| CODE | BLH5515 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Examination and Analysis for Conservation 2: Easel Paintings | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Conservation and Built Heritage | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will build on "Examination and Analysis 1". It will provide insights into the approach and conventional methods employed to characterize the material composition, artistic techniques of easel paintings (canvas paintings), to elucidate their degradation and deterioration processes, providing essential information for setting up intervention criteria and conservation treatments. Among the methods described in this study unit are X-Ray radiography (characterization of the painting's support and its condition, brushstrokes and hidden paint layers); Polarising Light Microscopy (PLM) (pigments, ground and fibres characterization); Vibrational spectroscopic techniques (FTIR and Raman) (painting constituents and degradation products); Chromatographic techniques, such as GCMS and HPLC (characterization of organic materials). An overview on the mechanical tests used to understand the mechanical behaviour of canvas paintings, and their vulnerability will also be introduced. Emphasis will be placed through case studies on the complexity and heterogeneity of paintings, including polychromy, gilded layers, and varnish coatings, therefore requiring a complex, interdisciplinary approach entailing the combination of different analytical tools. Case studies will also be used to reiterate the importance of noninvasive investigations, and their key function to design a sampling strategy. The theoretical content of the study-unit will be closely linked to relevant practical applications, primarily carried out in a laboratory set-up using reference material or mock-up samples. Practical applications will give students the opportunity to understand the methodology, application and relevance of each technique. Throughout the study-unit particular emphasis will be placed on the significance, impact and use of the analytical results fin the design of conservation treatments. Study-unit Aims: 1. Describe the principles, application, potential and limitations of a number of scientific analytical techniques to characterize the material composition, and deterioration products/phenomena of easel paintings; 2. Explain the selection of a correct analytical protocol to generate relevant data for specific research questions; 3. Explain the relevance of the results obtained from a range of analytical tools for the conservation of easel paintings and for improving their knowledge; 4. Describe the investigation process as interdisciplinary and iterative, entailing the combination of different analytical tools. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Describe the characteristics, application, potential and limitations of the analytical techniques covered during the study-unit for the study and analysis of easel paintings; - Critically discuss the importance of setting up an appropriate analytical protocol, with specific analytical techniques, for a specific research question related to easel paintings; - Elaborate, interpret and present the results obtained from a selection of analytical techniques to study easel paintings introduced during this study-unit; - Correlate data obtained from the application of scientific techniques of analysis with information obtained from the direct study of the specific easel painting as well as historical and art historical sources; - Explain the relevance of the data obtained from analytical methods for the conservation of easel paintings. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Use polarising light microscopy to identify pigments, grounds components and canvas fibres found in easel paintings; - Use FTIR and Raman spectroscopy to analyze paint and ground components, coatings and degradation products from easel paintings; elaborate the generated data; - Demonstrate basic skills to interpret the data acquired with the selection of analytical techniques covered during the study-unit; - Present the analytical results of the study of easel paintings in a coherent and well-structured scientific report. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Essential readings: - Artioli, G. (2010) Scientific Methods and Cultural Heritage. Oxford University Press - Sabbatini, L., Van der Werf, I.D. (2020) Chemical Analysis in Cultural Heritage. De Gruyter - Ul-Hamid, A. A (2018) Beginners' Guide to Scanning Electron Microscopy. Springer - Dyer, J., Verri, G. and Cupitt, J. (2013) Charisma Multispectral Imaging in Reflectance and Photo-Induced Luminescence Modes: A User Manual. The British Museum - Khandekar, N. (2003) Preparation of cross sections form easel paintings. In Reviews in Conservation 4: 52-63 - Plesters J. (1956) Cross Sections and Chemical Analysis of Paint Samples, Studies In Conservation Vol 11 No 3. Further readings: - Garside, P., & Richardson, E. (Eds.). (2021). Conservation Science: Heritage Materials. Royal Society of Chemistry. |
||||||||
| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite Study-unit: BLH5504 | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Practicum | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
|
||||||||
| LECTURER/S | Damian Lizun Marie Camilleri Jan Dariusz Cutajar Matthew Grima Klass Jan Van Den Berg Daniel Vella Howard J. Zammit |
||||||||
|
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
|||||||||