Library of Congress Topics in Preservation Series (TOPS)

Topics in Museum Conservation Lecture: From the nanostructure of an
Ancient Greek vase to the field study of rapid stone decay: Recent
adventures in analytical imaging for conservation

Eric Doehne
Scientist
The Getty Conservation Institute

Friday, November 13, 2009 10:45 am
MCI Theater
Museum Support Center

Imaging methods have long been used in art conservation for
documentation, analysis, and monitoring. Work in nano and
biotechnology has extended the usefulness of traditional imaging
methods and also opened up new possibilities for the conservation
field. Eric Doehne takes us on a tour through two recent projects
where the use of imaging methods has helped resolve some
long-standing questions.

Ceramics were the "high technology" material of Ancient Greece, used
to produce popular drinking vessels and exotic works of art.
Starting in Athens, in about 530 BC, a red glossy layer began to be
applied to some vases, along with the traditional black gloss. 200
years later the method was abandoned. Analyzing these materials on
the nanoscale using FIB/STEM, ESEM, and EPMA, has finally revealed
the origins and limitations of this technology. Monitoring the rate
of deterioration of cultural heritage is essential in order to
decide what needs our attention and whether our interventions are
having the expected results. The use of field time-lapse and
polynomial transform imaging has proven to be useful in
understanding and working to prevent the rapid decay of dolomitic
limestone buildings in the north of England, such as York Minster
and the world heritage site of Fountains Abbey.

To see a poster, please go to:

    <URL:http://www.si.edu/mci/downloads/topics/Doehne.pdf>


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