The idea of the book “Science and Conservation for Museum Collections” was born as a result of the experience made by CNR-ISTEC (Faenza) in the implementation of a course for Syrian restorers at the National Museum in Damascus. The book takes into consideration archaeological artefacts made out of the most common materials, like stones (both natural and artificial), mosaics, ceramics, glass, metals, wood and textiles, together with less diffuse artefacts and materials, like clay tablets, goldsmith artefacts, icons, leather and skin objects, bones and ivory, coral and mother of pearl. Each type of material is treated from four different points of view: composition and processing technology; alteration and degradation causes and mechanisms; procedures for conservative intervention; case studies and/or examples of conservation and restoration. Due to the high number of materials and to the great difference between their conservation problems, all the subjects are treated in a schematic, but precise and complete way. The book is mainly addressed to students, young restorers, conservators and conservation scientists all around the world. But the book can be usefully read by expert professionals too, because nobody can know everything and the experts often need to learn something of the materials not included in their specific knowledge. Twenty- two experts in very different fields of activity contributed with their experience for obtaining a good product. All they are Italian experts, or working in Italy, so that the book can be seen as an exemplification on how the conservation problem of Cultural Heritage is received and tackled in Italy.

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SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION

FOR MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

INTRODUCTION
1 – PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION
1.1 Introduction
1.2 International standards and guidelines
1.3 Environment-material interaction
1.4 Microclimate and monitoring
1.5 Handling works of art
1.6 Exhibition criteria
1.7 MUSA project: intermuseum network for conservation of artistic heritage
Bibliography
Acknowledgements

2 – STONE ARTEFACTS
2.1 What conservation means
2.2 Natural Stones
2.3 Artificial stones
2.4 Deterioration of the stone
2.5 Cleaning of stone artefacts
2.6 Consolidation and Protection
2.7 Case studies
Bibliography

3 – MOSAICS
3.1 Manufacturing techniques
3.2 History of the mosaic
3.3 Degradation of mosaic
3.4 Restoration of mosaics
3.5 Case study
Bibliography

4 – CERAMICS
4.1 Ceramic technology
4.2 Technological classification of ceramics
4.3 Alteration and degradation processes
4.4 Ceramic conservation and restoration
4.5 Case studies
4.6 Examples of restoration
Bibliography
Acknowledgements

5 – CLAY TABLETS
5.1 Defnition
5.2 Deterioration
5.3 Conservative intervention
5.4 Case study: Syrian tablets
Bibliography
Acknowledgements

6 – GLASS
6.1 General information
6.2 Processing techniques
6.3 Glass deterioration
6.4 Glass conservation and restoration
6.5 Case studies
Bibliography
Acknowledgements

7 – METALS
7.1 Origin of metals
7.2 Manufacturing techniques
7.3 Conservation state of metals
7.4 Conservative intervention for metals
7.5 Case studies: Recovery of metallic artefacts from terracotta containers
Bibliography
Acknowledgements

8 – GOLDSMITH ARTEFACTS
8.1 Goldsmith’s metals
8.2 Enamels
8.3 Precious stones
8.4 Alteration and degradation
8.5 Conservative intervention
8.6 Case studies
Bibliography

9 – WOOD ARTEFACTS
9.1 Characteristics of the wood
9.2 Working techniques
9.3 Degradation of wood
9.4 How to start restoring
9.5 Restoration of a small inlaid table
9.6 Restoration of a commemorating wooden tablet
9.7 The restoration of a seventeenth-century wooden crucifix
Bibliography

10 – ICONS
10.1 The construction of icons
10.2 Degradation and damages of icons
10.3 Methods of conservation and restoration of icons
10.4 Examples of conservative interventions
Bibliography

11 – TEXTILE FINDS
11.1 Morphology, characteristics and properties of textiles
11.2 Decay of textile fibres
11.3 Conservation treatments of archaeological textiles
11.4 Conservation practice: two case histories
Bibliography
Acknowledgements

12 – LEATHER AND ANIMAL SKIN OBJECTS
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Skin
12.3 The tanning process
12.4 Parchment
12.5 Leather degradation
12.6 Conservative intervention
12.7 Examples of conservative interventions
Bibliography

13 – INORGANIC MATERIALS OF ORGANIC ORIGIN
13.1 The materials
13.2 The restoration operations
13.3 Cases of study
Bibliography
Acknowledgements

14 – ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES
14.1 General information
14.2 Optical microscopy
14.3 Spectroscopic techniques
14.4 Radiochemical techniques
14.5 Chromatography
14.6 Electron microscopy
14.7 Thermal analyses
14.8 Open porosity measurements
14.9 Analysis of microbial colonization
Bibliography

Acknowledgements