Conservation of contemporary art: Alteration phenomena in a XXI century artwork. From contactless in situ investigations to laboratory accelerated ageing tests

doi:10.1016/j.culher.2018.12.006

Journal of Cultural Heritage

Volume 35, January–February 2019, Pages 288-296

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2018.12.006 Get rights and content

Abstract

The present study reports the results of a combined approach in investigating the alteration phenomena on a contemporary artwork, Senza Titolo, by Nunzio di Stefano. The oeuvre, created in 2001, is composed by seven lead carved panels coated with Paraloid B72. After having being stored for several years in wood boxes, it was acquired in 2015 and, only at that time, the surface showed an evident deterioration In situ analyses, by means of contactless external reflection infrared spectroscopy (ERFTIR), have shown that the alterations products are in the form of basic lead carbonate and, surprisingly, of lead carboxylate. The presence of these products were supposedly due to VOCs attack during the storage in wood boxes. The formation of lead carboxylate, due to the interaction among lead substrate and acetic and formic acids (the major components of the VOCs mixture), was investigated through a laboratory accelerated ageing. The effect of VOCs was studied on the lead substrate, on the acryl coating and on a series of mockups simulating Senza Titolo. The combination of surface and punctual analyses, by means of ERFIR and μ-FTIR, showed that the formation of alteration products is a relatively fast process. The alteration path involves firstly the absorption of VOCs moisture on the Paraloid B72 surface, immediately followed by corrosion processes, leading to hydrocerussite, lead acetate and formate. The presence of the polymeric coating controls the transformation of lead carboxylates to basic lead carbonate. Laboratory results have consolidated those obtained by in situ contactless investigations, confirming ERFTIR as powerful tool in assessing the state of conservation of Cultural Heritage materials.

Section snippets

Introduction and research aim

Preserving Cultural Heritage (CH) artifacts is a fundamental key point to guarantee a correct fruition of tangible Culture. Inside the multidisciplinary effort to preserve the products of the human talent, whatever their nature is, the comprehension of the physico-chemical nature of the constituent materials plays a special role to guarantee their conservation. An intimate description of the materials allows the understanding of their interactions with the environment, i.e. constituents’ time

Mockups preparation

To produce Senza Titolo replicas, mockups were prepared from a lead foil, 2 mm in thickness. The foil was firstly washed with deionized water, then degreased with isopropanol and acetone (Sigma Aldrich analytical standard) and finally polished with a 1000 mesh SiC paper, washed and degreased again. This procedure was necessary to remove organic contaminants and to minimize the presence of pristine carbonate and oxides on the surface. From a single foil were obtained a series of 12 mm in

In situ investigations

As mentioned above, Senza Titolo shows diffuse and evident alterations, both in the form of whitish areas and in variation of the coatings’ gloss (Fig. 1b–c). Whitish areas mainly consist in dusty patinas, localized both above and below the acrylic coating, mostly distributed near the carvings and the junctions. On the contrary the gloss’ variation is spread un-homogeneously, involving areas with different dimensions and positions. Non-invasive ERFTIR spectra, collected on unaltered coating,

Conclusion

ERFTIR has been demonstrated to be a valid contactless methods for the molecular identification of lead alteration products. In situ analyses clearly showed the presence of HC and lead carboxylate on Senza Titolo surface. The former was recognized mainly on white patinas, the latter were identified both in the “untouched” coating and in the altered one. Additionally laboratory experimentation has provided, through a combination of non-invasive and micro-invasive investigations, an in-depth

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Nunzio di Stefano, for his helpfulness and his interest in this project.

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The corrosion inhibition effect, reinforcement effect and penetration effect of rusted bronze before and after the compounding of 2-mercaptobenzimidazole (MBI) with B72 (Paraloid B72) were investigated using surface analysis and electrochemical techniques. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy (Raman), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and quantum chemical computing techniques were used to explore the mechanism of corrosion mitigation further. In addition, an electronic universal testing machine was used to test the ability of the material to reinforce different rust compositions before and after compounding. The dynamic potential polarization method was used to determine the composite scheme's optimal corrosion inhibition ratio and study the corrosion inhibition effect. The experimental results showed that the best corrosion inhibition effect was achieved at the ratio of MBI/B72 ratio 3:7, and the corrosion inhibition efficiency was 97.84 % under these conditions. Most of the MBI molecules used by us presented prominent permeation adsorption behavior. They formed uneven films of Cu(I)-MBI and Cu(II)-MBI coordination compounds on the surface of the rust layer. Finally, B72 combines with MBI molecules through hydrogen bonding to form a compact and smooth film, which helps improve corrosion inhibition efficiency and plays a certain role in reinforcement.
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The determination of secondary volatile degradation products in drying oil extracts is substantial to prevent formation of undesirable metal formates in paintings and/or other artefacts. This study develops a simple, cost-effective, and reliable, high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC–DAD) method to determine three secondary volatile degradation products (methanol, formaldehyde, and formic acid) in drying oils, including linseed, poppy-seed, and walnut oil. Extraction of analytes was performed using QuEChERS-based procedure followed by metal oxide-based dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) clean-up and presented a good performance for all of the volatile analytes of interest with recoveries in the range of 90–120% after application of the nanostructured cerium oxide-based (CeO₂) and zirconia-based (ZrO₂) sorbents prepared by favorable and ecological-friendly methods. With a new clean-up solution for samples with high-fat content, it was possible to achieve higher recoveries than with commercial Z-Sep/C18 sorbent. In all cases, relative standard deviations (RSD) of less than 10% were achieved. No significant matrix interference was observed due to the application of effective sorbents in nanostructured form. The developed method was applied to samples of drying oils, and it was found that after storage for three months, all methanol was most likely oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid. The concentrations of formaldehyde were in the range of 260 - 304 μg∙g⁻¹, while formic acid concentrations ranged between 72 - 386 μg∙g⁻¹. The highest concentration of formaldehyde (304 μg∙g⁻¹) and formic acid (386 μg∙g⁻¹) was found in linseed oil.
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Modern and contemporary artConservation of contemporary art: Alteration phenomena in a XXI century artwork. From contactless in situ investigations to laboratory accelerated ageing tests

Abstract

Section snippets

Introduction and research aim

Mockups preparation

In situ investigations

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

J. Cult. Herit.

Microchem. J.

Microchem. J.

Spectrochim. Acta A

Corrosion Sci.

Corrosion Sci.

Atmospheric Environ.

Corrosion Sci.

Corrosion Sci.

Polymer Degradation Stability

Spectrochim. Acta

Prog. Org. Coatings

J. Cult. Herit.

Matisse to Picasso: a compositional study of modern bronze sculptures

Anal. Bioanal. Chem.

Disclosing Jackson Pollock's palette in Alchemy (1947) by non‑invasive spectroscopies

Herit. Sci.

Scientific investigation of an important corpus of Picasso paintings in Antibes: new insights into technique, condition, and chronological sequence

J. Am. Inst. Conserv.

The colors of Keith Haring: A Spectroscopic study on the materials of the mural painting Tuttomondo and on reference contemporary outdoor paints

Appl. Spectrosc.

Painted fiberglass-reinforced contemporary sculpture: in-vestigating composite materials, techniques and conservation using a multi-analytical approach

Appl. Spectrosc.

Characterization of a Degraded Cadmium Yellow (CdS) pigment in an oil painting by means of synchrotron radiation based X-ray techniques

Anal. Chem.

Prediction and classification of the degradation state of plastic materials used in modern and contemporary art

Appl. Phys. A

Fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy as non-invasive tool for investigating plastic deg-radation in contemporary art collections: a methodological study on an expanded polystyrene artwork

J. Cult. Herit.

Sgamellotti, non-invasive investigations on painting by portable instrumentation: the MOLAB experience

Top. Curr. Chem.

Determination of acetic acid emitted from wood coating in enclosures

Stud. Conserv

Modern and contemporary art
Conservation of contemporary art: Alteration phenomena in a XXI century artwork. From contactless in situ investigations to laboratory accelerated ageing tests