NASA Glenn Research Center
Space Environment and Experiments Branch
Treatment and Analysis of a Paint Chip From
“Water Lilies” a Fire Damaged Monet
A museum fire in 1958 severely damaged a Monet “Water Lilies”
(1916-1926) painting that was on display. The surface of the painting
is very dark with areas of blistering and charring. Over the years,
traditional techniques
have been found to be ineffective at removal of the soot and char from
the
surface. The painting, which is now in the care of the New York
University
(NYU) Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, was the
subject
of a study to determine if atomic oxygen treatment could remove the
soot
and char without damaging the fragile painting underneath. For test
purposes,
a small chip of paint was removed from the edge of the painting by a
conservator
at NYU and supplied to NASA Glenn Research Center for atomic oxygen
treatment
and analysis. The diffuse spectral reflectance, at three locations on
the
paint chip, was monitored at intervals during the atomic oxygen
treatment
process. Photo documentation of the chip during the treatment was also
performed.
The color contrast was calculated from the spectral reflectance data as
a
function of treatment duration. Results of the testing indicated that
the
contrast improved as a result of the treatment, and the differentiation
of
colors on the surface was significantly improved. Soot and char could
be
removed without visibility affecting the gross surface features such as
impasto
areas. These results indicate the feasibility for the treatment of the
“Water
Lilies” painting.
Cleaning of Fire Damaged Watercolor and Textiles
Using Atomic Oxygen
A noncontact technique is described that uses atomic oxygen generated
under low pressure in the presence of nitrogen to remove soot from the
surface
of a test watercolor panel and strips of cotton, wool and silk. The
process, which involves surface oxidation, permits control of the
amount of surface material removed. The effectiveness of soot removal
from test panels of
six basic watercolors (alizarin crimson, burnt sienna, lemon yellow,
yellow
ochre, cerulean blue and ultramarine blue) and strips of colored
cotton,
wool and silk was measured using reflectance spectroscopy. The atomic
oxygen
removed soot effectively from the treated areas and enabled partial
recovery
of charred watercolors. However, overexposure can result in removal of
sizing, bleaching, and weakening of the structure. With the proper
precautions, atomic oxygen treatment appears to have great potential to
salvage heavily smoke damaged artworks which were previously considered
unrestorable.
Atomic Oxygen Treatment as a Method of Recovering
Smoke-Damaged Paintings
The noncontact technique that is described uses atomic oxygen,
generated under low pressure in the presence of nitrogen, to remove
soot and charred varnish from the surface of a painting. The process,
which involves surface oxidation, permits control of the amount of
surface material removed. The effectiveness of the process was
evaluated by reflectance measurements from selected areas taken during
the removal of damaged varnish and paint binder from the surface.
Use of an Atmospheric Atomic Oxygen Beam for
Restoration of Defaced Paintings
An atmospheric atomic oxygen beam has been found to be effective in
removing organic materials through oxidation that are typical of
graffiti or other contaminant defacements which may occur to the
surfaces of paintings. The technique, developed by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, is portable and was successfully
used at the Carnegie Museum of Art to remove a lipstick smudge from the
surface of porous pain on the Andy Warhol painting Bathtub. This
process was also evaluated for suitability to remove felt tip
and ball point ink graffiti from paper, gesso on canvas and cotton
canvas.
Recovery of a Charred Painting Using Atomic
Oxygen Treatment
A non-contact method is described which uses atomic oxygen to remove
soot and char from the surface of a painting. The atomic oxygen was
generated
by the dissociation of oxygen in low-pressure air using radio frequency
energy. The treatment, which is an oxidation process, allows control of
the amount of material to be removed. The effectiveness of char removal
from half of a fire-damaged oil painting was studied using reflected
light measurements from selected areas of the painting and by visual
and photographic observation. The atomic oxygen was able to effectively
remove char and soot from the
treated half of the painting. The remaining loosely bound pigment was
lightly
sprayed with a mist to replace the binder and then varnish was
reapplied.
Caution should be used when treating an untested paint medium using
atomic
oxygen. A representative edge or corner should be tested first in order
to determine if the process would be safe for the pigments present. As
more
testing occurs, a greater knowledge base will be developed as to what
types
of paints and varnishes can or cannot be treated using this technique.
With
proper precautions, atomic oxygen treatment does appear to be a
technique
with great potential for allowing charred, previously unrestorable art
to
be salvaged.
Atomic Oxygen Treatment as a Method of
Recovering Smoke Damaged Paintings
Smoke damage, as a result of fire, can be difficult to remove from some
types of painting media without causing swelling, leaching, or pigment
movement or removal. A non-contact technique has been developed which
can remove
soot from the surface of a painting by use of a gently flowing gas
containing
atomic oxygen. The atomic oxygen chemically reacts with the soot on the
surface creating gasses such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide
which can be removed through the use of an exhaust system. The reaction
is limited to the surface
so that the process can be timed to stop when the paint layer is
reached.
Atomic oxygen is a primary component of the low Earth orbital
environment,
but it can be generated on Earth through various methods. This paper
will
discuss the results of atomic oxygen treatment of soot exposed acrylic
gesso,
ink on paper, and a varnished oil painting. Reflectance measurements
were
used to characterize the surfaces before and after treatment.
An Atmospheric Atomic Oxygen Source for Cleaning
Smoke Damaged Art Objects
Soot and other carbonaceous combustion products deposited on the
surfaces of porous ceramic, stone, ivory, and paper can be difficult to
remove and can have potentially unsatisfactory results using wet
chemical and/or abrasive cleaning techniques. An atomic oxygen source
which operates in air at atmospheric pressure, using a mixture of
oxygen and helium, has been developed to produce an atomic oxygen beam
which is highly effective in oxidizing soot deposit on surfaces by
burning candles made of paraffin, oil, or rendered animal
fat. Atomic oxygen source operating conditions and the results of
cleaning
soot from paper, gesso, ivory, limestone, and water color-painted
limestone
are presented.
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