Professional Notes 217

experimental studies involving the evaluation of 11 amylases and 8 proteases vis-a-vis different types of papers are also covered. Case histories are detailed, with attention given to how an appropriate treatment program can be achieved on a realistic budget-from preparation of the enzyme poultices/immersion solutions, to monitor- ing and control of treatment progress, and through to removal/denaturation of residues from substrates. One session of the seminar includes demonstrations and discussions of commercial products and health & safety

considerations. The lecturers for the seminar are recog-

nized authorities in the fields of conserva- tion, biochemistry and conservation science, and the moderator is Robert Hauser, Museum/Paper Conservator, The New Bed- ford Whaling Museum. For further informa- tion, contact: Technology & Conservation, One Emerson Place, Boston, MA 02114 (Tel: +617-227-8581); or Robert Hauser, New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740, USA (Tel: +508-997-0046).

Conservation II: Grant Writing, Fund-raising and Management Strategy for Conservation Programs

Barry Bauman, Director and Painting Con- servator for the Chicago Conservation Cen- ter, hosted a national symposium on 8 May 1990 entitled ‘Grant Writing, Fundraising and Management Strategy for Conservation Programs’. The event was held at The Art Institute of Chicago, and included granting officers from the National Endowment for the Arts,. the National Endowment for the Humanmes, the Institute of Museum Ser- vices and the J. Paul Getty Trust. These representatives reviewed their conservation grants and offered valuable insights into successful grant applications. Other speakers included Arthur Schultz, Chairman of the National Committee to Save our Cultural

Objects and member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities; Marshall Field, President of The Art Institute of Chicago; Roger Mandle, Deputy Director of the National Gallery of Art in Washing- ton, DC; Hugh Genoways, Director of the University of Nebraska State Museum; Nike Whitcomb, President of Whitcomb Associ- ates; and Barry Bauman. They discussed fund-raising in the private sector; organizing, budgeting and planning conservation prog- rams; principles of effective grantwriting; and management strategies for conservation programs.

The event was attended by 115 museum professionals representing 26 states and two foreign countries. Tapes of the symposium proceedings are available by writing to: Barry R. Bauman, Director-Painting Con- servator, Chicago Conservation Center, 730 N. Franklin, Suite 701, Chicago, IL 60610, USA. Include $35.00 to cover costs and shipping.

Conservation III: textiles, Chevalier Conservation has set up in

New Textile Washing Facilities the United States of America a state of the art

introduced by Chevalier facility designed for washing the most delicate antique tapestries and rugs. This

Conservation facility has two basic components:

1. An integrated water treament unit which Claimed to be one of the most sophisticated converts ordinary tap water into a plenti- wet cleaning systems in the world for ful supply of either filtered water,

Professional Notes

A very large I7th-century Italian Tapestry belonging to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, being washed by Chevalier Conservation in its new facilities at Stamford.

2.

softened water or deionized water, since all three are used in different stages of treatments, and produces the specially formulated aqueous solutions required. The machine proper which is constructed of stainless steel with a perforated clean- ing screen, 22ft by 23ft, through which turboventilators can either extract water or air, or ventilate with air. A mechanical cleaning boom can be moved across the surface of the screen with the cleaning equipment perpendicular to the tapestry or carpet being treated, and a separate drying boom is used to supply air for the drying process. All operations of the system are automated with full monitor- ing and controls.

Before treatment, each piece is carefully analyzed as to fiber content, method of weaving, dye composition and resistance to bleeding, and the nature of any stains and their reaction to cleaning solutions. All of these factors determine whether a piece is

suitable for a water treatment and help to specify the exact method of cleaning, rinsing and drying best suited to the piece.

Cleaning procedure

Composed of:

Selection of tensides (one anionic and three non-ionic); option of adding a builder and/or car- boxymethylated cellulose; adjustment of their reciprocal concentra- tion; determination of the stage at which they act during the cleaning phase; determination of the number of cleaning cycles when they intervene; adjustment of the pressure of cleaning solutions which can vary from 0 to 8 bars (when the pressure pump is installed); adjustment of the speed at which the cleaning solutions penetrate the textile fibers (coordinated with the rate of

Professional Notes 219

suction from below the perforated clean- ing surface).

the process assure a highly efficient and effective rinsing.

During the cleaning phase, only softened water can be used.

The cleaning procedure is adapted for every piece accepted with remarkable preci- sion; this assures a quality of results un- attainable through any other method.

Rinsing procedure

Composed of:

Adjustment of the quality of water used, since analysis of Stamford water shows that it is suitable for use in the first rinse if one adds EDTA. in the amount of 10d4 mole/liter (an insignificant concentration); adjustment of the number of rinse cycles with each of the specially treated waters, noting that the number of cycles (going back and forth) for deionized water is limited to four or five; adjustment of the pressure of the rinse water (0 to 8 bars); adjustment of the circulation speed of the rinse water, coordinated with the suction speed of the perforated cleaning surface.

Here again the adaptable characteristics of Photo Credit. Mary Hilliard, New York

Drying procedure

The three fundamental parameters of the filtered air used for the drying-speed, humidity and temperature-are individually regulated at 2 meters per second, 35 percent relative humidity and 55X, respectively. Thus, the best conditions for each drying stage (the evaporation stage and the diffusion stage) can be chosen. No other process is believed to follow the physico-chemical mechanisms of drying textiles as closely, thereby giving a perfect mastery of operation without damaging the fibers, and during the drying process Chevalier Conservation also has in this system the power to adapt and regulate the speed at which this air penetrates the textile fibers by suction, making the combination the most desirable.

Further information can be obtained from Stan Olshefski at Chevalier Conservation, 500 West Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902, USA.

Picture Framing I: A Frame Designed by Frederic Church

Recent conservation of the frame for Freder- ic Church’s’ painting The Aegean Sea in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, has presented a unique opportunity to begin an inqui

7 into this

frame’s design and manufacture. The frame for The Aegean Sea (sight size 134.6cm x 21 I .4 cm) is a fine, unmodified example of a complex I Sth-century American composi- tion frame, and composed principally of a wide flat section and a raised astragal, it is constructed of four molded wood sections. The simple mitered corners are joined with large screws, and square carved wooden

plates are tacked onto each corner to cover part of the miters. Composition ornaments, in unique and intricate geometric designs include a labyrinth, shield, stars, and roset- tes, as well as more conventional patterns such as egg-and-dart and ribbon-and-stick, are attached to. the gesso base. Both oil and water gilding are used as surface treatments for this frame.

The Aegean Sea was painted in 1877 for Church’s friend and patron William Henry Osborn, whose wife bequeathed the painting to the Metropolitan Museum. The records of the Metropolitan Museum reveal that when the painting was acquired in 1902 no special mention was made of the frame, and, whilst a gilded plaque attached to the bottom front of the frame reads ‘The Aegean Sea, Frederic E. Church, American School 1826-1900, Be-