Challenges and Outlook for Conservation & Analysis
Background
Since the discovery of metal soap-related degradation phenomena in paintings at the beginning of this century, two topic-related conferences were held, the De Mayerne Day Amsterdam in 2005 and the Paintings Speciality Session at the Annual American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works Meeting in 2006. Research on this subject has been continued ever since. It is now time to present the newest insights of metal soap-related degradation in works of art in a two-day conference to be held at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 2016.
Metal soap degradation phenomena
 Still Life with Asparagus, Adriaen Coorte, 1697In the last decades, the awareness and identification of degradation phenomena in paintings related to metal soaps has increased tremendously. It is estimated that around 70% of paintings in museum collections are affected by some form of metal soap-related degradation. Increased transparency of the paint, insoluble whitish surface hazes, tiny aggregates deforming the paint surface, water sensitive and dripping paints are examples of paint defects caused by the formation of metal soaps. Conservators are confronted with these affected paintings, and are trying to find suitable treatments, optimal display and storage conditions. Scientists apply the latest high-tech analytical techniques and diagnostic tools with the aim to understand the underlying mechanisms of metal soap-related degradations in paints. In order to find viable solutions we need to join forces and set future goals. Selected publications(pdf)
Scope
The conference will bring together art historians, conservators and scientists to discuss conservation strategies, implications for appearance, as well as the analytical challenges.
Programme
Note: The Workshop Sessions on day 1 (15.30 – 17.00) and day 2 (15.00 – 16.30) are full. All new registrations will be offered an alternative programme for those time-slots. The alternative programme will be published on this website soon.
The conference incorporates an innovative workshop during which conservators and art historians will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and observations with scientists who are in the process of making new discoveries on metal soap-related degradation and visa versa. The conference workshop will serve as a platform for discussion where future research objectives will be defined. The 2-day conference comprises presentations by invited speakers and poster sessions with pitches (1.5 days), followed by a workshop (0.5 day).
Conference topics
- Occurrence in paintings and other objects;
- Implications for appearance;
- Multi-scale characterisation (micro- and macro);
- Analytical strategies for identification;
- Different types of metal soaps;
- Chemical and physical properties of paint;
- Metal oxalates as degradation;
- Conservation treatments;
- Influence of past treatment on formation;
- Influence of climate on formation and stabilisation;
- Dynamics and transport mechanisms;
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| Programme Titles Presenters |
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| | All presentations will be held in the Auditorium in the Rijksmuseum. Workshop locations will be disclosed on a later date. Posters will be displayed in the Foyer of the Auditorium. |
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| | The Workshop Sessions on day 1 (15.30 – 17.00) and day 2 (15.00 – 16.30) are full. All new registrations will be offered an alternative programme for those time-slots. The alternative programme will be published on the conference website soon. |
| | Please click on the presentation title for more information |
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| Monday 14 March 2016 |
| 8:45 - 9:15 | Registration and coffee/tea
Atrium and Foyer |
| 9:15 - 9:30 | Welcome speech
Auditorium |
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| | MORNING SESSION I
Chair - Katrien Keune, Rijksmuseum and University of Amsterdam |
| 9:30 - 10:00 | Introduction by Petria Noble, Head of Paintings Conservation, Rijksmuseum |
| 10:00 - 10:30 | INVITED SPEAKER 1 - Zinc soaps: an overview of zinc oxide reactivity and consequences of soap formation in oil based paintings
Presenter: Gillian Osmond |
| 10:30 - 11:00 | Coffee break
Foyer |
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| | MORNING SESSION II
Chair - Ella Hendriks, Van Gogh Museum |
| | Poster pitch session I: Case studies 19th and 20th century art |
| 11:00 - 11:05 | P1: Seldom black and white- the works of Franz Kline
Presenter: Corina Rogge |
| 11:05 - 11:10 | P2: Beneath the surface: paint losses due to zinc soap formation within ground layers from a late 19th century oil painting
Presenter: Marta Felix |
| 11:10 - 11:15 | P3: Paint delamination as a result of zinc soap formation in an early Mondrian painting
Presenter: Ruth Hoppe |
| 11:15 - 11:20 | P4: Zink soap formation causing loss of cohesion within a paint layer of Mondrians “Composition with Color Planes 4”
Presenter: Madeleine Bisschoff |
| 11:20 - 11:25 | P5: The unusual behavior of zinc soaps in mid-20th-century paint films
Presenter: Dawn Rogala |
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| 11:25 - 11:40 | Short break
Foyer |
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| | MORNING SESSION III
Chair - Klaas Jan van den Berg, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands |
| 11.40 - 12.10 | INVITED SPEAKER 2 - The dynamics of metal soap formation
Presenter: Joen Hermans |
| | Poster pitch session II: Formation, migration and environmental influence |
| 12:15 - 12:20 | P6: Investigation of the Dynamic Processes Underlying Lead Soap-Related Degradation Phenomena in Multi-Layer Model Systems
Presenter: Annelies van Loon |
| 12:20 - 12:25 | P7: Ageing of natural resins in presence of pigments: metal soaps and oxalates formation
Presenter: Tommaso Poli |
| 12:25 - 12:30 | P8: Factors affecting the reactivity of zinc oxide with different oils: a vibrational spectroscopy study
Presenter: Francesca Casadio |
| 12:30 - 12:35 | P9: Lead(II) soaps: crystal structures, solid and liquid mesophases and glass phases
Presenter: Francisco Javier Martinez-Casado |
| 12:35 - 12:40 | P10: An alternative idea for the explanation of protrusion formation based on colloid chemistry?
Presenter: Patrick Dietemann |
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| 12:45 - 14:15 | Lunch and Poster Session
Foyer |
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| | AFTERNOON SESSION
Chair - Francesca Casadio, The Art Institute of Chicago |
| 14:15 - 14:45 | INVITED SPEAKER 3 - Structure and distribution of zinc carboxylates by FTIR spectroscopy and imaging at a macro and micro scale level: from simplified model samples to actual paintings
Presenter: Costanza Miliani |
| | Poster pitch session III: Formation, migration and environmental influence + Case studies 19th and 20th century art |
| 14:45 - 14:50 | P11: Lead soaps: an internal marker for the impact of indoor climate on oil paint degradation
Presenter: Katrien Keune |
| 14:50 - 14:55 | P12: An Investigation into the Migration of Metal Ions from Paint and Ground Layers into Varnish Coatings
Presenter: Sally Higgs |
| 14:55 -15:00 | P13: Conservation and alteration of painting pigments: the case of green copper metal soaps
Presenter: Marion Alter |
| 15:00 - 15:05 | P14: The visual impact of zinc-oxide degradation on two of Salvador Dali’s renowned oil paintings on panel from the 1930’s: the role of external factors and implications for their conservation and restoration treatments
Presenter: Gwendolyn Boevé-Jones |
| 15:05 - 15:10 | P15: Metal soaps and the dating of varnish layers:How lead soaps can contribute in the determination of an initial varnish layer
Presenter: Zuhura Iddi |
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| 15:15 - 15:30 | Instruction to Workshop and transfer to workshop areas |
| 15:30 - 17:00 | WORKSHOP SESSION I
Location: to be announced |
| 17:00 - 18:00 | PLENARY SESSION: Workshop Discussion
Moderator: Barbara Berrie, Head of Science Research Department, National Gallery of Art, Washington |
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| 18:00 - 20:30 | Drinks and Finger Food
Cobra Café, Museumplein |
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| Tuesday 15 March 2016 |
| | MORNING SESSION I
Chair - Petria Noble, Rijksmuseum |
| 9:15 - 9:45 | INVITED SPEAKER 4 - Metal Soaps in Paintings - phenomenologies and challenges for conservation
Presenter: Aviva Burnstock |
| | Poster pitch session IV: Characterization and Treatment |
| 9:45 - 9:50 | P16: The Development of an Aqueous Gel Testing Procedure for the Removal of Inorganic Salt Crusts on the Surface of Paintings by Antonio Giovanni Pellegrini (1675-1741) in the ‘Golden Room’ of the Mauritshuis
Presenter: Carol Pottasch |
| 9:50 - 9:55 | P17: Disfiguring oxalate crust
Presenter: Lizet Klaassen |
| 9:55 -10:00 | P18: Case study: Scientific investigation and conservation treatment of white spots on The Angel taking leave of Tobit and his family by Jan Victors, 1649, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Presenter: Claire Toussat |
| 10:00 - 10:05 | P19: Metal soaps in paintings from the sixteenth to the twentieth century
Presenter: Steven Saverwyns |
| 10:05 - 10:10 | P20: The Formation of Calcium Fatty Acid Salts in Oil Paint: Two Case Studies
Presenter: Kate Helwig |
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| 10:15 - 10:45 | Coffee break
Foyer |
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| | MORNING SESSION II
Chair - Marika Spring, National Gallery London |
| 10:45 - 11:15 | INVITED SPEAKER 5 - Understanding the Dynamics of Lead Soaps in Oil Paintings
Speaker: Silvia Centeno |
| | Poster pitch session V: Advanced techniques and innovative approaches for characterisation |
| 11:15 - 11:20 | P21: Identification and distribution of soaps and oxalates in paint layers using synchrotron radiation techniques
Presenter: Nati Salvadó |
| 11:20 - 11:25 | P22: The role played by metal soaps in the identification of drying oils
Presenter: Ilaria Bonaduce |
| 11:25 - 11:30 | P23: A new approach to image metal-soap morphology at the sub-micron scale: synchrotron deep-UV photoluminescence imaging
Presenter: Mathieu Thoury |
| 11:30 - 11:35 | P24: The utility of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy imaging and Cluster Analysis in the study of metal soaps formed in the azurite-based paint layers
Presenter: Zofia Kaszowska |
| 11:35 - 11:40 | P25: Non-invasive identification of metal oxalates and carboxylates on paintings by reflection mid-FTIR spectroscopy
Presenter: Francesca Rosi |
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| 11:45 - 12:00 | Short Break
Foyer |
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| | MORNING SESSION III
Chair - Maartje Stols-Witlox, University of Amsterdam |
| | Poster pitch session VI: Advanced techniques and innovative approaches for characterisation + Case studies 19th and 20th century art |
| 12:00 - 12:05 | P26: Examining the Structure and Coordination Environment of Lead Soaps
Presenter: Jaclyn Catalano |
| 12:05 - 12:10 | P27: Structural studies of Fe and Cu carboxylates in the context of paintings and metallic artefacts preservation
Presenter: Solenn Reguer |
| 12:10 - 12:15 | P28: Investigation of the phenomena of erupting micro-protusions on the surface of oil paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe
Presenter: Johanna Salvant |
| 12:15 - 12:20 | P29: The creation and present appearance of Francis Picabia's ‘transparencies'
Presenter: Joyce Townsend |
| 12:20 - 12:25 | P30: Metal Soap Mobility in Two Late Works by Francis Picabia: a Major Conservation Challenge and Visual Conundrum
Presenter: Gwendolyn Boevé-Jones |
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| 12:30 - 14:00 | Lunch and Poster Session
Foyer |
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| | AFTERNOON SESSION
Chair - Annelies van Loon, University of Amsterdam and TU Delft |
| 14:00 - 14:30 | INVITED SPEAKER 6 - Polar medium exudates in oil paintings and their disastrous consequences
Speaker: Jaap Boon |
| | Poster pitch session VII: Case studies 19th and 20th century art + Other applications of metal soaps |
| 14:30 - 14:35 | P31: Paintings by Pierre Soulages around 1958-1962 : when metal soaps have severe action - case study
Presenter: Pauline Hélou-de La Grandière |
| 14:35 - 14:40 | P32: Metal Soaps on paintings by James Ensor (1860 - 1949)
Presenter: Karen Bonne |
| 14:40 - 14:45 | P33: Metal soaps in paintings: broader context
Presenter: Marine Cotte |
| 14:45 - 14:50 | P34: Notes on metal soap extenders in modern oil paints - history, use, degradation and analysis
Presenter: Klaas Jan van den Berg |
| 14:50 - 14:55 | P35: Metal carboxylates: Friend or foe?
Presenter: Rosie Grayburn |
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| 15:00 - 16:30 | WORKSHOP SESSION II
Location: to be announced |
| 16:30 - 17:30 | PLENARY SESSION: Workshop Discussion
Moderator: Ken Sutherland, Conservation Scientist, The Art Institute of Chicago |
| 17:30 | Closure
Closure by Robert van Langh, Head of Conservation and Scientific Research Department, Rijksmuseum |
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