VCS655

MANAGEMENTS OF HISTORICAL AND

CULTURAL ARTEFACTS

6
 The job scope of conservator
and the function of
conservation and preservation
Generally

Conservator career:
work focus in making observations and conservation
of heritage materials, spaces, places and objects.
What is Conservation

Art conservation includes principles and practices of technical examination, documentation, and
treatment for objects of material culture. The intention of art conservation is to improve the condition of
an artifact by stabilizing physical condition problems and addressing surface disfigurement arising from
deterioration and/or damage. In doing so, the art conservator strives to retain as much original material
as possible and to employ the best quality materials and the most carefully considered methods available.

At times a conservation treatment also requires restoration, which is defined as the preparation and
incorporation of replacement parts and surface finishes (i.e. 'compensation for losses') to allow proper
visual interpretation of an art object and to recapture an acceptable esthetic appearance. Professional art
conservators will always be glad to discuss their approaches and available options for the restoration
component of a conservation treatment with you.

Another often-used term is preservation, which encompasses all of the varied activities involved in
preventing damage and reducing the rate of deterioration for art objects, collections, and structures.
Professional art conservators provide services related to preservation issues including display methods,
archival quality storage solutions, environmental condition challenges, pest management, and packing for
transportation.
https://www.artconservatorsalliance.com/what_is.html
If possible, it is always best to interact directly with the art conservator who will be doing the work. Know
the name and credentials of the person, or persons, who will be working on a treasured art object or
artifact. When you make an appointment with the art conservator to discuss your art object’s needs, be
sure to express your expectations and goals for the treatment. The art conservator should be aware of
your priorities and will endeavor to make clear how they are best achieved through conservation
treatment, restoration procedures, and/or preservation practices. Professional art conservators provide
clients with detailed written information about their artworks, and apply the highest ethical standards
towards treatment design that balances reversibility with stability according to the condition and context
of each item.

Request a list of the art conservator’s previous clients and contact them.
Elicit information regarding the art conservator’s background, formal education, training, professional
affiliations, and experience in treating other objects like your treasured artifact. There are master’s
degree programs in art conservation in the United States, Canada and Europe with comprehensive
studies in studio art, art history, and chemistry, preparing art conservators to make the best informed
decisions about protecting and preserving your art or artifact.

https://www.artconservatorsalliance.com/what_is.html
Conservation Activities at Yale University
WHAT IS CONSERVATION?

Conservation encompasses all those actions taken toward the long-term

preservation of cultural heritage. Activities include examination,
documentation, treatment, and preventive care, supported by research and
education.

Preserving cultural heritage is essential, but it also presents complex

challenges. Conservators embrace these challenges with passion, commitment
and dedication.

https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/what-is-conservation
What is a Conservator?

A conservator:
Saves our cultural heritage physically. They are unique in the wider preservation field for the particular expert
hands-on technical and decision-making skills they bring to preserving and caring for and our tangible history.
Trains in a graduate conservation program or sometimes a lengthy apprenticeship with more experienced senior
colleagues. While they take many paths to becoming a conservator, they all have extensive training in art history,
science, studio art, and related fields.
Specializes in a particular kind of material. Given the increasingly technical nature of modern conservation, they
often focus on a specific type of material called their “specialty,” becoming experts in that subject.
Adheres to a strict ethical practice in their work. They assume certain obligations to cultural heritage, its
stewards, the profession, and society as a whole. In much of what they do, they rely on our Code of Ethics as
their guide.
Works in a variety of settings like cultural institutions, research labs, and private practices and has various titles
and responsibilities.
Hears their job called many different things, such as “art restorer” or "art doctor." Conservator is the preferred
term in the United States. Professionals in other countries do identify as “art restorers,” but this is often due to
differences in language. In French, for example, conservator actually means curator, and restaurateur means
"conservator." "Conservationists" are typically the professionals who focus on environmental conservation.

https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/what-is-conservation
Conservation Terminology
Those who care for cultural heritage use special terminology, which we have currently defined as follows:

Conservation: The profession devoted to the preservation of cultural property for the future. Conservation activities
include examination, documentation, treatment, and preventive care, supported by research and education.

Conservator: A professional whose primary occupation is the practice of conservation and who, through specialized
education, knowledge, training, and experience, formulates and implements all the activities of conservation in
accordance with an ethical code such as the AIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice.

Preservation: The protection of cultural property through activities that minimize chemical and physical deterioration
and damage and that prevent loss of informational content. The primary goal of preservation is to prolong the existence
of cultural property.

Treatment: The deliberate alteration of the chemical and/or physical aspects of cultural property, aimed primarily at
prolonging its existence. Treatment may consist of stabilization and/or restoration.

Examination: The investigation of the structure, materials, and condition of cultural property including the identification
of the extent and causes of alteration and deterioration.

Documentation: The recording in a permanent format of information derived from conservation activities.

https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/what-is-conservation
Stabilization: Treatment procedures intended to maintain the integrity of cultural property and to minimize
deterioration.

Restoration: Treatment procedures intended to return cultural property to a known or assumed state, often
through the addition of non-original material.

Preventive Care (also referred to as preventive conservation): The mitigation of deterioration and damage to
cultural property through the formulation and implementation of policies and procedures for the following:
appropriate environmental conditions; handling and maintenance procedures for storage, exhibition, packing,
transport, and use; integrated pest management; emergency preparedness and response; and
reformatting/duplication.

Cultural Property: Objects, collections, specimens, structures, or sites identified as having artistic, historic,
scientific, religious, or social significance.

Conservation Administrator: A professional with substantial knowledge of conservation who is responsible for the
administrative aspects and implementation of conservation activities in accordance with an ethical code such as
the AIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice.

https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/what-is-conservation
Conservation Educator: A professional with substantial knowledge and experience in the theory and
techniques of conservation whose primary occupation is to teach the principles, methodology, and/or
technical aspects of the profession in accordance with an ethical code such as the AIC Code of Ethics
and Guidelines for Practice.

Conservation Scientist: A professional scientist whose primary focus is the application of specialized
knowledge and skills to support the activities of conservation in accordance with an ethical code such as
the AIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice.

Conservation Technician: An individual who is trained and experienced in specific conservation

treatment activities and who works in conjunction with or under the supervision of a conservator. A
conservation technician may also be trained and experienced in specific preventive care activities.

Collections Care Specialist: An individual who is trained and experienced in specific preventive care
activities and who works in conjunction with or under the supervision of a conservator.

https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/what-is-conservation
CONSERVATION SPECIALTIES
Conservators specialize in one or two areas of conservation.
These are common specializations:

Archaeology
Objects, structures, and sites that constitute the archaeological record

Architecture
Immovable properties such as buildings, monuments, and outdoor sculpture

Book and Paper

Paper materials including art on paper, books, manuscripts, and library material

Electronic Media
Conservation of artworks and cultural heritage employing durational, digital, electronic media,
and 20th and 21st century technologies

https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/what-is-conservation/specialties-in-conservation
Objects
Archaeological and cultural materials from indigenous communities, decorative arts, and sculpture

Paintings
Paintings in oil, acrylic, or mixed media and their supports, coatings and varnishes

Photographic Materials
Media in film and composite objects like paper prints and albums

Preventive Conservation
Assessing and managing deterioration risks for all collection types

Textiles
Objects include carpets, tapestries, clothing, upholstered furniture, fiber art, and more

Wooden Artifacts
Ethnographic carvings, furniture, upholstery, frames, and veneer / marquetry / boulle

https://www.culturalheritage.org/about-conservation/what-is-conservation/specialties-in-conservation
Textile Conservation
Practice is the systematic study, documentation, and scientific investigation of textiles.

Textile Conservation is responsible for preservation, conservation, and technical study.

https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/conservation-and-scientific-research/textile-conservation

Textile conservation refers to the processes by which textiles are cared for and maintained, to be
preserved from future damage. The concept applies to a wide range of artefacts that contain textiles
such as tapestries, carpets, quilts, flags, clothing, curtains, upholstered furniture, dolls, and
accessories such as fans, parasols, gloves and hats. The person who preserves museum artefacts and
items is known as a conservator. His or her role is to nullify or at least reduce the rate of
deterioration of an object by preventive and interventive methodologies.

https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/lehe204.pdf
Factors leading to Deterioration of Textiles:

https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/lehe204.pdf
https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/caring-for-our-collections/guest-
post-conservation-close-up
 Conservators making repairs to the
tapestries on a table specially
designed for tapestry conservation.
Image courtesy Jenn DePrizio for
Cleveland Museum of Art.

https://medium.com/cma-
thinker/one-tapestry-many-hands-
film-chronicles-conservation-in-
action-82b3791c212c
The book in this image contains recipes used to make dyes.
Image courtesy Jenn DePrizio for Cleveland Museum of Art.

https://medium.com/cma-
thinker/one-tapestry-many-hands-
film-chronicles-conservation-in-
action-82b3791c212c
The conservation and restoration of textiles
refers to the processes by which textiles are
cared for and maintained to be preserved
from future damage. The field falls under the
category of art conservation as well as library
preservation, depending on the type of
collection. In this case, the concept of textile
preservation applies to a wide range of
artifacts, including tapestries, carpets, quilts,
clothing, flags and curtains, as well as objects
which ‘contain’ textiles, such as upholstered
furniture, dolls, and accessories such as fans,
parasols, gloves and hats or bonnets. Many of
these artifacts require specialized care, often
by a professional conservator.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_and_restoration_of_textiles
Architecture Conservation
The conservation of the architectural heritage has enjoyed a long course of development over the
recent decades. Conservation practice is based on the values offered by the architectural heritage
resources for different individuals, groups, societies, and governments. Since there is no serious and
comprehensive research on the semantic values, the present study was conducted to identify all the
influential semantic values in the architectural conservation process and to determine the
importance of each value based on the published literature.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has classified the
cultural heritage into two categories: tangible and intangible. Tangible cultural heritage is divided
into immovable heritage and movable heritage. Immovable heritage includes the historical
buildings, monuments, and archeological sites

Mohammad Sadegh Taher Tolou Del, Bahram Saleh Sedghpour and Sina Kamali Tabrizi (14 July 2020)
https://heritagesciencejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40494-020-00416-w
Architecture Conservation

Architectural heritage
The expression of ‘architectural heritage’ shall be considered to comprise the following permanent
properties:

Monuments: They are referred to all the buildings and structures of conspicuous historical,
archaeological, artistic, scientific, social, or technical interest including their fixtures and fittings.

Groups of buildings: The homogeneous groups of urban or rural buildings conspicuous for their
historical, archaeological, artistic, scientific, social, or technical interest, which are sufficiently
coherent to form the topographically definable units;

Sites: They are referred to the combined works of man and nature, the areas, which are partially
built upon and sufficiently distinctive and homogeneous to be topographically definable and are of
conspicuous historical, archaeological, artistic, scientific, social, or technical interest.

Mohammad Sadegh Taher Tolou Del, Bahram Saleh Sedghpour and Sina Kamali Tabrizi (14 July 2020)
https://heritagesciencejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40494-020-00416-w
 Regarding conserving the heritage to have an embodied reality for its interpretation, it has
been attempted to understand and interpret the heritage in order to show how the world was
like before us. Conservation means protection and maintenance. Architectural conservation
means to conserve the valuable architectures or architectural values. Since the formation of
architecture, its conservation and restoration have been considered as a principle.

the conservation was primarily concerned with a set of measures to eliminate the erosive
factors and improve the physical condition of the architectural heritage and in some cases,
paying attention to the artistic, aesthetic and symbolic aspects of them. Since the
nineteenth century, although the conservation theorists and architects have had different
interpretations about the concept of conservation, in all the cases, more attention has
been paid to the tangible and visible aspects of the heritage than its sensory and intangible
categories. In the several decades ago, with the introduction of some concepts related to
the environment, psychology, and human behavior in the fields of science, philosophy, and
environmental sciences, perspectives on the qualitative and semantic aspects of spaces
have been developed and their intangible dimensions have been considered.

Mohammad Sadegh Taher Tolou Del, Bahram Saleh Sedghpour and Sina Kamali Tabrizi (14 July 2020)
https://heritagesciencejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40494-020-00416-w
Architectural conservation – theory and practice
Rebuilding of Gdansk after Second World War was an architectural and social phenomenon. Polish population was settled in a burnt ruins of Gdansk, which
had played significant role in rough Polish-German relationship before its destruction, and in spite of ambivalent feelings people started re-erecting the city.
Those circumstances were the reason why theory and practice of monument conservation was one of the most important scientific interest of Faculty of
Architecture.
Nowadays members of the Department conduct researches on architectural conservation not only in Gdansk but also in many sites of northern Poland
(Elbląg, Malbork, Człuchów).
https://arch.pg.edu.pl/katedra-historii-teorii-architektury-i-konserwacji-zabytkow/architectural-conservation-theory-and-practice?p_l_id=64745445&p_v_l_s_g_id=0&
https://www.bunkenkyo.or.jp/en/works/2017/02/takenami-shrine.html
https://www.bunkenkyo.or.jp/en/works/2017/02/takenami-shrine.html
Wooden Artifacts Conservation

Wooden cultural heritage artifacts can be broadly divided into the inherited artifacts like wooden
buildings, wooden structures, wooden craftwork, and wooden furniture, and the archeological artifacts
found through archeological excavations. The former is damaged by abiotic factors like UV rays and
hydrolysis, and by biotic factors like insects and brown rot fungi.

The common damage from such factors are wood cavities, small pits on the tree surface, pulverization
into the wood powder, and color changes. The latter mostly damp wood or waterlogged wood, is
damaged by soft rot fungi, bacteria and borers. The damage from such factors are softening, color
changes and massive loss of wood.

Conservation of wooden objects- National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage

Wooden Artifacts Conservation

The repair process of a wooden building through dismantling and reassembly. When a major repair including dismantling
and reassembly of timber structure is considered necessary, the repair work is carried out according to the following steps:

https://www.bunkenkyo.or.jp/en/works/2017/02/takenami-shrine.html
Wooden Artifacts Conservation

https://www.bunkenkyo.or.jp/en/works/2017/02/takenami-shrine.html
https://www.bunkenkyo.or.jp/en/works/2017/02/takenami-shrine.html
https://www.bunkenkyo.or.jp/en/works/2017/02/takenami-shrine.html
Book and Paper Conservation

The conservation and restoration of books, manuscripts, documents and ephemera is an activity dedicated to the
preservation and protection of items of historical and personal value made primarily from paper, parchment, and leather.
When applied to cultural heritage, conservation activities are generally undertaken by a conservator. The primary goal of
conservation is to preserve the lifespan of the object as well as maintaining its integrity by keeping all additions
reversible. Conservation of books and paper involves techniques of bookbinding, restoration, paper chemistry, and other
material technologies including preservation and archival techniques.

The history of early book conservation has yet to be written. Peter Waters is considered the father of modern book
conservation. He developed new techniques of book and paper conservation after the 1966 Florence flood in Italy. The
Book and Paper Group (BGP), the largest specialty group within the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), exchanges
information and releases an annual journal on book and paper conservation. Book and paper conservation seeks to
prevent and, in some cases, reverse damage due to handling, inherent vice, and the environment. Conservators
determine proper methods of storage for books and documents including boxes and shelving to prevent further damage
and promote long term storage. Carefully chosen methods and techniques of active conservation can both reverse
damage and prevent further damage in batches or single-item treatments based on the value of the book or document.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_and_restoration_of_books,_manuscripts,_documents_and_ephemera
Book and Paper Conservation
Preserving Books by Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler
Summer 2015, Vol. 47, No. 2 | Your Family Archives
Despite the popularity and convenience of e-books,
many people own treasured books of the old-
fashioned kind—paper leaves protected by covers.
These books range from diaries, journals, and Bibles
that contain genealogical entries to first editions of
favorite authors and beautifully illustrated children’s
stories. Careful handling will help to preserve them.
https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2015/summer/preserving-books.html
Storage — Store books away from sources of heat and
moisture. Avoid attics and garages, where temperatures
can get high and where there can be problems with
water or high humidity. These conditions cause paper to
become brittle (think of old newspaper clippings).
Moisture can also attract insects.
Light can cause book covers to fade, especially the spines
of books exposed to sunlight for years. Position
bookcases so that sunlight does not fall on books you
want to preserve.
Preservation-quality boxes for individual volumes will
protect books from excess light exposure and keep
pieces of damaged bindings together, such as detached
or loose covers.
 https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2015/summer/preserving-books.html

Book and Paper Conservation

Preserving Books by Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler
Summer 2015, Vol. 47, No. 2 | Your Family Archives Making Copies — Do not place books face down on a
photocopier or scanner. This puts stress on tightly bound
volumes, resulting in bindings breaking and pages
Shelving — Store small- to medium-sized books upright
separating. Face-up copying is safest, using either a
(vertically). Shelve books of approximately the same size
hand-held camera or a face-up copier. Do not force
together so they will support one another; otherwise,
books to open flat to get the "best" copy. Book cradles
volumes will become distorted and covers will lose their
can support books at a safe angle to protect the
shape. Store large volumes, such as atlases, flat
bindings.
(horizontally). This will keep the covers flat and the text
from separating from the covers.
Book Repair — Do not attempt to repair books that are
Handling — Handle books gently to avoid separating covers
unique or that you wish to pass on to future generations.
and spine pieces from the binding. Do not "dog-ear" or turn
Using tape to mend torn pages or to reattach loose or
down the corners of pages. That will leave a permanent
detached covers, while well intentioned, ultimately
crease in the paper, and the corner may break off if the paper
causes more damage. Simply box a damaged book, store
is weak and brittle. Use a thin piece of paper or a length of
it flat, and handle the volume very carefully. For repairs
ribbon as a bookmark. Do not use metal devices that clip over
or conservation treatment, check the free referral
the tops of pages or anything thick since they can tear and
service from the American Institute for Conservation for
distort paper. Food and drink can stain paper, and if liquid falls
a book conservator in your region (www.conservation-
on manuscript ink (such as a diary entry) the ink can feather
us.org/membership/find-a-conservator).
and bleed. Such damage is permanent.
 https://cool.culturalheritage.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v15/bp15-14.html
Hard vertical creases in a thin parchment manuscript leaf are humidified locally
using ultrasonic mist and eased out by tensioning the fore edge. (Walters Art
Gallery MS. W.196, f.1)
In recent years ultrasonic water mist has proved to be
an ideal means of humidifying parchment, especially
when only local treatment is desired. In large folio size
manuscript codices, and in others that have especially
thin parchment leaves, a characteristic creasing and
pleating of the pages can develop as the books are
repeatedly opened and closed during use. To relax and
then flatten out these sharp creases and pleats the
parchment must be humidified in a controlled manner,
preferably without affecting the surrounding
undamaged areas. A narrow jet of cool ultrasonic water
mist can be delivered either with the Ultrasonic Mister
or with the Preservation Pencil, a commercially
available device sold by University Products. The plastic
nozzle that is provided with the Preservation Pencil is
not as narrow as the reducing connector that is used
for the tip of the Ultrasonic Mister, but both devices
work equally well for this purpose. During
humidification tension is gradually placed on the edges
of the manuscript leaf in order to draw out the pleats in
the skin. Final drying of the leaf is then done under
pressure, with the leaf sandwiched between polyester
web and thick wool felts.
 https://cool.culturalheritage.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v15/bp15-14.html

A group of treated fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, hinged with

methyl cellulose-coated tissue into an acid-free mat.
(Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem)

Many new techniques for the repair of parchment manuscripts have also
been developed within the past ten years. These new methods fall into
two basic categories: adhesive-coated tissues and animal membranes for
the repair of splits and tears and techniques for pulp-filling multiple losses
in parchment manuscripts and documents. The new adhesive-coated
tissues and transparent membranes have proved to be especially useful for
the repair of extremely deteriorated mold-damaged parchment that is
adversely affected by liquid adhesives and is too weak to support a mend
made with new parchment or heavier types of paper.
Preventive Conservation
Preventive Conservation by Prof. Dr. Ziad al Saad
Preventive conservation is the mitigation of deterioration and damage to cultural property through
formulation and implementation of policies and procedures for the following: appropriate environmental
conditions: handling and maintenance procedures for storage, exhibition, packing, transport, and use,
integrated pest management; emergency preparedness and response; and reformatting or duplication.

Preventive conservation is an ongoing process that continues throughout the life of cultural property, and
does not end with interventive treatment.

Rationale:
• To extend the life of cultural property
• To reduce the risk of catastrophic loss of cultural property
• To defer, reduce, or eliminate the need for interventive treatment
• To extend the effectiveness of interventive treatment
• To provide a cost-effective method for the preservation of collections
• To maximize impact of the conservation professional
• To encourage the conservation professional to collaborate with others who have responsibility for the care of
collections and cultural property
• To encourage the participation of others in the preservation of cultural property
what is preventive conservation?

We relate Heritage with a people and their material or immaterial goods. Because of the timeless value they
express, these goods must be taken care of as fundamental elements of society and culture.
The collective memory is the heritage of our ancestors and it should be transmitted to future generations.

This heritage must be preserved and restored and demonstrate, whenever possible, the beauty of the Past.
Preventive conservation is a way of preserving our heritage, the memory of all of us.

what is preventive conservation | origin of the concept

In the late 20th century, Gary Thomson showed the importance of controlling the environment of collections
by stating that "un mauvais restaurateur peut détruire un objet par mois. Un mauvais conservateur peut
détruire une collection entière en un an " ("A bad restorer can destroy an object within a month. A bad
conservator can destroy an entire collection in a year").

Gäel de Guichen will add something more to the matter of preserving the past, being the first to use the
expression «Preventive Conservation». According to this author, what yesterday consisted of simple objects
may today represent social and patrimonial collections.

https://citaliarestauro.com/en/what-is-preventive-conservation/
Preventive Conservation
According to the Professional Guidelines of European Confederation of Conservator-Restorers’
Organizations - .... Preventive Conservation consists of indirect action to retard deterioration and prevent
damage by creating conditions optimal for the preservation of cultural heritage as far as is compatible
with its social use.

Preventive conservation also encompasses correct handling, transport, use, storage and display. It may
also involve issues of the production of facsimiles for the purpose of preserving the original.»

In other words, preventive conservation consists of indirect actions that slow down the deterioration and
avoid damage by creating optimum conditions for the preservation of heritage legacy as much as
possible. These actions go from correct handling, to transport, storage or exhibition, as well as the
production of copies in order to preserve the original.

The idea behind the preventive conservation is, therefore, to be careful: to prevent preservation problems
that might be found in the collections. And this assumption, inherent in preventive conservation, is
common to all those who, directly or indirectly, deal with heritage value and whose actions aim to
enhance, preserve and promote heritage.

https://citaliarestauro.com/en/what-is-preventive-conservation/
https://blogs.bl.uk/collectioncare/2016/09/fingerprints-their-potential-impact-in-relation-to-handling-library-collections.html
Preventive conservation by Kathleen Dardes and Sarah Stanforth
The policies and practices taken to assure the protection of cultural heritage from
environmentally induced damage.

Getty.edu/conservation/publications resources

what is the preventive and curative conservation

Preventive conservation is an important element of museum policy and collection care.
Curative conservation refers to any act by conservator and the cultural material.

Brainly.in/question
Preventive Conservation
Specifically

Art Conservation:
The importance of the process of art conservation and restoration of
artifacts. Identify materials, artifact handling process, artifact
conservation methods and exhibition operations
 Fully refer to Guest lecture presentation by
Mrs. Lalitha Thiagarajah, senior conservator at
Islamic Art Museum Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
Thank you