DEFINITION
Procedures or actions that a work has undergone to repair, conserve,
or stabilize it.
SUBCATEGORIES
GENERAL DISCUSSION
A work of art or architecture may undergo conservation or restoration
treatments at many different times. Each of these procedures should be
documented in a separate occurrence of this category. In the case of modern
treatments, many details will be available. For historical treatments,
it may be possible to reconstruct what was done to the work on the basis
of an examination of it. Opinions may differ about the extent of historical
interventions in the condition of a work of art or architecture.
The conservation profession uses many technical analytical processes.
Results can sometimes be conveyed or summarized verbally, or presented
in a written report; in other instances, a researcher may need to consult
visual documentation, such as a radiograph or infrared photograph. Scholars
may find it beneficial to know what tests and methods have been applied
and what documents are available for consultation, even though the records
themselves may not be immediately available.
Conservation or treatment history is of interest to the researcher because
it may explain changes in the work's appearance over time, or indicate
areas of a work that are not original. It also provides additional information
about the process of creating a work that may not be apparent from a visual
examination alone. For example, the color and nature of the ground of
a painting might be discovered during the process of inpainting losses
under the microscope. Conservation treatment may alter the appearance
of a work so much that they must be considered in accessing the design
and style of the work. This was the case when the cleaning of the Sistine
Chapel ceiling revealed colors that were much more brilliant than had
previously been thought to have been used in the Renaissance.
RELATED CATEGORIES and ACCESS
This information may be used comparatively, when studying a group of
objects. For instance, a scholar may wish to compare the appearance of
a work that has been conserved with one that has not, to assess changes
to a work over time.
Information about how the artist made the work is recorded in MATERIALS
AND TECHNIQUES, and in FACTURE. Assessments of the overall physical state
of the work of art, and any non-interventionist examinations of it, are
recorded in CONDITION/ EXAMINATION HISTORY. The documents of the conservation
or treatment procedure are recorded in RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES or RELATED
VISUAL DOCUMENTATION.
15.1. Conservation/Treatment
Description
DEFINITION
Prose description of procedures that a work has undergone to repair,
conserve, or stabilize it.
EXAMPLES
- The painting was cleaned and restored in 1949.
- Aggressive intervention was necessary because of the precarious state
of lower section, caused by saturation during the flood and subsequent
loss of surface due to efflorescence of salts and oil. Treatment included
rapid, controlled drying. Strong heat was applied to back of wall, causing
water and salts to recede; process continued for 20 days. Fresco and
sinopia were detached from wall by strappo technique in January, 1967;
they were mounted on separate supports of polyester resin reinforced
with glass fiber. Deposits of mud and oil were removed, along with nineteenth-century
repaint in 1968; blistered sections of original surface were reattached,
most extensively in lower right of fresco. Fresco was cleaned with solution
of ammonia and distilled water in 1989.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: While the conservation and treatment history
is required by most repositories, it is optional to make this
information accessible to researchers.
Form and syntax
Use sentence case. Capitalize proper names. Follow rules for
notes in the DESCRIPTIVE NOTE category.
Record a narrative description of the procedures applied
to the work of art or architecture to stabilize or otherwise
repair or conserve it. Some courses of treatment may be composed
of many steps or stages. This subcategory describes any changes
in the appearance or condition of the work as a result of
conservation or restoration treatment. There may be multiple
conservation reports associated with an object over time.
Repositories will typically record long and detailed conservation
reports, naming the specific processes and materials used.
Conservation
treatments are documented in formal reports kept by conservators and found
in museum or gallery records. Conservation information, especially historical
data, may be found in published or unpublished sources. The techniques
in use in conservation science are complex and often difficult for the
non-technical audience. A description of the treatment of an object provides
a summary of a technical process in a format and language familiar to
researchers.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free
text: This is not a controlled field, however the use of consistent
terminology is recommended for clarity. Use
the indexing subcategories described below to record the agents, dates,
etc. of the treatments.
15.2. Treatment Type
DEFINITION
The name of the conservation treatment or technical/scientific restoration
procedure performed on the work .
EXAMPLES
inpainting
repainting
restoration
relining
preservation
cleaning
repair
washing
mounting
consolidation
stabilizing
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a term or terms indexing the
treatment. Use lower case.
If retrieval on the type of treatment is required, it should
be indexed here. Identify the types of treatments carried
out on the work. This subcategory should make use of terms
drawn from an established controlled vocabulary that describe
treatments performed on a work.
The information in this subcategory allows the researcher to identify
the treatments a work has received and to locate works treated in the
same way. For example, a researcher may wish to examine all paintings
by Michelangelo and his contemporaries that have been cleaned in the last
half of the 20th century, in order to compare their color to that of the
newly restored Sistine Ceiling.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Authority or controlled list: Use the GENERIC CONCEPT AUTHORITY
or a controlled list to control terminology. An authority
with hierarchical structure, cross referencing, and synonymous
terms is recommended.
Use terminology from the AAT (especially the Processes and Techniques
hierarchy) and other sources, as required.
15.3. Treatment Agent
DEFINITION
The identification of the person who performed a specific
conservation procedure, including his or her name, role or
title, and institutional affiliation.
EXAMPLES
- Klein, Peter (conservator, Ordinariat für Holzbiologie,
Universität Hamburg, (Hamburg, Germany))
- Dini, Dino (conservator (Florence, Tuscany, Italy))
- Columbus, Joseph V. (textile conservator, National Gallery
of Art (Washington, DC, United States))
- unknown restorer
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional:
Record the name and institutional affiliation of the person or
persons who treated or examined the work. Also record the names of corporate
bodies that have done conservation, such as when a construction firm reinforces
a damaged building.
Form and syntax
For guidelines regarding format and syntax of personal and
corporate body names, see the CREATION - CREATOR category
and the PERSON/CORPORATE BODY AUTHORITY.
While
a full name may be available for modern treatments, it may not be known
who restored or treated a work in the past. This information is drawn
from documentation relating to the conservation or restoration of a work,
which includes formal reports, other published materials, and unpublished
material found in the files of museums and galleries. Historical information
may also be found in published and unpublished sources.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Authority: Control this subcategory with the PERSON/CORPORATE
BODY AUTHORITY. Use controlled vocabulary to indicate unknown
hands.
15.4. Treatment Date
DEFINITION
The
date on which a particular procedure or treatment was performed.
EXAMPLES
25 May 1954
before 1952
1993
between 1700 and 1798
16th century
Summer 1956
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional: If you are recording a conservation or treatment report,
including the date of the report is highly recommended. Include
nuance and expressions of uncertainty as necessary.
Form and syntax
Follow rules for display dates in CREATION - CREATION DATE.
Various levels of certainty will have to be accommodated,
as specific dates will be known for modern treatments, but
historically, it may only be known that a work was restored
during a particular century or other broad date range.
The
date of a particular treatment may assist the researcher in assessing
a work's current condition (see CONDITION/EXAMINATION HISTORY) or in evaluating
how its appearance may have changed over time.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Free-text:
This is not a controlled field. Maintain consistent capitalization,
punctuation, and syntax where possible. Index the dates in the controlled
EARLIEST and LATEST DATE subcategories.
15.4.1. Earliest Date
DEFINITION
The
earliest date when the procedure or treatment took place.
EXAMPLES
1954-05-25
1948
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the earliest month, day, and year, or
the earliest year alone, as indicated by the display DATE.
Form and syntax
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. Record the precise day and time,
if possible. Use the following syntax: YYYY-MM-DD (year, month,
day, separated by dashes), if possible. (The standards suggest
alternate possibilities: you may use an alternative syntax
if you are consistent and it is compliant with the standards.)
It is optional to record EARLIEST DATE; however, if you record
a value here, you must also record LATEST DATE. For additional
rules, see CREATION - CREATION DATE - EARLIEST DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be formatted consistently to
allow retrieval. Local rules should be in place. Suggested formats are
available in the ISO Standard and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International Organization
for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange Formats. Information
Interchange. Representation of Dates and Times. Geneva, Switzerland:
International Organization for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
15.4.2. Latest Date
DEFINITION
The
latest date when the procedure or treatment took place.
EXAMPLES
1954-05-25
1952
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the latest month, day, and year, or the
latest year alone, as indicated by the display DATE.
Form and syntax
Always record years in the proleptic Gregorian calendar in
the indexing dates fields. Record the precise day and time,
if possible. Use the following syntax: YYYY-MM-DD (year, month,
day, separated by dashes), if possible. (The standards suggest
alternate possibilities: you may use an alternative syntax
if you are consistent and it is compliant with the standards.)
It is optional to record EARLIEST DATE; however, if you record
a value here, you must also record LATEST DATE. The LATEST
DATE may be the same as the EARLIEST DATE, if the display
DATE indicates that the work took place on a single date (as
opposed to having taken place over a longer period of time).
For additional rules, see CREATION - CREATION DATE - LATEST
DATE.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Controlled format: Date information must be formatted consistently to
allow retrieval. Local rules should be in place. Suggested formats are
available in the ISO Standard and W3 XML Schema Part 2.
ISO 8601:2004 Representation of dates and times. International Organization
for Standardization. Data Elements and Interchange Formats. Information
Interchange. Representation of Dates and Times. Geneva, Switzerland:
International Organization for Standardization, 2004.
XML Schema Part 2: Datatypes, 2001. www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-2/.
15.5. Treatment Place
DEFINITION
The
location, studio, or laboratory where the procedure or treatment was performed.
EXAMPLES
- Conservation Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution
(Washington, DC, United States)
- National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
- Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo, New York, United States)
DISCUSSION
and GUIDELINES
Optional:
Record the place where the treatment took place, which is not
necessarily the institution or place associated with the conservator.
Note that the conservator may come to the work of art rather than having
the work brought to him or her.
Form and syntax
For guidelines regarding the format and syntax of corporate
body names, see the PERSON/CORPORATE BODY AUTHORITY.
While
full details may be available about recent treatments, it may not be known
where a work was treated in the past. Information
about place can be drawn from the documents of the treatment itself, which
include formal reports, most often unpublished, found in the files of
conservators, museums, and galleries.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Authority:
Control this subcategory with the PERSON/CORPORATE
BODY AUTHORITY; also use the PLACE/LOCATION
AUTHORITY as necessary. Populate the authorities with terminology from
the controlled vocabularies named below. Authorities with hierarchical
structure, cross referencing, and synonymous names are recommended.
Populate the authority with names from the following published
sources, and others as necessary: with names from the following
published sources, and others as necessary: TGN, NGA and USGS,
Canadiana Authorities, LC Name Authorities, and the Official
Museum Directory. Washington, DC: American Association
of Museums, 2004.
15.6. Remarks
Additional notes or comments pertinent to information in this category.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record a note containing additional
information related to this category. Use consistent syntax
and format. For rules regarding writing notes, see DESCRIPTIVE
NOTE.
FORMAT/TERMINOLOGY
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Use consistent syntax and format.
15.7. Citations
A reference to a bibliographic source, unpublished document, or individual
opinion that provides the basis for the information recorded
in this category.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: Record the source used for information
in this category. For a full set of rules for CITATIONS, see
RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES - CITATIONS.
TERMINOLOGY/FORMAT
Authority: Ideally, this information is controlled
by citations in the citations authority; see RELATED TEXTUAL
REFERENCES.
15.7.1. Page
DEFINITION
Page number, volume, date accessed for Web sites, and any
other information indicating where in the source the information
was found.
DISCUSSION and GUIDELINES
Optional: For a full set of rules for PAGE,
see RELATED TEXTUAL REFERENCES - CITATIONS - PAGE.
FORMAT/TERMINOLOGY
Free-text: This is not a controlled field.
Use consistent syntax and format.
EXAMPLES
[for
a sculpture]
Conservation/Treatment
Description: Despite
spot tests and small poultices with increasingly strong solvents, the
discolored surface coating was rendered insoluble. Consequently, in
order to return sculptural balance to the relief, the coating on the
lower areas of the carving, where darker, was thinned mechanically,
at first, beneath a binocular microscope. The coating was ultimately
thinned only sufficiently to equal in tonality its remnant at the upper
part of the relief. [1]
[for
a building]
Conservation/Treatment
Description: The
building has been reinforced with T-beams and buttresses while awaiting
repairs made necessary due to earthquake damage.
[for a painting]
Conservation/Treatment
Description: Lightly
cleaned, lined, and re-varnished. Tear repaired with Japanese tissue.
Minor refilling of color along edges with acrylic paint.
[for a painting]
Conservation/Treatment
Description: The
lining canvas was in place when the painting was treated privately in
1942, and records indicate at least two generations of retouching were
present. Prior to acquisition, discolored varnish and earlier retouching
were removed, and a surface coating of mastic applied. No conservation
work has been carried out since acquisition. [2]
[for a desk, including
indexing fields for Date, Agent, Place, etc.]
Conservation/Treatment
Description: First
steps: Analysis of the surface coating with cross-section analysis,
ultra-violet light inspection, Scanning Electron Mircrosopy (SEM), and
photography. Objectives: To reattach the marquetry where it had buckled;
to remove the old shellac coating; to clean the surfaces; to re-polish
the piece. 1. Mounts were removed and the parts of the piece were dismantled.
2. Marquetry was re-hydrated, new animal glue was injected as necessary
to readhere the marquetry. 3. All surfaces were cleaned. Shellac and
copal resin polish was applied. 4. Beeswax was applied over the polish
to lessen the high shine of the polish.
Type: cleaning | stabilizing | gluing | polishing
Date: 31 March 2003 - 7 June 2003 Earliest Date: 2003-03-31
Latest Date: 2003-06-07
Agent: Benno Miles, Conservator (Meeko Museum, Ransford,
Maine, USA)
Place: Meeko Museum (Ransford, Maine, USA)
NOTE: The outline numbers are subject to change; they are
intended only to organize this document.
Revised 8 September 2008
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