Journal 29 Text pages - Victoria and Albert Museum · 2016-04-16 · Conservation Journal The Quarterly Publication of the Victoria & Albert Musem Conservation Department October

ConservationJournal

The Quarterly Publication ofthe Victoria & Albert Musem

Conservation Department

October 1998 No 29ISSN 0967-2273

Lynda Hillyer EditorialJonathan Ashley-Smith The Cosimo Panel

Tony Webb Fifty Years of Following in Grinling Gibbons’ Tool Cuts

Simon Hogg, David McPhail, Cracking Crizzling - Eight Years of CollaborativeVictoria Oakley, Philip Rogers Research

Pauline Webber, Alison Norton The Power of the Poster and Paper ConservationVicky Doran, Helen Jones The RCA / V&A Conservation Course Study Trip

Science and Information Section Science SurgeryNew StudentsNew StaffConservation Department Staff Chart

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Editorial – CommunicationLynda HillyerHead of Textiles Conservation

The subject of this editorial iscommunication. Seven years ago, theeditorial of the first issue of this publicationwas also about communication. JonathanAshley-Smith explained that the origin ofthe journal was probably a suggestionmade at the first ever meeting of the wholeof the Conservation Department in July1978, and the main topic of that meetingwas - guess what - communication! Theidea of producing a journal evolved slowlyover a number of years but its beginningslie in discussions among conservatorsabout the need to improve channels ofcommunication within the Department,within the profession as a whole, and toothers with an interest in conservation.From these small beginnings the Journalhas grown into an important platform fordisseminating information about ourcurrent activities; it is eagerly read bothwithin the Museum and well received by aninternational audience. Why then, are wetalking about communication once again?

The last seven years have seen enormouschanges both within the Museum andwithin the Conservation Department. Ahuge programme of international loans,gallery rotations and refurbishment, andan increased number of departmentaldisplays have been carried out in a climateof economic restraint. We have had toachieve more in limited time. Wesucceeded in doing this by learning to bemore flexible and by spending more timeplanning in order to achieve a balancebetween the complex needs of theMuseum, our rôles within theConservation Department and ourexternal professional lives. Theseprogrammes of work have given uspositive opportunities to developinnovative skills and techniques. Many ofthese advances have been published inpast issues of the Journal.

Much new energy has been injected intothe Department by the success of theRCA/V&A Joint Course in Conservationwhich actively promotes original research.It is flexible and creative enough toaccommodate a huge variety of proposals,either in the museum or in partnershipwith other museums. At a lunch held forinvited guests to the Course Symposiumin July, one of the delegates

enthusiastically remarked that the work ofthe graduating students had expanded theboundaries of conservation by giving usnew insights into the way in which weexamine and perceive objects. Thebrilliant and exciting work on computerimaging carried out by Nick Frayling andAngela Geary is an obvious recentillustration of the way in which the Coursecontributes to the life of the Museum. Theresult of all this activity is a rich, complexand diverse Department which has aunique place in the conservation worldand offers wonderful opportunities forstaff development.

Are we making the most of theseopportunities or are we spoilt for choice?A senior management meeting in Brightonlast year discussed issues ofcommunication and the need for a morefocussed and structured approach toexisting staff development programmes.Concerns have also been expressed onmany levels that there is a need for morelateral communication across theDepartment. Accelerated workprogrammes and increased level of activityhave meant that there are feweropportunities to keep in touch with whatmay be happening in other sections.

The outcome of discussions was theformation of a small group which meetsevery month to coordinate developmentprogrammes throughout the Department.Members of the Communications Grouprepresent the Journal (Sophy Wills),students (Helen Jones), interns (AlisonRichmond) and permanent staff (LyndaHillyer). Alice Rymill provides a link withScience Group and gives administrativesupport; meetings are chaired by JonathanAshley-Smith. The rôle of the group is toprovide an overview of activities in theDepartment and draw on these to initiatea framework programme every sixmonths. This may consist of RCA/V&ACourse events, invitations to outsidespeakers, or study days involving issueswhich are relevant to everyone inconservation, such as research methodsor current initiatives on accreditation. Theframework builds on the programmes ofcommunication which have been inexistence in the Department for a numberof years and incorporates staff seminars aswell as providing free spaces which can beused for a variety of spontaneous events.

One new idea is to provide moreopportunities for experiential learning inthe form of practice exchange. The mostessential function of the Department ispractical work and each section containsan enormous well of experience andexpertise. Many areas overlap and in arecent survey a number of common areasof interest were identified such aschelating agents, consolidation, adhesives,poultices, washing, metal cleaning etc. Bythe time this issue is published, the firstworkshop will have been held based onresearch carried out by one of our PhDstudents, Sandra Grantham, on theconsolidation of fragile painted surfaces.Places were quickly filled by conservatorsfrom paper, textiles, ceramics andsculpture conservation. The idea ofworkshop practice is essentiallyparticipatory and some preparation isneeded so that a real exchange ofexperience can take place. For example,conservators may need to be familiar withrelevant literature, prepare case historiesfor discussion or spend some time makingfacsimile samples in their own medium sothat new approaches can be morerealistically incorporated into their work.

The success of staff developmentprogrammes depends not only on theCommunication Group but on thecommitment of every member of theDepartment to continuing professionaldevelopment. It is easy to complain aboutlack of communication but takes muchmore work to do something about it. TheGroup provides not only a planningmechanism but a forum for constructiveideas. Suggestions are welcome fromanyone in the Museum. The aim is:

• to encourage everyone to thinkcreatively about current issues;

• to be open to opportunities;

• to learn more about resources, andabout practice and techniques;

• to be more aware of professional issuesand policy discussions, not only in theDepartment but in the conservationworld as a whole.

Our current involvement in the BritishGalleries project means that effectivecommunication is more important thanever. The project offers a wealth ofopportunities for productive discussion. Itis up to us to make the most of it.

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Conservation Journal O

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Editorial Board

Jonathan Ashley-SmithHead of Conservation Department

Helen Jones, Course TutorRCA /V&A Conservation Course

Tim Miller, Furniture ConservatorConservation Department

Paula Mills, Conservation ScientistConservation Department

Michael Wheeler, Paper ConservatorConservation Department

Managing & Production EditorSophy Wills, Metalwork ConservatorConservation Department

Designed by V&A Print Unit

Photographs are credited individually

© Victoria & Albert Museum. ISSN 0967-2273

All enquires to:Conservation Department,Victoria & Albert Museum,London SW7 2RL, UKTelephone +44 (0)171-938 8624Fax +44 (0)171-938 8661Email [email protected]

The cover showsA detail of the Cosimo Panel, an object in the exhibitionGrinling Gibbons and the Art of Carving, at the V&A from22 October 1998 to 24 January 1999.Photo: Scala Picture Library

ContentsV&A Conservation Journal No 29

3 Editorial - CommunicationLynda Hillyer, Head of Textiles Conservation

4 The Cosimo PanelJonathan Ashley-Smith, Head of Conservation

7 Fifty Years of Following in Grinling Gibbons’ Tool CutsTony Webb, Master Carver, St Paul’s Cathedral

10 Cracking Crizzling - Eight Years of Collaborative ResearchSimon Hogg, PhD Student, Department of Materials, Imperial CollegeDavid McPhail, Senior Tutor, Department of Materials, Imperial CollegeVictoria Oakley, Head of Ceramics and Glass ConservationPhilip Rogers, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Materials, Imperial College

13 The Power of the Poster and Paper ConservationPauline Webber, Head of Paper ConservationAlison Norton, Paper Conservator, Paper Conservation

18 The RCA / V&A Conservation Course Study TripVicky Doran, RCA/V&A Conservation Course, MPhil. studentHelen Jones, RCA/V&A Conservation Course, Course Tutor

19 Science SurgeryScience and Information Section, Conservation Department

20 New Students

23 New Staff

24 Conservation Department Staff Chart

HistoryThe panel has gone through a rough time in thelast fifty years. It was severely damaged duringthe Florence floods in 1966 when it was buried inmud. After a two year restoration treatment it wasput on display where it suffered minor damagefrom a leaking window. Later it was installed inthe Pitti Palace where a gas heater in the roomexploded. This resulted in scorching of much ofthe surface and charring of some of the finerdetail. During several years on open display somefurther mechanical damage had occurred,especially to delicate detail. Several links of thechain had become detached.

EnvironmentThe panel is hung in a room with thick stonewalls, marble floors and heavy wooden doors.There is one North-West facing windowwhich is usually shuttered. It was easy tobelieve the prevalent view that the panelhad become accustomed to a stableenvironment much more humid than theproposed exhibition space. Electronic dataloggers were left in the vicinity of the panel.Over a period of nearly two years theenvironment was shown to have fluctuatedas wildly as any uncontrolled gallery at theV&A. The data told us that the object hadwithstood many much greater fluctuationsthan we intended to expose it to, and hadnot equilibrated to a high moisture content.This turned out to be the case at thelocations of other proposed loans inEngland. We were thus not worried abouttransfer to a stable environment between 45and 55% RH.

We were still concerned about thepossibility of a plant failure in the exhibitionspace which in mid winter could lead tohumidities below 20%. Since the wood isnot painted and generally not constrained,given the recent history of the carvingseven this calamity should not result inirreversible deformation - in theory.However we were keen not to test thetheory. Airtight display cases would haveprovided the necessary security but werenot thought appropriate to the exhibitionof material designed to be part of largedecorative schemes. The solution was tocheck that systems to register deviationsfrom specification would be acted onimmediately, that replacement parts wereon hand and that emergency humidificationback up was available.

Intervention.Although there was a great deal of discussionabout treatments to return the scorched surfacesto their original light colour, and some desires tocorrect the misplacement of parts during the1967 68 restoration, these ideas were rejected asbeing too interventive. There were a fewdetached pieces that needed reattachment. Therewere sections that moved which were notdesigned to move and needed securing. Therewas concern that as long as the object remainedon open display at the Palace it would need to bedusted and occasionally handled. It was felt thatsome of the charred details were not sufficientlyrobust to withstand this forever. A search wasmade for an appropriate consolidant that wouldstrengthen sufficiently without darkening oradding gloss.


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After many years of hoping, and several more ofplanning, a large number of works by the 17thcentury woodcarver, Grinling Gibbons, will begathered together at the V&A this autumn.Gibbons’ carving can be found in palaces,churches and country houses throughoutEngland. The easily recognisable cascades oflifelike flowers, fruit, foliage and birds, carved inlimewood, are too delicate to be moved on aregular basis. This exhibition is likely tobe the first and last occasion for manyyears where so many pieces are shownside by side.

The star of the show, a large piece (1701 x1346 x 330 mm) commissioned fromGibbons by Charles II as a gift for theDuke of Tuscany, is not resident inEngland. Known as the Cosimo Panel, it ison display at the Pitti Palace in Florence,Italy. This article describes the discussionsand actions that were necessary to ensurethat the star could be in London,unharmed, for the opening of theexhibition. It is a measure of theconfidence in those thoughts and deedsthat this article was written before thepanel began its journey.

ConsiderationsThe questions to be answered werefamiliar. Is the object in a fit state totravel? If not, can it be put into a fit state?What are the most likely hazards on thejourney? Can we guard against these? Isthe difference in environment between itspresent location and the proposeddisplay environment very large? Can werealistically maintain the promised displayenvironment? Does it matter?

We believe that, as borrowers, we shouldbe confident that an object is fit to travelto us. It took visits by three conservatorsand a packer to convince us that wecould safely ask for this large, complexand delicate panel to be moved acrossEurope. We also believe that we shouldnot encourage interventive treatmentsthat are only necessary to enable an

object to travel. If an object could remain onpublic view without treatment, and notdeteriorate, then as a general rule we wouldavoid intervention. We had to discuss thetreatment we thought the object needed as anissue separate from the desire to borrow thepanel. Money was available for conservation butwe did not want to appear to use this as a bribeto facilitate the loan.

The Cosimo PanelJonathan Ashley-Smith Head of Conservation.

Figure 1 Detail of the Cosimo Panel

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Figure 2 Detail of the Cosimo Panel

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In 1951 the word ‘restoration’was a word I always associatedwith fund raising, whilst‘conservation’ was never used atwork. We were simply ‘repairing’the damage caused by thebombs during the war. Theword ‘repair’ at that timecovered a wide spectrum, fromcollecting and reassemblingsmall fragments of carving fromthe rubble, to carving whatsomeone thought might havebeen there before. I can neverremember a carver‘researching’, what could havebeen there.

Those were the “good old days”with many beautiful Wrenchurches to rebuild anddecorate with their GrinlingGibbons style of carving. Thelong tradition of each firmhaving its own interpretation ofan architectural style meant thatjourneyman craftsmen wouldhave to change their style tosuit. Good examples of this in StPaul’s Cathedral are thetwentieth century woodcarvingsby J.Walker in the St Michael &St George Chapel, the Ratteeand Kett work in the AmericanChapel and the E.J.Bradford’slimewood carvings on thePulpit, all done within a fortyyear period.

In 1972 I joined the carvingteam at St Paul’s under KenGardner who had trained me atBradford’s, so it was thereforenatural for us to continue in thesame style. Outside on theSouth Portico, compare the four


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Per Hoffmann, research scientist and head ofconservation of archeological wood at theGerman Maritime Museum, Bremerhaven, testeda range of consolidants for us. Six materials,including cellulose ethers, acrylics and poly(vinylbutyral)s, were assessed for degree ofconsolidation, visual acceptability, reversibilityand ease of application. The success of theconsolidation process was tested by drawing filterpaper at a standard pressure across uniformlycharred fluted beechwood rods. The degree ofrub-off for each sample was compared to theothers and to that from an unconsolidatedsection. The visible acceptability was tested onlimewood samples shaped to expose a range ofangles to the grain. Although the aim was toconsolidate only the charred areas, it waspredicted that a low viscosity solution wouldspread uncontrollably on a raw wood surface due

to capillary forces. It wasnecessary to ensure that therewas no change to theappearance of uncharredsurfaces affected by thetreatment. The finalrecommendation was for apoly(vinyl butyral), of a mediumdegree of acetalisation, dissolvedat 2-3% in ethanol. Thetreatment was carried out at thePitti Palace by David Luard. He isa conservator with experience ofboth Grinling Gibbons and firedamaged surfaces, havingworked on limewood carvingsrescued from the fire atHampton Court Palace.

TransportThe final question was how totransport it, the biggest puzzlebeing whether it would be safeston its bottom edge, its side orits back. It would be easier tomove the case throughdoorways if the panel werepacked in a vertical plane. On itsside rather than upright wouldmake a more stable case, easierto handle. Some of the carveddetail such as the feather isconnected at one end only andby a very thin section of wood. If the panel were on its back andreceived a vertical shock theremight be sufficient moment to

snap the joint. Yet again, transit on its back is theonly way that pressure from packing materials onthe fragile carved detail could be avoided. This isthe orientation that was chosen. It will travel onits back, in a case, in an environmentallycontrolled air-ride vehicle.

I was unable to determine whether beingconsumed by a fire in the Channel Tunnel orimmersed in water in a sinking ferry was thegreater risk. The Cosimo Panel probably hassufficient experience to overcome either.

Grinling Gibbons and the Art of Carving, an exhibitionat the V&A from October 22nd 1998 to January 24th1999. A book of the same title by the curator of theexhibition, David Esterley, is available from V&APublications.

50 Years of Following in Grinling Gibbons’Tool CutsTony WebbMaster Carver, St Paul’s Cathedral.

Figure 3 The Cosimo Panel (1701 x 1346 x 330 mm)

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Figure 1 Repairs to Grinling Gibbons carving from the Quire (limewood)

according to size and design. A lot of damagehas been caused in the past by taking downand refixing the carvings without any regard toprevious fixings or future removal. This is, afterall, the fourth time they have been fixed in theQuire, and, no doubt they will come downagain, but at least we have eliminated thismajor cause of damage.

The carvings are no longer fixed in a randomway, but according to a grand plan which Ibelieve is suggested by the design. Forexample, swags of oak leaves alternate withswags of acanthus leaves, and swags of flowerswhich have an identical pair now sit oppositeeach other across the aisle. Many pieces areright- or left- handed and once you know this,it is very annoying to see two right handedpieces together. It is also amazing how manyhave been fixed either upside down or totallyin the wrong place. We may not get it rightevery time, but at least we are aware now. TheQuire was photographed before we startedmaking these alterations and we now have aconservator on the staff who is recordingeverything, so I feel comfortable withrearranging the carvings. Working as a team, wespend time debating where a piece should fit,and how to deal with a particular problem, andstill we make changes when new evidence isfound. This is one big advantage of having apermanent team.

There has always been discussion as to howWren intended the woodwork to be finishedand I have heard talk of ox blood being used tostain the wood. However the facts as I seethem are:

1. The original surplus oak carvings whichhave been left untouched in the storesince the 1861 alteration are not as darkin colour as the carvings in the Quire.

2. Where oak mouldings are out of easyreach they are lighter than the ones thatare easy to stain.

3. When applied limewood carvings areremoved they leave a lighter shadow.

These observations give rise to the question, isthis due to natural ageing or deliberatestaining.

The current policy is to colour the new carvedpieces, which will be undertaken later as asingle project rather than individual pieces, toobtain a uniform colour across the Quire.

While working at St Paul’s it is important toremember that we are not a museum but aworking Cathedral, which happens to havesome of the world’s finest seventeenth centurycarvings. After they have been cleaned,repaired and refixed they will get dusty andmay be accidentally damaged, because they arepart of the fabric, not objects in glass cases.

Over the last fifty years attitudes have changedenormously to restoration, and no doubt willcontinue to do so. Although I miss theopportunity to carve new work, the more Iwork on the Grinling Gibbons carvings, themore new discoveries I make about them, andthe more stunning I find them.


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new ‘incense potts’ carved by us with theoriginals carved by Caius Cibber in a stylealmost indistinguishable from Gibbons, two ofwhich are displayed in the crypt. Theirsilhouette may be similar, but their delicacy andfinesse are lost. This freedom for interpretationis certainly not acceptable these days, andwhile I have illustrated this with examples fromSt Paul’s, there are certainly other examples.

In the early eighties I took control of thecarving department and with the Surveyor tothe Fabric agreed to make changes. At thistime, whilst working on Wren’s Great Model, Ibecame involved with the ConservationDepartment at the Museum of London, a totallynew experience for me and probably thebiggest single change in my working life. Fromnow on, all decisions would have to bequestioned, and no longer could it be said,“that’s how we’ve always done it”.

Recently there has been a restoration to theGrinling Gibbons carvings in the Quire at StPaul’s, where a major change in philosophy has

taken place. I knew that when the carvingswere returned from safe keeping during thewar, they had been refixed in a hurry and werein a sorry state as a result. Most of the carvingshad been fixed with too many iron nails (up tofive in one flower), most of which have rustedand expanded, splitting the wood. The oldanimal glue was drying out and the joints wereopening up. The oak carvings had been treatedwith generous amounts of linseed oil and turpsto five them a shine, which is unacceptablenow.

Now, after the carvings are taken down, theyare dusted before being lightly washed. Asmany nails as possible are removed withoutdamaging the wood, and they are then repairedusing new limewood fixed with PVA adhesive.New pieces are only added when evidence isavailable from old photographs, where there isan identical pair or a repeated pattern. Theyare then refixed in the Quire with a minimumnumber of brass screws, which we try to keepto a system, by fixing all the swags with thesame number of screws in the same place

Figure 2 Repairs to Grinling Gibbons carving from the Quire in progress (limewood)

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it is this cycle of hydration and dehydration thatoccurs during environmental fluctuations whichleads to the formation of surface cracks. Thesurface swells as it absorbs moisture, and shrinksas it loses moisture. The effect can be seen inFigure 1 which shows an image of the glasssurface taken with an optical interferometer,capable of high resolution three dimensionalsurface imaging. The swelling of the surface hascaused the surface to ‘buckle’ and rise in ridgesalong the line of the cracks.

In order to treat glass sickness, or preventcrizzling from occurring, it is important tounderstand the chemical processes involved. Thiswas the thrust of the work for the first period ofthe project1. The Department of Materials atImperial College has a number of analyticaltechniques that are particularly suited to thestudy of these very slow corrosion processes.Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) andAtomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in particularoffer excellent methods for these investigations2.SIMS can be used to analyse elementalconcentrations as a function of depth andpossesses a vertical resolution of under onenanometer3. The technique also has a very widedynamic range and can measure elementalconcentrations ranging from parts per hundredto parts per billion. This corresponds to aconcentration range of 107. A plot of elementalconcentration vs. depth (a depth profile) isshown in Figure 2 and this clearly shows the

presence of three distinct areas. At the left handside is the surface and the sub-surface region, a.In this region, the concentrations of the alkalisare enhanced slightly. The next region is thealkali-depleted layer, ß. In this region, theconcentrations of the alkali ions are greatlyreduced and the concentrations slowly rise to thevalues of the concentrations in the bulk of theglass. This is explained in terms of the diffusionof the alkali ions through the glass, from the bulktoward the surface under the influence of achemical potential caused by water adsorbed onthe glass surface.

SIMS depth profiles have shown that thethickness of the depleted layer, ß, corresponds tothe amount of ageing the glass surface hasundergone. Thus, it was found that SIMS couldbe used as a direct comparative measure of thedegradation experienced by the glass. This, inturn, could be used as a measure of the efficacyof conservation treatments. The behaviour of thesurface can also be viewed directly with an AFM4.This technique allows for high-resolution imagingof the material surface. Figure 3 shows an AFMimage of a corroded glass surface. By studyingthe changes in the surface as corrosionprogresses, we can directly estimate the amountof corrosion occurring on the glass. Again, this isvery important when it comes to measuring theefficacy of treatments.

The treatment of crizzled glass may take anumber of routes, using either chemicalalteration of the near-surface layer, or of thesurface itself. Initially, the use of aqueoussolutions of multi-valent ions as a means ofrestoring lost chemical durability to the glasssurface was investigated5.The ions (such asaluminium) diffuse from solution into the surfaceof the glass, where they form bridging bondsbetween disparate silica units. SIMS may be usedto directly follow the diffusion profile of the ionsinto the glass, as well as determining thedifference in corrosion rates between treated anduntreated glasses.

While the application of aqueous ions alters thechemistry of the subsurface, the second phase ofthe project focussed on the use ofmonofunctional silane compounds to provideprotection to the surface itself. These aredesigned not as coupling agents or consolidants,but to provide chemical protection at the surface,with a single molecular layer. One end of themolecule binds to the glass surface, while theother is made hydrophobic so it repels water.


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For seven years, the Conservation Department ofthe Victoria and Albert Museum has collaboratedwith the Department of Materials at ImperialCollege, to investigate the causes of, and possibletreatments for glass disease. Glass disease, alsoknown as glass sickness or crizzling, had beenidentified as a major conservation problem forthe Museum after extensive surveys by theCeramics and Glass Conservation Section in 1988and 1991-2, prior to the development of the newGlass Gallery. To explore the impact thiscollaboration has had on the treatment ofcrizzling glass, it is first necessary to review thenature of glass and the reasons it may suffer fromthis serious problem.

Glass is a term that can be applied to manydifferent materials, but is usually taken to meansilica-based amorphous materials. Glass objectsare commonly formed from a mixture of silica(SiO2); the alkali oxides, soda (Na2O) or potash(K2O); and alkaline earth oxides such as lime(CaO). Such glasses are often referred to as‘soda-lime-silica’ or ‘potash-lime-silica’. Otherelements may also be present,usually at lesser levels. Theproportions of silica, alkali andalkaline earth may be varied toform glasses with differentproperties; a high-silica glass willtend to have a high melting-point(and hence be hard to work atmoderate temperatures).Increasing the amount of alkalichemically disrupts the silicanetwork, and lowers the workingtemperature of the glass.Historically, furnace design andeconomic considerations havelimited the temperature at whichglass can be worked, and so it wasnecessary to formulate glasseshaving lower viscosities at

moderate temperatures. This required addingincreased amounts of alkali oxides to theformulation; but while this is successful inlowering the viscosity, these ‘high alkali, low lime’glasses also suffer from poor chemical durability.

This poor durability manifests itself in a numberof ways, but one of the most distressing iscrizzling. A crizzled surface will become coveredwith minute surface cracks, which over time willgrow and penetrate the whole body of the glassand lead to its physical collapse. Before cracksare seen to form, the initial stages of theprocesses may be identified by the production onthe surface of the glass of a wet surface that feels‘slippery’. Droplets of moisture may be seen toform and these droplets lend the term ‘weeping’to glasses exhibiting this behaviour. This wetnessoccurs at higher humidities (usually aboveapproximately 50% relative humidity). When thehumidity falls, the surface can dehydrate, andcrystals may form on the surface of the glass. Asthe glass dehydrates further, moisture can be lostfrom the sub-surface layers of the glass itself and

Cracking Crizzling – Eight Years of Collaborative ResearchSimon Hogg, PhD student, Department of Materials, Imperial College

David McPhail, Senior Tutor, Department of Materials, Imperial College

Victoria Oakley, Head of Ceramics and Glass Conservation

Philip Rogers, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Materials, Imperial College

Figure 1 An image from an optical interferometer showing the development of surface features on a severelycrizzled glass. The raised ridges are where cracks have appeared in the surface due to buckling. The opticalinterferometer is a non-contact technique which offers a vertical resolution of 0.1nm

Figure 2 A SIMS depth profile of crizzled glass surface showing three distinct regions. a is thesurface region, ß the alkali-depleted region and the bulk is the main body of the glass. Thelines are labelled according to their atomic masses in brackets, and chemical symbol.


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This has been used to retard the rate of corrosionby a factor of ten in short-term acceleratedageing. The coated surface is stable againstdesorption and hydrolysis, but further in situtests are needed to ensure the long termphotochemical stability of the treatment.

The past seven years have been particularlysuccessful in elucidating the causes and effects ofcrizzling, and offering a possible treatment forobjects with this condition. Particular emphasishas been placed upon the novel application ofsurface science techniques to problems inconservation. The successful collaborationbetween the Victoria and Albert Museum andImperial College has helped to ensure that glasshas a sparkling future.

The Department of Materials is always keen todevelop new research collaborations. DavidMcPhail may be contacted at

Department of MaterialsImperial College of Science, Technology andMedicinePrince Consort RoadLondon, SW7 2BPemail: [email protected]

References1. Ryan, J., McPhail, D., Rogers, P., Oakley, V., GlassDeterioration in the Museum Environment,Chemistry & Industry, No.13, 1993, pp.498-501.

2. Hogg, S., McPhail, D., Oakley, V., Rogers, P.,Modern Instrumental Methods for the Study ofthe Deterioration of Vessel Glass, to be publishedin Tennent, N.(ed), Conservation of Glass andCeramics, James & James, London.

3. Ryan, J., McPhail, D., Rogers, P., Oakley, V., GlassDeterioration in the Museum Environment: AStudy of the Mechanisms of Decay UsingSecondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, in ICOMCommittee for Conservation, 11th TriennialMeeting, Edinburgh, Scotland Preprints, James &James, London, 1996, pp.839-844.

4. Schmitz, I., Prohaska, T., Friedbacher, G.,Schreiner, M., Grasserbauer, M., Investigation ofCorrosion Processes on Cleavage Edges ofPotash-Lime-Silica Glasses by Atomic-ForceMicroscopy, Fresenius Journal Of AnalyticalChemistry, Vol.353, No.5- 8, 1995, pp.666-669.

5. Ryan, J., Chemical stabilisation of WeatheredGlass Surfaces: A New Approach to GlassConservation, V&A Conservation Journal, No. 16, 1995, pp 6-9.

Figure 3 An AFM image of a corroded glass surface. The sur-face is about six times rougher than the glass when freshlypolished yet has only been aged for seven days. The AFMallows direct imaging of the topography of the surface witha higher lateral resolution than the optical interferometerbut with higher constraints on the roughness of the surfaceto be measured.

The Power of the Poster and Paper ConservationPauline Webber, Head of Paper Conservation

Alison Norton, Paper Conservator, Paper Conservation

Following the recent Power of the Posterexhibition, this article aims to describe the widerrole of the Paper Conservation Section before,during and after the exhibition.

Posters at the V&AThe Victoria and Albert Museum collects posterson an international scale, with over 10,000objects in the Prints and Drawings Department,and significant holdings in other departments.The Museum has had an active collecting policythroughout the twentieth century and now holdsthe national collection. Posters have animmediate impact and as a medium ofcommunication have a fascinating appeal. Theycan be active forces for change, as propaganda,social documents and as an art form. The historyof posters demonstrates the application of art tocommercial and industrial printing, resulting in aliberating and exciting art form. The importanceof the Museum’s collection lies in its technicaland artistic merit, the emphasis of collectingpolicy being the ‘artist poster’; thus thecollection can be seen as not only an archive ofsocial and political change but as a history oflithographic art.

The PosterA poster is defined as “a placard posted ordisplayed in a public place as an announcementor advertisement”1. Although the poster, invarious guises, is not a modern development -very early posters were produced using a varietyof techniques - it was the innovation and use ofhigh speed colour lithography by Jules Cheret inthe nineteenth century that brought the art formto the masses. The majority of posters are printedby offset lithography. Posters have generalcharacteristics of size, shape and material, usuallybeing printed onto standard formats of machine-made woodpulp paper; but the variety ofmessages and styles is staggering. In recent yearsthe deployment of posters has becomeincreasingly inventive with adverts that use lights,optical and even olfactory illusions 2. The size ofposters is dictated by the space they might fill,from small advertisements to huge roadside

hoardings and The Power of the Poster hasattempted to reflect the breadth and wealth ofposter design.

Poster Exhibitions at the V&AThe Exhibition of British and Foreign Postersheld in 1931 recognised the active collectingpolicy of the V&A. The display of 650 posters wasin itself a further impetus to acquisition, andmany posters were received as gifts and bequests.Numerous smaller specialist poster exhibitionshave been held since, such as London TransportPosters in 1949 and the Mucha exhibition of1963, but The Power of the Poster exhibition thisyear was only the second major exhibition ofposters to be held. The Power of the Poster aimedto show approximately 350 posters from theMuseum’s own holdings and to offer some of thebest examples of poster art from the nineteenthand twentieth centuries.

The exhibition was divided into three key areas,each being individually curated. “Leisure andPleasure” focussed on the development of artsand entertainment posters; “Protest andPropaganda’”showed powerful images used topromote political, moral and social messages;“Products and Services” showed commercialadvertising posters. Approximately half the V&A’scollection is of British posters, although all thesections included familiar and unfamiliar imagesfrom throughout the world.

Exhibition PlanningAn exhibition of this scale requires a great deal ofplanning, communication and time, andpreparations for the poster exhibition began wellin advance of its formal agreement; for examplewith a survey of ‘oversize’ works on paper in1993. Information gained from this and furthersurveys assisted in the projection of conservationestimates. Although the list of posters for theexhibition was constantly changing, the majoritywere surveyed during the summer of 1997.Condition ratings from 1(Good) to4(Unacceptable) were used3, and the results wereas follows:- Condition 1 - 11%, Condition 2 - 43%,Condition 3 - 34%, Condition 4 - 4%. All the

posters were measured at this stage as well toenable the mounts to be made in time.Recommendations to the exhibition designerregarding the mounting and display of theposters were made during regular project teammeetings between Conservation, Design,Exhibition, Curatorial and other staff concerned.These meetings were a time of patience,diplomacy and flexibility and were usuallypositive, clearing any misunderstandings andallowing the project to progress smoothly.

ConservationBy September 1997 the final list had been drawnup and a full assessment was made of theconservation required. Work was prioritized andtime-tabled. Planning was essential due to thelarge scale of the exhibition itself and of theobjects. The ‘average’ poster was approximately1000 x 750mm and the largest 4100 x 3100mm, sospace in the studio was at a premium and goodorganization critical. The posters chosen for theexhibition ranged in date, size and condition.Most of the more modern examples requiredlittle except mounting, yet the majority neededsome treatment.

Posters are generally lithographically printed ontofairly poor-quality short-fibred paper. Due to theirnature the vast majority of posters havepreviously undergone restoration or conservationbefore or after acquisition. This is generally someform of lining with, over time, a wide range ofbacking methods having been applied. Someretain the cloth that was often applied by theprinters when selling directly to dealers, othershave laminated backings of canvas and heavymachine made papers. Occasionally animpregnated starched cotton has also been used,and more recently treatment tends to be liningsof western wove or oriental papers. The majorityof adhesives tend to be water soluble, rangingfrom manufactured starch pastes used in the 50's,to carboxy methyl cellulose. Nowadays,wheatstarch paste is commonly used.

Many of the posters required re-lining due to thefailure of the adhesive which resulted indelamination. Previous lining methods were oftentoo heavy, which caused distortion anddeformation. Other problems includeddiscolouration and increased brittleness of thepaper, surface and ingrained dirt, splits, cracks,tears and losses. Poor handling and poor storage


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Figure 1 Chris Gingell preparing the strips of japanese paper with Lascaux as described in the text.

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Figure 2 The reverse of the Derry and Tom poster by Bylitiplis WS, Museum No. E.15-1920,after the old linings have been removed showing a campaign poster featuringLloyd George. Size 152.2cm x 102.5cm.

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have also contributed, with damage resultingfrom repeated flexing, folding or rolling. Fulltreatment of the posters involved surfacecleaning, the removal of old linings and adhesive,‘blotter washing’, relining with a japanese paper,repair, infilling of losses and some retouching.The majority of treatments were, however, fairlystandard. The printing inks used can generallywithstand wet treatment, although the red inks,especially on the continental posters, were moresusceptible. The posters were lined with sekishujapanese mulberry paper and zin shofu paste (apurer, japanese form of wheat starch). Infills andlosses were retouched using watercolour, pasteland coloured carbon pencils. Interestingexceptions to this ‘standard treatment’ included aRussian okno (a window poster of 12 panelsproduced with a stencil), a Japanese Kabukitheatre poster, the original collage for the SexPistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks and hand-coloured suffragette posters.

The size and flexibility of the new PaperConservation studio were used to the full. Fixedfurniture had been kept to a minimum in thedesign, which enabled the large central floorspace to be used with trestle worktops in avariety of configurations forming large work

surfaces. The specifications for the floor hadincluded the ability to tolerate water treatments,and in the case of the largest posters the floorwas used as a working surface. However, thelargest posters did have to be mounted in theexhibition area because, despite a large studio,the lift was too small.

Exhibition Design and MountingLiaising with the exhibition designer was a criticalpart of the preparation process, and ensured thatthe mounting and presentation of the posters inthe space provided had an aesthetic coherence.Early suggestions of coloured walls and curvedceilings were abandoned, partly for lack of fundsbut largely for aesthetic considerations, and itwas agreed to ‘let the posters do the talking’. Theoverall atmosphere was clean and sharp, with thewalls painted an off-white. The North Court glassroof was covered and a white fabric stretchedacross to bounce light back into the gallery. Sightlines were kept open throughout the gallery andinformation panels were kept simple. The posterswere hung in groups within the three distinctsections, and the height of some internal wallsreduced to make the overall design lessoverpowering. The effect of the number and sizeof posters was intense.

It had been decided at an early stage to mount theposters in an untraditional way, unframed andunglazed, to maximise their impact and allowthem to be presented in a suitably sympatheticfashion which reflected their form and function.The majority of the posters were thus displayed onrigid supports or ‘subframes’4 made of a woodenstrainer with GatorfoamTM attached. The edges ofthe ‘subframes’ were sanded and covered withArchive TextTM. The posters were positioned ontothe subframes and mounted with further strips ofArchive TextTM pasted with wheatstarch, holdingthem flat and taut but without tension. The moremodern and unlined posters (without reinforcingstrips of a putative lining by which to hold them),were attached to the subframes using minogamior usimino japanese paper strips attached to theobject with Lascaux Acrylic Adhesive 360HVTM, aheat-activated adhesive.

This simple, effective method of mountingallowed the posters to be presented in a mannerthat contributes to, rather than diminishes theirbeing understood. It could be seen as aprototype for a standard form of displayfacilitating both attachment and later removal.The mounts are easy to construct and can beused for travelling exhibitions, althoughGatorfoamTM is not at present recommended forlong-term storage. The largest posters weresuspended from the roof vaulting on wires whichcould each carry 130kg. Wooden strainerscovered in TheatexTM - an imported 5m widepolyester often used in theatre backdrops - acted

rather like ‘cami-linings’5. They were used assupports for the posters and were attached usingstrips of japanese mulberry minogami. Some ofthe posters had to be framed, for example thosewith sensitive media, working drawings, those inareas where space was tight or access required(eg. fire exits), and those with loan and museumrestrictions. A distance of 1.2m had to be keptbetween the visitor and unglazed objects, whichin this case was provided by a low stretch barrier,and warding staff prevented any vandalism ordamage. The use of the ‘subframes’, and theopportunity to view the objects unglazed,enhanced the exhibition and harmonised wellwith the overall design, contributing to thegeneral success of The Power of the Poster.

Exhibition and EnvironmentThe exhibition was open for almost four monthsand has been one of the Museum’s mostsuccessful, with attendance figures of almost200,000. Conservation and Exhibition staffmonitored the posters throughout, and there wasno obvious damage or change to any of theworks on display. All that was required was simplythe brushing away of a light covering of dustfrom the top edges of the ‘subframes’. Althoughthe exhibition areas do not at present operateunder the strictest environmental controls,fluctuations in humidity and temperature werenot extreme; the largest posters - where anychange would be reflected in dimensionalmovement - remained unaltered and wellmounted, without either sagging or cockling.

Future PlansThe de-installation ofthe poster exhibitionhas just beencompleted. Theoriginal plan hadbeen to remove theposters from their‘subframes’ andencapsulate thembefore their return tothe poster store.However it is likelythat the exhibitionwill be travelling toSheffield for displaywithin the next twoyears. Therefore,after conditionchecking, the objectswill be stored in theirpresent condition as


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Figure 3 Posters ready for hanging being stored in the preparation area in the North Court.

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Figure 4 Caffaro, by Franz Laskoff, Museum No. E.1414-1963, on display in the exhibition

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a unit. Each poster on its ‘subframe’ waswrapped in Archive TextTM and bubble wrap, theframed objects simply protected with bubblewrap, and the larger objects removed from theirstrainers, carefully rolled around large plastictubes and protected on the outside.

The exhibition has offered the opportunity tospend a concentrated period of time working onthe poster collection, not just on those chosenfor the exhibition, and it is hoped that this canbe continued. In May 1998 a further survey ofthe Poster Store on level F of the Henry ColeWing was carried out. This store holds over 1000objects including the largest works. An ongoingprogramme of work has begun, prioritising thoseposters in poorest condition.

Posters are a very public art form and the V&Astrives to keep its posters accessible, throughmajor exhibitions, temporary displays and loans.It is also planning to develop a new storage andpermanent display area.

References1. The Shorter Oxford EnglishDictionary, Oxford University Press,1973.

2. Timmers, M., Introduction in Timmers,M., ed. The Power of the Poster, V&APublications, London, 1998, pp7-25.

3 . Keene, S., ‘Audits of Care: AFramework for Collections ConditionSurveys’, in Storage: Papers given atUKIC Conference, Restoration 91, UKIC,London, 1991.

4. ‘Subframe’ was coined by exhibitiondesigner Mike Malham to distinguishbetween this and other mountingmethods.

5. ‘Cami-lining’ was developed by PeterBooth at the Tate Gallery and describedin Booth, P., Stretcher Design: Problemsand Solutions, The Conservator, 13, 1989,pp31-40.

AcknowledgementsWith thanks to all in the PaperConservation studio, Margaret Timmersand all those involved in the Posterexhibition.

SuppliersZin Shofu and Archive Text paper, 85gsm -Conservation by Design, Timecare Works, 60Park Road West, Bedford MK41 7SL

Sekishu, Minogami, Usomino paper - MasumiCorporation, 4-5-2 Sugamo, Tokyo 170, Japan

Gatorfoam - Europoint Display, Units 1&2,Bricklayers Arms, Mandela Way, London SE1 5SL

Lascaux 360HV - Lascaux Restauro, CH-8306Bruttisellen, Switzerland

Theatex - ‘Trevyra White’ (Polyester White), 5 mwide - Spoorlaan 8a, 3645 EJ Vinkereen, Holland

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Royal College of Art Victoria & Albert Museum Joint Course Conservation

19

Science Surgerycon.sci@

vam.ac.uk

Welcome to this new and regularfeature of the ConservationJournal. This page is producedby the Science and InformationTeam and presents some of oursmaller tasks. The content willvary - sometimes reporting factsgleaned from the examination ofan object (or group of objects)whilst on other occasions thefocus may be a question that hassparked debate.

One particular source for thisregular page will be the ‘ScienceSurgeries’ that we hold everyThursday afternoon. Theconcept of this afternoon was toallow members of the Museumto ‘walk-in’ with a query or sothat the smaller jobs couldproceed. Alternatively,individuals have used theseafternoons for chats aboutpotential projects. Once a monththese sessions are given a themewhere a member of the teamtargets a particular subject in aninformal manner. The success ofthese sessions has led us to thinkabout how we could expand -this page is one example.

We cannot offer a freeconsultancy service to thoseoutside of the Museum but if youhave interesting queries that fitwith our own tasks we will bringthem into the overall equation.You may then find the answerson this very page.

V&A changes colour

We have been measuringdiscolouration of the V&A’sfacade. In 1989, the building wascleaned by a combination of

damp and dry abrasivetechniques.

Portland stone, used on V&A’sfront, is known to re-form stainsand discolouration aftercleaning. Each face lift coststhree million pounds and takesabout 18 months. Colourmeasurement will helpdetermine the effectiveness ofthe cleaning technique.

Boris taking colour measurement.

Colour measurements are takenat various points on the building.From this data colour changesare calculated. The graphrepresents changes for shelteredareas (measurement site facingNorth at roof height). A fullerreport on this work will follow.

What is this Dandruff ?

An outbreak of dandruff wasnoticed on the shoulders ofsome mannequins in the DressCourt at the V&A. Facsimile wigs, that formed part of thecostume display, were found tobe the source. The dandruffcontained titanium suggestingthat the white deposit was the pigment, titanium white.This investigation by theConservation Science sectionsolved the mystery of thedandruff and reassured thetextile conservators andcurators, that althoughsomewhat unsightly, thedandruff posed no chemicalhazard to the costumes.

A facsimile wig in the Dress Court.

Science SurgeryScience and Information SectionConservation Department

Lucky you! That’s the usual responsewhen we announce the annual Coursestudy trip to foreign parts for first yearstudents and Course staff. Noteverything is paid for, of course, butthe trip is heavily subsidised fromCourse budgets. Each year, when thetime comes to pay the bills, we have toask ourselves - is it worth it? It’s hardto answer in strictly accountable termsas, while the costs are clearly evident,the benefits are intangible.Nevertheless, our gut feeling is thatthe trip is ‘a good thing’ and shouldcontinue.

The benefits include: seeing wonderfulcollections, monuments and sites;observing and discussing conservationpractices in new contexts; makingcontacts for potential placements,internships and future visits; acting asambassadors for the Course, the V&Aand UK conservation. We should notbe shy about admitting that we allenjoy it, too! The most valuablebenefit, though, comes from having allthe first year students together withthe staff for a sustained period. Duringthe busy term-time, when studentswork in their own studio or laboratoryand are geographically separated, theycan feel very isolated. The study tripcounters this; students discover linksbetween their study areas and formfriendships which will, we hope,sustain them beyond the trip itself.

So, in May 1998, 12 students and twostaff went to Barcelona. Official visitsincluded the regional training schoolfor Catalonia, set on a hill on the city’soutskirts. Students there take three-year programmes specialising in

sculpture, paintings, graphic worksand archaeology. There was lot ofbuilding work going on which wasinconvenient at the time, but willimprove their facilities. At the MuseuNacional d’Art de Catalunya we wereshown the storage and conservationfacilities by S. Benoit de Tapol. TheMuseum itself houses a superbcollection of early wall paintings; theprocesses of their removal and re-display were explained anddebated.The University of Barcelonaruns a paintings restoration course,but, unfortunately, we did not see theirstudios because we spent so long inthe University’s comprehensivelyequipped - and enviably accessible -Scientific-Technical ServicesDepartment. Silvia, researchingsynthetic textile fibres, had to bedragged forcibly from the infra-redspectroscopy lab!

The Miro Foundation and PicassoMuseum were visited by most, whilethe amazing, singular architecture ofGaudi and his contemporaries washard to miss. The highlight of the firstwas a hastily-arranged tour of thestores, conservation studio andarchive. The sheer quantity of Miro’swork was impressive, if nothing else.The two students researching metalpatination sadly missed this visit,having ventured deep into the Spanishhinterland to find the foundry wheremany of Miro’s works were cast.

Trips were planned to the DaliMuseum and his recently-openedhouse, or to the mountain monasteryof Montserrat. We chose to brave thecable car journey to the latter and

queued to see the famous “BlackMadonna”. We’re ashamed to say thatwe couldn’t decide whether it hadbeen painted black or been“patinated” by years of worship andcandle soot. We did discover, however,that platform shoes are not ideal formountain-climbing. A valuable lesson,indeed!

The RCA / V&A Conservation Course Study TripVicky Doran, RCA/V&A Conservation Course, MPhil student

Helen Jones, RCA/V&A Conservation Course, Course Tutor

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New Students forthe Academic Year1998/99Helen JonesCourse Tutor, RCA/V&A ConservationCourse

The start of a new year is a time ofexcitement and anticipation because it is atime of change. First and foremost, eachintake of students brings a new “flavour” tothe Course and new challenges. There arealso some changes for the staff to report.

1998/99 will be a truly international year forus, with seven of the nine new studentsintroduced here hailing from Europe,Scandinavia, Japan and New Zealand. Livingas a student in London is never easy, but itis especially hard for foreign students, andmost difficult of all for those coming fromoutside the European Economic Area(EEA). UK students are eligible to apply forbursaries from the RCA to help with bothtuition fees and maintenance (though notall those who are eligible are guaranteed toget one). EEA students pay the same tuitionfee as UK students and may apply for abursary, but are not eligible formaintenance bursaries. Overseas studentsare required to meet the full cost of theirtuition - currently over £15,000 per year -and maintenance themselves. Some arelucky enough to raise funding from theirhome countries, but others rely on savings,family and loans. Joining this Course canrequire huge sacrifice and commitment: wedo our best to ensure that it is worth it.

The new intake will take the total numberof students on the Course to a new high oftwenty four. This is a somewhat dauntingprospect, but in order to cope we are gladto welcome Alison Richmond back asCourse Tutor. She will spend about half ofher time devoted to the Course and theother half dedicated to Departmentalresponsibilities such as the internshipprogramme. Sarah Dodman, CourseSecretary at the RCA becomes full-time - sothat she can now work through vacations aswell as term time! The final announcementdoes not relieve the workload, but is verygood news - in 1998/99 the CourseDirector, Alan Cummings, will be Professorof Conservation. Congratulations!

Paul CadmanAged 43, British

Preventive Conservation Research: TheDesign and Performance of Display Cases

(2 year MPhil by Thesis)

BSc (Hons) Restoration andConservation, London GuildhallUniversity (1998)

Paul’s early career was as a Lloyd’s brokerspecialising in marine reinsurance. Fromthe City he moved to Munich, joiningGermany’s largest reinsurance companyand was subsequently moved to Africawhere he was responsible for business incountries in the south of the continent.

Exposure to the museum environmentcame as a result of a career change. Hejoined a specialist fibre optic lightingcompany, where, as well as largearchitectural projects, he designed schemesand equipment for a number of Britishconservation projects and Europeannational collections.

For many years Paul has been a furniturerestorer, having been in continuous trainingwith Alexander O’Neil at Wadhurst, EastSussex. Whilst working on his owncollection he has also undertaken work forprivate clients.

Work in these fields led him to seekacademic qualifications at London GuildhallUniversity where he completed a BSc inRestoration and Conservation. In his finalyear he specialised in developing newprocedures for removing paint from periodfurniture and conducted research intomuseum display lighting.

Paul’s research will begin by examining thespecification procedures for display casedesign and manufacture. Much of the workwill be aimed at enabling conservators tomake more informed decisions as to whatconstitutes appropriate display caseperformance.

Paul will be supervised by Graham Martin,Head of Science and Information at the V&A.

Francesca CappitelliAged 26, Italian

Twentieth Century Materials in Art, Craftand Design (collaboration with TateGallery)

(2 year MPhil by thesis)

MA in Food Science, Universita' degliStudi di Milano, 1996

Francesca’s main interests are arts andtravel. At the end of her biological andchemical studies when she had to decidethe subject of her thesis, the opportunity tostudy and identify some microorganismswhich cause the deterioration of artobjects appealed to her. The objectsstudied were the façades of Ca’d’Oro(Venice) and Certosa di Pavia, and somefrescoes of Signorelli (Orvieto).

After her degree, Francesca initially workedfor some months writing up her studies forpublication, and teaching Biology in aschool of restoration. After this, sheworked as a researcher in the scientificlaboratory of the “Museo del Collezionistad’Arte” in Milan. Her work there involvedimproving a new technique for datingwooden objects using their infraredspectra. Recently Francesca has beentranslating articles about DNA computingfor the University of Bocconi.

Francesca will be working on oils andsynthetic paint materials from the first halfof the 20th century. Her supervisor will beDr Tom Learner, Conservation Scientist,Tate Gallery.

Pedro GasparAge 25, Portuguese

Methods of Cleaning Sculptural andCeramic Materials


BSc (Hons) Materials Science andEngineering, Instituto SuperiorTécnico, Portugal (1998)

During his degree course Pedro becamevery interested in conservation. Heparticipated as a teacher in a course on“Materials Science and Technology”(specialising in conservation of gildedwood) and in the final project for hisdegree he began his research inconservation science by studying the effectsof laser radiation on the cleaning of worksof art.

His final year project concerned the lasercleaning of 18th century Portuguese tilesand was developed at the Laser Group ofthe Mechanical Engineering Department ofthe University of Liverpool with thecollaboration of the Portuguese TileMuseum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo). InLiverpool Pedro also conducted researchon the laser cleaning of sculptural, ceramicand other materials.

Pedro’s supervisors will be the RCA/V&ACourse Director, Prof Alan Cummings andthe Senior Tutor of the Department ofMaterials at Imperial College of Science,Technology and Medicine, Dr DavidMcPhail.

Annie HallAge 31, New Zealander

Metals Conservation

(3 year MA)

BA Anthropology, University ofAuckland, New Zealand (1991)

Diploma in Visual Arts, ManukauInstitute of Technology, New Zealand(1994)

Annie first became interested in conservationwhen working on a research paper atAuckland Museum for her Anthropologydegree. She particularly enjoyed the object-based component of the degree.

While studying at University she also beganmaking jewellery at night classes, workingmostly in sterling silver. After finishing herdegree she decided to focus on her interestin materials and making by undertaking adiploma in Visual Arts specialising inContemporary Jewellery. She then becamea self-employed jeweller, but stillmaintained an interest in conservation. Sheworked voluntarily in the ConservationDepartment of Auckland Museum in 1995.While working for an experiencedgoldsmith in 1996, she gained fullerappreciation of the properties of preciousmetals.

Annie has been employed as aConservation Technician at AucklandMuseum since the beginning of 1998. Herfirst activities in this position involvedtreating objects of a number of differentmaterials for one of the new Applied Artgalleries. Annie has been more recentlyworking on Pacific jewellery due for displayin the new Pacific Galleries.

Annie’s supervisor will be Diana Heath,Head of Metal Conservation, V&A.

Fotini KoussiakiAged 28, Greek

Twentieth Century Materials in Art, Craftand Design (collaboration with TateGallery)


Ptychion (degree) in Conservation ofAntiquities and Works of Art,Technological Educational Institutionof Athens (1995)

Fotini studied for five years at the T.E.I. ofAthens covering the conservation of easelpaintings, wall paintings, icons, wood andwoodcarvings, books and paper.

The subject of her thesis was the technicaland art-historical study of works by theearly 20th century artist N N Lytras from theNational Gallery of Athens. Following hersix months practical exercise there, she wasaccepted as an intern in the ConservationDepartment working on a diverse group ofeasel paintings.

From October 1994 until August 1998,Fotini undertook a placement at theDirectorate of Conservation of Antiquitiesof the Greek Ministry of Culture. Focusingon documentation and technicalexamination of painted surfaces and as aconservator of wall paintings in MacedonianTombs (3rd century BC), she was involvedin projects aimed at a physical-chemicalcharacterisation of painting materials(Ministry in collaboration with NationalCenter for Scientific Research,“Demokritos”) and monitoringenvironmental parameters.

Fotini feels that the RCA/V&A ConservationCourse offers her a great opportunity to beengaged in scientific and historical researchon the use of modern materials in art. Sheis fortunate to have been awarded ascholarship from the Greek StateScholarship Foundation.

Fotini’s supervisor will be Dr. Tom Learner,Conservation Scientist, Tate Gallery.

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New Staff

Frances HartogTextile Conservator, TextileConservation

At the start of 1989, following a careerchange, I began an apprenticeship intextile conservation with Ksynia Marko(ex V&A). The training covered a widerange of textiles including tapestry andattendance at various conservationscience courses. At the end of thethree years I came to the V&A for aninternship in Textile Conservationwhich was both instructive andenjoyable.

Following my training I moved toHampton Court, where I fulfilled ashort contract at the TextileConservation Studios (HRPA) beforetaking up a more permanent post withthe Textile Conservation Centre in thetapestry department. Then, in searchof more three-dimensional experience,I undertook a contract at the Museumof London where I spent two happyyears preparing costume for theexhibition In Royal Fashion. At the endof the contract I moved to Norfolk,returning to work with Ksynia Marko,now managing the National TrustTextile Conservation Studio at BlicklingHall. The work there was extremely

varied with collections from thediverse houses forming the core. Aswell as bench work, it entailed acertain amount of travel around theUK examining objects for conditionreports and estimates, and carryingout first aid work. However, the call ofthe big city and the opportunity ofworking at the V&A as a permanentmember of staff proved too strong andafter two years in rural England I havereturned to London, and, much to mydelight, to the outstanding patisseriesof South Kensington. I hope to put myexperience to good use and, with thesupport of my colleagues and theincentive of a wonderful collection, toexpand it considerably.

Heather PorterAged 23, British

Upholstery Conservation

(3 year MA)

BA(Hons) in Furniture Restorationand Craftsmanship, Brunel University

Heather’s enthusiasm for upholstery beganwhile she was studying for her BA(Hons) inFurniture Restoration and Craftsmanship atBuckinghamshire College of BrunelUniversity. Traditional Upholstery becameher major area of practical study in her finalyear and the subject of her thesis. Heatherresearched the developments of the springbefore its introduction into upholsteredfurniture.

After graduation Heather worked for atraditional upholsterer and also enrolled ona placement training scheme at the RuralDevelopment Commission in Salisbury. Thiscourse gave her the opportunity to furtherdevelop her practical skills and historicalknowledge of traditional upholstery.Heather is a member of the Guild ofTraditional Upholsterers and was electedonto the committee earlier this year.

Heather’s keen interest in conservationbegan when she was invited by the TextileConservation Studio to help with thecleaning programme of Queen Caroline’sState Bed (c1733) at Hampton CourtPalace. She was introduced to thetechniques involved in the care andpreservation of objects throughdocumentation and cleaning, and decidedshe would like to apply this to upholsteredfurniture.

Heather looks forward to drawing from allher previous experience and applying herskills into learning specifically about theconservation of upholstery.

Heather’s supervisor will be Derek Balfour,Senior Conservator (Upholstery), V&A

Shiho SasakiAged 32 Japanese

Japanese Prints

(2 year MA)

Certificate in Fine Arts, BunkaGakuin College (1988)

Shiho developed an interest in Japaneseprints while studying a wide variety ofprintmaking techniques such aslithography, etching, silk-screen andwoodcut at Bunko Gakuin College and theYoshida Hanga Academy. She has workedfor dealers in woodcut prints in Japan. Sheknew from an early stage that this was thearea in which she wished to specialise.

Because opportunities to study paperconservation are limited in Japan, Shihocame to London to join the BA inConservation at Camberwell College of Art.In the middle of this three yearprogramme, the MA in the Conservation ofJapanese Prints on the RCA/V&A Coursewas announced. Shiho felt that such anopportunity could not be missed and,having been accepted, left Camberwellbefore taking her final year there. She looksforward to specialising in her chosen fieldand working on the V&A’s collections.

Shiho will be supervised by Pauline Webber,Head of Paper Conservation, V&A.

Ricard SundströmAged 27, Swedish

Painted and Decorated Surfaces

(3 year MA)

Apprenticeship with the Institute forConservation, Central Board forNational Antiquities, Sweden (1992-1995)

Ricard had accumulated several years ofpractical conservation experience beforejoining the RCA/V&A Course, but felt thathe needed to complement this with asound theoretical training and a recognisedqualification. During his apprenticeship hewas based in the Department forPolychrome Sculpture which is responsiblefor the conservation of medieval paintedsculptures and panels in Stockholm’sNational Historical Museum and inchurches maintained by the Central Boardfor National Antiquities. Ricard participatedin all aspects of interventive and preventiveconservation.

Since then, Ricard has been employed onvarious conservation projects in both theprivate and public sector in Sweden andNorway. Most recently he worked for theSwedish National Heritage Board, in thedivision for the conservation of churchcollections.

Ricard was attracted by the combination ofpractical and theoretical training on theRCA/V&A Course and by the prospect ofsharing experiences with other students.He will be based primarily in the V&A’sFurniture Conservation Studio, supervisedby its Head, Albert Neher. It is expectedthat Ricard will also spend some time in theV&A Sculpture Conservation Studio andperhaps with external institutions.

Thanasis VeliosAged 22, Greek

Computer Applications in Conservation

(2 year MPhil by Project)

Ptychion (degree) in Conservation ofAntiquities and Works of Art,Technological Educational Institutionof Athens (1998)

1 year course 3D Animation andComputer Visualization, Anodos S.A.,Athens (1998)

The idea of becoming a conservator firstcame to Thanasis during an excursion tothe Monastery of Dafni, when he was in thethird grade of primary school.

Having completed the 4-year course at theT.E.I. Thanasis was able to work as aconservator in several conservation projectsand excavations. The materials he hasworked on are mosaics, metals and stonealthough he had the opportunity to workon ceramics, glass, stained glass,waterlogged wood and bones. Thanasis’thesis dealt with the mechanical propertiesof corrosion layers on copper and itsalloys.

As well as Conservation Thanasis has beenvery interested in computers for manyyears. He finally studied 3D modellingalong with several digital image processingtechniques, with the intention of applyingthis new technology to the conservation ofantiquities.

Thanasis feels that the Royal College of Artand the V&A provide a very goodenvironment in which to study thisparticular area. Thanasis hopes that he willbe able to help solve difficult conservationproblems. He believes that the Course willbroaden his knowledge on conservationand will give him all the necessary tools toprogress the work that has already beendone and to produce new work on thisfield.

Thanasis will be supervised by Prof AlanCummings, Conservation Course Director.

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Documents

Journal 29 Text pages - Victoria and Albert Museum · 2016-04-16 · Conservation Journal The Quarterly Publication of the Victoria & Albert Musem Conservation Department October