Butlletí <<Rescat>> núm. 33 del Centre de Restauració de Béns Mobles de Catalunya. English

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Spring-Summer 2018

INTERVIEW

Gaël de Guichen Page 3

IN MEMORIAM

Joaquim Garriga i Riera Page 8

CONSERVATION-RESTORATION

Set of metal objects from the Roureda de la Margineda site in Andorra Page 10

The Amazons of Can Cabanyes Page 16

Romanesque portal of Santa Maria d’Agramunt Page 26

Glass-based photographic plates Page 37

Josep Puig i Cadafalch’s furniture Page 42

TRAINING AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Conclusions from the “Gels in conservation” conference Page 48

Richard Wolbers workshops in Barcelona Page 50

CONSERVATION-RESTORATION

PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATES

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Centre de Restauració de Béns Mobles de Catalunya

EDITORIAL

CULTURAL HERITAGE VERSUS NATURAL HERITAGE They say that nature is always wise. Maybe that is why migratory birds, like swallows and storks, turn to the roof eaves and windows, bell towers, portals and other corners of historical buildings as a place to shelter and build their nests. Other birds, such as pigeons, are much more invasive and nest there all year round, or at least try.

Those of us involved in the conservation of cultural heritage are all too familiar with the damage caused to monuments by swallows’ and swifts’ nests and stork excrement. Our society displays little desire to defend protected cultural heritage when its conservation is threatened by animal activity, especially when protected birds are involved.

In this sense, animal protection associations are extremely radical in their views. The problem is not simple. The solution does not lie in taking sides. The importance of protecting both birds and historical buildings must be recognised, and strategies that allow conservation of both cultural and natural heritage must be found.

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Portal of the Santa Maria d’Agramunt Church before restoration, with the swallows’ nests intact

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Catalonia boasts a magnificent and varied cultural heritage, much of which is declared Cultural Property of National Interest (BCIN), to be held in the highest regard. An outstanding example is the Romanesque portal of the Santa Maria d’Agramunt Church, in the Urgell region, which is protected as a BCIN. A few years ago, swallows’ nests had caused huge damage to the stone sculpture elements of this monument; for this reason, in agreement with the Bishopric of Urgell, Agramunt Council and the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainability at the Government of Catalonia, the Centre for the Restoration of Artefacts of Catalonia installed a net on the portal to encourage the swallows to make their nests elsewhere. Three years later, the portal could be restored.

The aim was not to sacrifice the swallows or destroy their active nests, but to redirect them to other sites. The key is to be imaginative and look for alternative solutions through dialogue, not confrontation. Àngels Solé, director of CRBMC

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Portal after removal of the nests and subsequent restoration

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INTERVIEW

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M. José Gracia Tarragona, conservator-restorer of artefacts

GAËL DE GUICHEN

© ICCROM / Gaël de Guichen

A chemical engineer hailing from France, Gaël de Guichen acts as special advisor to the Director-General of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), an intergovernmental organisation based in Rome with Spain among its 135 Member States.

He has worked within the Institution’s technical team since 1969.

REORGANISATION FOR CONSERVATION: A CAREER FOCUS In the course of his career at ICCROM, Gaël de Guichen has accomplished over 600 missions. He participated in the design and development of the African museum programme PREMA-Prévention, and the Media Save Art programme. From 2012 to 2014, he headed up the team that put together the Preventive Conservation Plan for the Cave of Altamira. He is currently coordinating and developing the programme RE-ORG to reorganise collections in storage on all five continents.

What is it that prompts a chemical engineer to devote himself to preventive conservation?

I wanted to be an archaeologist and ended up a chemical engineer. However during my six years’ study I got a taste of archaeology working on youth service camps: two in Ampurias and two in Herculanum, then a work placement at the laboratory of the Iron History Museum in Nancy, which was very avant-garde at the time. Given the interest I showed in the field, I was granted exceptional permission to write my Master’s thesis on the conservation of wood subject to water logging due to the impregnation of monomers and gamma-radiation induced polymerisation.

I then had an incredible stroke of luck, being appointed head engineer at the Lascaux Cave to study the feasibility of re-opening to the public after a 5-year closure. So I lived in the woods 100 metres from the cave entrance, going down day and night, for nearly two years. The experience I acquired in the field of climate in an underground habitat was of interest to ICCROM in Rome. They gave me a 5-month study grant, then hired me as a scientific assistant. However at the time, the only causes of deterioration of movable heritage deemed of any importance were the climate and lighting, which curators were not interested in. I coined the slogan: “In one year, a bad restorer can destroy 12 artefacts, a bad curator can destroy an entire

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collection”. This prompted me to suggest running an ICCROM course for curators and museum directors. This 2-week course, entitled “Prevention in Museums”, covered fire, theft, climate and lighting. Collections in storage were later added to these four topics.

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NOWADAYS IT IS COMMONLY AGREED THAT THERE ARE ONLY THREE ACTIONS, NAMELY, RESTORATION, REMEDIAL CONSERVATION AND PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

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Then gradually, yet more topics were added to form the table below, indicating over 60 causes of damage, that some colleagues refer to as risk factors.

Thus in 1985 in issue No. 146 of the Museum journal I believe I pioneered the term “Preventive Conservation”, using it for the first time in writing in a brief description of some elements which I believed this notion was to include: theft, fire, display cases, collections in storage, disinfestations, lighting, climate, etc.

In 2009, in an interview with the Spanish branch of the International Institute for Conservation of historic and artistic works (GEIIC), you mentioned four stages in the discipline’s development, the fourth having started in 2000 with the use of the term “Preventive Conservation” in the ICOM code of ethics agreed at the Annual General Meeting in Seoul. Are we still developing this fourth stage or have we reached a new one?

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The participants in the course in Havana. Photo: ICCROM/Gaël de Guichen

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Recognition of the term “Preventive Conservation” in Article 2.23 of the ICOM code of ethics in 2000 was a first step. Thankfully, we didn’t stop there. The following stage was to have everyone agree on a definition of preventive conservation which most professionals deemed to be merely a matter of climate and lighting at the time. (These blinkers still prevail, it’s appalling!). It took nine years’ work to get the 2009 ICOM Annual General Meeting in Shanghai to clarify terminology defining the various actions conducted on heritage. In English, there were different 16 terms. Nowadays it is accepted that there are only three actions, namely, Restoration, Remedial Conservation and Preventive Conservation. There are six criteria to distinguish between them. In French these terms are referred to as Restauration, Conservation Curative and Conservation Préventive. I believe that no official translation has yet been agreed upon in Spanish.

NB, this clarification in Shanghai, with 343 votes in favour of it and nine against, was not only officialised for museums worldwide. It was also agreed to by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and is applied in Europe not only for movable heritage (museums, libraries and archives) but also for immovable heritage (historic monuments, cities and archaeological sites).

Further to the officialisation of these terms and what the term “Preventive Conservation” actually covers, many museums and institutions set up their own preventive conservation departments. There are also Masters’ courses on Preventive Conservation.

In 2000, a course in Havana produced a definition of preventive conservation plans as “the design, coordination and implementation of a set of systematic strategies, organised in time and space with an interdisciplinary team, with the agreement and participation of the community, in order to preserve and share the collective memory today and protect it for the future in order to reinforce cultural identity and improve the quality of life”. Do you still agree with this definition? Is there anyRESCAT

thing you’d like to change or add, 18 years later?

First of all, let me fill you in on the background. Since 1994, I have wrapped up the PC courses I teach by asking the participants to draw up a PC plan, as a group, to make sure they have grasped what PC is and can implement it using a PC plan. To date I have collected 30 definitions, all more or less the same. The one you mentioned was drawn up at the end of a course organised in 2000 at the former Convento di Santa Chiara in Cuba, attended by 24 colleagues from all over Latin America. The course was led

by Benoît de Tapol and myself. This definition came as a total bombshell at the time because it was the first time anyone had looked beyond technical considerations to include a social dimension, namely “Reinforcing cultural identity and improving the quality of life."

Since then, almost all definitions have included reasons and public participation as well as means in the PC plan.

For example, the definition of the PC plan sent to me by the participants of the Master in PC at the University Paris I Sorbonne where I have been teaching for the past 25 years: “A Preventive conservation plan is a practical guide drafted by and for a multidisciplinary team.

It aims to schedule specific actions to prevent or contain the deterioration of cultural goods in order to impart them to present and future generations.

To achieve this, it is necessary to define the cultural project and assess the specifics of the collections, place and sources of deterioration.

This document plans for the training of team members, defines the resources and factors inawarenessraising for the public.”

At this point in time, to what extent do you think temperature, relative humidity and lighting recommendations and standards have been abandoned to prioritise

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(2 days)

Gravity Dissolution Inadequate temperature Inadequate relative humidity Dissolved salts Self-destruction Corrosion Pollution Light Vegetation Micro-organisms Insects Rodents Dust Abrasion Vibrations ic l b Treasure hunts Pu Graffiti Ignorance Professional Forgetfulness

CULTURAL HERITAGE

LACK OF Legal framework Administrative framework Choice Programming Training Security

(6 months)

Erosion Earthquake Volcanic eruption Storms Hurricane Lightning Hail Flooding Tidal wave Fire War Terrorism Urbanisation Pu Public works bl Deep ploughing ic Illicit excavation Fanaticism Vandalism Theft

Slow, cumulative effects

Immediate, catastrophic effects

NATURAL CAUSES

POOR WORK

In-house communication PR Checks Awareness-raising Motivation Respect

Transport Building Distribution Documentation Handling Reserves Showcases Technical equipment

HUMAN CAUSES risk assessment? Based on your experience and knowledge, to what extent do you think the abandonment of these former concepts has been established? Do you think we still have a long way to go?

Yet again, you seem to be limiting preventive conservation to the application of standards for temperature, relative humidity and lighting. Persisting in drawing up standards in these fields as we used to do 50 years ago will result in the ongoing deterioration of collections.

It is important to bear in mind that the climate standards were first put forward by Dr Plenderleith, laboratory

Display cases Climate Lighting Conservation work Restoration work Maintenance

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Figure showing cause and effect.

Source: ICCROM/Gaël de Guichen

director at the British Museum. They were perfectly valid for British collections in British museums. However, these standards were then blindly applied to collections in other countries with very different climates. Could you explain why you need 60% relative humidity in Egypt for ivory icons in a very good state when RH varies by 35%? And for

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A happy team who have just finished reorganising storage in Zagreb.

Photo: ICCROM/Gaël de Guichen

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A happy team who have just finished reorganising storage in Jos. Photo: ICCROM/Gaël de Guichen

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Collections in storage prior to reorganisation. Photo: ICCROM/ Gaël de Guichen

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ivory statues in mint condition for three centuries in Rio de Janeiro with HR close to 80%?

As for risk assessment, it’s important when drawing up a PC plan because you have to make choices. Indeed, some of the 63 sources of deterioration previously mentioned are only dangerous for certain heritage items in a certain situation (for example light on fabrics placed in storage or insects on inorganic collections). However, I believe that the attempts developed in the past 23 years to draw up a scientific method of identifying risks are still highly subjective.

There are two points to which efforts have been devoted, but which should maybe be developed further: sharing and the importance of letting society participate. These are important factors in the preservation of our heritage. What do you think of this, and how can it be improved?

We are responsible for public heritage, we work for the public and our salaries are paid out of public money!

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A PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION PLAN IS A PRACTICAL GUIDE. IT AIMS TO SCHEDULE SPECIFIC ACTIONS TO PREVENT OR CONTAIN THE DETERIORATION OF CULTURAL GOODS

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It is obvious that heritage must be preserved with rather than against the public. However, the public is barely, if at all, aware of how fragile heritage is. Those who admire a church, saying “How beautifully preserved it is”, have got it wrong! It is no miracle that this church has survived the centuries. It’s because previous generations have loved this church and maintained it for subsequent generations. Bear in mind that the most destructive factor is humankind.

Refusing to discuss heritage fragility is another mistake.

We need to conduct awareness campaigns to ensure the preservation of heritage and to help people understand the need for qualified staff. It’s a huge undertaking.

We have to be aware that it only takes a moment for someone to seriously damage a work or archaeological site, and that it takes specialists many days’ work to restore this heritage.

You are quite right that preventive conservation has to be conducted with the public who benefit from it.

Last December, at the conference on systems and materials for displaying heritage goods organised by the Professional Association of Conservators-Restorers of Catalonia (CRAC) in Barcelona, you presented the REORG project aiming to provide museum staff with the methodological tools needed to analyse and improve collection storage conditions. What advice would you give a professional in charge of preserving a collection of thousands of objects with few or no available resources? How do you prevent the daunting sense of panic they must feel given the sheer size of the project?

It’s difficult to generalise. Firstly, storage conditions can vary wildly from one place to another. For eight years now, I have focussed on collections in storage, which is normal given that there are 55,000 museums worldwide, with 95% of collections in storage, 60% of these being prob-

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After the reorganisa­ tion, which cost nothing since the equipment was all salvaged.

Photo: ICCROM/Gaël de Guichen

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A happy team who have just finished reorganising storage in Brussels.

Photo: ICCROM/Gaël de Guichen

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lematic. For those interested in PC, it A happy team is obvious that collections in storage who have need to be prioritised. just finished Practically all directors will say their reorganising storage in storage area is full and they need more Chengdu. space. 80% of the time, it isn’t necesPhoto: ICCROM/ sary. If you apply logic with a dash of Gaël de Guichen imagination, without giving in to panic, the situation can be improved considerably.

Once that’s settled, I have seen collections in storage with everything heaped on the floor. The solution was obvious: get some storage furniture. Sometimes you can salvage and recycle office furniture, and that costs nothing. In other cases you have to buy new furniture to the tune of nearly €20,000.

Whatever the situation at the outset, you need to draw up an improvement plan before seeking funds.

In short: if you have an idea and an aim, funds will follow. It may take several years, but if your project is sound, you will reach your aim. Don’t panic, analyse the situation methodically and the solution will appear by itself.

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In the course of these days, you also mentioned the importance of environmental conservation, using sustainable energy and materials. Do you agree with that?

I won’t dispute that but in most situations encountered in the countries I have worked in, I have little choice and use whatever I can find. In India, for a collection of over 40 statues discovered just two days before the end of the course, we made furniture using 6-metre bamboo poles bought in the street, in one night. In Benin, we bought some cotton fabric at the central market and had a street tailor work on his sewing machine to produce casing for a collection of sceptres. You need a lot of imagination and flexibility when, for example, the museum hasn’t had electricity for six months!

I know it’s a tough question, but after so many years working in preventive conservation, which project or accomplishment are you most proud of?

Looking back in time, I have come to realise that you need at least 25 years for an idea to take hold and become a given. It so happens that the responsibilities I have been entrusted with at ICCROM since 1969 have given me the opportunity to travel to over 100 countries, teaching in over 50 countries and meeting thousands of colleagues working in a variety of sectors. As a result, I and my team have been able to identify important fields which have been sidelined, and to launch a certain number of original ideas, to benefit at least 75% of ICCROM Member States.

These haven’t all seen the light of day. Others have led to changes that are noticeable today. The most joyful memories are of the projects that have not only wrought technical changes but especially a change of attitude to heritage among staff, who have started displaying works for the public which had previously languished in storage.

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Centre de Restauració de Béns Mobles de Catalunya

IN MEMORIAM

A FAREWELL TO JOAQUIM GARRIGA I RIERA FROM ONE OF HIS DISCIPLES Joaquim Garriga i Riera (Malgrat de Mar, 1945), Doctor of Art History and professor emeritus of Modern Art History at the University of Girona, died on 20 July 2018. He was a great professor, a wise teacher, as Joan Bosch says, a passionate researcher of Renaissance art in Italy and Catalonia.

Retrieved August 8 2018, from https://cecbanyoles.cat/en-la-mort-de-joaquim-garriga

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The CRBMC is deeply saddened by the loss of this great friend and even better person, who was generous, cordial and always attentive to our requests. He collaborated selflessly and very passionately in several conservation-restoration projects, providing guidance and advice, always ready to lend a hand with his vast knowledge of Renaissance art in our country.

The day of his burial, Joan Bosch, Doctor of Art History and professor of Modern Art History at the University of Girona, and technical director of the Catalan Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, dedicated these beautiful words to his mentor and great friend, which we would like to share with you.

We loved you very much and owe you a great deal.

Everyone who loved you greatly, which is anyone who knew you well, thought that we had more time left with you: it hurts to have to accept that your lessons are over, that you will not be present anymore in our research seminars—or that you will be, but in a different way—and that we will no longer enjoy those lengthy, hugely enriching conversations with you. We were always dazzled by the intricate design of your arguments, your narrative constructions, whether they provided insights into Donatello, the doors of the Baptistry, or the linear perspective and dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, or whether we were reviewing a mounted display, a proposal for a museum exhibition, some meticulous restoration work or when these arguments veered dangerously towards concepts of dizzying complexity, such as when the subject was Piero della Francesca or Leonardo.

But you also gave us unforgettable and entertaining moments describing, with an ingenuity and precision which we envied, the dilapidated décor of an unexpected hotel where you had to spend the night. You used to say that these descriptions were “like slightly sparkling water”.

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During those wonderfully lengthy and energising postlunch or dinner chats we discovered your good-naturedness, your tenderness, compassion and solidarity for the strange creatures that we humans are, your stoicism and your love for our country. We learned about your appreciation of simplicity, austerity, genuineness, the colour white, assured strokes, straight and pure lines. And your family: Gemma, Damià and Núria and the three little ones who allowed you to do your favourite job, being a grandfather.

And humble people who, like you, are devoid of vanity.

Conversely, you have always shied away from affectation, you could never stand the pretentious, nor the presumptuous, let alone any kind of falseness. When you detected it, we noticed it in your expression, you’d let show a distinctive grimace, the face of someone trying to hide a grimace.

We wanted to spend more time with you: in the classroom and in the office, in the rooms and reserves of museums, in silent naves of churches, in Giolitti, in Tazza d’Oro, in Capriccio sharing a “babà” having been to say hello to Bartolomé Ordóñez in San Giovanni a Carbonara. Or strolling along, you tireless as ever, even if it was raining: you liked to walk in the light rain while we got soaked. We have been fortunate to

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walk along countless European streets with you, in so many cities that you have studied and that you have described with such passion. You also considered some of these your other homes and you loved to evoke them. As always when we would say the four letters: S.P.Q.R. / R.O.M.A. We really thought that we would have more time together, so much so that some of your disciples even believed we would one day write a study that lived up to your expectations and be worthy of what you had taught us. That for once you would dispense with the correction pen, which we nonetheless learned a lot from. And we were also convinced that the day would eventually come when you would finally hand over a text within the page count we had asked for without overrunning by a single line. Although you know that we never really minded that your texts overran: on the contrary, we enjoyed every extra line, we savoured them.

We wish we had written them ourselves.

But now you’ve left us and we are broken and desolate and we are very afraid of the void you’ve left behind.

If you had had more time, the time you deserved, we would have explained to you that, for many people, you have been the friendly giant on whose shoulders we have stood. Call us soft and sentimental but for us you are one of the great art historians, and not just in this country. You are the wise teacher who taught us the history of art in all its glory, in its purest and most vigorous form. Completely uninhibited, with no need for dressing up or embellishments, convinced of the power of its own narrative.

We are grateful that you guided us towards so many valuable readings, that you mapped out uncharted territory for us. Your critical conquests. That you persuaded us of the value of good prose, which in your case was beautiful, based on a genuine and rich language, overflowing

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with apt and unexpected images. You encouraged us by telling us that success was about perseverance, dedication, diligence, effort and humility, virtues that were so befitting of you and that we thought you had picked up as a young country boy living in Malgrat. But we knew that you excelled in expressing things accurately and evocatively because you had a gift.

If we had had more time, Quim, we would have told you that you were an extraordinary teacher, that seeing you in action we understood why in the classroom nothing is more powerful than words that convey knowledge.

A large part of the love we feel for the university is due to your example, the quality of your teachings, the respect you had for your students and the strong ethical attitude that you applied to work—the same attitude that you applied to everyday life. You always loved another one of your homes, the university, passionately and enthusiastically. You never stopped even in recent years as you observed with disappointment how humanities subjects were being stripped away and how teaching was deteriorating. But you never gave up and you fought in the classroom until the end: you graded your final tests from your hospital bed. You have always been brave and courageous. How could you not be when you dared look into the eyes of Leon Battista Alberti?

Anyway, Quim, Joaquim, Quimet, Garriga, “Garrigau”, we needed more time to tell you that you were a precious friend: you were always there when we needed you, and you always listened to us with keen interest, making us feel an important part of your life. Everyone who has been close to you has felt your affection and tenderness. The strength of your friendship and your wisdom have made us better people.

One of your disciples: Joan Bosch Ballbona

Photo by Àngels Planell

Photo by Joan Bosch

Joaquim Garriga, Joan Bosch and Francesc Miralpeix visit the CRBMC in December 2016.

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CONSERVATION-RESTORATION

RESTORATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIAL

Set of metal objects from the Roureda de la Margineda site in Andorra

THESE NEW ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS HAVE UNCOVERED THOUSANDS OF OBJECTS from the Middle Ages, mainly made of ceramics, iron and bronze, which illustrate the everyday life of Medieval Andorra and which have led archaeologists and historians to reassess some fundamental aspects of the history of Andorra.

Introduction to the history of the site The Roureda de la Margineda medieval site, located in the town of Santa Coloma (Andorra la Vella), is the largest in the country and contains one of the best examples of fortifications in Andorra and part of the Pyrenees.

The site is located on land owned by the Cardelús-Maestre family, and since 2007 the company Molines Patrimonis has financed the different excavation campaigns that have been carried out

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Set of metal objects from the Roureda de la Margineda site restored at the CRBMC

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there. It also had the help of the City Council of Andorra la Vella and the Government of Andorra, through subsidies granted for the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage.

The importance of this site in Andorra lies both in its good state of conservation and in the fact that it is a reminder of the country’s history. This site provides physical evidence of the second Páreage of Andorra in 1288, between the Bishop of Urgell, Pere d'Urtx, and the Count of Foix, Roger Bernat III, which brought to an end the territorial conflict between the bishopric and the county of Urgell, establishing Andorra as a sovereign state.

In 2017, the Government of Andorra, which since 2010 has been committed to the recovery and exploitation of the site, asked the Centre for the Restoration of Artefacts of Catalonia (CRBMC) to restore part of the collection of metal materi-

M. Àngels Jorba and M. Nieves Marí, conservators-restorers of archaeological material

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CRBMC 13199.

3 feet and wood fragment after treatment.

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CRBMC 13199.

3 feet and wood fragment during treatment. Photo: M. Àngels Jorba

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CRBMC 13207.

Bronze pot with iron reinforcement before treatment

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als from the Roureda de la Margineda site. This included a total of 79 objects of iron, bronze and copper.

State of conservation The set of metal objects recovered during the excavations at the Roureda de la Margineda site are an important contribution to the study of the metal culture of medieval Andorra.

Most of the objects in the set are for personal everyday use, such as decorative buckles and rivets, and for functional use, such as horseshoes and cowbells, as well as tools such as knives, spearheads, hooks and keys of different sizes.

The state of conservation of these objects varied according to their typology. The iron objects taken from the site consist of a total of 67 pieces, some in an acceptable condition and others in a poor condition, being very fragile or very fragmented.

The iron base of the archaeological objects is unstable due to the presence of chloride ions in the interior of the pieces. There are highly hygroscopic mineral salts present, commonly found in soil and seawater, that when combined with the humidity in the air can cause destructive effects, such as corrosion. The visible effects of this can be seen in the archaeological iron objects: loss of mechanical strength, flaking, cracks, fragmenta-

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CRBMC 13200.

Door key Mechanical cleaning of the surface using a micromotor.

Photo: Carolina Jorcano

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GENERIC CLASSIFICATION: archaeological material | OBJECT: various metal objects | MATERIAL / TECHNIQUE: copper, iron and bronze | DESCRIPTION: varied set of metal archaeological materials | DATE / PERIOD: 12th and 13th century | SIZES: various | ORIGIN: Roureda de la Margineda site, Santa Coloma, Andorra la Vella | CRBMC REGISTRY NUMBER: 13129 to 13207 | COORDINATION: M. Àngels Jorba | RESTORATION: M. Nieves Marí | ANALYSIS: Ruth Sadurní and Ricardo Suárez (CRBMC); Màrius Vendrell (Department of Crystallography and Mineralogy of the University of Barcelona, UB); Pilar Giráldez and Lorena Merino (Patrimoni 2.0) | RESTORATION PERIOD: 2017-2018

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CRBMC 13129.

Decorated buckle before treatment

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CRBMC 13129.

Decorated buckle after treatment

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tion, etc. The presence of chloride ions means the corrosive process does not stabilize and the piece continues to corrode.

A detail regarding the morphology of these metals stands out: some pieces display a very smooth, shiny and fragile surface metal patina.

As for the bronze objects, the set consists of small pieces, such as buckles, sheaths or appliques, which were in a good state of conservation, despite the remains of soil from the site and an unstable greenish patina.

One large bronze piece we did receive was the pot, which was in a poor state of conservation. The piece arrived at the CRBMC with a very fragmented and fragile body, where the bronze was thinner and where it had already been repaired. It was also quite crushed from top to bottom, as is normal due to the weight of the earth in which it was buried, and it had a very large mark at one end.

The bronze patina, in this case, was very adherent and smooth, although in some parts it was slightly rough and irregular.

Conservation-restoration process The conservation-restoration process of iron pieces was carried out following the “Protocol for the stabilization of iron objects”, written by Pol Camps, at the CRBMC Archaeology Laboratory,

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with the collaboration of M. Àngels Jorba, Sara Bordonado, Ricardo Suárez and Nieves Marí.

Thus, the first step involved the mechanical cleaning of the pieces, in order to remove the layers of corrosion to expose the mineral iron. This process facilitated the chloride extraction process. In some cases, however, this initial cleaning process was carried out very superficially, since the pieces were too fragile to allow any deep cleaning.

Once the top-most layers were removed, the pieces underwent dechlorination, an essential process for ensuring the stability of ferrous materials. Without this prior stabilization process, any effort to restore this typology of object would have been in vain.

Dechlorination is the process of removing chloride ions by immersing the pieces in baths containing a sodium hydroxide base solution of 2%, with deionized water, which acts by diffusion to remove the chloride ions, and transforms them into free ions that pass into the solution. It has been proven to be more effective by applying heat, which is why the pieces were put into the drying oven at a temperature of 70 ºC, for short periods of time.

The pieces were placed in baths for 4 weeks at a time, with sample measurement taken before each change of solution, for a period of 2-3

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months. To measure the amount of chloride ions in solution, the HACH® TitraLab AT1000 Series titrator was used.

The treatment was complete when the chloride levels reached below 25 mg/l. Having reached this level, the pieces were then neutralized through immersion in deionized water baths, until the pH levels were between 8 and 8.5, but without exposing the piece to moisture for more than two weeks to prevent new corrosion.

Once dechlorinated and neutralized, the drying process of the iron pieces continued, by inserting them into the drying oven at about 60 ºC to eliminate any remaining moisture.

Once stabilized, a second mechanical cleaning process was performed to remove those corroded parts that could not be removed earlier, and finally the pieces were given an ethanol bath to remove any remains of rust.

At the same time, the cracks were filled in and the fragments were pieced together using Ceys Araldite® fast-drying epoxy resin dyed with pigments.

Next, the pieces were immersed in a solution of 3% tannic acid in ethanol, which inhibits corrosive effects and forms a stable ferric compound.

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Activation of possible chlorides by placing the bronze pieces in a humidity collector.

Photo. Nieves Marí

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Dechlorination of iron pieces by immersion in sodium hydroxide baths. Photo: Àngels Planell

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DESCRIPTION OF THE OBJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN RESTORED — Bronze pieces Decorated buckle (R1 and R5) - CRBMC 13129 and CRBMC 13131 Flower shaped rivet (R3) - CRBMC 13130 Square metal thread (R6) - CRBMC 13134 Buckle plate (R8) - CRBMC 13132 Buckle with iron prong (R9 and R180) - CRBMC 13133 and CRBMC 13137 Pot with iron reinforcement (R10) - CRBMC 13207 Knife sheath (R64) - CRBMC 13135 Sheath ferrule (R106) - CRBMC 13136 Unidentified piece (R188) - CRBMC 13138 — Iron pieces Fragment of possible hinge (R11) - CRBMC 13139 Key (R15, R59, R97, R158, R192 and R206) - CRBMC 13140, CRBMC 13155, CRBMC 13169, CRBMC 13188, CRBMC 13195 and CRBMC 13201.

Cowbell (R28, R34 and R94) - CRBMC 13141, CRBMC 13145 and CRBMC 13166.

Buckle (R30, R31, R74 and R140) - CRBMC 13142, CRBMC 13143, CRBMC 13157 and CRBMC 13179 Spearhead (R33, R86, R139 and R141) - CRBMC 13144, CRBMC 13163, CRBMC 13178 and CRBMC 13180.

Weeder (R38) - CRBMC 13146 Knife blade (R39, R61, R186 i R200) - CRBMC 13147, CRBMC 13156, CRBMC 13193 and CRBMC 13197.

Fireplace pot hangers (R41) - CRBMC 13148 Gimlet (R43) - CRBMC 13149 Handle (R44) - CRBMC 13150 Key-plate with keys (R48 and R51) - CRBMC 13151 and CRBMC 13153.

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Hook (R49, R144, R147, R148, R153, R156, R164 and R171) CRBMC 13152, CRBMC 13181, CRBMC 13183, CRBMC 13184, CRBMC 13185, CRBMC 13186, CRBMC 13190 and CRBMC 13191.

Horseshoe (R58, R121 i R160) - CRBMC 13154, CRBMC 13174 and CRBMC 13189.

Moulded plate (R76) - CRBMC 13158 Billhook with axe (R77) - CRBMC 13159 Razor blade (R79, R83 and R207) - CRBMC 13160, CRBMC 13162 and CRBMC 13202.

Punch (R80) - CRBMC 13161 Sheath fragment (R87) - CRBMC 13164 Clamp ring (R91) - CRBMC 13165 Hammerhead (R95) - CRBMC 13167 Tip (R96) - CRBMC 13168 Sheath ferrule (R108) - CRBMC 13170 Pivot bolt (R109 and R210) - CRBMC 13171 and CRBMC 13205.

Ring (R111 and R135) - CRBMC 13172 and CRBMC 13177 Unidentified piece (R120, R133 and R199) - CRBMC 13173, CRBMC 13176 and CRBMC 13196.

Sickle (R123 and R202) - CRBMC 13175 and CRBMC 13198.

Spade fragment (R145 and R185) - CRBMC 13182 and CRBMC 13192.

Iron semicircle (R157) - CRBMC 13187 Hoe (R187) - CRBMC 13194 3 feet and wood fragment (R203) - CRBMC 13199 Door key (R204 and R208) - CRBMC 13200 and CRBMC 13203.

Cylinder bolt (R209) - CRBMC 13204 — Copper pieces Coin (R205) - CRBMC 13206

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CRBMC 13207.

Bronze pot with iron reinforcement.

Mechanical cleaning of the two parts of the pot.

Photo: Àngels Planell

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CRBMC 13207.

Bronze pot with iron reinforcement.

Return to the original shape of the upper part, with the help of different utensils.

Photo: Nieves Marí

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CRBMC 13207.

Bronze pot with iron reinforcement.

Return to the original shape of the upper part, with the help of an adjustable cinch

— Finally, a protective layer was applied, through application of Paraloid® B-72 acrylic resin dissolved at 5% in xylene, which protects the metal from external elements.

The first step to restore the bronze pieces consisted of mechanically removing soil deposits and corroded parts with the help of fibreglass pencils, scalpels, a micro lathe and ethanol baths inside an ultrasonic cleaner.

Next, the pieces were tested for chlorides, which consists of activating any existing chlorides by introducing the piece into a humidity collector for several days. If chlorides are present, greenish copper hydroxychlorides concentrations appear.

In order to inhibit chloride concentrations, these are mechanically eliminated. Then silver oxide is applied to the area in question, diluted with a little ethanol to make it easier to apply, and the piece is reintroduced into the collector to ensure the process has worked correctly.

Once the chloride testing process has finished, the piece is placed in the drying oven at 60 ºC in order to eliminate moisture.

In some cases, it was necessary to fill in some cracks and fix some gaps using Ceys Araldite® fastdrying epoxy resin, in order to maintain the structure of the piece.

Once the pieces were stabilized, the pieces underwent an inhibition process in a bath of 3% benzotriazole (BTA) in alcoholic solution, which forms stable insoluble compounds that act as a barrier between the metal and the moisture in the air.

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CRBMC 13207.

Bronze pot with iron reinforcement.

Return to the original shape of the upper part, with the help of an aluminium ring and an adjustable cinch.

Photo: Nieves Marí

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Finally, a protective layer of Paraloid® B-72 acrylic resin dissolved at 5% in xylene was applied.

The conservation-restoration process of the bronze pot R10 (CRBMC 13129) followed the same procedure. It is worth noting that the main objective of this intervention was to recover its original shape (as far as possible), so that the observer would be able to contemplate it as it was originally designed.

Having studied the properties and characteristics of the piece, it was decided that to return the pot to its original shape, an increase in temperature was required. This task of recovering the shape by applying heat was carried out gradually and with the help of different tools and moulds, designed specifically for this work: the drying oven and the heat gun.

The process began with the rim which, being straight-edged, could be used as a support and base for attaching the lower part of the pot. The upper part

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CRBMC 13207.

Bronze pot with iron reinforcement.

Attaching of the two parts of the pot with epoxy resin and fibreglass reinforcements, with the help of masking tape. Photo: M. Àngels Jorba

CRBMC 13207.

Bronze pot with iron reinforcement. The fragments were joined using epoxy resin reinforced with fibreglass

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CRBMC 13207.

Bronze pot with iron reinforcement after treatment

— was introduced into the oven each day, and so the rim was able to progressively expand with the help of clamps, wooden wedges, tweezers and foam.

Once the rim started to give way, an aluminium ring with a diameter similar to the interior was inserted, and with the help of an adjustable cinch and heat from the drying oven, the rim started to mould around the aluminium.

Next, the process continued with the expansion of the body using foam, tweezers and wooden sticks cut to size, only after previously protecting the bronze walls.

Once the general shape of the upper part began to resemble the original piece, and in order to adjust the shape of the fragments, instead of using the oven, hot air was applied to the affected parts with a heat gun and the positioning and fitting between fragments was adjusted with the help of tweezers and masking tape.

At the same time, the fragments were attached using Ceys Araldite® fast-drying adhesive dyed with pigments. To reinforce these fragments, fibreglass fibres were glued on the inside using the same adhesive.

Once the upper part was consolidated, it was attached to the lower part using Ceys Araldite® fast-drying adhesive and fibreglass, with the help

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of masking tape, so as not to slip from the desired position.

Gaps were filled in with Balsite®, a two-component epoxy putty with strong adhesive power and very suitable for lightweight and fragile objects.

Once the piece was stabilized, the metal elements of the piece underwent an inhibition process using 2-3% benzotriazole (BTA) and AMT in hydroalcoholic solution, applied with a flat brush.

This mixing of inhibitors, according to the latest research, has greater anticorrosive efficacy than if applied separately.

Finally, a protective layer of Paraloid® B-72 acrylic resin dissolved at 5% in xylene was applied over the whole surface, providing a layer of elastic protection compatible with metal.

Regarding the iron ring, which was already separate from the pot, it was possible to work on it independently from the rest of the iron objects in the collection, and to dechlorinate it and stabilize it.

The iron ring was not attached directly to the pot, but held in place using neodymium magnets, so that the two pieces can be separated in future if their conservation so requires.

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CONSERVATION-RESTORATION

CCONSERVATION-RESTORATION OF PAINT ON CANVAS

The conservation-restoration of five paintings on canvas portraying Amazons from the 16TH century

THE AMAZON SERIES that we presented at the Monastery of Pedralbes is one of the few secular pictorial collections from the 1600s preserved in Catalonia.

THE AMAZONS OF CAN CABANYES,

by Mònica Piera, curator of the exhibition “Les dones també seuen” (“Women also sit”) and president of the Associació per a l’Estudi del Moble (the Association for the Study of Furniture) History of the works When we planned the exhibition, “Women also sit.

Female spaces and furniture of the 16TH and 17TH centuries”, which was held at the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes, in Barcelona (11/10/2017 – 18/02/2018), our goal was to explore the female world via the objects and furniture that women, especially wealthy women, used in everyday life. The collections belonging to the Monastery of Pedralbes were a good starting point, since they included furniture that women had supposedly contributed as part of their dowry to enter the convent. Low chairs, tables, bargueño desks and, of course, chests, were the most common items.

Furniture that the women used in the outside world and could be useful in their rooms where they would spend hours of their new monastic life.

To create a narrative thread, it was necessary to incorporate other works of the time that would help visitors reflect on what it was like as a woman in that society of the early modern age, and thus we chose pieces borrowed from museums and private collections. Naturally we included books, clothing accessories, jewels, sewn items and religious objects, and, of course, some paintings and sculptures. We selected representations of the Virgin, as a model of a wife and mother; the saints, especially Clare of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan women's order to which the monastery belongs; and also images of martyrs, such as that of Saint Ursula, one of the eleven thousand virgins, represented by the magnificent 16th century reliquary preserved in

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Portrait of the Amazon Leandra after restoration

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the Diocesan and Regional Museum of Solsona.

We wanted to explain that the woman’s space was the domestic sphere, where she acted as a housekeeper responsible for many tasks, always subject to the authority of the man. We also delved into the monastic world to understand that the outside world’s organizational hierarchy also existed here, though in this case the women were led by a woman, the abbess, whose authority was symbolized in various ways, one of which was the chair where she sat, even when municipal rep-

Mònica Piera, curator of the exhibition “Les dones també seuen” (“Women also sit”) and president of the Associació per a l’Estudi del Moble (The Association for the Study of Furniture), and Maite Toneu and Marta Vilà, conservators-restorers of artefacts

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Portrait of the Amazon Phoenicia after restoration

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Portrait of the Amazon Delphina at the end of the intervention

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Portrait of the Amazon Thalestris after restoration

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resentatives visited. In her own way, the abbess acted like an Amazon, since she had to direct and defend the interests of a group of women who had placed their trust in her. Her leadership role could be seen as similar to that of other women leaders.

So we wanted to present a model of women who had played a leading role in history, mythology or legend, and whose story had been told in Catalonia at the time. The Amazons were the chosen theme, ideal for the narrative, but also because their pictures were often present in the homes of the time, and because we were able to get hold of a series of paintings never before shown, preserved in a private collection.

According to Greek mythology, the Amazons were warriors, cultured and brave, who ruled over peoples and who fought against the Greeks.

Herodotus placed these warriors in a region that bordered Scythia and Sarmatian, although other stories placed them in Asia Minor. Achilles faced up against Penthesilea in the Trojan war and Hercules fought against her sister, Hippolyta. These mythical characters were used in the chivalric romance novel genre of the time, and in the early modern age they were also linked to the female warriors of the newly discovered American tribes, as well as

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to Christian princesses, who did not accept being subservient and restricted to the home.

The Amazon series that we presented at the Monastery of Pedralbes is one of the few secular pictorial collections from the 1600s preserved in Catalonia.1 Initially, the series was made up of sixteen Amazons.2 Leandra, Hippolyta, Phoenecia, Delphina, Thalestris, Penthesilea and Zenobia are the seven that we received.3 They are painted on canvas and portray a three-quarter body image of each warrior in the foreground leaving a little bit of space for the cloudy sky background and, in some paintings, some rocky mountains. In each of the upper bands is an inscription in black paint that indicates the name, followed by the abbrevia-

1. In 2015, we discovered these paintings thanks to the detailed historical and artistic study of the building and the artefacts of Can Cabanyes, in Argentona, commissioned by the property and which we carried out in collaboration with Marta Vilà.

2. They are mentioned in several publications, but up to now no detailed study has ever been carried out. Exhibiting them to the public has enabled this necessary study of the works, allowing them to be catalogued accurately, a study that will be included in the booklet published

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Portrait of the Amazon Zenobia after restoration

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by the Monastery of Pedralbes as a result of the exhibition. Among other sources, the Can Cabanyes Amazons are cited by Ainaud de Lasarte, “Sessions científiques del curs 1953-54” (Scientific sessions of the 1953-54 academic year) in the Anuari de l’Institut d’Estudis Catalans (Yearbook of the Institute of Catalan Studies), 1954, p. 53-54; F. Carreras Candi; “Can Cabanyes d'Argentona” in La Ilustració catalana (Catalan Illustration), Period II, No. 55, 14 June 1904, p. 400-402; and Marià Carbonell, “Pintura religiosa i pintura profana en inventaris barcelonins

tion for Amazon Queen in Latin. The exhibition was a great opportunity to show them to the general public, although careful restoration was necessary, as their state of conservation was poor. We have to thank the owners for lending us these works from a private collection, as well as for paying the cost of restoration.

In Catalonia around 1600, the pictorial and sculptural representations of secular themes was more common than the specimens that we received would have us believe. Documentation from the time describes this “not necessarily indigenous” artistic production, in which the theme of the Amazons had been disseminated to a certain extent.4 Both religious and secular themed series were common inside homes. In addition to the Amazons, series of popes, emperors, sibyls and the seasons, among other themes, could be found.

Indeed, the set of Amazons mentioned here was on display alongside another series, also painted on canvas, featuring twelve sibyls, smaller pictures and of lower quality.

The Renaissance style of the Amazons is slightly later than that of the building for which they were commissioned, Mas Cabanyes in Argentona. This large farmhouse was erected in the 16th century from an existing medieval building. The second phase of the Renaissance construction, and the most important, was commissioned by Joan Cabanyes5 to the reputed master builder from Mataró, Joan Salvador, in 1565, who finished it in 1568, as indicated under the stone shield that is displayed on its facade. This construction work, which converted the building into one of the most important farmhouses in the Maresme, coincided with a period of urban and economic growth of the town.

At this time, the Cabanyes family, members of the wealthy peasantry, were experiencing prosperous times and were upwardly mobile. In 1567, Joan Cabanyes was appointed lord mayor of Argentona and in 1570 his heiress, Anna Maria de Cabanyes, married the heir of the Sala family, Bernat, one

ca 1575-1650” (Religious painting and secular painting in Barcelona inventories ca 1575-1650) in Estudis històrics i documents dels arxius de protocols (Historical studies and documents of the protocol archives, No. 13, 1995, p. 137-190.

3. We have written the names in English and not as is shown in the paintings. In 1904 eleven of them were still preserved. We don’t know the whereabouts of Angelica, Sofonisba, Sinibalda and Lampedo. Of the 7 exhibited, the CRBMC has restored 5; the other two were already restored some years ago.

4. M. Carbonell, op cit.

5. A. Zapata, La baronia Desbosch del Maresme. Una jurisdicció feudal en l’edat moderna (The Debosch barony of the Mareseme. A feudal jurisdiction in the early modern age), 2002, p. 315.

6. B. Oliva, La petita noblesa del Maresme (The minor nobility of the Maresme), Mataró, 2002, p. 315.

7. E. Subiñá, Argentona de la Sagrera a la vila (Argentona from churchyard to town) (1295-1900), Argentona, 2002.

8. Two inventories belonging to Bartomeu Cabanyes are still preserved containing the same content, but

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Portrait of the Amazon Hippolyta after the intervention

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Portrait of the Amazon Penthesilea after restoration

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of the most prominent families of the Maresme nobility.6 Then in 1635, Pere Pau Cabanyes bought the Ballot de la Pujada farmhouse, making the Cabanyes one of the wealthiest families in Argentona at the beginning of the 17th century.7 The exact date of the paintings, which experts place at the end of the 16TH century or the turn of the century, is not recorded. Documentation from the time does not help to clarify this, since there are few inventories that mention the artefacts of Can Cabanyes. The Amazons and sybils do not appear in the inventories of Bartomeu Cabanyes in 1581 and 1588.8 Only a single sheet of the inventory of Bernat Cabanyes of 1661 is preserved, and therefore does not provide any information.9 As a result we have to wait until the inventory of Salvador Cabanyes in 1681 to find the works referred to. We know from this document that the set of sixteen Amazons was hung along with the sybils in a room called the apricot tree room.10 The document describes them as Item en dit aposento setza quadros grans dits de les amassones together with Item dotza quadros petits anomenats las sibillas.11 There is no further record of the paintings until the inventory of Josep Cabanyes of 1762.12 That document already mentions three fewer Amazons and two fewer sybils. It states that In the room above the cellar, there are thirteen old paintings of Amazons on canvas and ten old paintings of sybils with different names with painted wooden frames. This description is very similar to that of the inventory of Anton Cabanyes in 1784, with thirteen old paintings of Amazons on canvas and ten old paintings of Sybils with different names.13 The difference lies in the quote which refers to the painted frames of the sybil. This detail is interesting because the only preserved sybil still has a frame, whereas the Amazons came to us without frames. Since none of the three historical documents mention frames, we have to assume that they never had any.

The room above the cellar where the paintings were found is the west side room, in which they had hung for centuries, as can be seen in different historical images.14 It is a rectangular space with different dates, 1581 and 1588, both at the Museu Arxiu de Santa Maria de Mataró.

Since the will is from 1588 (S. Subiñà, Argentona de la sagrera a la vila (1295-1900), Argentona, Argentona Town Council, 2002), it is believed that the first date is wrong.

9. Also at the Museu Arxiu de Santa Maria de Mataró.

10. The document reads “ambarcoquers”.

11. APCCB, G-192. 20 October 1681. Inventory of assets left

by Salvador Cabanyes, made by his son Francisco and his guardian rector Félix Olivella in 1681.

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12. APCCB, H136.29 May 1762.

Inventory of goods belonging to the deceased Joseph Cabanyes, farmer from St Julia de Argentona.

13. APCCB, H-210. 29 February 1784. Inventory of Anton Cabañes and Isern, taken by Elisenda Cabañas i Jorba, widow of the aforementioned Anton Cabañes.

14. Old photographs of this room in Mas Cabanyes can be found in the Arxiu Municipal d’Argentona, the Arxiu Amatller d’Art Hispànic. Photo Mas C-8019 (1905) and the Museu Arxiu de Santa Maria de Mataró.

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measuring about 12 x 6 m with whitewashed walls, coffered ceiling and a terracotta floor. The original layout is unknown, but bearing in mind the room’s doorways and windows, the twenty-eight paintings made up of Amazons and sybils were almost certainly placed in two rows around the different walls, also taking advantage of the spaces above the doors, although the size of the canvases meant the stone of the door lintels would be covered. In this rather careless way is how they are shown in the photos. These images are especially interesting because they tell us about some of the paintings that didn’t reach us. Already from the first document, we know that the canvases were accompanied by a considerable number of resting chairs made of walnut and black leather, one of the documents mentions 24 of them, which were lined along the bottom of the walls.

The preservation of this series of paintings is almost a miracle, bearing in mind the various burglaries suffered by the farmhouse and that during the Civil War the Municipal Council ceded the building to the Military Instruction Centre of Catalonia to use it as a barracks for the Republican troops. It has been a privilege to display the Can Cabanyes Amazons in “Les dones també seuen” exhibition, and an opportunity for this series of secular Catalan paintings to become known and restored accurately, with the aim of preserving it for future generations.

CONSERVATION-RESTORATION PROCESS,

by Maite Toneu and Marta Vilà, conservatorsrestorers of artefacts Description and state of conservation The five paintings restored by the CRBMC are part of the set of seven paintings that have been preserved to date and that, according to the documentary evidence, had formed a set of sixteen portraits of Amazons.

Each one of the portraits shows three quarters of the body, either a front view, three-quarter view or side view, that occupies the entire surface of the painting, on a cloudy blue sky background. At the top of each canvas, the name of each of the Amazon queens is indicated followed by the abbreviation Reg Amaz (Regina Amazona). The five female figures are strikingly portrayed featuring elements characteristic of Amazon warriors. The grey tones of the metal amour and helmets predominate, as well as the ochre, green and blue colours of the dresses and capes. The skin colour, brightly painted, reflects the vigour of the women being portrayed.

Although, currently, none of the seven works that have been preserved have a frame, it is not known whether they originally had them. However,

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Initial photo with raking light of the Amazon Leandra

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Photo with raking light of the portrait of the Amazon Delphina as it arrived at the CRBMC

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Close-up of the Amazon Leandra before the intervention. Damage of the pictorial layer can be seen

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Initial photo of the back of the portrait of the Amazon Leandra

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Back of the portrait of the Amazon Delphina before the intervention

they all have a strip of black paint that covers the entire perimeter, in the form of a frame. It cannot be confirmed whether this was painted at the time or whether it was added later.

The canvas on which these works are painted is made from phloem fibres (linen or hemp) and the knit of the fabric is of simple, thick taffeta. Each of the paintings is made up of several pieces of cloth sewn together. The strainers that supported the canvases when carrying out the current restoration, fixed and made from riparian tree wood, are not the works’ original strainers.

According to the analyses carried out, the painting technique is oil-based, although traces of binding mediums of protein origin have been discovered.

In addition, it is worth highlighting how thin the calcium carbonate preparation layer is, virtually non-existent in some areas, so that the pictorial layer is almost in direct contact with the fabric.

Although some of the works had suffered more alterations than others, the state of conservation of all of them was bad, given that their stability had been compromised by different factors: the ageing of the materials themselves; the effects of humidity, both direct and indirect, to which the works had been exposed over the course of their history, and, to a greater extent, previous restoration processes that had fundamentally affected the primary support, the fabric, which is, in fact, the layer of the paintings that has received the most impact from previous interventions and, at the same time, has been the cause of most of the alterations derived from these interventions towards the other layers of the works, the preparation and pictorial layers.

It should be noted that the pictorial layer, whilst displaying various signs of deterioration, was not altered by repainting nor by layers of materials other than those used originally, such as possible fixatives or varnishes applied later on. In this sense, the materials that had been added to the pictorial layer were minimal.

Regarding the existing deterioration of the five portraits, before initiating the current restoration, there was a certain lack of knowledge of the pictorial layer, especially regarding some specific colours, such as the ochre and some of the areas of skin colour, coinciding with the parts where the protein-based binding medium was detected instead of oil. There was considerable damage to the pictorial layer, although in most cases small in area and coinciding with the folded areas, seams or deformations of the canvases. In other cases, this damage covered much larger areas and coincided with the ochre-coloured areas. In the portrait of Delphina the large stitching used in a previ-

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Initial photo with raking light of the portrait of the Amazon Thalestris

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Portrait of the Amazon Phoenicia before the intervention

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Initial photo of the back of the portrait of the Amazon Thalestris

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ous restoration to sew the torn canvas together, perforating the pictorial layer, was evident. On the back, significant marks could be seen indicating direct humidity, which at some time had affected the works, as well as large cloth patches, stuck on with an excessive amount of animal glue, to cover up holes and tears. All of this had caused various stresses and deformations in the canvases—clearly evident using raking light—that compromised the stability of the upper layers (preparation and pictorial layer) and that, consequently, hindered the correct preservation of the works.

It should be noted that at some point during previous restorations the strainers had been changed, altering the original size of the works, so that, in some of the paintings, a large part of the black strip painted as a frame had remained hidden behind the strainers. In the case of the portrait of Zenobia, the fabric had even been cut around the whole perimeter, and it had been placed on the new base frame with nails directly on the front of the cloth, since there was no excess fabric to fold it around the side of the wood.

Moreover, these strainers had been damaged by xylophagous insects, which were still active.

Apart from a layer of superficial dirt, there were no indications that any varnish or protective layer had been added to the pictorial layer. In fact, it can be said that, despite the technique used, the appearance of the paintings is eminently matte, making them more like tempera paintings. This factor had to be borne in mind when planning the restoration process, so as not to distort the original finish with the addition of excessively bright varnishes or protective layers.

Proposed intervention The restoration was based on the criterion of minimum intervention to recover the material and formal integrity of the works, stabilizing the existing deterioration processes and improving their monitoring, always with the final aim of guaranteeing the preservation of the works.

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Initial photo of the front, with raking light, of the Amazon Zenobia

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Photo of the back of the portrait of the Amazon Zenobia before the intervention

Apart from giving priority to reinforcing the canvases, which, as mentioned in previous paragraphs, was the source of the problems, we opted for a final process based on the comprehensive chromatic reintegration of the gaps that would recover the complete readability of the works.

In addition, it was necessary to address two circumstances, bearing in mind that the five works are part of a set and that, therefore, they must be treated using the same criteria.

First of all, special care was taken to recover the original formats. Although it seems that initially they were not all the same, they required a greater level of homogeneity than what they displayed just before the current intervention. As explained in the previous paragraph, the format of the strainers used in a previous intervention substantially modified the original sizes of the works, which

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affected the width of the black strip that acted as a frame. Even those traces that would have allowed us to know the original formats of the paintings had been eliminated; considering this loss, we chose to homogenize the sizes of the whole set of works in order to reduce the inconsistencies that had become apparent before the current intervention.

Second, a conservation-restoration proposal was put forward that did not alter the matte appearance of the works, a characteristic feature of this set.

The fact that these works are located in a space where the environmental conditions are not controlled, inside a historical building from the 16th century, was also taken into account. This circumstance, however, is not necessarily counterproductive for the preservation of the paintings. In fact, historical buildings, despite the understandable difficulties in guaranteeing environmental control comparable to that of a museum, do allow, due to their architectural characteristics, a progressive and gradual introduction to climatic changes, to which the works can adapt gradually and cyclically, in line with the changes of the season. In any case, this fact should always be taken into account when proposing methods for the conservation-restoration process.

Conservation-restoration process The intervention began with the overall adhesion of the entire pictorial layer with Tylose diluted at 3% in water. Subsequently, more precise adhesion was carried out in the flaky areas or those at risk of detachment, using hide glue diluted in distilled water (1:8). In some cases, a hot spatula was used to help the glue penetrate and allow better adhesion of the paint that had bubbled.

Regarding the reinforcement of the canvas support, it was necessary to carry out the following processes, beginning with unnailing the canvases from the base frame and an initial flattening of the works between blotting paper and applying a light weight.

Subsequently, the patches on the back were removed, by means of plates of agar-agar diluted 2% in water, until all the residue had been removed from the glue with which they had been stuck on and which had caused wrinkles and strains on the canvases.

GENERIC CLASSIFICATION: painting on canvas | OBJECT: 5 frameless paintings | MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE: oil painting on canvas | DESCRIPTION: portraits of: Delphina, Phoenecia, Hippolyta, Leandra, Penthesilea, Thalestris and Zenobia | AUTHOR: unknown | DATE / PERIOD: 16th CENTURY | SIZES: 116 x 82.5 cm approx. each | LOCATION: private collection | ORIGIN: private collection | CRBMC REGISTRY NUMBER: 13209 to 13215 | INVENTORY NUMBER: 387, 389, 390, 391 and 393 | COORDINATION: Maite Toneu | RESTORATION: Pau Claramonte, Núria Lladó, Bea Montobbio, Núria Piqué, Teresa Schreibweis and Marta Vilà.

Trainee students: Tània Grevolosa and Laura Ruggieri. | CARPENTRY: Carmelo Ortega | TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC SERVICES: Esther Gual, Ramon Maroto and Ricardo Suárez | HISTORICAL-ARTISTIC INFORMATION: Mònica Piera | RESTORATION PERIOD: 2017 |

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Close-up of a tear being sutured.

Photo: Marta Vilà

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During the process of consolidating the canvas support using reinforcement bands around the perimeter

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Consolidation of the affected areas of the canvas support.

Photo: Bea Montobbio

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During the last phase of protecting the back.

Photo: Marta Vilà

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The general cleaning of the back of the canvases was done mechanically, using brushes and Wishab® eraser-like sponges, and vacuuming the existing dust and dirt. Once the back surfaces has been cleaned as much as possible, a second flattening of the canvases was carried out, using blotting paper, wood and weights.

The actual reinforcement of the canvas support was carried out using different procedures, always following the criterion of minimum intervention. First of all, the tears were sewn up thread by thread, by means of textile microsurgery, using woven linen, sturgeon glue and wheat starch, with the aid of a microsolder and a binocular magnifier.

Second, the holes were treated with linen grafts soaked in fish glue (1:16), for sizing, which were then stuck on with sturgeon glue and wheat starch.

Tightening wires were also applied with Beva® 371 diluted in cyclohexane (1:2). The third procedure involved covering the small holes with linen cloth lint stuck on with fish glue and wheat starch. The various procedures were subsequently reinforced with patches of Tetex® TR soaked in Beva® 371 diluted in cyclohexane (1:2). Then, the seams were reinforced in their weaker areas with tightening wires which were passed through the two cloths created by the folded seams. The fifth and final procedure involved reinforcement bands made with linen cloth which were placed around the edges and stuck on

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Final photo of the back of the portrait of the Amazon Zenobia before adding a protective element

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Final photo of the back of the portrait of the Amazon Delphina before adding a protective element

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During the process of levelling the gaps

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During the process of pictorial reintegration

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with an acrylic adhesive, Lascaux® Acrylic 498.

After finishing the reinforcement of the canvases, these were then mounted on the new stretchers, since the previous ones, which were not the originals, were not stable enough to support the works.

The cleaning of the pictorial surface was done following the CRBMC cleaning protocol. The best option was chosen from the tests that were carried out: a pH7 buffer with a strong chelator and rinsed with a pH7 base.

The levelling of the preparation layer in the areas with gaps was done using a traditional putty, made from hide glue and calcium carbonate. Regarding the levelling of the area with the black strip that surrounds the edge of the paintings, this was carried out with the same putty but mixed with pigments, to obtain a dark colour.

Regarding the chromatic reintegration, we opted for a first phase using Winsor and Newton® watercolour pastes, after applying a light and diluted layer of varnish to the entire surface of the paintings using a low molecular weight resin, Regalrez® 1094, nuanced with Cosmolloid® 80H wax at 2%.

After adding a second coat of varnish, of the same characteristics as the previous one, in order to homogenize the original pictorial layer with the parts reintegrated with watercolours, the last phase of the chromatic reintegration was carried out using Gamblin® pigments.

The small gaps were reintegrated following a mimetic system, while in the case of medium and large sized gaps, techniques were used that allowed viewers to differentiate (while close up) the original parts from the reintegrated ones, and which from a distance offered complete readability of the works.

Finally, as a preventive conservation measure, a protective element was incorporated on the back of the paintings based on a high density breathable polyethylene fabric, Tyvek®1443, to prevent the accumulation of dust and dirt on the back and, at the same time, to slightly reduce the impact of variations in relative humidity.

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CONSERVATION-RESTORATION

Centre de Restauració de Béns Mobles de Catalunya

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE RESTORATION

Conservation-restoration of the Romanesque portal of Santa Maria d’Agramunt Church

THIS ARTICLE EXAMINES the conservation-restoration activities on the west portal of Santa Maria d’Agramunt Church, carried out by Arcovaleno Restauro, SL in 2015–2016, following the guidelines established by the Centre for the Restoration of Artefacts of Catalonia (CRBMC).

The work was carried out on the whole protruding body of the Romanesque portal and on the Gothic rose window, both of which had been affected by a large amount of dirt and various deterioration processes on the stone base, aggravated by materials added during successive “restoration” attempts over the course of the last century.

The restoration highlighted the difficulties that lie in restoring artefacts that have already been restored with inappropriate methods or materials that are incompatible with the original construction materials. It also raised some questions around the conservation of polychrome on monuments exposed to the weather. As we will see at the end of this article, we need to reflect on some aspects before taking on the treatment of medieval polychrome. This polychrome is conserved mainly on the innermost part of the portico, and is now hidden by other, subsequent pictorial layers.

Monument description The portal dominates the main façade of the church, which is finished off by a gable roof and includes some Gothic-style elements, such as the central rose window with traceries, the two splayed half-round arch windows with moulding on the jambs, the pointed arcosolia at the bottom and the traceries on the upper floor of the adjoined bell tower.

The portal was built in the thirteenth century and constitutes one of the earliest and most representative examples of the so-called Lleida School. Stylistically, it follows the main models of the doors of the Seu Vella de Lleida Cathedral (Porta dels Fillols and Porta de l’Anunciata) and went on to serve as an example for later portals,

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The portal before restoration, once the swallows’ nests that covered it had been removed. Photo: Calidos. cat. Josep Giribet, 2015

The portal after restoration. Photo: Flare Estudi. Verònica Moragas, 2016

Rudi Ranesi, Albert Gaset and Neus Casal, conservator-restorers of artefacts

such as that of the Church of L’Assumpció de Gandesa.

The Lleida School style, so called as it originates from the Seu Vella de Lleida, developed within the context of the transition from Romanesque style to the Gothic architectural language and spread all over Catalonia, Aragon and Valencia.

Its portals are especially characterised by their position in a protruding body, by the absence of a tympanum and by rich ornamentation around archivolts and capitals. This is a style of an eclectic nature, due to the crossover of Toulousian and Lombard influences and the incorporation of Andalusia-inspired ornamentation, which is explained by Arab craftspeople’s probable participation in the work.

The Agramunt portal is made up of a canopy and eight half-round archivolts that, in flared formation and with varying profiles, frame the half-round arch of the tympanum-less door. The archivolts sit on eight pairs of semicircular pilasters with a smooth shaft. The moulded bases are raised up on a smooth podium that evens out the slope from the steps that lead up to the church.

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The spaces between the columns end in other semicolumns, so that the portal expands visually, with seemingly fifteen columns on either side. Similarly, the succession of capitals (in an inverted truncated cone shape with abacus) forms a continuous decorative frieze, which links up with the imposts of the central arch and extends along either side of the portico, surrounding the whole protruding body. This ends with an upper cornice with corbels and with small columns on the corners (joined to the protruding body, with their respective sculpted capitals).

Many of the architectural elements of the portal are heavily decorated with carved stone in high and low relief that was originally polychrome.

The piece’s ornamental repertoire consists of various interlaced geometric and plant-inspired motifs (serrated, zig-zag, beaded stems, palmettes, traceries, etc.), as well as numerous religious or symbolic figurative motifs. The poor state of conservation of figures often makes it difficult to identify the characters accurately and interpret the iconographic programme, though it seems that, in this case, it is a representation of

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The west façade of Santa Maria d’Agramunt Church, after restoration of the portal and rose window.

Photo: Catalunya Medieval. Ricard Ballo, 2017

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Inscription and relief on the lower part of the central sculptural piece. The date the sculpture was made can be seen (1283), as well as the weavers’ guild’s shuttles Photo: Arcovaleno Restauro, SL. Albert Gaset, 2016

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the heavenly court. Various animal figures can be seen (bestiary), as well as crowned female figures (probably to represent the virtues) and other human figures to represent saints, prophets and heavenly hierarchies.

The piece is presided over by a set of sculptures in high relief, which crown the entrance arch and reinforce the church’s dedication to the Virgin Mary: Virgin with the Child, flanked by the Adoration of the Magi and the Annunciation scenes. A plaque located below the pedestal of the Madonna statue bears an incised inscription in Latin, framed by five shuttles (symbol of the weavers’ guild, which sponsored the embellishment of the portal), which indicates the year in which the sculpture was made (1283).

On the keystone of the seventh archivolt, we find a high-relief figure of Christ on the throne with a cruciform halo, a book in his left hand and his right hand making a blessing gesture. This figure dates from the fourteenth century, so must have been added after construction.

Constituent materials Stone material: All over the portal, and indeed the entire building, we find the same type of browncoloured stone. It is sandstone with heterogeneous granulometry, formed by large angular frag-

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ments of quartz and feldspar; this detrital part is joined together by a carbonate fraction with calcite cement and a matrix with variable clay content, which leads to colour variations. Both the ashlars and voussoirs and the joints between the various architectural elements were originally grouted with a lime and sand mortar.

Polychrome: Although we should deepen our knowledge of the pictorial layers (both medieval and repainted), the 2006 preliminary study already revealed some information from which several relevant conclusions can be made: a) Under the currently visible paint (dominated by black, red and ochre) the presence of more than one pictorial layer was detected, with the corresponding preparation and protection layers. The medieval polychrome must have been repainted and embellished several times over history, then, probably because of deterioration to the decoration or as a response to successive changes in tastes and fashions over time. b) The identification of expensive and highquality pigments, such as cinnabar red, orpiment yellow (from Asia Minor) and probably indigo (from Persia), highlight the importance and prestige of the construction, as well as its artistic quality. c) The presence of calcium oxalates may

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Close-up on canopy before restoration: deterioration through flaking and scaling of the stone caused by water erosion and worsened by the hardener applied in a previous restoration.

Photo: CRBMC. Ramon Maroto, 2012

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Archivolts and central sculptural piece covered in swallows’ nests, 2011. Photo: CRBMC. Ramon Maroto, 2011

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State of conservation In general terms, and as a diagnosis, we consider that the whole portal, before restoration, presented a poor or very poor state of conservation, which varied depending on the area.

The lithic surfaces and polychrome remains were affected by a series of deteriorations that worsened the condition of the whole piece, both in terms of conservation of materials and on an aesthetic level. The various materials added in previous restoration attempts played an important role; over time, they have harmed the conservation of the stone and altered the aesthetic aspect of the piece.

pheric agents are factors that have led to, favoured or accelerated many of the detected deteriorations.

Likewise, water constituted another main factor in the alteration of the portal; through the water erosion suffered by the most exposed areas, through the severe rising damp that affected the whole lower part of the construction, and through the water leaks from the roof that covers the protruding body of the portal, due to the poor sealing of the stone slabs. This roof also presented significant biogenic coverage, which encouraged retention of moisture, as well as an old lead gutter in poor condition, which did not channel rainwater effectively. The fissures and cracks in the stone also caused a problem, along with the insufficient filler in some areas, which created points at which dirt accumulated, water entered and moisture was retained inside the architectural structure.

Environmental conditions and the water factor: The main factors that caused alteration included, above all, the environmental conditions to which the monument was subjected, as it is situated in an area with a climate characterised by abrupt seasonal changes. Exposure of the materials to thermohygrometric variations, to light and to atmos-

External elements: Around the portal, especially in the archivolt area, various rusted metal elements embedded in the stone were detected.

These elements were old, disused anchor points and did not seem to bear any historical relevance.

Dirt, deposits and sediments: Both superficial and encrusted dirt was visible on most of the sur-

indicate the deterioration of the organic materials used as a binding medium for the pigments and as a protective layer on the polychrome.

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Mapping of alterations: substituted elements, mortar added and metal elements embedded into the stone. Photo: Arcovaleno Restauro, SL. Caridad de la Peña, 2016

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Archivolts and central sculptural piece before and after restoration.

Photo: Flare Estudi. Verònica Moragas, 2015 i 2016

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faces, which presented generalised darkening, as well as signs of water drippage. There was also a considerable amount of dust and clay sediments, which had hardened and compacted over time and distorted the delicate sculptural work on the monument.

Animal debris: One of the most outstanding features of this type were the swallows’ nests, which were stuck firmly to the stone substrate and combined with the presence of greyish-black chromogenic fungi. This debris constituted the footprint of these migratory birds’ invasion of the portal; they had nested in large numbers in the most sheltered parts of the monument (especially under the projection of the upper cornice and the upper part of the archivolts).

Old photographs show that the swallows had been nesting around the portal at least since the 1970s, leaving a large amount of excrement on the stone. In spring 2012, as part of a joint project between the Bishopric of Urgell and the CRBMC, the nests were removed from the portal and a protective net was installed to prevent their reappearance. This pilot project took into account the conservation of swallows as a protected species and was authorised by the Ministry for the Environment and Agramunt Council. However, the damage caused by this large-scale, prolonged invasion of birds was considerable and largely irreparable; the metabolic action of the chromogenic fungi, combined with the presence of the nests, darkened the stone irreversibly. The

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excrement deposited on the monument may also have encouraged the chemical alteration of the stone, due to the corrosive effect of the nitric and phosphoric acids it contains.

Previous restorations: The portal has undergone various restorations over its history, many of which were highly interventionist and significantly altered the Romanesque original. Below are listed details of the known restoration activities, in an attempt to understand the successive materials substituted or added and their effects on the whole piece: a) Replacement of the lower part: The lower part of the portal, which had been heavily affected by the prolonged presence of rising damp, was almost entirely replaced, with new stone ashlars,

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on several occasions. The first substitution took place in 1910, during an intervention on the base and entrance steps. The unresolved persistent damp and the resulting accelerated deterioration of the stone in this area led to another, larger substitution in 1983; the base and steps were replaced again, as well as the column bases and many of the shafts and door jambs. However, rather than fixing the problem, the use of the Mineros® cement-based adhesive for the adhesion and grouting of the stone in these areas worsened the damp issue. b) Replacement of sculptural relief and joints between ashlars: The 1983 restoration did not just focus on the substitution of the lower parts; most of the canopy (except the central voussoirs) and the abacuses of the outer capitals, which had

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been eroded, were substituted with pieces of the Mineros® cement-based adhesive, made through a mould. This Mineros ® mortar, and another equally hard and inappropriate mortar, were also used to grout some areas of the portico. c) Application of hardeners: While the substitution of elements of the portal and the addition of mortars affected the Romanesque authenticity of the portico, successive invasive applications of hardener products on the disintegrating stone over time turned out to be disastrous for the piece’s conservation and aesthetics. An analytical identification of these added materials has helped to clarify the nature of the products and their deterioration processes.

Nitrocellulose, applied in 1910 around the archivolts, capitals and columns, formed an

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Close-up on the archivolts before restoration.

Scaling caused by nitrocellulose, applied as a hardener during a previous restoration.

Photo: Flare Estudi. Verònica Moragas, 2015

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Close-up on the archivolts before restoration.

Laminations caused by a hardener applied during a previous restoration.

Surface whitened by alkaline silicate.

Photo: CRBMC. Ramon Maroto, 2012

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approximately 1 mm-thick, dark-coloured layer, which was stuck fast to the stone surface. This resin, having been altered over time and through exposure to weather, is what was causing the most damage to the construction. It was darkened through solar radiation, underwent a process of hydrolysis due to contact with water, and lost plasticity. This latter fact increased its rigidity and caused it to retract, without losing its adhesive properties. By creating a non-breathable layer that was much harder than stone, high mechanical tension was created and the layer lifted up in the form of scales, bubbles and blisters, taking part of the healthy stone below with it (and, consequently, part of the polychrome). The area where this alteration caused by nitrocellulose was displayed most obviously was the outer part of the archivolts and the two lines of capitals.

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The application of an alkaline silicate (sodium or potassium) carried out in the 1950s affected the lower part of the portal (columns, capitals and the lower part of the archivolts). This product was therefore applied on top of the existing nitrocellulose. It was visible as a relatively whitish stratum, with a botryoidal appearance and various retraction fissures. The heterogeneous nature of this stratum in terms of thickness, hardness and adhesion to the surface below can be explained by the lack of precision used in the application of the product and by the presence of resin on the substrate, which must have influenced the penetration (or lack thereof) of the silicate. Over time and under the effects of damp, this stratum became rougher and lost its transparency, becoming white through a change in refraction of the light.

Finally, during the restoration attempt of 1983, the stone on the architectural body was consolidated (vertical faces and upper cornice with corbels) through the application of ethyl silicate.

This product was applied in high concentration, so it hardly penetrated the pores of the stone. Over time, due to contact with water, the ethyl silicate was altered and formed a translucent, slightly yellowish, reflective surface, somewhat like glass.

In short, practically all of the lithic and polychrome surfaces (luckily, not including the central sculptural piece) were impregnated with hardening products that, generally, would alter and harm the conservation of the stone below. These materials actively participated in the stone’s deterioration mechanisms (especially nitrocellulose) and led to considerable aesthetic changes.

Physical and mechanical alterations to the stone and loss of material: a) Erosion, disintegration and regression on the surface, which had occurred differently compared to the sedimentary structure of the stone, did not generally constitute an active alteration in terms of detachment of sand, as most of the surfaces were impregnated with hardening products. Some areas were an exception, such as the central voussoirs of the canopy, which were highly arenaceous. b) However, the alteration that probably affected the stability of the stone base the most was decohesion in the form of microfissures, scaling, blisters and bubbles, which involved small but consistent detachment of material. This decohesion was partly caused by the expansion and contraction of the clays contained in the sandstone matrix, but mainly by the mechanical tension caused by the nitrocellulose applied in 1910. Finally, there were also some notable fissures, cracks and blunted points, the latter being

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Close-up on the polychrome decoration on the central part of the portal. Front of the door arch: female figure wearing a crown (virtue) and traceries (Garden of Eden).

Photo: Arcovaleno Restauro, SL. Albert Gaset, 2016

especially visible on the sculptural relief and the upper cornice.

Polychrome: The pictorial layers, despite being in a fragmentary state, are relatively well conserved on the inner areas of the portico, which are more sheltered from rainwater. Initially, this polychrome was visually undermined by various accumulated surface layers, deposits and sediments, and, in some areas, by stone hardening products, which had supposedly been applied as a protective layer.

Aims of restoration As we have seen, the general condition of this architectural and sculptural piece was poor before restoration; many elements of the portal had been substituted, while the original stone was dirty, damaged and impregnated with old hardening products, which altered and harmed its conservation.

On one hand, it was therefore essential to improve the monument’s state of conservation, through stabilisation of the alterations and minimisation of the altering factors that caused or encouraged the deterioration mechanisms of the constituent materials. On the other hand, the aesthetic aspect of the piece needed to be improved,

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Mapping of the restoration: removal of added elements and details of cleaning systems.

Photo: Arcovaleno Restauro, SL. Caridad de la Peña, 2016

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to encourage interpretation of the monument and recover its lost aesthetic.

To achieve both these aims, it was important to reverse the problems derived from previous clumsy restoration attempts, where possible. Another relevant objective was to intervene as little as possible, adding as few products as possible and using the materials that were most appropriate for and compatible with the original monument.

Conservation-restoration process of the stone To achieve these aim, the following processes were carried out: Elimination of added external elements and mortars: First, all the added elements that distorted the original monument, such as the metal items embedded into the archivolt area and the various inappropriate cements and mortars added around the portal to fill in between the ashlars, were removed mechanically. Removal of the Mineros® from the column area was another necessary step, in order to encourage the dispersal of

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the rising damp present on the lower part of the portal.

Surface cleaning: Various cleaning methods were used, depending on each area’s needs. Processes were carried out stratigraphically and selectively, with a view to removing all elements or accumulated materials that harmed the monument.

The goal was to make the piece uniform, without altering the original colour of the stone, and to conserve the polychrome as much as possible, whether it was original or not. a) Manual mechanical cleaning: First, all the surfaces underwent gentle mechanical cleaning by flat brush and soft brush, through vacuum cleaning (dry clean) or with a hydroalcoholic solution (50:50 water and ethanol). This removed the dust and dirt deposits from the surface, although a scalpel and more hydroalcoholic solution had to be used to eliminate hardened sediments, other build-up and remains of swallows’ nests.

Mechanical and dry cleaning was also carried out to remove any detached hardening products.

Part of the whitened alkaline silicate was removed or reduced with a scalpel, where it was not stuck fast. Any scaling caused by nitrocellulose that did not directly affect the sculptural relief was also cleaned up mechanically via gentle methods, as most of the scaling was, unfortunately, considered irreparable; the high degree of decohesion and the fact that the stone was saturated with resin impeded consolidation through the usual methods. b) Abrasive mechanical cleaning: This cleaning method – microblasting abrasive particles with a compressed air gun (3mm opening) at low pressure (0.5–3 bar) and a controlled distance – resulted in: On the surfaces of the architectural body (faces and cornice): The removal of adhered dirt, as well as the removal of deteriorated remains of ethyl silicate, through the projection of fine-grain MPA® aluminium silicate.

On the surface of the archivolts: The reduction of the nitrocellulose layer (to facilitate subsequent laser cleaning), through blasting extra-fine aluminium oxide MPA®. c) Laser cleaning: Finally, all the portal’s stone was cleaned physically with laser technology, through the Art Laser Nd:YAG (1064nm) Q-Switch® device, at a controlled distance from the surface (at least 30 cm) and with the following regulated control settings: pulse frequency (maximum 30 Hz) and energy density (variable between 150 and 300 mJ). This system resulted in the removal (not complete in some areas, but generally to a satisfactory level) of the alkaline

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Close-up on the polychrome decoration on the central part of the portal.

Soffit of the door arch.

Photos: Arcovaleno Restauro, SL. Albert Gaset, 2016

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injection of a hydraulic mortar free of soluble salts (PLM-A®), after a hydroalcoholic solution was injected to reduce surface tension and encourage the mortar to penetrate the material.

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Close-up on the polychrome decoration on the central part of the portal.

Front of the door arch: traceries (Garden of Eden). Photo: Arcovaleno Restauro, SL. Albert Gaset, 2016

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Volumetric reintegration: The reintegration of lost material was achieved through the addition of mortars, following the strict policy of intervening as little as possible, in response to conservative (sealing the monument to avoid water leaks, dirt accumulation and plant growth) and aesthetic (to encourage interpretation of the monument) needs. Fissures, cracks and scaling were sealed, the blunted points on the upper cornice were reintegrated volumetrically (to avoid water drippage) and ashlar joints were filled in, where the original mortar proved insufficient. All the mortars used in the restoration were made (in 1:3 ratio) with Lafarge® NHL 3.5-Z natural hydraulic white lime, various types of sand and gravel (washed river sand and stone dust in different colours) and mineral pigments, in order to adapt the texture and colour of the lime mortars to the original context. silicate and nitrocellulose coating, while maintaining the natural patina of the stone and conserving the polychrome. The polychrome became much more visible than at the beginning, thanks to the removal of surface strata.

Stone consolidation: The consolidation processes, carried out selectively according to the different alterations, were limited to the areas that presented an obvious danger of material being detached. a) The central voussoirs of the canopy, which were highly arenaceous, were consolidated through the impregnation of Estel 1000® ethyl silicate, which was applied several times until the disintegrating particles were saturated and fixed together again. The rest of the eroded areas were not consolidated, as many of them were still saturated with resin and were therefore not actively disintegrating. b) Scaling and deterioration through flaking on the sculptural relief was stabilised through the

Water repellent treatment on the upper cornice: The stone that makes up the projection on the upper cornice was severely damaged and vulnerable to rainwater. With a view to increasing its resistance to water erosion, it was impregnated with the Silo® 111/CTS water repellent treatment product.

Roof repair: In order to solve the water problems coming from the roof that covers the architectural body, the following procedures were carried out: a) Clean-up of the upper roof (including the removal and biocide treatment of the biological patina with Biotin® T, a quaternary ammonium salt-based product, diluted at 3% in deionised water), grouting of stone slabs and sealing of the joint between the roof and the façade with lime and sand mortars. c) Removal of the old lead gutters, which were replaced with new zinc gutters, to guarantee that rainwater circulates and is expelled correctly.

GENERIC CLASSIFICATION: architectural heritage | OBJECT: portal | MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE: sandstone, lime mortar and tempera polychrome. Carving | DESCRIPTION: main entrance to the church, made up of archivolts and sculpted capitals, tympanum with sculptural piece and columns. | DATE/PERIOD: Romanesque. Thirteenth century, of the Lleida School | DIMENSIONS: 7.20 m tall and 11 m wide | LOCATION: west façade of the Santa Maria Church, Agramunt (Urgell) | CRBMC REGISTER NO.: 10258 | COORDINATION: Pere Rovira (CRBMC) | RESTORATION: Arcovaleno Restauro, SL. | CONSERVATORRESTORER TEAM: Rudi Ranesi and Albert Gaset (technical director and head of team), Eva Bermejo, Silvia Bottaro, Inés Legemaate and José Latorre | DOCUMENTATION: Neus Casal (report) and Caridad de la Peña (mapping) | PHOTOGRAPHS: Ramon Maroto (CRBMC), Verònica Moragas (Flare, SCP) and Josep Giribet (Calidos.cat) | YEAR OF RESTORATION: 2015-2016

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Polychrome treatment On the outer areas of the archivolts (from the second archivolt to the canopy) only some ochre colour remains, as well as hints of polychrome, generally hidden by the sculptures. The aforementioned cleaning process made the polychrome much more visible. Furthermore, in these areas, it was not necessary to set the pictorial layer; the polychrome was settled and did not present any pulverulence, due to the continued presence of some of the hardeners applied in previous interventions.

A much more complex challenge was posed by the treatment of the abundant polychrome maintained on the most interior part of the portal; the central sculptural piece, the door arch, the first archivolt and the two rows of capitals were severely affected by the whitening caused by alkaline silicate, applied as a hardener or protector in the early 1950s.

The cleaning carried out on this area revealed a large amount of polychrome, dominated by black, red and ochre. The most notable discoveries include the trim on the soffit of the door arch, the red background on the traceries, with a representation of the Garden of Eden, and the ornamentation on the first archivolt, all of which are wonderful examples of elegance and harmony.

Despite the good results, the complexity of the operation meant that the polychrome could not be recovered fully during the 2015–2016 restoration. The elements awaiting treatment include the female figures on the first archivolt (virtues), the central sculptural piece (Virgin with the Child, Adoration of the Magi and Annunciation) and the two rows of capitals. The central sculptural piece has been cleaned superficially to remove accumulated dirt, but the layers of paint from previous restorations have not been removed.

An assessment of the need to uncover the medieval polychrome must take place, then, considering that, once exposed to light and in the current environment, its deterioration would be accelerated.

To this end, it must be noted that the appearance of the central sculptural piece is rather rough today, due to layers of oil paint, possibly added in the nineteenth century to imitate the polished finish on the adjacent stones. This paint distorts the original beauty of the sculptures and we know, through analytical study, that it hides other, older paintings (probably of medieval origin), at least in part.

All of this raises a series of questions regarding polychrome conservation and protecting it against weather damage: is revealing the original poly-

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Close-up on the polychrome decoration on the central part of the portal. Relief and voussoirs on the first archivolt. Photo: Arcovaleno Restauro, SL. Albert Gaset, 2016

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chrome so that we can see and enjoy it an appropriate, legitimate option? Or, taking into account that its conservation could be at risk, is maintaining its current appearance, despite its aesthetic deficiencies, a better solution? Do we need to wait until scientific research into restoration uncovers a way to preserve polychrome outside? Or should we think of potential systems that protect the portal and conserve its polychrome while displaying it?

All of this and more must be considered before deciding on criteria to adopt in a case as delicate and iconic as that of Agramunt, a monument of great historical and artistic importance and, as we have seen, with a considerable amount of conserved polychrome.

Ángela Gallego, conservator-restorer of photographic material Carme Balliu, conservator-restorer of documents, graphic art and photography

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RESTORATION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL

Restoration of 2058 glass-based photographic plates

A COLLECTION OF 2058 PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATES on glass bases, contained in 42 boxes, stored in the photographic archive of the Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia (known by its Catalan initials mNACTEC).

photographer in an article in the Nació Digital, as the author of these images.1

It is part of the Josep Forns Olivella collection of photographic plates, owned by the Museum, which comprises mainly stereoscopic photographs of landscapes and traditional scenes, mostly in Catalonia, dating from the early to mid 20th century.

Organoleptic tests First, a visit was made to the mNACTEC to see the photographic archive in situ and assess the collection’s state of conservation. This review showed some glass plates had fungal damage and samples were taken that were subsequently analyzed in the laboratory to check whether the cultures were still active. This was done to determine whether they needed disinfecting.

Historical-artistic information Although we have very little information about the author of the photographs Josep Forns Olivella, we know something thanks to a student who went to the Museum to carry out a project on the work on this photographer. This project references the

Technical description A collection of glass plates, mostly black and white stereoscopic slides, on a glass base, and some negatives on glass bases of different sizes. All the images are monochrome, although some have been coloured in or masked in order to cover up a motif.

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Examples of plates with different colours and with masks. Photo: Enric Gràcia

— 1. http://www.naciodigital.cat/latorredelpalau/generapdf.php?id=39441 [From 7 May 2018]

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The collection contains different types of photographs: slides, stereoscopic slides and stereoscopic negatives, all on glass bases of different sizes: Plates

Size

Technique

1030

10,70 x 4,50 cm

Stereoscopic slides and negatives

100

6,00 x 13,00 cm

Stereoscopic slides

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8,50 x 10,00 cm

Slides with protective glass and sealed with black masking tape

State of conservation The results from the analyses of the microbiological culture were negative. These tests were repeated after the conservation and restoration work and the results were also negative, so disinfection of the items was discarded.

The bases, which were mostly glass, were in a good state of conservation. In general, no glass leaching was observed; some plates had small scratches or splintering, and there were also some with cracks that required restoration in order to recover their physical integrity.

The binding medium used for the silver particles that comprise the images was, in general, very cohesive and in good condition. There were, however, some photographs with water damage where parts of the image had been lost.

Almost all the images showed signs of oxidation. In addition, for those that were stored in

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Images before, during and after restoration.

Photos: Ángela Gallego

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crystal paper envelopes, this oxidation was more pronounced on the sides of the connecting edges, where glue had been applied.

Conservation-restoration process Cleaning of the glass plates.

First, the glass plates were removed from the old envelopes so the glass could be chemically cleaned using cotton wool soaked in a 50% water and alcohol solution. Any remains stuck to the negatives were removed with the help of a scalpel.

To clean the emulsion, only a soft bristle brush and rubber air pump were used.

Restoration of broken plates First of all, the borosilicate glass plates which would be added afterwards to protect the originals were cleaned, using water and neutral pH soap. They were then dried with paper (leaving

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Examples of plates with different colours and with masks. Photo: Ángela Gallego

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Sampling of possible area affected by a microbiological attack.

Photo: Ángela Gallego

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Glass plate broken into several pieces. Photo: Ángela Gallego

them for 24 hours to ensure they were completely dry). They were then cleaned using a 50% water and alcohol solution.

Before joining the fragments together it was important to ensure that all the parts of the negative were positioned correctly and that there were no remnants of the negative anywhere else (mixed in with other negatives, for example).

After joining the different parts, one or two glasses (depending on the degree of damage to the photographic plate) were added of the same size and thickness as the original plate; this provided the item with a protective packaging which was transparent and compatible with the original.

For those glass plates where the base was damaged, a graft made of PAT-certified (Photographic activity test) permanent neutral pH card was made of the same size and weight as the original part.

To avoid the appearance of Newton rings as a result of contact between two glass plates, a 2 mm thick permanent paper mask weighing 120 g was applied between the original glass plate and the added glass plate.

Finally, the edges of the whole piece were sealed with Filmoplast® P90 adhesive tape, applying pressure with the help of a Teflon spatula to ensure the adhesive tape stuck to the glass perfectly and to prevent any air bubbles.

A total of 14 broken plates were restored with the following numbers: 620, 641, 814, 827, 853, 976, 988, 989, 990, 998, 1003, 1005, 1027, 1670.

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Parts affected by direct humidity.

Photo: Ángela Gallego

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Deterioration of the gelatin binding medium due to direct humidity. Photo: Ángela Gallego

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Oxidation of the silver image.

Photo: Ángela Gallego

Conditioning of envelopes and storage boxes Most of the glass plates had been stored in crystal paper envelopes, which is not at all advisable for storing photographs. These envelopes were much larger than the plates they contained and the storage boxes, so they didn’t offer the right protection for the plates and they were difficult to handle because they were bent and overlapped each other.

The remaining plates were stored in four-flap paper envelopes, but since there was no reference to the type of paper and, therefore, there was no assurance that it was suitable for storing photographs, a decision was made to substitute them. In addition, these envelopes were larger than the plates, and there was so much spare room that the plates moved around easily inside and were liable to break during handling.

For all these reasons, the old four-flap envelopes were replaced with PAT-certified permanent paper envelopes of similar sizes to the plates.

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Image of one of the plates before and after its restorationó.

Photos: Ángela Gallego

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Cleaning of the glass base with solvents and mechanical cleaning of the image.

Photo: Enric Gràcia

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Cleaning of the glass base with solvents and mechanical cleaning of the image. Photo: Ángela Gallego

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At the request of the Museum, the arrangement and distribution of the plates was maintained as before, although it was recommended that the collection be redistributed so that there were fewer plates per box to make the handling and checking easier without risk of breakage.

The now clean glass plates were stored inside the new envelopes, marked with graphite pencils in the lower right corner, and in storage boxes.

Recommendations for preventive conservation The Museum was advised to keep the photographs in a controlled environment isolated from external pollutants, with a relative humidity of between 30% - 40%, with fluctuations of less than 5%, and a temperature below 20 ºC. Although after the restoration work the plates were stored, at the request of the Museum, following the same order and arrangement as before, the Museum was advised not to store more than 30 plates per box, and to place storage cardboard between them to avoid breakage during handling.

Finally, the Museum was advised to not stack boxes on shelves, to avoid excess weight and accidents during handling.

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Cleaning and placing of glass plates in envelopes.

Photos: Enric Gràcia

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GENERIC CLASSIFICATION: photographic material | OBJECT:: set of 2058 glass-based photographic | MATERIAL / TECHNIQUE: silver and gelatin on glass base / positives and negatives | DESCRIPTION: landscapes and traditional scenes, mostly of Catalonia | DATE / PERIOD: Early to mid 20th century | AUTHOR: Josep Forns Olivella | SIZES: various formats | LOCATION: Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia (mNACTEC), Terrassa (Vallès Occidental). Photographic Archive | ORIGIN: mNACTEC | CRBMC REGISTRY NUMBER: 13002 | INVENTORY NUMBER: various | COORDINATION: Carme Balliu | RESTORATION: Ángela Gallego | RESTORATION PERIOD: 2016-2017

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CONSERVATION-RESTORATION

Centre de Restauració de Béns Mobles de Catalunya

RESTORATION OF FURNITURE AND ETHNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL

Josep Puig i Cadafalch’s furniture and tools: recovery, conservation and restoration

IN SEPTEMBER 2003, the Ministry for Culture at the Generalitat made the step to include Josep Puig i Cadafalch’s archive in the Catalan Cultural Heritage Catalogue. Late 2017 saw the decision to put on the exhibition Puig i Cadafalch, the architect of Catalonia, which took place at the Museum of the History of Catalonia from 15 December 2017 to 15 April 2018.

RECOVERING THE FURNITURE AND TOOLS USED BY J. PUIG I CADAFALCH,

by Eduard Riu The exhibition Puig i Cadafalch, the architect of Catalonia, presented at the Museum of the History of Catalonia from 15 December 2017 to 15 April 2018, closed the celebrations to mark one hundred and fifty years since his birth and the centenary of his rise to the presidency of Catalonia, as part of the Mancomunitat government.

The exhibition was coordinated by the National Archive of Catalonia (ANC), which looks after most of the exhibited materials, with the collaboration of the Centre for the Restoration of Artefacts of Catalonia (CRBMC), which was responsible for the conservation work and enhancing the objects, work tools and furniture belonging to Puig i Cadafalch that were involved in the event.

Among its most significant, unique contributions, the exhibition presented previously unpublished and little-known designs and texts by the architect, as well as, for the first time, a collection of pieces that made up his work space in the Barcelona home he built in 1917. Except for periods of exile, he lived in this residence on 231 Carrer de Provença for nearly forty years, until his death in 1956. From that point, for fifty more years, these spaces, along with their furniture, tools, books and documentary collection, stayed where they were, unmoving and undamaged, with no significant upheavals.

This would come in the early 1990s, when we entered the house with Pere de Manuel, as the

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Objects on the filing cabinet in the exhibition room at the Museum of the History of Catalonia. Photo: Museum of the History of Catalonia (MHC).

Photo: MHC

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Filing cabinet for plans, with the large tabletop dismantled, before restoration

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Eduard Riu-Barrera, historian and curator of the exhibition Puig i Cadafalch, the architect of Catalonia (along with historian Mireia Freixa) Pep Paret and Jesús Zornoza, conservators-restorers of artefacts

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Drawers from the filing cabinet.

Visible signs of deterioration

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Filing cabinet for plans, with the large tabletop attached, after restoration

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Architectural Heritage Service of Catalonia was opening the procedure to declare some of Puig i Cadafalch’s buildings, the Garí houses and his summer house in Argentona historical monuments. In fact, under the pretext of obtaining information from these buildings, the aim was to approach the descendants, take care of the collections they held, implement measures to conserve them, if possible, and, eventually, make them public property. None of this was possible at the time, but once the first attempts had been made, the goal was pursued further and, after several initiatives, the efforts made by different bodies linked to the Ministry for Culture began to bear fruit, partly as a result of the estate being passed on in the family and transferred to other parties.

In September 2003, the Ministry for Culture made the move of including Puig i Cadafalch’s archive in the Catalan Cultural Heritage Catalogue: a key step that would shape its destiny, by preventing it from being spread around or exported. Three years later, his descendants and

GENERIC CLASSIFICATION: furniture and ethnographic material | OBJECTS AND DESCRIPTION: furniture (balustrade, tables, shelving, lamps, tripods, etc.), tools (compasses, paintbrushes, colouring pencils, set squares, tape measures, camera, calculator, etc.), samples of construction and decoration materials, plaster casts, personal belongings (medals, watches, etc.), metal printing matrices for books and the terracotta model of the capital of the Dam Montells family’s tomb monument | MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE: wood, metal, stone, plaster, terracotta, etc. | DATE/PERIOD: nineteenth and twentieth century | DIMENSIONS: various | LOCATION: storeroom at the National Archive of Catalonia, Sant Cugat del Vallès (Vallès Occidental) | ORIGIN: home of Josep Puig i Cadafalch. Carrer de Provença no. 231, Barcelona (Barcelonès region) | CRBMC REGISTER NO.: 13256 | COORDINATION: Pep Paret | RESTORATION: Anna Ferran and Jesús Zornoza | CARPENTRY: Carmelo Ortega | YEAR OF RESTORATION: 2017

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heirs decided to get rid of the movable contents of the house, which was sold privately, except for the documentary collection. All the prior initiatives led to these documents being offered to the Ministry of Culture, which, having been interested in them for a long time, assigned their description and valuation to the General Archives Section.

These steps culminated in their purchase, and in October of the same year, the collection was brought to the National Archive of Catalonia. The collection of documents was expanded through a small selection from the library and the most significant furniture and objects from the study, office, a downstairs room and the attic.

Their general condition was described by Ramon Planes, who took on the operation with great skill and wisdom: “A considerable part of the collection was from the study, where his library was also located (...) Everything suggests that, at least initially, [Puig i Cadafalch] kept these larger documents [designs, plans and sketches] on the tabletop in his study, which doubled up as a filing cabinet for plans and was, in all likelihood, designed by him. Sooner or later, he must have decided it was not enough and began to use a room on the ground floor solely for these documents, rolling them up and placing them on shelves made of forged iron brackets and mesh.” Thanks to its great archival value, this tabletop, held up by filing drawers, was recovered, along with the ceiling lamp with three bulbs on a bar that lit the room, as seen in Francesc Serra’s well-known photograph

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Capital from the Dam Montells family’s tomb monument, made from terracotta, before and after restoration

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Chair with mobile seat before restoration

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Chair with mobile seat after restoration

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For more on the recovery of the Puig i Cadafalch collection, see: R. Planes “La salvaguarda de l’arxiu de Josep Puig i Cadafalch (Barcelona, July-October 2006)” Archives no. 48 (2006) p. 3-5. Online edition: http://continguts.cultura.gencat.cat/arxius/butlleti/hemeroteca/docs/arxius48.pdf R. Planes “El retrobament (de l’arxiu) de Josep Puig i Cadafalch” L’Avenç no. 324 (May 2007) p. 42-45 R. Planes “L’ingrés de l’arxiu de Josep Puig i Cadafalch a l’Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya” National Archive of Catalonia Bulletin no. 19 (2008) p. 25-28. Online edition: http://anc.gencat.cat/web/.content/anc/Butlleti_ANC/Butlletins/ANC19.pdf

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Back of the dismantled balustrade before restoration

Front of the balustrade after restoration

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Pressure moulding decoration detail, after restoration

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Back of the balustrade after restoration, with new base

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from the 1920s. Other items recovered included a work chair with a mobile seat, wooden shelves and shelves made of iron and mesh for rolled-up plans.

Accompanying these furniture pieces, there was a collection of his tools (compasses and paintbrushes, fountain pens, rulers and scale rulers, colouring pencils and charcoal, set squares and stencils, a camera and a calculator), samples of construction and decoration materials (stone, glass, linoleum and other cladding materials), plaster casts of pieces by E. Arnau and other reference copies of Gothic and Romanesque ornamental elements (traceries and reliefs), some personal or family belongings (medals, a watch and a commercial stamp), and the metal printing matrices for the books L’oeuvre de Puig i Cadafalch (1904) and La plaça de Catalunya (1927).

From the study, which was documented by a photograph taken around 1930 by J.M. Sagarra, we recovered the desk and its curved scissors chair with elaborate arms, and the Modernist wooden balustrade with floral decoration. Images from the time show that, hanging up, there were prints of the plans for the Inmaculado Corazón de María Church in Buenos Aires (1909), which was never built, and in the middle, a copy of Joan Gascó’s Holy Face (c. 1513), as well as a plaster cast of a Gothic relief with the coat of arms of the House of Barcelona. All of these elements from the office and study were part of a recreation at the centre of the exhibition, which aimed to evoke both the materiality and the atmosphere of the spaces for creation and reflection where much of Puig i Cadafalch’s multifaceted work was born.

Finally, from among the junk and pigeon excrement in the attic, we rescued a terracotta model, signed by E. Arnau in 1896, of the capital for the Dam Montells family’s tomb monument, which

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Chest of drawers with 4 drawers before and after restoration

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is found in Montjuïc Cemetery, Barcelona. Puig i Cadafalch often kept plaster models of the stone pieces made by the artist, with whom he regularly collaborated around the turn of the century, and used them and pieces by other sculptors to decorate his homes in Argentona and Barcelona.

Exceptionally, in this case, the clay model was baked, thus setting the vivid imprint of the artist’s strokes and creating a unique sculptural piece.

The piece, which had never been seen before, was cleaned and enhanced, thus becoming one of the most outstanding features of the exhibition and, like the rest of Puig i Cadafalch’s furniture and other objects, was restored by the CRBMC. We would like to highlight the diligent work carried out by the CRBMC’s professional team and thank them for their generous contribution to the exhibition.

THE CONSERVATION-RESTORATION PROCESS,

by Jesús Zornoza The aim of this intervention has been to preserve the footprint left by time and use on the objects and maintain the soul of these personal pieces, including both everyday objects and work tools, used by a character of such artistic, professional and human dimensions as J. Puig i Cadafalch.

State of conservation and the conservationrestoration process All the material for the exhibition arrived at the Centre for the Restoration of Artefacts of Catalonia (CRBMC) from the National Archive of Catalo-

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nia (ANC) during March 2017 and, once the work on the pieces was over, left for the exhibition in November.

To carry out the work, the pieces were grouped into two collections: Furniture from his professional study and work space: the large drafting table with drawers for plans, the desk from the office, various shelves, various chairs, lamps, ironwork and mesh from the shelves used to store his rolled-up plans, and even the balustrade.

The pieces had been altered significantly due to the humidity. They showed expansions, cracks, water stains and drops, and, above all, massive fungal damage on all surfaces. There were also signs of attack by xylophagous insects, a lot of dirt and an accumulation of dust.

On some pieces, the varnish was very damaged, worn or eroded; its finish was very poor.

The balustrade from the office was made up of different pieces of pressure-moulded plywood, assembled in situ on battens. The surface presented various layers of stain and varnish. Some elements were loose and some of the wood layers had lifted.

An anoxia treatment was carried out on all the pieces to eliminate the xylophagous insects and aerobic fungi. A specific vacuum cleaner for archive materials with a HEPA filter for particles was also used on all the pieces to remove fungi.

Finally, to guarantee that all fungi and spores had been removed, a systematic spraying treatment was carried out with water and alcohol (70/30).

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General view of the large showcase that displays objects from J. Puig i Cadafalch’s office.

Photo: MHC

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In addition, to remove the large amount of dirt, the surfaces were cleaned with a hydroalcoholic solution.

The original varnishes were not removed; instead, they were renewed and thin layers of shellac were applied. Some pieces, such as the desk and small tables, were finished with a layer of wax on the surface.

The various fragments of the balustrade were brought together with a new crossbar and base, the laminated layers were consolidated (relief mouldings) with PVA, and surface cleaning was carried out with distilled water.

To stabilise the iron, it was treated with tannic acid, dissolved at 3% in alcohol, after the rust was cleaned mechanically and with alcohol.

The architect’s everyday, personal objects: in general, this set of objects, made of a wide range of materials (leather, metal, iron, paper, wood, glass, plaster, etc.), only presented some damage through use, an accumulation of dust and some slight natural ageing.

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The proposal was not to improve them aesthetically, but to conserve them. Any restoration work was therefore kept to a minimum. Many of the objects were stained with ink or paint through use. For most of the objects, any surface dust was removed and the patinas were maintained, to preserve their natural ageing.

Paper items (protractors, drawer labels, etc.) were flattened through the application of indirect moisture and weight. Rips were fixed and corners were strengthened through the application of 6-gram Japanese kizuki-kozu paper and cornstarch glue, with weighted progressive drying.

The presentation of a small fragment of printed paper from the book La plaça de Catalunya (1927), with a cat design, was also improved. A small conservation box was created, so that the piece could be handled and displayed without being touched.

Finally, surface dust was removed from some pieces with a vacuum cleaner or compressed air.

Other pieces were cleaned gently with distilled water. The pieces that were the most sensitive to moisture underwent mechanical cleaning with a smoke eraser (made of vulcanised rubber).

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Strip of printed paper before and after restoration

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TRAINING AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Conclusions from the “Gels in conservation” conference The “Gels in conservation” conference was more than simply a presentation on the latest research in the application of gels for the conservation and restoration of heritage objects. The meeting, attended by around 550 people from 39 different countries, revealed the current situation of the field of conservation-restoration of cultural assets and the direction in which its professionals would like it to go. The discussion on gels was really nothing more than an excuse to talk about where we are coming from and where we want to go.

These words, in our opinion, express the culmination of the aqueous-based cleaning methodology developed

by Dr Wolbers, in which gels obviously play a role. But let’s not kid ourselves, the discussion about gels is anecdotal.

It’s just a word that sells, the “hook” to get more than 500 people together to talk about the future of conservationrestoration. The underlying issue is something else, strongly linked to some words he spoke behind the scenes during the courses organized last March by the College of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Assets of

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At the conference.

Photo: Aleix Barberà

The words during the opening session by Dr Richard Wolbers, who clearly advocates a change in professional perspective, help to illustrate this: “Looking backwards in the last thirty years, we’ve seen a slow exponential rise in the use of more developed cleaning systems, explorations of aqueous-based cleaners for painted surfaces, things like that. It has been a lot of hard work but I think it's actually worth it. I think we’re engineers. I think we actually, the people who are at the front line of working on these kinds of fine arts surfaces, whenever we have a problem, whenever we look at the materials available to us, the information available to us, we try to work out a solution.

We’re problem solvers. And that's what the engineers do”.

You can see the entire speech at: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=RGpOYaU6owE [from 16 April 2018].

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Catalonia (known by its Catalan initials ESCRBCC) and the Centre for the Restoration of Artefacts of Catalonia (CRBMC): “knowledge is freedom”.

We believe that this is really the point of the “Gels in conservation” conference organizers wanted to get to.

To the empowerment of conservation-restoration professionals, which comes with this change in cleaning systems of all types of cultural assets, not just painted surfaces. The paradigm shift is obvious: the application of cleaning tests is now obsolete. Now we employ analyses of the pH and the conductivity of the objects, knowledge of the constituent materials; we start from our “unicum” to develop, as engineers, cleaning solutions that fit the circumstances and needs. This is freedom of knowledge and where we stand today.

Aleix Barberà and Silvia Marín, conservators-restorers of artefacts

But as well as analysing the current situation, during the “Gels in conservation” conference, Dr Richard Wolbers also pointed out the direction in which we want to move professionally. The path we need to follow, the research of the future is presented in “Gels, green chemistry, gurus and guides”, in which he highlights the need to apply the 12 principles of “green chemistry”1 to conservation-restoration and the benefits this can provide, which he summarizes as follows2: Minimizing waste at source: The use of solvent gels, for example, is much more efficient than working with liquid solvents. This can minimize the evaporation of solvents while enabling more controlled work and using less of the product.

Using catalysts instead of reagents: The use of enzymes may in future be one of the key tools used in the cleaning of painted surfaces. In many cases they will allow us to work in a much more selective way during the removal of surface layers, while replacing the traditional use of solvents with wholly aqueous-based preparations.

Improving atomic efficiency: The use of products that fulfill more than one need, as is the case of xanthan gum, which can be used to create a buffer gel and at the same time an emulsion with a solvent without the need for any type of surfactant.

Using non-toxic or less toxic reagents: A paradigm shift occurs when we start to remove varnishes from natural resins using aqueous emulsions that contain tiny amounts of solvent, around 3%. Knowledge about the ageing and the behaviour of materials means we are able to use more efficient cleaning systems which are also less toxic since they are wholly aqueous-based preparations.

Using renewable materials: The inclusion or organic products that can be grown and regenerated in a relatively simple way, such as agar-agar, xanthan gum or enzymes, is something to consider when choosing new products in the future.

Avoiding the use of solvents or using those that are recyclable and more environmentally friendly: Following the example of the cosmetics industry, which has gradually replaced more toxic products with biodegradable alternatives, can help when choosing new solvents, in the relatively near future, to replace those that are traditionally used.

Moreover, the presentations, posters and professional discussions that accompanied the “Gels in conservation conference” also raised a series of issues that combine green chemistry with the application of gels in conservation-restoration. These are the basic principles and benefits which should encourages us to revert to gel cleaning systems whenever possible: • They increase the moisture capacity of the solution or solvent that we want to apply.

• They improve the contact between this solution or solvent and the surface.

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• They deliver the solution or solvent in a precise manner: cleaning is more selective and stratified.

• They reduce the possibility of the solutions penetrating the object (vertical diffusion) and reduce the amount of moisture or solvents getting inside it.

• They delay the evaporation of the solvents and therefore prolong their action.

• They prevent much of the evaporation of the solvents, making the task less toxic for the restorer and for the environment.

• They create emulsions without the need to add a surfactant.

Let’s finish with an abstract from Dr Wolbers’ article in the “Gels in conservation” minute book, where he presents his perspective on connecting the past, present and future. “There is no end to the challenges that we face in the cleaning of painted surfaces [...]. Our principles will not change —we want to continue to preserve heritage objects and their artistic and cultural significance for as

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At the conference.

Photo: Aleix Barberà

long as possible. But our tools will become more sustainable. We need to consider green or sustainable chemistry whenever we address new materials and their problems.

As in other sectors, we must replace or minimize the use of solvents wherever possible. Gels are one way, but we have to be ready to constantly review and update our treatments when new products become available to us”.

1. Anastas, P.; Warner, J. 1998. Chemistry: theory and practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

2. Angelova, Lora; Ormsby, Bronwyn, Townsend, Joyce H., Wolbers, Richard (eds.). 2017. Gels in the conservation of art. London: Archetype Publications. Pages 3-8.

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TRAINING AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Richard Wolbers workshops in Barcelona Last March we had the opportunity of welcoming Dr Richard Wolbers to our centre, a biochemist and restorer at the University of Delaware (USA). He came to teach two workshops on cleaning: one on paper, “General cleaning materials and methods for paper bathing”, and the other on wall paintings, “General cleaning materials and methods for wall paintings”.

Organized by the College of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Assets of Catalonia (known by its Catalan initials ESCRBCC) and the Centre for the Restoration of Artefacts of Catalonia (CRBMC), course attendance was very high; about two hundred and fifty people participated in the theoretical sessions held at the Filmoteca, and about thirty were able to attend the practical sessions: fifteen, at the paper and graphic arts restoration laboratory of the ESCRBCC, and fifteen more, at the wall painting restoration laboratory of the CRBMC. The courses proved to be very successful. Above all, we were left with a sense of satisfaction of having offered a programme which was very well received. The participants enjoyed and appreciated the sessions, which motivates us to continue with more proposals. But the main conclusion we have drawn from this is that experts in our field are eager to learn and to stay up to date. Re-training means investing a lot of time and money in professional improvement, which is not easy bearing in mind today’s

employment situation and the fact that people in our field are by and large self-employed. Therefore we would like to thank all the attendees for their efforts.

It has to be said that we regretted not being able to offer more places for the practical sessions. We are working on some sort of formula that will allow us to open up this system to as many professionals as possible. We will soon be sending you the proposals we are preparing in this regard.

And, finally, some news for those who want more: this coming autumn we will be offering a workshop on cleaning methods for contemporary art, with Dr Paolo Cremonesi.

This course, organized jointly with the Miró Foundation, will deal with the cleaning of polychrome works sensitive to water and organic solvents, with special emphasis on acrylic paint, which is today as abundant as it is difficult to treat. We hope that you will also find this proposal interesting, which once it has been finalized will be posted on the CRBMC website.

Esther Gual, coordinator of Contemporary Art at the CRBMC

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At the practical workshop on wall painting. Photo: Esther Gual

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At the workshop.

Photo: Esther Gual

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15th Technical Conference.

Photo: CRAC board

— Conclusions from the 15TH Conservation-Restoration Technical Conference 2017 Conclusions written by Mireia Mestre Campà, former president of the Association of Catalan Conservators-Restorers (known by its Catalan initials CRAC) and member of the organizing committee of the 15th Conservation-Restoration Technical Conference.

These international seminars, organized by the CRAC, are the 15th edition of the Technical Conferences that have been held in Barcelona since 1987. The aim of these sessions is so that heritage conservation-restoration experts from different backgrounds and from different disciplines can exchange experiences and discuss approaches. Over the years, these seminars have become a benchmark as a platform of scientific communication for the heritage conservation sector.

Text extracted from the website: http://www.cracpatrimoni.com [From 10 May 2018] The 15th Conservation-Restoration Technical Conference, organized by the Association of Catalan ConservatorsRestorers (CRAC) and held at the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) on 27 and 28 November 2017, brought together more than 200 experts working in and for museums, heritage institutions, training centres and companies in the sector.

They presented their experiences and reflections during conferences, oral presentations and posters (texts published in the minute book) and debated the proposed topic: “Systems and materials for the assembly, exhibition and storage of cultural assets”.

Over the course of the two days of the 15th Technical Conference, there several recurring topics that were either underlying or came up explicitly during many of the

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contributions and interventions in the round table. These are summarized in the following overall conclusions: The appropriate types of exposition and storage materials, protections and frames of cultural assets help in their conservation and extend their life.  Display and exhibition systems, anchors, showcases, protections and lighting fixtures can contribute to the understanding of cultural heritage objects and enhance the museum's message, but these aspects must ensure that they do no put the preservation of the items at risk.  The conservator-restorer’s knowledge of the state of conservation of the cultural assets, of the component materials and their physicochemical behaviour is essential for establishing technical prescriptions for planning the items’ exhibition, assembly or storage.  The interdisciplinary work, from the very beginning of a project, between conservator-restorer and commissioner, architect and designer, benefits the outcome and saves time and resources. An attempt should be made to quantify this and assign figures to this task.  There should be systematic testing of materials used as support frames, as protection and as packaging, and for the manufacturing of exhibition and storage fittings.

Internal contamination generated from building materials in contact with cultural assets should be eliminated, and an analysis of the market should be carried out for new products and already existing ones, since manufacturers may change the composition of these without prior warning and make them chemically unstable.  Action protocols need to be established to ensure there is time to apply them, in order to guarantee the integrity and long-term conservation of collections when setting up an exhibition, during the exhibition itself and when the items are stored.  In light of the climate crisis, it is important to rationalize relative humidity and temperature parameters applied 

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Centre de Restauració de Béns Mobles de Catalunya

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15th Technical Conference.

Photo: CRAC board

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in conservation, to improve energy savings and minimize the ecological footprint. This means adjusting climatic requirements, and achieving more energy-efficient buildings which use passive conservation systems that are more sustainable.  Applying preventive conservation measures to the reserves of heritage institutions, where most collections are kept for planning and reorganizing purposes, is essential to guarantee the preservation and knowledge of the items.  Items from these reserve collections must be conditioned and made accessible to avoid continuous handling and, if necessary, to facilitate their transport without damaging them.  Determining what doesn’t work in preventive systems and during research on the use of new materials can contribute to improvements and to finding appropriate solutions for storing cultural assets.  The systematic documentation of an item’s display and storage systems, the interventions it has undergone, its movements and the different environments it has been subject to allows for a thorough study of any possible alterations it may have suffered and any changes in its state of conservation.  The management teams of heritage institutions play a fundamental role in the long-term conservation strategies of cultural assets for their technical and social use:

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• providing support to the collaboration efforts of all the agents involved in the exhibition concept with regards to museographic design and conservation policies.

• prioritizing improvements in reserves (spaces, furniture, topography, facilities and documentation of the locations) and ensuring the suitability of the storage areas of these collections.

• providing institutions with the position of a conservator-restorer to reliably manage preventive conservation and to train the rest of the staff to help in its implementation.

• promoting passive and sustainable building systems, temporary and permanent facilitates, rather than high energy consumption systems.

• encouraging research in the field of materials analysis and the establishment of protocols that guarantee the preservation of cultural assets, be they stored or exhibited, and care in their movements.

The organizing committee of the 15th Technical Meeting has compiled all the contributions and proposals from the group of experts that have participated and asks the management teams of heritage institutions not only for their vocal support but for their firm conviction and commitment in the implementation of the measures described in this document.

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Gels in the Conservation of Art Lora V. Angelova, Bronwyn Ormsby, Joyce H. Townsend and Richard Wolbers (Ed.) London: Archetype Publications, 2017, 400 p

This book contains the minutes from the Gels in conservation Conference organized by International Academic Projects Ltd and the Tate held in London on 16 - 18 October 2017. It features articles on each of the presentations and poster sessions, arranged in several chapters according to the type of gel: polysaccharides (agar, gellan, xanthan and methyl cellulose); polyacrylics (pemulen and carbomer); silicone emulsifiers (Velvesil, KSG); new methods (borate, polyacrylamides, etc.) and comparative studies.

It is therefore a compilation of the most cuttingedge studies on the application of gels in the conservation of cultural assets and, especially, on cleaning methods. It presents both practical cases and in-depth scientific and analytical studies on the behaviour and properties of each of the gels.

It is worth mentioning the editorial article by Dr Richard Wolbers, in which he describes current trends in the use of cleaning materials and methodologies for the restoration of cultural assets.

Concepts such as minimizing the use of cleaning products, their efficiency, the preferred use of aqueous systems, the choice of biodegradable materials, the elimination of toxic products and other key factors in the green chemistry framework. A statement of intent not just about how restoration should be done in the future but about how it should be done today.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the interesting appendix by the same author, in which he provides a recap on the terminology and properties of the gels that appear in the book. A brief manual containing the most basic information required for an initial understanding of the applications and uses of gels in conservation.

Aleix Barberà, conservator-restorer of stone objects

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Current Technical Challenges in the Conservation of Paintings Angelina Barros D’Sa, Lizzie Bone, Rhiannon Clarricoates and Helen Dowding (Ed.) Archetype Publications Ltd in association with the Icon Paintings Group, 2015, 126 p

Reading any new, fresh publication by conservator-restorers who deal with works of art (and one that is more attractive than the hard-hitting and hyper-scientific Studies in Conservation, for that matter) opens the mind and connects you with the professional work going on around you.

This publication is a collection of articles from a conference organised around pictorial pieces with just one running theme: the technical challenges encountered by conservator-restorers in their work on paintings in various formats.

This need to share experiences stems from a UK conservation-restoration association, the Institute of Conservation (ICON) and, more specifically, its painting division: The Icon Paintings Group.

As indicated in the book’s foreword, conferences provide fresh points of view, new ideas and innovations and the flow needed to keep restorers in the active area of conservation. To assess what was changing in the field of painting conservation, the group organised an event in 2014 under the title “Modern Conservation: What’s New?”, from which this eclectic, fascinating publication was born.

The articles, complete with explanatory graphics, are written to share all the ins and outs of these professionals’ experiences, including the products and proportions they use.

All painting restorers who read this book will find a different article that is the most useful, interesting and attractive to them, depending on their speciality or sphere of interest.

Personally, I especially enjoyed Anna Krez’s article: Kinesio tape – Conservation science meets sports medicine, which describes the potential of using sports medicine adhesive tape in heritage conservation.

The focus placed by ICON on sharing knowledge is reflected in the fact that all the articles are accompanied by their authors’ contact details, so that readers can easily get in touch with them.

Pere Rovira, conservator-restorer of stone artefacts

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CRBMC. CENTRE DE RESTAURACIÓ DE BÉNS MOBLES DE CATALUNYA C. Arnau Cadell, 30 - 08197 Valldoreix Tel. 935 902 970 - Fax 935 902 971 crbmc.cultura@gencat.cat www.centrederestauracio.gencat.cat www.facebook.com/RestauraCat www.instagram.com/restaura.cat

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Pere Rovira, Mònica Salas, Àngels Solé and Maite Toneu GENERAL COORDINATION Àngels Planell TEXTOS ©The authors TRANSLATION Sounds and Words Translations PROOFREADING Àngels Planell and Maria Ferreiro PHOTOGRAPHS Ramon Maroto (CRBMC) and the photographers DOCUMENTATION Maria Ferreiro, Àngels Planell and Mònica Salas LABORATORY OF PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND EXAMINATION PHOTOGRAPHS

Ricardo Suárez X-RAY LABORATORY Esther Gual GRAPHIC DESIGN ciklic COVER Glass-based photographic plates from the Olivella Fund at the mNACTEC. Photo: Enric Gràcia LEGAL NUMBER B-13.856-2012 ISSN NUMBER (ELECTRONIC PUBLICATION) 2013-3251 Key title: Rescat (Barcelona, Internet) Abridged title: Rescat (Barc., Internet)

Generalitat de Catalunya Departament de Cultura