media

Tina Grette Poulsson – Thomas Fearnley’s drawing papers and fixatives: How can materiality contribute to dating, locating, and preserving fixed drawings? Abstract: The romantic artist Thomas Fearnley (1802-42) made many drawings with graphite pencil onto which he often applied a fixative. The fixative appears different depending on the paper is has been applied to; on some drawings the fixative has discoloured, on others it seems to have protected the paper underneath from discolouring. The PhD project builds on previous research, carried out jointly by the National Museum and the RCE (2013-2016), that identified the fixative in two of Fearnley’s drawings (1832) as milk. Fearnley’s drawing papers are being examined and classified, and a selection of drawings will be further analysed to identify fixative(s) used in different periods and locations. Based on the analysis, the aim is to investigate further the possible reasons for the different appearance of the fixative(s), as well as how best to preserve this collection of drawings. Bio: Tina Grette Poulsson is a paper conservator at the National Museum of Norway and currently in her first year as an external PhD candidate at the UvA. She studied art history at the University of Oslo (1995-1997), holds a BA in paper conservation (2000) from Camberwell College of Arts, London, and an MA in paper conservation (2004) from the National Gallery, Norway, and University of Oslo. The MA was published by Archetype in 2008, entitled “Retouching of art on paper”, later translated to Japanese. She worked as a paper conservator at the Museum Conservation Services in Cambridge from 2004-2006.

Rianne Luimes – Sustainable climate settings for susceptible oak panels in furniture and paintings Abstract: Multi-disciplinary research is carried out to study the effects of climate fluctuations on oak panels in furniture and paintings. For this purpose, the structural response of two cabinets attributed to Jan van Mekeren and two panel paintings in the collections of the Rijksmuseum and Castle Amerongen are investigated. While these objects have nearly identical characteristics, they are exposed to completely different indoor climate conditions. A strict, highly controlled indoor climate at the Rijksmuseum is maintained. On the contrary, a fluctuating, slightly controlled indoor climate exists at Castle Amerongen. By means of dedicated in-situ monitoring of these objects during one calendar year and advanced computer modelling, the climate-induced structural changes of the objects are analyzed in detail. This allows to draw conclusions on a possible relaxation of indoor museum climate specifications and thereby help the Rijksmuseum, as well as the wider museum community, to achieve a more sustainable climate policy. Bio: Rianne Luimes obtained her MSc degree in Structural Design (2011) and PhD degree in Applied Mechanics (2014-2019) at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Her PhD research focused on climate-induced damage in oak museum objects. From 2018 until 2022 she worked as a postdoctoral researcher on the condition assessment of concrete sewer pipes. Since November 2022 she is a scientific researcher at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and Eindhoven University of Technology analyzing the response of oak museum objects under climate fluctuations with the aim to derive sustainable climate specifications for museums.

Gwen Fife - Going Greener in Conservation Abstract: This talk will highlight some work being done into how greener conservation approaches in practice can be assessed, defined and applied. We’ll look at a brief history of the meaning of ‘green’, from its origins in Green Chemistry in the 1990’s and evolution within the developed sustainability frameworks, to examining what greener means in the context of cultural heritage conservation. The various and varying demands of our professional work must be appropriately considered in this, and research from two projects will highlight some approaches and findings from this perspective. Starting with the specific topic of greener solvents for conservation - assessment methods, research and information dissemination - we’ll then look at the strategies for providing a holistic definition of green conservation for the field as a whole, and elucidating the associated parameters. Bio: Gwendoline R. Fife is an art conservation consultant working as researcher for the Rijksmuseum and Ki Culture on GOGREEN (Horizon Europe). With a background in chemistry and paintings conservation she has worked for over 25 years in museums and institutions. Regularly publishing her research, she has been providing international lectures and workshops on sustainable solvent approaches in conservation practice since 2009. She is also the Director of Sustainability in Conservation’s Greener Solvent Project.

V.E. Mandrij - The Lepidochromy Technique in the Dutch 17th-century Paintings by Otto Marseus van Schrieck Abstract: In the mid-17th century, the Dutch painter Otto Marseus van Schrieck developed the sottobosco paintings representing insects, amphibians, and reptiles in dark forests. Instead of painting the wings of butterflies and moths, Marseus used lepidochromy, a technique that consists of transferring the colourful scales of dead lepidopterans by pressing their wings onto the painting surface. The fragility of the butterfly materials requires specific conservation care to prevent their colours from bleaching. The lepidochromes included in Marseus’ oil paintings have been dramatically altered, therefore modifying the visual effects as perceived by early modern viewers. This contribution will present the results of object-based research using technological methods, which helped to understand the intended visual effects and materiality of lepidochromes as well as the making process of the technique in Marseus’ oeuvre. Bio: V.E. Mandrij (they/them) is an art historian, current fellow at the Vossius Center for History of Humanities and Science at UvA. They obtained their PhD in art history at the University of Konstanz in the research program Changing Frames. Art History and Art Technology in Exchange in collaboration with the Stuttgart State Academy of Fine Arts (2018-2023). They authored articles published in multi-authored volumes and are currently co-editing an anthology on insects and colours in art and natural history (Brill, in press). Mandrij is also one co-founder of the research group Ecologies of Premodern Art hosted by the Ulmer Verein.

Alba Alvarez - MALDI mass spectrometry imaging for direct oil paint analysis Abstract: From the moment an artist completes a painting spontaneous and unwanted chemical transformations start to take place, leading to the gradual loss of brightness and intensity of the original colour. Therefore, to gain more knowledge on the chemistry behind these unwanted reactions, impressive advances have been made regarding the identification of inorganic pigments by non-invasive spectral imaging of the painting, and synchrotron radiation based techniques applied to minuscule paint fragments. However, the non-invasive detection of organic pigments remains challenging and becomes especially difficult when the original pigment has degraded or is present at a very low concentration. While traditional separation chromatographic techniques have contributed significantly to the identification of organic pigments, the sample preparation implies the loss of the spatial distribution of the pigment within the paint layers. This talk will address the novel application of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization – Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI-MSI) to visualize the spatial distribution of organic lake pigments and their degradation fragments within the paint sample without extraction, purification and separation steps. Bio: Alba Alvarez is a chemist with master in conservation science and a PhD in environmental chemistry. Since June 2023 she works as a scientist at the Rijksmuseum, where her main research goals are the implementation of more accessible mass spectrometry instrumentation in museums.

Het panelgesprek over de vraag "hoe organiseer je onderzoek in, voor en met musea?' met de panelleden Marlies Stoter (Dries Museum), Anna Tummers (Leiden Univesiteit) en Edwin Buijsen (RCE) en moderator Robert van Langh (NICAS)

Vanessa Bakhuizen-van 't Hoogt - Studying (re)making. Learning from making in educational workshops at the art academy Abstract: The lecture presents the research Curious Hands in Educational Workshops. Identifying distinct patterns in teaching and learning making in the art academy, which is part of the project Curious Hands Moving Making to the Core of Education (2019-2026) funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). I explain the methodologies that have been developed to study how making is learned and taught in educational workshops of art academies. Based on data collected over the past 3 years in the workshops of Minerva Art Academy in Groningen, I show ethnographic and art-based methods and discuss findings. I present the research matrix, which I developed to study making and propose how this matrix could be of interest for restoration and conservation practices. Applying this matrix, which was developed for a contemporary art and design context, to historical making and/or remaking could offer a possibility to become aware and reflect upon aspects and patterns of these making processes. Bio: Vanessa Bakhuizen-van ‘t Hoogt studied Art, Culture and Media (BA) and art history (MA) in Groningen. She is a lecturer in the Bachelor Fine Art and Design in Education at Minerva Art Academy, Groningen, and teaches at the Faculty of Arts and the Medical Faculty at the University of Groningen. Her PhD project Curious Hands in Educational Workshops. Identifying distinct patterns in teaching and learning making in the art academy researches the potentially powerful effects of making by investigating the role of educational workshops and their socio-material infrastructures in teaching and learning making at the art academy.

Han Zhou - Investigation of historical treatment recipes as a source for greener alternatives to current conservation methods Abstract: Before conservation became a profession, how did people treat their objects? How did they clean their tarnished silver collections, or their discoloured paintings on the wall? These wisdoms from the past were recorded as recipes in various historical literature. From a modern perspective, these recipes were developed in a low-tech environment using natural, non-synthetic materials, which means that they could potentially be more sustainable options than current conservation methods. As part of the GoGreen project, this research project investigates these historical treatment recipes through archival research methods and reconstruction-based studies. The aim is to identify the most promising recipes to generate greener alternatives to current conservation methods. For this NICAS colloquium, Han will discuss her current methodological approach, and present her ongoing research in historical recipes for silver tarnish cleaning as a pilot study project.