Publication on conservation of panel paintings

On October 30, 2014, 'The conservation of panel paintings and
related objects, research agenda 2014 -2020' was presented at the
Ateliergebouw by editors Paul van Duin and Nico Kos to Taco Dibbits,
Director of Collections Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and to Louis
Vertegaal, Director NWO Physical and Chemical Sciences.

    The conservaton of panel paintings and related objects
    <URL:http://www.nwo.nl/onderzoek-en-resultaten/programmas/science4arts>

The publication is the result of a meeting of 30 international
experts, including conservation specialists, art historians, wood
scientists, chemists, engineers, and computer scientists.  The
meeting was organized by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific
Research (NWO) and the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam with the support of a
grant from the Getty Foundation through its Panel Paintings
Initiative.

During the expert meeting the participants discussed a variety of
essential research topics that would advance the field of panel
painting conservation.  The resulting publication identifies further
areas of research in the field; a critical subject because the
structural conservation of panel paintings requires a combination of
well-developed manual skills and deep understanding of material
properties and ageing behaviour of these works of art.  The
collaboration between humanities, sciences, and conservation is key
to advancing the understanding of panel paintings and to enabling
informed conservation decisions

Until the early 17th century many paintings, including those by
famous artists such as Giotto, Durer and Rembrandt, were supported
on wood.  The quality of wood, preparation layers (glue and gesso),
and paint surface vary enormously, and each material responds to
environmental conditions in a unique way.  A thorough understanding
of the material properties and behaviour of panel paintings,
therefore, is essential for calculating long-term preservation, and
for making the best informed conservation decisions.  This can only
be achieved by an interdisciplinary effort, engaging art history,
conservation, materials science, chemistry, computer science, etc.

The experts meeting and publication are part of the research
programme Science4Arts, established by NWO in collaboration with the
NSF, USA, Cultural Heritage Science Programme and Ipanema at Soleil,
France.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 28:31
                  Distributed: Friday, January 9, 2015
                       Message Id: cdl-28-31-007
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