4 CONCLUSIONS

Although sturgeon glue has had limited use in the West, it can provide the conservator with a versatile and useful adhesive. Other potential applications of sturgeon glue include its use as a consolidant for cleaving paint from paper and parchment supports. Accelerated aging tests should first be conducted, however, to determine whether color shifts occur.

While recent research indicates that fundamental differences exist between mammalian and fish gelatins (Leuenberger 1991), additional research is needed to quantify and compare the specific properties of sturgeon glue to fish gelatin (a less costly substitute) as well as to animal gelatin and hide glue. Although most of the existing information on the physical and chemical properties of sturgeon glue has been published in Russian, the authors hope that this introduction will stimulate further interest in translating a number of these texts and articles as well as in undertaking the needed research.