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Treatment and Analysis of a Paint Chip From “Water
Lilies” a Fire Damaged Monet
A museum fire in 1958 severely damaged a Monet “Water Lilies” (1916-1926)
painting that was on display. The surface of the painting is very dark with
areas of blistering and charring. Over the years, traditional techniques
have been found to be ineffective at removal of the soot and char from the
surface. The painting, which is now in the care of the New York University
(NYU) Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, was the subject
of a study to determine if atomic oxygen treatment could remove the soot
and char without damaging the fragile painting underneath. For test purposes,
a small chip of paint was removed from the edge of the painting by a conservator
at NYU and supplied to NASA Glenn Research Center for atomic oxygen treatment
and analysis. The diffuse spectral reflectance, at three locations on the
paint chip, was monitored at intervals during the atomic oxygen treatment
process. Photo documentation of the chip during the treatment was also performed.
The color contrast was calculated from the spectral reflectance data as a
function of treatment duration. Results of the testing indicated that the
contrast improved as a result of the treatment, and the differentiation of
colors on the surface was significantly improved. Soot and char could be
removed without visibility affecting the gross surface features such as impasto
areas. These results indicate the feasibility for the treatment of the “Water
Lilies” painting.
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Cleaning of Fire Damaged Watercolor and Textiles
Using Atomic Oxygen
A noncontact technique is described that uses atomic oxygen generated
under low pressure in the presence of nitrogen to remove soot from the surface
of a test watercolor panel and strips of cotton, wool and silk. The process,
which involves surface oxidation, permits control of the amount of surface
material removed. The effectiveness of soot removal from test panels of
six basic watercolors (alizarin crimson, burnt sienna, lemon yellow, yellow
ochre, cerulean blue and ultramarine blue) and strips of colored cotton,
wool and silk was measured using reflectance spectroscopy. The atomic oxygen
removed soot effectively from the treated areas and enabled partial recovery
of charred watercolors. However, overexposure can result in removal of sizing,
bleaching, and weakening of the structure. With the proper precautions, atomic
oxygen treatment appears to have great potential to salvage heavily smoke
damaged artworks which were previously considered unrestorable.
Atomic Oxygen Treatment as a Method of Recovering
Smoke-Damaged Paintings
The noncontact technique that is described uses atomic oxygen, generated
under low pressure in the presence of nitrogen, to remove soot and charred
varnish from the surface of a painting. The process, which involves surface
oxidation, permits control of the amount of surface material removed. The
effectiveness of the process was evaluated by reflectance measurements from
selected areas taken during the removal of damaged varnish and paint binder
from the surface.
Use of an Atmospheric Atomic Oxygen Beam for
Restoration of Defaced Paintings
An atmospheric atomic oxygen beam has been found to be effective in removing
organic materials through oxidation that are typical of graffiti or other
contaminant defacements which may occur to the surfaces of paintings. The
technique, developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
is portable and was successfully used at the Carnegie Museum of Art to remove
a lipstick smudge from the surface of porous pain on the Andy Warhol painting
Bathtub. This process was also evaluated for suitability to remove felt tip
and ball point ink graffiti from paper, gesso on canvas and cotton canvas.
Recovery of a Charred Painting Using Atomic
Oxygen Treatment
A non-contact method is described which uses atomic oxygen to remove soot
and char from the surface of a painting. The atomic oxygen was generated
by the dissociation of oxygen in low-pressure air using radio frequency energy.
The treatment, which is an oxidation process, allows control of the amount
of material to be removed. The effectiveness of char removal from half of
a fire-damaged oil painting was studied using reflected light measurements
from selected areas of the painting and by visual and photographic observation.
The atomic oxygen was able to effectively remove char and soot from the
treated half of the painting. The remaining loosely bound pigment was lightly
sprayed with a mist to replace the binder and then varnish was reapplied.
Caution should be used when treating an untested paint medium using atomic
oxygen. A representative edge or corner should be tested first in order
to determine if the process would be safe for the pigments present. As more
testing occurs, a greater knowledge base will be developed as to what types
of paints and varnishes can or cannot be treated using this technique. With
proper precautions, atomic oxygen treatment does appear to be a technique
with great potential for allowing charred, previously unrestorable art to
be salvaged.
Atomic Oxygen Treatment as a Method of Recovering
Smoke Damaged Paintings
Smoke damage, as a result of fire, can be difficult to remove from some
types of painting media without causing swelling, leaching, or pigment movement
or removal. A non-contact technique has been developed which can remove
soot from the surface of a painting by use of a gently flowing gas containing
atomic oxygen. The atomic oxygen chemically reacts with the soot on the surface
creating gasses such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide which can be removed
through the use of an exhaust system. The reaction is limited to the surface
so that the process can be timed to stop when the paint layer is reached.
Atomic oxygen is a primary component of the low Earth orbital environment,
but it can be generated on Earth through various methods. This paper will
discuss the results of atomic oxygen treatment of soot exposed acrylic gesso,
ink on paper, and a varnished oil painting. Reflectance measurements were
used to characterize the surfaces before and after treatment.
An Atmospheric Atomic Oxygen Source for Cleaning
Smoke Damaged Art Objects
Soot and other carbonaceous combustion products deposited on the surfaces
of porous ceramic, stone, ivory, and paper can be difficult to remove and
can have potentially unsatisfactory results using wet chemical and/or abrasive
cleaning techniques. An atomic oxygen source which operates in air at atmospheric
pressure, using a mixture of oxygen and helium, has been developed to produce
an atomic oxygen beam which is highly effective in oxidizing soot deposit
on surfaces by burning candles made of paraffin, oil, or rendered animal
fat. Atomic oxygen source operating conditions and the results of cleaning
soot from paper, gesso, ivory, limestone, and water color-painted limestone
are presented. |
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