Laser techniques offer possibilities for the examination and conservation of artwork, and for the prevention of cultural heritage. This collection of peer reviewed papers from the 8th International Conference on Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks, Sibiu, Romania, September 21-25, 2009, addresses various aspects of cultural heritage preservation (laser induced phenomenas, laser investigations and recent laboratory studies and onsite applications).

The main topics include:

Innovative approaches in laser cleaning researches and instrumentation development;

Laser investigation and diagnostics methods;

Monitoring, imaging and documentation of artwork.

Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks VIII will appeal to laser scientists, conservation scientists, scientists in the field of optoelectronics, chemistry, IT and biology, conservators-restorers, architects, art historians, archaeologists, and decision makers in the field of conservation and restoration of artworks.

This book describes the methods of conservation, preservation and restoration of the thousands of artefacts contained within the buildings that house the museums, which also require constant care and attention. The Vatican Museums are enormous, nearly 4 miles of passages through galleries, rooms and internal gardens. A museum system that includes many specific collection types - frescoes, sculptures, metals, textiles, ethnographic, Etruscan and Egyptian artefacts, fine and contemporary art, carriages and cars - that all require expert attention, whilst they are viewed daily by some of the 6 million visitors a year, who all breathe amongst the treasures, and spread dust throughout the buildings. The book will be of great interest and value to anyone involved in, or training to be involved in the professional management of a museum or collection.

Laser systems and advanced optical techniques offer new solutions for conservation scientists, and provide answers to challenges in Conservation Science. Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks comprises selected contributions from the 7th International Conference on Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks (LACONA VII, Madrid, Spain, 17-21 September 2007), and is a comprehensive collection on both emerging and well established applications of laser systems and techniques used to address conservation problems.

The topics covered include:

Innovative approaches in laser cleaning;

Analytical techniques;

Developments in portable laser systems for remote and on-site applications;

Laser cleaning of monuments and sculptures, paintings and polychromes, metal objects and documents and textiles.

Developments on structural diagnosis, monitoring, imaging and documentation of artworks.

Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks will be essential reference material for students, professionals and scientists working in heritage and Conservation Science.

At times controversial and uncompromising, always intellectually honest, Alessandro Conti's book is - astonishingly - the only attempt to comprehensively chart in time, the changing impact of man's desire to preserve for future generations the materials, meaning and appearances of works of art. Remarkable in its meticulous research of source material and breadth of scope, History of the Restoration and Conservation of Works of Arts, translated by Helen Glanville, charts the practices and underlying philosophies of conservation and 'restored' works of art from the Middle Ages to the end of the nineteenth century.
In English-speaking countries, a lack of foreign language skills leaves many unable to consult a wealth of both published and unpublished historical documentation. Developments in conservation have therefore tended toward the scientific and analytical. Access to such documentation leads to better understanding of the present appearance of works of art and of their changing aspect and perception over time. Recent publications indicate that there is a great need for people writing on the subject to be aware of material which is not in their mother tongue: approaches presented as 'new' are in fact merely 'contemporary', and have been discussed or practiced in other centuries and countries.
Just as knowledge of practices and effects of art conservation and restoration should form an integral part of History of Art Degrees, the more theoretic, abstract and historical aspects, should also be part of the training. This book is an invaluable source for academic and public institutions, art historians as well as practicing conservators and lovers of art.
*The only book inEnglish dealing with the history of conservation and restoration of works of art.
*Translated by a practising restorer who has lectured widely on the subject to professional and student audiences, as well as the general public.
*Provides readers with contextualising introductions, extensive bibliography of original sources and archival material and a glossary of terms as well a biographical details.

Renowned museum consultant and researcher Beverly Serrell and a group of museum professionals from the Chicago area have developed a generalizable framework by which the quality of museum exhibitions can be judged from a visitor-centered perspective. Using criteria such as comfort, engagement, reinforcement, and meaningfulness, they have produced a useful tool for other museum professionals to better assess the effectiveness of museum exhibitions and thereby to improve their quality. The downloadable resources include a brief video demonstrating the Excellent Judges process and provides additional illustrations and information for the reader. Tested in a dozen institutions by the research team, this step-by-step approach to judging exhibitions will be of great value to museum directors, exhibit developers, and other museum professionals.

This book presents novel applications of nanotechnology for the preservation of artistic and historical artifacts. It explains the scientific principles behind numerous nanomaterials and discusses their applications to different types of common movable and fixed artistic substrates. It starts with an overview of the nano-tools developed over the last three decades, such as dispersions of nanoparticles, micellar solutions, microemulsions and gels. Compared to traditional methods, these new tools have the benefit of considerably less impact on both the operators and the environment. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific type of cultural heritage material (wall and easel paintings, stone, paper, canvas and wood) starting with the main degradation paths and discussing protocols for the application of innovative nanomaterials-based tools for cleaning, consolidation, or deacidification, which represent the majority of the case studies encountered in restoration facilities, workshops and ateliers. The book provides step-by-step descriptions that are meant to support conservators in the application of these novel materials and methods. The aim of the book is to equip end-users and conservators with essential information and knowledge on the availability and applicability of different nano-materials and dispersed systems. While the book's focus is on the practical aspects, interested readers will also find references to the relevant advanced colloid and material science literature. Main audience: Expert conservators, restorers and technical staff at conservation institutes and museums, students at conservation and restoration schools, and scientists who are new to the field of conservation of artistic and historical artifacts.

Conservation and Restoration of Glass is an in-depth guide to the materials and practices required for the care and preservation of glass objects. It provides thorough coverage of both theoretical and practical aspects of glass conservation.This new edition of Newton and Davison's original book, Conservation of Glass, includes sections on the nature of glass, the historical development and technology of glassmaking, and the deterioration of glass. Professional conservators will welcome the inclusion of recommendations for examination and documentation. Incorporating treatment of both excavated glass and historic and decorative glass, the book provides the knowledge required by conservators and restorers and is invaluable for anyone with glass objects in their care.

Materials in Conservation is the definitive introduction to the properties of materials used in conservation. The continual struggle of conservators to ameliorate the deterioration of objects has led to increasing use of synthetic polymers. These materials are part of the sophisticated technology that has been developed to augment and often replace traditional materials and methods. Conservators therefore have a wider range of techniques available. However, they must be able to appreciate the potentials and pitfalls of any proposed technique.

The first section explains physical and chemical properties which are important in the conservation process, i.e. application, ageing, reversal. The topics covered include molecular weight, glass transition temperature, solubility and solvents, polymerisation and degradation reactions. The second section provides a detailed consideration of the individual materials, current and obsolete, used in conservation, drawing out the factors relevant to their effects on objects. The conservation uses of each material are summarised and referenced to allow further study. In five appendices, the properties of the polymers, solvents and their interactions are tabulated, with a list of suppliers and conversion table of physical units. IUPAC and SI nomenclature is used throughout the book.

In this second edition, this classic text is revised and updated to include modern materials such as cyclododecane, and current ideas on adhesion, consolidation and reversibility, making Materials in Conservation the definitive source of vital information in the field.

This handy reference book should be on the bench of every conservator and available wherever objects, from steam engines to dried plants, are preserved.

Communities have witnessed a fundamental shift in the ways they interact with heritage sites. Much of this change has been driven by the rapid democratization and widespread adoption of enabling technologies. As expediency is embraced in the collection and analysis of data, there may also be a certain amount of intimacy lost with both the tangible and intangible vestiges of the past. Analysis, Conservation, and Restoration of Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage is a collection of innovative research on the quantitative methods and digital workflows transforming cultural heritage. There is no contesting the value of advanced non-destructive diagnostic imaging techniques for the analysis of heritage structures and objects. Highlighting topics including 3D modeling, conservation, and digital surveying, this book is ideally designed for conservation and preservation specialists, archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, academicians, and students seeking current research on data-driven, evidence-based decision making to improve intervention outcomes.

For more than ten years, the Science for Conservators Series have been the key basic texts for conservators throughout the world. Scientific concepts are basic ot the conservation of artefacts of every type, yet many conservators have little or no scientific training. These introductory volumes provide non-scientists with the essential theoretical background to their work.

"Microclimate for Cultural Heritage: Conservation and Restoration of Indoor and Outdoor Monuments, Second Edition, " is a cutting-edge, theoretical, and practical handbook concerning microclimate, environmental factors, and conservation of cultural heritage. Although the focus is on cultural heritage objects, most of the theory and instrumental methodologies are common to other fields of application, such as atmospheric and environmental sciences.

"Microclimate for Cultural Heritage, Second Edition, " is a useful treatise on microphysics and a practical handbook for conservators and specialists in physics, chemistry, architecture, engineering, geology, and biology who work in the multidisciplinary field of the environment, and, in particular, in the conservation of works of art. Part I, devoted to applied theory, is a concise treatise on microphysics, which includes a survey on the basic ideas of environmental diagnosis and conservation. The second part of the book focuses on practical utilization, and shows in detail how field surveys should be performed, with many suggestions and examples, as well as some common errors to avoid.
Presents updated scientific and technological findings based on the novel European standards on microclimate and cultural heritageIncludes the latest information on experimental research on environmental factors and their impact on materials, such as the behavior of water and its interactions with cultural heritage materialsContains case studies of outdoor and indoor microclimate conditions and their effects, providing ideas for readers facing similar problems caused by heat, water, radiation, pollution, or air motionsCovers instruments and methods for practical applications to help readers understand, to observe and interpret observations, and avoid errors

Vibrant colour was essential to the paintings of the American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997), and when he began exploring outdoor sculpture in the late 1970s, vivid hues-often achieved through the use of recently developed industrial paints and coatings-remained an important part of his artistic vocabulary. Today, preserving these remarkable works after they have endured decades in outdoor environments around the world is an issue of pressing concern. This abundantly illustrated volume is based on extensive archival research of his studio materials, interviews with his assistants, and a thorough technical analysis of the sculpture Three Brushstrokes, now in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum. The book concludes with a chapter showing various options for the care, conservation, and restoration of Lichtenstein's sculptural works, making this an essential resource for conservators, curators, and others interested both in the iconic artist and modern sculpture in general.

Although Franz Kline was one of the seminal figures of the American Abstract Expressionist movement, he is less well known than contemporaries such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. This is partly because Kline, unlike most artists in his circle, did not like to write or talk about his own art. In fact, when asked in a panel to discuss abstract art, Kline said, "I thought that was the reason for trying to do it, because you couldn't [talk about it]." Still, his impact was such that the critic and art historian April Kingsley wrote, "Abstract Expressionism as a movement died with him." This volume, the newest addition to the Artist's Materials series from the Getty Conservation Institute, looks closely at both Kline's life and work, from his early years in Pennsylvania to his later success in New York City. Kline's iconic paintings are poised on a critical cusp: some have already undergone conservation, but others remain unaltered and retain the artist's color, gloss, and texture, and they are surprisingly vulnerable. The authors' presentation of rigorous examination and scientific analysis of more than thirty of Kline's paintings from the 1930s through the 1960s provides invaluable insight into his life, materials, and techniques. This study provides conservators with essential information that will shape future strategies for the care of Kline's paintings, and offers readers a more thorough comprehension of this underappreciated artist who is so central to American Abstract Expressionism.

Over the last decades, the use of lasers in artwork conservation has became an important tool for many conservators, scientists, architects and other experts, who are involved in the care of monuments and artefacts or applied laser technology. Professor Costas Fotakis first brought together restorers and scientists in 1995 to discuss the potential of lasers in art conservation. The field of Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks has since gained considerably in importance, and nowadays restorers and laser scientists work closely together to develop new applications. Furthermore a large number of national and international research projects have been carried out by conservator-restorers, architects and scientists. In the last 10 years, historical and artistically high-quality monuments (e.g. St. Stephens Cathedral in Vienna) have been cleaned or measured by laser, and this has established the laser in the spectra of tools that are useful in the practical realm of artworks. The proceedings of the 2005 congress addresses scientists, conservator-restorers, companies, architects, decision-makers and other experts involved in conservation projects or in the research of new laser equipment."

Since 1995, when Costas Fotakis first brought together restorers and scientists to discuss the potential of lasers in art conservation, the field has grown enormously in importance, and today restorers and laser scientists work together to develop new applications. This book presents the more than six dozen research papers prepared for LACONA V (Lasers in Art Conservation), held in Osnabrueck/Germany in September 2003. The fifth congress once again gathered restorers, art historians, museum staff, laser scientists and laser manufacturers. The topics include, among others: laser cleaning of artworks (case studies and side effects), removal of former conservation layers, fundamentals of laser-artwork interaction, online monitoring and process control, laser diagnostics, spectroscopy for monitoring and identification, networks and cooperation projects.

"Defending National Treasures" explores the fate of art and cultural heritage during the Nazi occupation of France. The French cultural patrimony was a crucial locus of power struggles between German and French leaders and among influential figures in each country. Karlsgodt examines the preservation policy that the Vichy regime enacted in an assertion of sovereignty over French art museums, historic monuments, and archeological sites. The limits to this sovereignty are apparent from German appropriations of public statues, Jewish-owned art collections, and key "Germanic" works of art from French museums. A final chapter traces the lasting impact of the French wartime reforms on preservation policy.
In "Defending National Treasures," Karlsgodt introduces the concept of "patrimania" to reveal examples of opportunism in art preservation. During the war, French officials sought to acquire coveted artwork from Jewish collections for the Louvre and other museums; in the early postwar years, they established a complicated guardianship over unclaimed art recovered from Germany. A cautionary tale for our own times, "Defending National Treasures" examines the ethical dimensions of museum acquisitions in the ongoing noble quest to preserve great works of art.

Following official protection of natural environments for public benefit in Fontainebleau Forest in France (1861) and in Yosemite (1864) and Yellowstone (1872) in the USA, the New Forest Act of 1877 marked the first major instance in Britain. Art and artists were involved in this achievement to a greater extent than in all preceding cases. For the first time, and within an ecocritical framework, this study examines the role played by art during the previous anti-enclosure campaign - highlighting both the hitherto-unacknowledged extent of German influence in terms of the original artistic initiative and of German artists' participation in the cause, as well as the significance of connections between landscape art of the day and priorities of the early Open Spaces movement. Ecocriticism in art history With works by the German and British artists George Bouverie Goddard, Wilhelm Kumpel, Alfred Pizzi Newton, Wilhelm Trautschold, Edmund George Warren

Migration is in the news every day. Whether it be the plight of refugees fleeing Syria, or the outbreak of the Zika virus across Latin America, the modern world is fundamentally shaped by movement across borders. Migration, arising from the 2018 Darwin College Lectures, brings together eight leading scholars across the arts, humanities, and sciences to help tackle one of the most important topics of our time. What is migration? How has it changed the world? And how will it shape the future? The authors approach these questions from a variety of perspectives, including history, politics, epidemiology, and art. Chapters related to policy, as well as those written by leading journalists and broadcasters, give perspective on how migration is understood in the media, and engage the public more widely. This interdisciplinary approach provides an original take on migration, providing new insights into the making of the modern world.

The conservation and protection of buildings that constitute our cultural heritage are complex tasks calling for a comprehensive knowledge of the historical background of the buildings, as well as the construction technologies and materials used. Nanomaterials in Architecture and Art Conservation gives a comprehensive overview of the state of the art of using nanomaterials in conservation sciences, mainly for stone, mortar and plaster strengthening, but also for the consolidation of wall paintings. The book compiles and details deterioration mechanisms of stone and historical mortars, as well as methods of characterising and testing consolidation effects. The non- or semi-destructive characterisation methods that will be presented allow additional measurements to characterise objects before and after any interventions. Besides, general aspects of inorganic consolidants are targeted. The focus, in particular, is the application of nanolime as a new consolidation agent. Basic characteristics and application advices as well as beneficial combinations with other consolidation agents, such as silicic acid esters, are emphasised. What makes this book so special is the large number of practical applications described from the viewpoint of different restorers, offering a direct inside view of the procedure for the conservation of historical monuments. Restorers dealing with stone, mortar and plaster conservation; artists; advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level students of conservation science, art and nanotechnology; offices for the protection of monuments and heritage agencies; and researchers in materials science, conservation, nanotechnology and chemistry, especially those with an interest in applied sciences, will find this book a great reference.

In this era of high energy prices, economic uncertainty, and demographic change, an increasing number of Americans are showing an interest in urban living as an alternative to the traditional automobile-dependent suburb. Many people are also concerned about reducing their annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as a way to lower greenhouse gas emissions affecting climate change. But providing transportation options is complex and demands a shift in land use patterns and the way we locate and shape future development.Density is often defined in terms of population per square mile, but such a crude measure makes it difficult to understand the relationship between density and city life. We need to think about urban density by including the density of jobs, schools, and services such as retail, transit, and recreational facilities. Fitting more amenities into a neighborhood within a spatial pattern that invites walking will create the type of built environment that offers real transportation options.Landscape architect and urban designer Julie Campoli challenges our current notions of space and distance and helps us learn to appreciate and cultivate proximity. In this book, developed as a follow-up to Visualizing Density (2007, co-authored with aerial photographer Alex S. MacLean), she illustrates urban neighborhoods throughout North America with hundreds of street-level photographs.Researchers delving into the question of how urban form affects travel behavior identify specific characteristics of place that boost walking and transit use while reducing VMT. In the 1990s some pinpointed diversity (of land uses), density, and design as the key elements of the built environment that, in specific spatial patterns, enable alternative transportation. After a decade of successive studies on the topic, these "three Ds" were joined by two others deemed equally important--distance to transit and destination accessibility--and together they are now known as the "five Ds." Added to the list is another key player: parking.The Ds have evolved into a handy device for defining and measuring compact form and predicting how that form will affect travel and reduce VMT. They share the characteristics of compact development often described as "smart growth." Lowering VMT by any significant measure will require integrating the D attributes at a grand scale.While thinking big is important, this book visualizes a low-carbon environment in smaller increments by focusing on 12 urban neighborhoods of approximately 125 acres each--a comfortable pedestrian walk zone. Some are in familiar cities with historically dense land use patterns, intertwined uses, and comprehensive transit systems; others have emerged in unexpected locations, where the seeds of sustainable urban form are taking root on a micro level.- LoDo and the Central Platte Valley, Denver, Colorado- Short North, Columbus, Ohio- Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia- Flamingo Park, Miami Beach, Florida- Little Portugal, Toronto, Ontario- Eisenhower East, Alexandria, Virginia- The Pearl District, Portland, Oregon- Downtown and Raynolds Addition, Albuquerque, New Mexico- Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York- Little Italy, San Diego, California- Cambridgeport, Cambridge, Massachusetts- Old Pasadena, Pasadena, CaliforniaThese places were selected because each offers choices: travel options, housing types, and a variety of things to do and places to shop. Their streets are comfortable, attractive, and safe for biking and walking. They all show how compact development can take shape in different regions and climates. Six specific qualities make them walkable: connections, tissue, population and housing density, services, streetscape, and green networks.Although some of these neighborhoods are the result of recent development, most have shared a similar trajectory: bustling industry and growth followed by decline and depopulation as rail-based transportation was replaced by the highway, dispersing economic energy in more diffuse patterns at the edges of cities. In many of these places, the bad years took their toll, eating away at the intricately connected urban fabric. By the end of the twentieth century, however, the story had changed. Frustration with the negative side effects of low-density sprawl led to a realization that these older, urban neighborhoods had a lot to offer.First a trickle and soon a steadier stream of investment flowed back toward cities and into downtown neighborhoods. Their "good bones"--human-scale buildings and ready-made networks of small blocks and connected streets that shorten distances and make walking easy--are drawing people back into these neighborhoods.

Renowned museum consultant and researcher Beverly Serrell and a group of museum professionals from the Chicago area have developed a generalizable framework by which the quality of museum exhibitions can be judged from a visitor-centered perspective. Using criteria such as comfort, engagement, reinforcement, and meaningfulness, they have produced a useful tool for other museum professionals to better assess the effectiveness of museum exhibitions and thereby to improve their quality. The downloadable resources include a brief video demonstrating the Excellent Judges process and provides additional illustrations and information for the reader. Tested in a dozen institutions by the research team, this step-by-step approach to judging exhibitions will be of great value to museum directors, exhibit developers, and other museum professionals.

Around 1505 Goossen Van der Weyden, Rogier's grandson, painted a monumental altarpiece depicting the various phases of Saint Dymphna's insane life. This Irish princess, who fled her incestuous father in the sixth century, was beheaded in the Kempen village of Geel. On account of her tragic end and uncompromising chastity, the princess was venerated from that moment on as the patron saint of the mentally ill. From the late Middle Ages, pilgrims flocked to Geel in large numbers to catch a glimpse of Saint Dymphna. They paid homage to the local celebrity in the hope that she would alleviate their mental problems. To this day, Geel is known for its unique treatment of the mentally ill, who are cared for at home by locals. Goossen Van der Weyden's altarpiece came into being at the height of Dymphna's popularity. The masterpiece was intended for the church of Tongerlo Abbey. Today this work is characterised by a remarkable iconography and an eventful history: a panel was lost and the triptych was even sawn into pieces. It ultimately came into the hands of a team of specialists from Belgium and abroad who subjected the altarpiece to a meticulous conservation over a period of three years, a colossal undertaking during which new techniques were used. This gave the conservators unprecedented insight into the mind, and workshop, of an early 16th century painter. This richly illustrated book is the result of years of research and contains essays by Till-Holger Borchert (Musea Brugge), Stephan Kemperdick (Gemaldegalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin), Katharina Van Cauteren (The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp), Lucinda Timmermans (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), Patrick Allegaert (Dr. Guislain Museum, Ghent) and many others.

The book Locus Fratrum is the first attempt at a systematic analysis of the architecture and building practice of the last major medieval monastic order. The core of the book lies in chapters monitoring the history and building development of the individual monasteries in the territory of the Bohemian monastic province. The catalogue part is preceded by chapters summarizing the historical context of the Observant Franciscans' activities in the second half of the fifteenth and the first half of the sixteenth centuries, during which the Observants experienced both rise and fall. The history of the order is followed by an exposition on the rules governing the foundation of convents, the monastic rules limiting artwork and above all the character of the order's architecture.