Professional paper
Decorative frame from the parish church in Vranjic: an example for re-evaluation of the use of polyvinyl alcohol as a substitute for animal glue
Ivana Nina Unković
; Croatian Conservation Institute, Split Department for Conservation,
Abstract
The goal of this research was to encourage conservators and restorers to re-evaluate traditional fillings, of which only a small number meet the criteria of ageing characteristics, including reversibility, preservation of flexibility, colour stability, and resistance to mould and rot. The research was a result of the practical need to preserve a decorative gilded and polychrome frame from the parish church in Vranjic (17th c.?) and to provide substantiated scientific data on the basis of which polyvinyl alcohol would become a fully accepted alternative substance for use as a binding ingredient in fillings and chalk bases. Another goal of the research was to emphasize the need to sort decorative frames, since high-quality frames of this kind are a much-appreciated element of our heritage and, after completion of the research, they could be published.
The frame a tortiglione, with rhythmical alteration of black and gilded surfaces, resembles the decorative frames of the Lombard region which appeared in the second half of the 16th c.
The primary goal of the conservation-restoration intervention was to preserve the artefact’s integrity by presenting the well-preserved original layer of the black polychromy and water gilding. The exploration suggested that it would be difficult to remove two layers of paint,
so an alternative system for paint removal was devised, similar to the so-called Pettenkofer’s method for softening the paint film by using vapour as a solvent. The second goal was to use reversible materials whose characteristics would be better than those of organic materials. Extensive research based on an analysis of the condition of the frame material confirmed that it would be better to use polyvinyl alcohol, manufactured under the name ‘Mowiol 4–88’, for filling and preparing the chalk base. Mowiol’s physical and chemical features are presented in detail, to facilitate the reader’s understanding of the decision. The third and final goal of the research was to meet the formal requirement of integrating the decorative frame and the painting Adoration of the Shepherds, which was much better preserved.
Keywords
conservation-restoration works; parish church; Vranjic; decorative frame a tortiglione; polyvinyl alcohol; Mowiol 4–88
Hrčak ID:
103585
URI
Publication date:
20.12.2010.
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