and materials. In this way, it would be also possible to demonstrate that effective use of the traditional Ladakhi building materials, such as mud, timber and stone make most sense in the local environment, and could today be termed eco-friendly. Timber for construction is locally grown and sustainably
40

Site plan by THF (2007)

South elevation 1:200 and entrance section (2007)

e_conser vation

THE RESTORATION OF TSAS SOMA MOSQUE

Proposed north elevation with entrance.

East-west section, looking north, showing the sunken mirhab on the left.

Intervention planning To understand the present condition of the building, we had to identify the causes of the damages, and solve these. Water is the traditional enemy of mud houses, and in our case there was extreme infiltration from the ground below. This could be explained by the presence of a plethora of underground irrigation channels as well as a storage pond nearby. It is also possible that the mosque was built on marshy grounds in the first place, as proper ground for construction has historically been very scarce in Leh. We have decided to remove the wet soil, and lay a bed of gravel to keep away the moisture. French drains (half-open pipes) were laid below the gravel, collecting water and leading it away. The foundations of the walls would be extended, and all timber elements placed on long stones. The east side is today located beneath the Chutayrangtak alleyway level, and so particularly susceptible to infiltration from an irrigation channel below that street. Following a request from the Anjuman Committee, the channel was sealed with concrete lining by the government. From our side, we built a second wall next to the one that is partly below ground, to have a layer of ventilation.
e_conser vation

Several wall-sections have historic clay mouldings on the interior: the mirhab prayer niche and a lamp stand. Our aim was to preserve these. The Committee requested to increase the height of the building. The original size barely allows a man to stand upright. This is a common problem of very old buildings in Ladakh, as large pieces of timber have always been expensive. Since we would be placing the restored timber frame on new stone foundation, it would be easy to raise the ceiling height. The roof composition of willow stick joists and soil layers would be improved, according to our experience. Additional layers of pure clay help to water-proof the roof, and a layer of straw mats prevents dust from falling through the joists. The missing dome would be placed on a traditional skylight to make the room more light. Together with the committee, the new dome would be designed based on the Kashmiri style, which is the oldest in the region. Parts of the old dome were apparently used when a mosque in Shey village near Leh was restored some years ago, and we went to study that dome on site. However, its scale indicates that it was not the original Tsas Soma dome.
41

ANDR ALEXANDER AND ANDREAS CATANESE

Description of the intervention After the planning and preparation had been completed, the first work done was to dismantle the roof and timber frame. The materials which we could reuse were stored nearby. Unfortunately almost all the beams and rafters were rotten except for 2 pillars, 4 capitals and 2 beams. In some of them the damage was so huge that another collapse appeared to be imminent. Because the mud mortar in the walls had been washed out, the walls were held together only by the weight of the roof. Once it was dismantled entire portions of the walls collapsed. We then dug out the soil about 2 feet deep until we found firm ground. At this point we could see directly where the moisture came from, water from the Chutayrangtak channel pouring through the east wall of the mosque and soaking into the ground. We choose to collect the water and let it flow away from the building. We laid a net of perforated PVC pipes on the ground, some 60 cm lower than the final floor level. The pipes were covered with old cloth to prevent the dirt from going inside and rubble stones. These were then buried under the 2 feet layer of fine gravel.

In order to avoind future water infiltration, French drains covered by a 2 feet layer of gravel were used.

Detail showing Ladakhs traditional earthquake-damagepreventive technology of wooden bracketing inside the walls. In 2007 the UNESCO office Delhi supported a THF workshop with local artisans to explore this traditional technology, which was then used for the Masjid restoration.

42

e_conser vation

THE RESTORATION OF TSAS SOMA MOSQUE

Where the walls had been dismantled, new stone foundations were built (1.5 times the wall thickness). For the remaining historic wall sections we reinforced the foundations by adding stones around them. To prevent moisture from rising up in the masonry, we laid a layer of bitumen sheet between the foundations and the masonry. Above that the first wooden horizontal reinforcement element was placed. Traditional masonry is build with two layers of stones, outside and inside, in between the filling is done with mud and smaller stones. The wooden horizontal reinforcement elements hold the masonry together and in case of earthquake the wood absorbs the vibrations reducing the damages. A particular challenge was to preserve the old mirhab despite the serious structural problems. Neither the Anjuman Committee members nor most of our artisans believed it could be saved, as the wall on which it was located was severely dilapidated, but THFs experience with similar cases in Tibet helped. To prevent the collapse of the weakened wall section on which it was located, a wooden support was fixed on the site. Then, portions of the neighbouring and even outer sections of the wall were carefully dismantled. As most of the mud mortar had been washed out, we found only empty spaces between stones so whole sections of the wall fell easily when touched. During the reconstruction of the walls on both sides of the prayer niche steel bars were used to stabilize the old structure and to hold the entire wall together. Once it was strong enough to bear the loads of the leaning mirhab the wall on the outer part was completed. With all the walls restored or rebuilt we could start to re-erect the timber frame.
The two wall sections are joined and the old mirhab has been saved.

Above, from top: Historic wall section with mirhab; the dismantle of the wall section to the left of the mirhab, securing it with temporary support; rebuilding the right side wall section, where the window frame had to be replaced, modelled on the surviving frame on the left side.

e_conser vation

43

ANDR ALEXANDER AND ANDREAS CATANESE

Structural rehabilitation Decades, probably centuries of water infiltration have taken their toll on the walls and timber elements. Therefore 80% of the walls were rebuilt on new foundations. The new foundations are about 60 cm deeper than the originals and their thickness about 1.5 times wider than the original (following guidelines for constructions on marshy ground). Even though many elements of the internal timber frame had to be replaced, some elements could be partly re-used through grafting. All the discarded old wood was cut into boards and used for the wooden floor.

Only two pillars, four capitals and two beams could be re-used (all made from poplar wood), the replacements were made from the same wood and in same design, the different colour of the aged and new wood makes it possible to distinguish between original and replacement.

44

e_conser vation

THE RESTORATION OF TSAS SOMA MOSQUE

The traditional Ladakhi roof The roof of Ladakhi traditional buildings is composed of different layers. Each layer has different functions and capacities, so that the traditional roof works best if all the layers are deployed. The structure is post-lintel construction. The pillars, called ka, support an intermediate bracket between pillar and beam, called kazhu. Its function is not only decorative, it distributes the load and reduces the span between the pillars. Above the main beams, called madung (mother beam), lie the rafters (called dungmas). A layer of joists called taloo completes the wooden roof truss. Traditionally, grass, roots or willow bark are used to create a division between wooden structures and mud layers, and to create a stopgap protection from rain infiltration. For the latter, these materials are not very effective, and they also do not prevent dust from the soil layers coming through the ceiling into the rooms below.

Therefore, for some time now we are adding a layer of tightly-woven straw mats on top of the taloo sticks to keep the dust out. On this the first layer of mud is applied, consisting of ordinary soil mixed with water. This stabilizes the joist layer and creates a uniform smooth layer. This is also the layer where the final slope of the roof is formed. Into this first mud layer we have placed the PVC pipes for powersupply, and wooden boxes are placed for installing light

e_conser vation

45

ANDR ALEXANDER AND ANDREAS CATANESE

bulbs later on. It was our concept to show that one can fit planned electric supply in a traditional structure without showing the wires, the bulb holders, the switches and so on. Waterproofing of the roof is done by using a clay called markalag (butter-mud). This material is an extremely hardened clay stone, which melts and expands in contact with water. It is available at low cost around Leh town. The markalag clay is applied over the first soil layer as a paste about 5 cm thick. It shrinks during drying out, and the cracks are then filled with markalag powder to create a uniform layer. When the markalag comes in contact with water it expands again, creating a waterproof layer. The water at this point is drained via the slight slope of the roof to the spouts. This system is an improvement of the best available local method for waterproofing the flat roofs of traditional Ladakhi architecture. Traditionally only a thin layer of markalag was used. Due to the heavy rains for the last several years the traditional thin layer is not capable anymore to keep the water away from the roof structures. To prevent further damages and to waterproof the roof of the houses, owners needed to place more soil on their roofs every year. This helps in the short-term, but over the years the soil accumulates and the timber frame distorts due to the extra weight. We have found excessive soil layers of up to a meter thick on many old buildings. As in many buildings, the weakest part of the roof is the joint between the roof itself and the walls or parapets, as well as the spots were water flows into the wooden spouts. For the joints, we have used a layer of bitumen sheets, fixed in L shape and plastered over. The wooden spouts are fixed with cement, so that water cannot seep underneath the spouts and create damage.
46

The restored mosque is being plastered from the outside. The parapet is an overhang construction, designed to protect the walls from rainwater.

An important detail of Ladakhi / Tibetan architecture is the parapet, built from a variety of materials and decorated in a variety of forms and colours to reflect regional tradition and function of the building (for example, one can always tell a Buddhist temple from far by its parapet). The parapet creates a slight protrusion that protects the outside walls from rain water. Two layers of slate stone are placed on both sides along the entire length of the parapet (i.e. all around the building). These are held in place by the fish-back (nya-gyab), a topping layer of mud. After several experiments in other buildings, we stabilized this mud with donkey dung and coated it with oil. The donkey dung gives to the mud better hardness, and the oil soaking into the mud waterproofs it. Finishes and Details The Masjid project shows the intention of both the owners and the restoration team to achieve a high standard of quality by choice of materials and techniques. Together with the Muslim Association, we decided that wood, even if costly, would be the most appropriate flooring material for a place of worship (even more since it is an important landmark in the Ladakhi history).
e_conser vation

THE RESTORATION OF TSAS SOMA MOSQUE

the mud dries out and shrinks. The second coat, called jala, is carried out in a mixture of soil with a high clay percentage; to lean the mixture river sand is added. It creates a smooth surface on which the third layer can be applied. The last layer, called gubri, is carried out in river sand and markalag mixture. The gubri surface is grey in colour and is very smooth. We whitewashed it with natural colour for a pleasant bright feeling in the room.
The floor is built using wood, mirroring the design of the ceiling.

The Muslim Association had a good supply of wood in their storerooms. The design of the floors follows the design of the ceiling. Where on the ceiling are the main beams, long struts are being laid on the floor. In the fields that the struts are forming, ceiling boards are laid diagonally mirroring the arrangement of the taloo sticks in the ceiling. The walls are plastered with three layers of mud plasters. The first layer, locally called shaskalag, is a mixture of normal mud and grass. It is used to cover the imperfections of the walls and to create a rough surface for a better adherence of the 2nd layer. Added grass prevents cracks while

The wood of the old windows was rotten, partly. So the windows were restored using some new wood. New glazed shutters were added to the historic frames. The entrance door was kept as original, with some minor repairs. We found that historically the door and windows were painted green, so we applied green pigment mixed with linseed oil, which also protects the wood from exposure. On the outside, the outlines of the doors and windows were plastered according to local tradition and painted in green as well, in this case with green pigment mixed with markalag and water. The other parts of the wall exteriors were whitewashed with markalag and water - the clay in the markalag gives a pleasant natural colour and protects the walls from rainwater infiltration.

Electric supply system hidden in floor boards,and switchboard. Detail of the floor structure: struts are placed on the gravel bed, forming a grid. The squares are filled with sawdust for insulation, and then closed with diagonally-arranged boards.

e_conser vation

47

ANDR ALEXANDER AND ANDREAS CATANESE

Completed interior, after the restoration intervention.

48

e_conser vation

THE RESTORATION OF TSAS SOMA MOSQUE

Completed interior, after the restoration intervention.

e_conser vation

49

ANDR ALEXANDER AND ANDREAS CATANESE

Credits
Report by Andr Alexander and Andreas Catanese Planning and site supervision: Andr Alexander, Andreas Catanese; Architectural survey: Andreas Catanese, Stanzin Tundup; Further surveys and site documentation: Anna Wozniak, Steffen Klein, Andr Alexander; Engineering consultant: John Niewoehner; Logistics management: Konchok Rafstan; Accountant: Stanzin Dolker Food: Rigzin; coffee: Lala; Head mason: Bashir Ahmed; Head carpenter: Tsering Dorjey; Other workers: Jamyang Tarchin (mason and carpenter), Shaffi Mohammed (mason), Tsering Dorjey (mason), Sri Lal (plasterer), Hare Krishna (plasterer), Punchok Angdu (carpenter), Sangay Punchok (carpenter), Feroz Ullah (carpenter), Jaan Mohammed (carpenter), Vijay Kumar (electrician), Parvez Kahn, Manzoor, Gulam Nabi, Farooq, Tashi Dolma, Tsering Dolma, Rigzin Yandol, Diskit Tsomo, Yangskit (labour).

50

e_conser vation

A ROMANIAN COPY OF AN ITALIAN PAINTING

The case of Daniele da Volterras "Descent from the Cross" by Petre Alexandrescu at Antim Monastery in Bucharest
by Oana and Dumitru Gorea

case study

OANA AND DUMITRU GOREA

Antim Monastery is an architectonic, sculptural and pictorial complex that represents the synthesis of an artistic evolution in art and one of the 18th centurys most representative monuments of Romania. The monastery was erected between 1713 and 1715 by the metropolitan bishop of Wallachia1, Antim Ivireanu. Sacred to "All Saints", the church was built after architectural plans drawn by Antim Ivireanu himself, a connoisseur of the arts of drawing, sculpture, architecture and printing. Two of the monastery plans, executed on paper and parchment, can be admired in the State Archives nowadays. Because of his artistic skills, it is assumed that the frescoes of the Antim church were executed under his direction, after his drawings, or that he took part in the painting of the ensemble, along with the artist Preda Zugravul2. A testimony to this assumption is Antim Ivireanus manuscript, located at the Romanian Academy, where hundreds of painted medallions of biblical characters prove his talent as a painter. Between 1860 and 1863, due to earthquakes, floods and poor maintenance, Antim Monastery entered a complex process of restoration, including the conservation of the interior mural painting. Next to significant architectural interventions such as the reconstruction of the two towers, the addition of a neo-gothic rosette in the narthex and the iconostasis replacement, the original mural painting was removed due to its advanced state of degradation and the church was redecorated with oil paintings by Petre Alexandrescu.

The most recent restoration of the church took place between 2004 and 2006 and focused on the conservation of the interior paintings. The restoration was based on a project made by conservator-restorer Gabriela Stefanita and the works were coordinated by architect restorer Claudiu Moldoveanu. Our intervention in this campaign was to restore the scene "Descent from the Cross" located in the narthex on the west wall. As shown further, this scene became singular by studying and comparing it with other representations from the church. The complex and laborious process of restoration gradually led to the emergence from under various deposits and repaintings of a very interesting painting, depicting the "Descent from the Cross". In this scene, the characters are sculpturally represented, showing the tension and energy of the experience. The tumult of the movements is put into evidence by an interesting compositional scheme arranged on 2 diagonal registers, descending from the upper right corner onto the left bottom corner. With the development of the written documentation for the restoration work, at the archives of the Theological Institute library, the historic starting point of this dynamic and spectacular scene was found, giving us the answer to why this composition is unique in the mural ensemble from Antim. The scene "Descent from the Cross" by Petre Alexandrescu is a copy of Daniele da Volterras famous painting, made in 1541 in the Trinita

1 Wallachia or Tara Romaneasca is a historical geographic

2 The name of the painter is known from a note of Antim

region of Romania, situated at the north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians.

Ivireanus testament, mentioning that he must pay the mural painter "Preda Zugravul" a certain amount of money.
e_conser vation

52

A ROMANIAN COPY OF AN ITALIAN PAINTING

dei Monti chapel in Rome. By comparison, almost no distinction can be found between the two artworks in terms of design and general composition. After finding out this information, the question that arose was how it was possible for Alexandrescu to have such a good knowledge of the well-known Italian painters work. This became clear when we began to seek and collect data about the training and artistic activity of the artist. Less known personality in the Romanian art because of the short period in which he worked as a painter, Alexandrescu was born in 1828. His predilection for art was manifested early, becoming professor of drawing at the age of 17. In this position, he is noticed by Prince Stirbei and in January 1851 he is sent abroad for completing his studies in Vienna and Rome. In exchange, a statement found at the State Archives shows that the artist engaged to undertake the job of public school teacher after completing his studies. In fact, he is following the courses of Academy of San Luca in Rome as student of maestro Natale Carta until 1856, continuing in Paris as a student of Cogniet after this date. After finishing his studies, Alexandrescu returned to Romania and became known as a portraitist, working also as professor of drawing, next to Theodor Aman and Gheorghe Tattarescu. This was the most creative period of his career, period when his most important works were executed, such as the mural painting from Antim Monastery and from the St. Nicholas Church in Braila. At the same time, he is also remarked as a religious easel painting artist.
Da Volterra's "Descent from the Cross" before conservation. Photographic reproduction in Public Domain.
e_conser vation

Influenced by his training abroad, Alexandrescu made a series of copies after the German painter J. Fr. Overbeck, whom he had probably met in Rome, and after the French Girodet. We can assume that his preferences were not confined solely to contemporary artists and that he was also impressed by a number of Italian Renaissance masters. Thus, it is normal to suppose that he will make copies after the frescoes of Daniele da Volterra, using his "Descent from the Cross" as a model for the scene from the Antim Monastery. The documents from the archive confirmed our presumption. A note mentions the existence of a canvas painting at the Peles Palace (Sinaia) representing the same scene of da Volterra, possibly executed by Petre Alexandrescu. Following this information, we continued our research at the National Museum of Peles, where several documents mention that the painting was held

53

OANA AND DUMITRU GOREA

General view of da Volterra's "Descent from the Cross" after the conservation intervention.

54

e_conser vation

A ROMANIAN COPY OF AN ITALIAN PAINTING

General view of Alexandrescu's "Descent from the Cross" during the restoration (Antim Monastery, Bucharest).

e_conser vation

55

OANA AND DUMITRU GOREA

there. The first statement of this work appears in Kings Carol I painting collection catalogue, made by Leo Bachelin and published in Paris in 1898. On page 50, item 35 is the canvas "Descent from the Cross", with the size of 1.27 x 0.87 cm. A second mention of this painting can be found in Alexander Busuioceanus "Galeria de pictura a Maiestatii Sale Carol al II lea al Romniei", published in Paris in 1939. In 1948 the painting is taken over by the then Ministry of Arts and Information, and entered in the heritage of the National Museum of Art, where it remained until 1955 when it was transferred to the Regional Museum of Iasi. In 1963, the canvas was definitively moved to the Heritage Collection in Iasi, together with 79 other paintings, sculptures and graphic documents from the collection of the National Museum of Art. In its current evaluation sheet, the painting is marked "anonymous author" and is dated 16th century. The information presented above

Detail before conservation, Virgin Mary fainted and held by Mary Magdalene in da Volterra's "Descent from the Cross" (upper), detail of the same scene after conservation (lower, right) and the copy of the scene by Alexandrescu at Antim Monastery, during conservation (lower, left).

56

e_conser vation

A ROMANIAN COPY OF AN ITALIAN PAINTING

related with data resulting from the restoration of mural painting from Antim Monastery made us to assign this painting to the painter Petre Alexandrescu. Our next aim is to continue this research by physical- chemical examination so that we can scientifically prove that the work held by the Moldova Museum of Art belongs to this talented painter. In conclusion, we can state that the purpose of this study is to reveal the creation of a very talented but less known painter, who brought from Occident a new breath into Romanian painting. His painting represents a twist in thematic and representation, a break from the Byzantine canons, where multiple characteristic scenes for the Eastern Orthodox style were replaced with complex compositions, standing as a single scene to cover an entire wall. The painting from Antim church retains imitation elements of Renaissance artists in both composition and style, being so well executed that it can be regarded as the greatest

Detail of the Mary Salome crying in Volterra's "Descent from the Cross" before the conservation intervention (upper), detail of the same scene after conservation (lower, right) and the copy of the scene by Alexandrescu at Antim Monastery, during conservation (lower, left).

e_conser vation

57

OANA AND DUMITRU GOREA

artistic merit of Alexandrescu. Being the only work inherited from this artist, withdrawn from the artistic life too early, in 1868, the painting from Antim can be considered an important step in mural painting development in our country.
Note: The extended version of this article was presented in the Conservation-Restoration Workshop for the Artistic Components of Historic Monuments, March 20 - 21, 2008, Bucharest.

Details from Alexandrescu's "Descent from the Cross" (from left to right and up to down): Joseph of Arimatea holds Christ, detail of the Joseph of Arimatea's face, the body of the fallen Christ, detail of the face of Christ and portrait detail of the centurion Abenadar's who helped in the descent.
58 e_conser vation

Are you reading this?

So is everyone else...

For advertising and other information on publicity, please contact general@e-conservationline.com and request a copy of our mediakit.

e-conservationline

CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF THE HISTORIC FURNITURE FROM THE "LABORATORIO CHIMICO" OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COIMBRA
Methodology and Intervention Criteria
by Carlos Jos Abreu da Silva Costa

CONSERVATION OF HISTORIC FURNITURE

Intervention period: June 2005 - August 2006 Worksite coordinator: Carlos Jos Abreu da Silva Costa, conservator-restorer, Atelier Samthiago conservation enterprise Supervision: Margarida Cavaco, Conservation Department Furniture, Portuguese Institute of Conservation and Restoration

Introduction Located in the centre of Portugal, the University of Coimbra is one of the oldest Higher Education institutions dating back to the 13th century, more precisely to the 1st of March 1290, when the "Scientiae thesaurus mirabilis" document was signed in Leiria by the Portuguese King D. Dinis who established the University and asked confirmation from the Pope. Initially installed in Lisbon, the University was transferred to the city of Coimbra in the year 1308. During more than seven centuries of existence the University has grown, first across the uptown of Coimbra and later a bit throughout the entire city. The city of Coimbra and its university have played an important role in the dissemination of the Portuguese culture in the world and are now applying to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Laboratorio Chimico (the Chemistry Laboratory), built between 1773 and 1775 at the behest of the Marquis of Pombal, is the oldest chemical laboratory in the world built for this precise purpose as an independant building that has been preserved to our days with the same function. This neoclassical building, typical of the Pombaline reforms, was made by the architect Guilherme Edsen and is located in Largo Marquis of Pombal. Until 1998 the building was occupied by laboratories and classrooms. After this date, the University
e_conser vation

The University of Coimbra is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, at the moment, a candidate to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The intervention of conservation and restoration of the historic furniture of the "Laboratorio Chimico" from the University presents great interest in what concerns the identified pathologies, the interpretation of the previous interventions and the new solutions found for its preservation. For 335 days more than 30 furniture pieces were under intervention, among which 11 laboratory fume hoods and an impressive 18th century painted amphitheatre.

Image 1. Located in Coimbra, the Laboratorio Chimico is part of the University campus and a candidate to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

of Coimbra took the first steps to create a Museum of Science to house a collection of more than 200 thousand objects. The musealisation project took off and today the museum is a world reference. The Laboratorio Chimico is only the first phase of an ambitious project which will involve the conversion into a museum of more than 12 thousand square meters of the former College of Jesus. Beyond its scientific collections and historical objects, the museum displays its entire integrated heritage, including its furniture. The amphitheatre from 1855 built in loco and the furniture from the18th century were designed and ordered from an English workshop and transported by sea to the Portuguese coast, with the sole purpose of serving in the chemistry laboratories.
61

CARLOS COSTA

Images 2 and 3: Palace of Universities (left) and "Laboratorio Chimico" (photo from the beginning of the 20th century) (right).

Historic Furniture Intervention Methodology The conservation and restoration of the historic furniture from the Laboratorio Chimico had as main challenge the search of solutions that would allow to preserve and stabilize the degradation caused either by extensive use or by chemicals and reagents to which the pieces have been subjected. These chemical products created problems to the structure and paint layer and in some cases the replacement of some parts was necessary in order to safeguard the nearby elements still in reasonable state of conservation. Another challenge was to identify accurately the historical consecutive interventions carried out on the building and, in particular, on the furniture, either as structural interventions and overpaintings or as temporary interventions. A fundamental principle of the current conservation concept was used in this project: the principle of minimum intervention. As such, the choices and options were made according to this concept. The options of intervention were properly studied, analyzed and discussed between the involved entities: the owner - the University of Coimbra; the supervisory authority - the Portuguese Institute of Conservation and Restoration; and the company responsible for the conservation works - Atelier Samthiago.
62

One of the main considerations under discussion was the preservation of the oak wood imitation painting present in most parts of the furniture. If in most of the pieces this paint layer seems to be original and contemporary with the furniture making (most of the fume hoods, benches, etc.), in other pieces its application is of great historical interest and artistic value even though they are not original (such as the amphitheatre or the large cabinets of the laboratory). Thus, given its historical and artistic importance, the decision to keep the furniture's vein painting was taken, either by its preservation and removal of the overpainting or by recreating a new decorative layer based on existing examples, such as the amphitheatre and the classroom fume hoods.

Image 4: Example of an English workshop signature found in the furniture: V DE.

e_conser vation

CONSERVATION OF HISTORIC FURNITURE

For the structural intervention it was decided to treat and strengthen those parts that lost their function or that on a short/medium-term could have been lost or could have advanced into such state of deterioration that would have induced the loss of the contiguous parts. Concerning the alterations of the forms, it was decided to restore all those elements that would allow a better understanding of their construction or function, such as the sash windows replacement of the fume hoods or the removal of the boards added to the amphitheatre in the beginning of the 20th century. The remaining alterations were maintained, subject to the understanding of their function and as a document of interest to the perception of the evolution, history and use
Images 5, 6 and 7: Overview of the amphitheatre at the beginning of the 20th century, before and after the conservation treatment paint layer reattachment, wood consolidation, structural reinforcement, cleaning and volumetric and chromatic reintegration of the lacunas.

Albumen photography by Augusto Bobone, University of Coimbra (1899)

e_conser vation

63

CARLOS COSTA

of the building, for example, the maintenance of the benches doors subdivision as a result of the progressive increase of the students number. Imitative Decorative Layer - Integrity and Replacement? During the 18th and 19th centuries the decorative art started to be implemented in Portugal as integral part of the civil or religious building, assuming a perfect relationship with the architecture, sculpture or painting. The decorative painting techniques, particularly those with imitation purposes, were brought to Portugal from Brazil: for example, the stone imitation techniques (marmoreados) and the European wood imitation. For the painting of decorative wood veins, an imitation of oak wood to hide a structure built in less noble wood (softwood) was common. This imitation, made while the paint was still fresh and using oil binders or pigments in varnish (forming a sort of velatura layer over a base colour), was achieved through the use of ordinary tools: fish-bone, fins (the cod fin, for example, allowed to obtain a very realistic vein) and bird feathers among other objects.

These decorative layers, often resin-based, become very difficult to treat because with the removal of adjacent layers, many of them already high polymerised, the thin and weak underlying layers would be easily attacked. Tests for extensive overpainting removal were carried out in order to ascertain the possibility of a safe intervention maintaining the integrity of the decorative layer or to establish whether it was necessary to create a new layer, reversible and in accordance with the original model. If from a formal point of view, the conservation and restoration of the amphitheatre classroom and other elements that undertook minor intervention is of great rejoicing, from the conservation point of view the intervention brought us no novelty or complicated ethical issues to resolve, summarizing the simple procedures of fixation, consolidation, cleaning and chromatic integration. The same can not be said for other interventions where to reach the 1800s decorative surface, successive overpaint layers would have to be removed - sometimes up to 6 or 8 layers, 10 times thicker than the layer to preserve. Although a general and consistent result was aimed, the means to achieve it were not the same, thus it was required to find a solution

Images 8 and 9: Micro sample, cross-section obtained by optical microscopy - layer no. 8 (intermediate decorative layer wood surface imitation) represented the objective of the overpainting removal (left). Tests for the removal of the overpainting (right).
64 e_conser vation

CONSERVATION OF HISTORIC FURNITURE

Images 10 and 11: One of the fume hoods before and after the conservation and restoration intervention. In some cases only the restoration of the decorative layer, according to existing models, allowed to regain the historical and artistic dignity, while safeguarding the integrity of the original materials.

to each particular case. The owner, the inspection team and the company have mutually agreed in order to better preserve the historic and aesthetic unity of the overall, to remove successive overpaint layers or to remake them according to existing models and methodologies by reversible means where the preliminary research proved that the safeguarding of the decorative layer integrity was not possible. We may state that today, the historic furniture of the Laboratorio Chimico of the University of Coimbra is historically and artistically valorised. In fact, beyond the central function of creating an environment and an historic experience, the furniture is an integral part of the museological heritage of the University of Coimbra. In terms of conservation, and at a methodological and ethical level, important decisions were taken which became possible only after intense and careful discussion.
e_conser vation

Since it is not possible to entirely describe here how interesting and complex this experience was, we hope that this can be seen as a starting point to better understand what is now the Museum of Science at the University of Coimbra.

MUSEU DA CINCIA - Laboratorio Chimico

Largo Marqus de Pombal 3000-272 Coimbra Phone: +351 239 85 43 50 | Fax: +351 239 85 43 59

www.museudaciencia.pt | geral@museudaciencia.pt

ATELIER SAMTHIAGO | CONSERVAO E RESTAURO DE OBRAS ARTSTICAS

Rua da Bandeira, 87 - 2 Sala TG 4900-560 Viana do Castelo - PORTUGAL Phone: (00351) 258 825 385 | Fax: (00351) 258 825 385 Mob.: (00351) 964 108 812

www.samthiago.com | geral@samthiago.com
65

we accept articles in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian, acceptm articole n Englez, Spaniol, Portughez, Italian i Romn, aceptamos artculos en Ingls, Francs, Espaol, Portugus, Italiano y Rumano, nous acceptons des articles en Anglais, Franais, Espagnol, Portugais, Italien et Roumain, accettiamo articoli in Inglese, Francese, Spagnolo, Portoghese, Italiano e Rumeno, aceitamos artigos en Ingls, Francs, Espanhol, Portugus, Italiano e Romeno.

SPAIN: THE EUROPEAN LACUNA

Presentation of E.C.C.O. The European Confederation of ConservatorRestorers Organisations, E.C.C.O., is the body that presently represents the conservatorrestorer profession at the European level. E.C.C.O. seeks to influence the policies of protection and preservation of European cultural patrimony. Aiming at guaranteeing this, E.C.C.O. promotes education and training of Conservator-Restorers, their recognition at a national and European level, and the correct practicing of the profession (by means of a European Code of Conduct). E.C.C.O. was registered as an association in 1991. Any individual member of a professional association of conservator-restorers of the European Union becomes a represented member of E.C.C.O. through the inscription of their association. Presently E.C.C.O. represents about 5.000 active professionals through nineteen national associations from all over Europe. A General Assembly, which is annually celebrated in Brussels, offers a forum for the delegates of each association to be able to come together, deliberate and formulate strategies. E.C.C.O. is a member of CEPLIS (European Council of the Liberal Professions) and associate member of ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) and has collaborated since its creation in 1991 with other important professional organizations in the field.

ESPAA: LA LAGUNA EUROPEA

Presentacin de E.C.C.O. La Confederacin Europea de las Organizaciones de Conservador-Restauradores, E.C.C.O. (es el organismo que actualmente representa la profesin del conservador-restaurador a nivel Europeo. E.C.C.O. trata de influir las polticas de proteccin y preservacin del patrimonio cultural europeo. Con el fin de garantizar esto, E.C.C.O. promociona la educacin y formacin de Conservador-Restauradores, su reconocimiento a nivel nacional y Europeo, y el ejercicio correcto de la profesin (mediante un Cdigo de Conducta Europeo). E.C.C.O. se registr como asociacin en 1991. Cualquier socio de una asociacin profesional de conservadores-restauradores de la Unin Europea acede a ser un miembro representado en E.C.C.O. mediante la inscripcin de su asociacin. Actualmente E.C.C.O. representa cerca de 5.000 conservador-restauradores en activo de diecinueve asociaciones nacionales en toda Europa. Una Asamblea General, que se celebra anualmente en Bruselas, proporciona un foro para los delegados de cada asociacin para reunirse, deliberar y formular estrategias. E.C.C.O. es miembro de CEPLIS (Consejo Europeo de las Profesiones Liberales) y miembro asociado de ICCROM (Centro Internacional para el Estudio de la Preservacin y Restauracin de Patrimonio Cultural) y ha colaborado desde su creacin en 1991 con las ms importantes organizaciones profesionales del campo.

ethic

CHRISTABEL BLACKMAN PATTERSON

E.C.C.O. delegates at the 2007 General Assembly in Brussels. Delegados en la Asemblea General de E.C.C.O. de 2007 en Bruselas.

One of the main concerns of E.C.C.O. is the regulation of access to the profession of conservator-restorer at the very highest level, which is articulated in the official documents of E.C.C.O. Professional Guidelines, Code of Ethics and Basic Requirements for Education in Conservation-Restoration. Each national association must formally accept the principles that are expressed in these documents. In the Professional Guidelines, a definition of the profession is established, describing the fields of implementation, the role of ConservatorRestorer and the different areas of his/her responsibilities. The Code of Ethics is a reference point for any professional for the putting into practice of his duties. This document deals with principles, duties and obligations of any ConservatorRestorer who belongs to an organization which is a member of E.C.C.O. The Code establishes the obligations of the Conservator-Restorer
68

Una de las principales preocupaciones de E.C.C.O. es la regulacin del acceso a la profesin de Conservador-Restaurador al ms alto nivel, articulados en los documentos oficiales de las Directrices Profesionales, Cdigo tico y Requisitos Bsicos para la Educacin en ConservacinRestauracin de E.C.C.O.. Cada asociacin nacional debe aceptar formalmente los principios expresados en estos documentos. En las Directrices Profesionales (Professional Guidelines) se establece una definicin de la profesin, describiendo su campo de aplicacin, el papel del Conservador-Restaurador y las distintas etapas de las cuales es responsable. El Cdigo tico (Code of Ethics) es un referente para cualquier profesional en el desarrollo de sus funciones. Este documento plantea los principios, los deberes y las obligaciones de cualquier Conservador-Restaurador que pertenece a una organizacin que es miembro de E.C.C.O. El cdigo establece las obligaciones
e_conser vation

SPAIN: THE EUROPEAN LACUNA

towards cultural patrimony, towards the owner or legally respon-sible guardian and towards colleagues and the profession in general. It manifests that consider-ation and respect of the interests of the cultural object is of the upmost importance, "The Conservator-Restorer must undertake only such work as s/he is competent to carry out. The Conservator-Restorer must neither begin nor continue a treatment which is not in the best interest of the cultural heritage". In the document Basic Requirements for Education in Conservation-Restoration the objectives of training and the methods of education are analyzed in the aspects of admission, length and completion of studies, practical training and theoretical education. The document created between E.C.C.O. and ENCoRE states that "a graduate of conservationrestoration of cultural property with a Master's Degree should be qualified to undertake doctorate studies or to be able to work as a conservatorrestorer in the public and private sectors..."1. E.C.C.O. puts forward that "the requirements of professional qualifications forms part of the safeguarding and preservation of cultural

del conservador-restaurador hacia el patrimonio cultural, hacia el dueo o responsable jurdico, y hacia los compaeros y el conjunto de la profesin. Manifiesta que sobre todo el inters del objeto cultural debe ser considerado y respetado: "El conservador-restaurador no debe emprender las intervenciones para las cuales no est cualificado, ni empezar o continuar un tratamiento que no es beneficioso para el objeto cultural". En el documento Requisitos Bsicos para la Educacin en Conservacin-Restauracin los objetivos de la enseanza y la metodologa de educacin estn analizados en cuanto se refiere al ingreso, duracin y finalizacin de estudios, formacin prctica e instruccin terica. El documento creado entre E.C.C.O. y ENCoRE establece que "un graduado de conservacinrestauracin de bienes culturales con ttulo de Master estar cualificado para hacer los estudios de doctorado o para trabajar como conservadorrestaurador de bienes culturales en los sectores pblicos y privados..."1. E.C.C.O. expone que "el requisito de una titulacin profesional forma parte del proceso de salvaguardia y preservacin del patrimonio cultural,

1"Joint statement on the education of conservator-

1 "Joint statement on the education of conservator-

restorers for cultural heritage" 25/09/2002.

restorers for cultural heritage" 25/09/2002.

E.C.C.O. Committee members at the Committee Meetings in Brussels (2007). Miembros del Comit de E.C.C.O. en Reunines del Comit en Bruselas (2007).

e_conser vation

69

CHRISTABEL BLACKMAN PATTERSON

patrimony, for which the State is guarantor. Therefore the recognition of competencies also forms part of the safeguarding measures of cultural patrimony"2. Current Situation in Europe The nineteen associations that are members of E.C.C.O. represent sixteen countries. The tendency nowadays is towards internal merging and the unification of different national associations, some of which represent large quantities of members and include many national institutions. Each year, E.C.C.O. publishes the reports of its different members (E.C.C.O. Reports), which are available on-line, providing an interesting exchange of information. Participation in the General Assemblies or committee is strictly voluntary, and all the work that E.C.C.O. undertakes is accessible to its members. E.C.C.O. recognizes the cultural diversity that exists between its members. There exists a unity (not a uniformity) within its intentions, and has a mutual way of dealing with issues and principles. One of the projects that E.C.C.O. is working on is the definition of the conservator-restorers professional profile. The aim is to establish a system of assessment which places the conservator-restorer in the EQF (European Qualification Framework). The EQF is a system of classification for different professions according to the level of required education, its numerals ranging from one to eight. The professional profile of the

por lo cual el garante el Estado. Por lo tanto la necesidad de reconocer capacidades forma parte tambin de las medidas de salvaguardia de patrimonio cultural"2. Actualidad Europea Las diecinueve asociaciones que son miembros de E.C.C.O. representan diecisis pases. La tendencia actual es hacia la fusin interna y la unificacin de las diversas asociaciones nacionales, algunas de las cuales representan a cantidades notables de miembros y muchas instituciones nacionales. E.C.C.O. publica anualmente los informes de los distintos miembros (E.C.C.O. Reports), estn disponibles on-line y que proporcionan un interesante intercambio informativo. La participacin en las Asambleas Generales o en la directiva es estrictamente voluntario, y todo el trabajo que desarrolla E.C.C.O. est accesible para sus miembros. E.C.C.O. reconoce la diversidad cultural que existe entre sus miembros. Existe un unidad (que no uniformidad) en torno a los propsitos, planteamientos y principios comunes. Uno de los proyectos que E.C.C.O. est elaborando es la definicin del perfil profesional del conservador-restaurador. Se pretende establecer un sistema de evaluacin que coloque al conservadorrestaurador en el EQF (Esquema Europea de Cualificacin). El EQF es un esquema de clasificacin de distintos profesiones segn el nivel necesaria de enseanza, su numeracin embarca desde el uno hasta el ocho. El perfil profesional

2 The paragraphs included under the subtitle "Presentation

2 Los paragrafos incluidos bajo el subttulo "Presentacin

of E.C.C.O." are quoted from "Legal issues of the conservation restoration profession" by Monica Martelli Castaldi, President of E.C.C.O. (Italy), and Vicent Negri, Advisor of E.C.C.O. (France), that was presented in Prague in June of 2006.

de E.C.C.O." son citas del documento "Legal issues of the conservation restoration profession" de Monica Martelli Castaldi, Presidente de E.C.C.O. (Italia), y Vicent Negri, Asesor de E.C.C.O. (Francia), que se present en Praga en Junio de 2006.
e_conser vation

70

SPAIN: THE EUROPEAN LACUNA

conservator-restorer will be defined in level seven and eight (the equivalent of the Master and Doctorate degrees). All those professionals who achieve lesser credentials are to be considered as complementary professions and not as conservator-restorers. The different European countries are working towards incorporating a coherent European qualification according to the Bologna Process (which should conclude in the year 2010), to facilitate recognition of competencies and professional mobility. With the aim to not exclude any existing professional, each country is contemplating, according to its own particular circumstances, the transitory measures that it must adopt to evaluate competencies and/or compensation of qualifications prior to the Bologna Process, or of professional experience. Other working groups in E.C.C.O. are collaborating on the Leonardo Project of the ECPL (European Conservator Practitioners Licence), in the establishment of copyright for conservatorrestorers (which affects for example the publication of work reports), and also the elaboration of specific professional insurances. Current Spanish Situation

del conservador-restaurador estar definido en el nivel siete u ocho (el equivalente al titulo Master y Doctorado respectivamente). Todos los profesionales que alcancen acreditaciones menores estarn considerados como profesionales complementarios, pero no como conservadorrestauradores. Los distintos pases europeos estn trabajando para incorporarse coherentemente a la titulacin europea de conservacin-restauracin segn el Proceso de Bolonia (que debe concluir en el ao 2010), para facilitar convalidacin de competencias y movilidad profesional. Con el fin de no excluir profesionales existentes, cada pas contempla segn sus circunstancias particulares las medidas transitorias que debe adoptar para evaluar las competencias y/o la compensacin de titulaciones anteriores al Proceso de Bolonia, o de la experiencia profesional. Otros grupos de trabajo de la E.C.C.O. estn colaborando en el proyecto Leonardo del ECPL (European Conservator Practitioners Licence) , en el establecimiento de los derechos de autor (copyright) de los conservadores-restauradores (que por ejemplo afecta a la publicacin de los informes de trabajo), y tambin la elaboracin de seguros profesionales especficos. Actualidad Espaola

The two Spanish associations which are members of E.C.C.O. are ACRACV (Asociacin de Conservadores y Restauradores de Arte de la Comunidad Valenciana) and Grup Tcnic. Considering the enormous amount of work that E.C.C.O. is undertaking and the probable future consequences, Spain should contemplate the necessity to take on a more active role in the development and definition of the profession of the conservatorrestorer.
e_conser vation

Las asociaciones espaolas que son miembros de E.C.C.O. son ACRACV (Asociacin de Conservadores y Restauradores de Arte de la Comunidad Valenciana) y el Grup Tcnic. Considerando la enorme cantidad de trabajo que E.C.C.O. est realizando y las probables consecuencias futuras, Espaa tiene que contemplar la necesidad de tomar un papel ms activo en el desarrollo y la definicin de la profesin del conservador-restaurador.
71

CHRISTABEL BLACKMAN PATTERSON

To enable us to face up to this transitory period, a system of recognition of the distinctive qualifications that precede the Bologna Process must exist, along with the possibility to recognise the valuable professional experience of many conservators. There must be a collaboration between all associations to be able to achieve a representative participation, and have a singular voice to dialogue with the different bodies of the State which formulate the laws which in turn affect the profession. The unattended duty for all concerned is the unification of the profession of conservator-restorers. Participation in defining the European Future E.C.C.O. has become a reference point for the many decisions that are taken in Europe on all levels in the field of conservation and restoration. More and more, E.C.C.O. is seen throughout Europe to be an authoritative voice, with an entirely apolitical character. The recommendations of E.C.C.O. guide much decision-making at a high level in each Member State. It is important that Spain is correctly represented at a European level because it is one of the countries that has the richest and most diversified cultural patrimonies. Unity is important for one single aim: the conservation and restoration of our patrimony.

Para poder afrontar al periodo transitorio, tiene que existir un sistema de reconocimiento de las distintas titulaciones precedentes a Bolonia, y la posibilidad de convalidar la valiosa experiencia profesional de muchos restauradores. Debe existir colaboracin entre todas las asociaciones para poder obtener una participacin representativa, y una voz propia para dialogar con las distintas entidades del Estado que formulan las leyes que afectan a la profesin. La gran asignatura pendiente para todos es la unificacin de la profesin de conservacin-restauracin. Participacin en definir el Futuro Europeo E.C.C.O. es un punto de referencia para las muchas decisiones que se toman en Europa a todos los niveles en campo de conservacin y restauracin. Cada da ms, E.C.C.O. es vista en Europa como una voz autorizada, de carcter enteramente apoltico. Las recomendaciones de E.C.C.O. guan muchas decisiones que son responsabilidad de cada Estado. Es importante que Espaa est representada correctamente a nivel europeo por ser uno de los pases con un patrimonio cultural ms rico y diverso. Precisamente, se trata de reconocer las diferencias que existen entre los distintos profesionales espaoles. Es necesario unificarse, con una nica finalidad: la conservacin-restauracin del patrimonio.

Christabel Blackman Patterson Delegate of ACRACV for E.C.C.O. Delegada de ACRACV en E.C.C.O.
contact: christabel1@terra.es

Note: This article is an updated version of "Espaa: La Laguna Europea. Conservadores en Europa", originally published in Restauracin y Rehabilitacin, n.105, November 2007.
72

Nota: Este artculo es una versin actualizada de "Espaa: La Laguna Europea. Conservadores en Europa", originalmente publicada en Restauracin y Rehabilitacin, n. 105, Noviembre 2007.
e_conser vation

Lucas Cranach the Elder: Painting Materials, Techniques and Workshop Practice.
Author: Gunnar Heydenreich Publisher: Amsterdam University Press Publication Year: 2007 Pages: 462 Images: 215 color illustrations, 64 b/w ISBN: 9789053567456 Price: 55,00 Euros Where to find it: http://www.aup.nl

Lucas Cranach the Elder has been object of study for over four centuries. Nevertheless, this book is most probably the very first comprehensive study of the painting technique of this 16th century German painter. It is an impressive and outstanding work that comprises information on hundreds of paintings and thus, it is already a reference book for the work of Lucas Cranach the Elder. This profusely illustrated book, with 279 images, is very well structured in 5 main chapters. In the first chapter, the author compiles the available information from historic sources, scholars and biographers, since the 17th to the 20th century. The three next chapters are divided according to the paintings support: panel, canvas or other supports. Finally, the fifth chapter is dedicated to the workshop organization. The book is completed by a summary chapter and further appendices. The second chapter is dedicated to the study of the paintings on wooden support. The author introduces us to the characteristics of the wood in all its aspects: the format, the wood species, the technical aspects of the panel production and the stabilization of joins, knots and resinous deposits, among other features. Apart the paint support, the frames and their decoration were object of study. After the characterisation of the support, the author begins the study of the preparatory and paint layers. With the help of

infrared reflectography, the underdrawing, the tools and techniques were also characterised. He continues with the study of the application of gold, silver and paper and only after he starts the characterisation of the paint materials, the pallete and brushes used by Cranach. The third chapter is fully dedicated to the canvas paintings. At first sight the chapter is surprisingly short but only because of the few canvases that have survived until our days. On this chapter, the author studied the canvas material in several ways, including also its formats, thread density, colour, and even cost. The fourth chapter, dedicated to painting in other supports, includes a short reference to paintings on parchment, paper, metal, mural painting and architectural decoration. The fifth chapter is dedicated to the workshop organisation at the time, including his several locations, partnerships and workshop members, apprentices and helpers among others. This book is, undoubtedly, an impressive work of Dr. Heydenreich, based on the authors PhD thesis submitted to the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. Gunnar Heydenreich is now Head of Paintings Conservation at the Restaurierungszentrum at Dsseldorf, Germany. Review by Rui Bordalo

e_conser vation

book review

Amsterdam University Press

Talk To Us!
If you have just read this magazine and you wish to tell us your

Opinions Ideas Comments Thoughts Projects Interests Feedback Observations Reactions or anything else...?

Just write us an email to: general@e-conservationline.com

e-conservationline

No. 5, June 2008 LICENCE ISSN: 1646-9283 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Registration Number
125248 Entidade Reguladora para a Comunicao Social Portugal You are free: to Share to copy, distribute and transmit this work

Property
e-conservationline, Teodora Poiata

Periodicity Under the following conditions:

Bimonthly

Cover Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner

Photo by Anca Nicolaescu - THF Detail of mural painting from Red Jampa Lhakhang - Leh, Ladakh, India specified by our licence, best by linking to CC website.

Executive Editor
Rui Bordalo

Editors purposes.
Teodora Poiata, Anca Nicolaescu

Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial

Collaborator:
Anca Dina

Graphic Design and Photography No Derivative Works. You may not alter, transform, or build
Anca Poiata, Radu Matase upon this work.

Execution
Teodora Poiata

Address
Rua Peixinho Jnior, n 9, 1 D 2770-163 Pao de Arcos Portugal

www.e-conservationline.com is believed to be true and accurate but can not accept any All correspondence to: occur or make any warranty for the published material, general@e-conservationline.com which is solely the responsability of their authors.
legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may

e_conservationline informs that the published information

e_conservation magazine is published and distributed under the Creative Commons Licence Attribution - Noncommercial - No Derivative Works.