Lime painting on plaster

Catherine Reymond <atelierarte [at] span__ch> writes

>I'm looking for literature and especially practical experience for
>consolidation of (probably) lime painting on plaster. If not lime,
>then the painting is on an aqueous basis. The plaster has sucked
>the binding material with the time and the painting is now only
>powder, just like an unfixed pastel. It's even impossible to use a
>brush on it. The only possible way of consolidation would be a
>spray, I've been thinking of pastel fixative and also
>methylcellulose but I couldn't try anything by now.

I would recommend to try nebulising systems which are either powered
by air pressure or ultrasonic waves. Stephen Michalski and Carole
Dignard published an article about the ultrasonic mister in the JAIC
Summer 1997 which explains the self made set up and the problems of
powdery, matte paint. In my degree work in 1998 I successfully used
an ultrasonic mister for consolidating powdery paint (esp. chalk
drawings on installation objects by Joseph Beuys). As far as I know
there have been a lot of projects using updraft nebuliser or
ultrasonic mister for consolidation of powdery and matte paint so
far--in USA, Great Britain, Germany and so on. If there are any
further questions I am happy to help with more information.

Barbara Sommermeyer
Conservation Department
Kunsthalle Hamburg
Glockengiesserwall
D-20095 Hamburg


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 15:35
                 Distributed: Monday, October 29, 2001
                       Message Id: cdl-15-35-004
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