2, Winter 1987. A number of alternative detergents are available which are soluble in petroleum thinners or other mild organic solvents. Wealthier Romans had folding stools as well, a status symbol of the time. Applying varnish and colorants to scratches and nicks involves little other than the introduction of a small amount of material to the surface in order to provide some measure of visual uniformity. Ancient Rome, 1st–2nd century A.D.| Metropolitan Museum of Art | These pieces of furniture have been reassembled from fragments, some of which may come from the imperial villa of Lucius Verus (co-emperor, A.D. 161–169), on the Via Cassia outside Rome. If the varnish formulation is a solvent release system (the varnish is dissolved in solvent only), a rapidly drying, relatively hard and brittle film can be obtained. European Revivalism. The following treatment options and procedures are presented in that light. While usage varied a bit over time and across the empire, there are a few common types we can talk about. Polychromed surfaces present all the problems associated with transparent finishes with the additional dilemma of a completely inflexible component within the coating surface. 2, 1982, pp. Artist's Pigments. Colophony, or rosin, is the resin from coniferous trees. Most furniture finishers develop an intuitive understanding of the materials they use. Like damar, the term copal actually refers to an imprecisely defined group of natural resins. 27, no. Oils, or more properly drying oils, are also coating materials with foundations that predate recorded history. Egregious examples of this are objects who have been "cleaned" with a (traditional) mixture of linseed oil, spirits of turpentine, beeswax, and vinegar. The Materials and Techniques of Painting. Candelilla is extracted by cutting and drying leaves followed by shredding the plant material and soaking it in tanks for solvent extraction. Some metallic pigments were used to imitate or accentuate metal flake, and include powdered materials of an immense range of metallic alloys. 27-29. More contemporary metal-flake pigments are in reality mica flakes of very precise structure and manufacturing specifications. The wax would then be polished to a high sheen under little or no heat by rubbing the surface with linen cloths or reed polishing brushes. Depending on the process of the application, the surface to which the wax is applied is also heated. Because of these characteristics, colophony was a cheap substitute for other resins in spirit and oil varnishes. Solutions under consideration should be tested in small, discreet locations to determine efficacy of the techniques and the cleaners' effect on the coating materials which are to be saved. They're amongst the most underappreciated elements of our society, but where would we be without them? Inpainting, or visual compensation for missing polychrome, is usually the final step in treating damaged paint surfaces. Conversely, reactive coatings like oil/resin varnishes are not as likely to be improved by such an approach. Clicking on the following topics will take you to the brochure listing for that topic. 5, Winter 1988. "Simple tests for assessing materials for use in conservation;" in Resins in Conservation, Tate, J.O., Norman H. Tennent, and J.H. As described earlier, a great number of the problems associated with coatings deterioration are mechanical. 1. On the whole, best practices for furniture care and preservation must involve formulating and implementing a multi faceted approach for stabilizing and preserving furniture. Painting Conservation Glossary of Terms, Pigments: Historical, Chemical, and Artistic Importance of Coloring Agents, Analysis of paper artifacts and documents, Caring for Audio-Visual and Photographic Materials, Conservation of Coated and Specialty Papers, Deterioration and Damage Sources of Paper Materials, Disaster Preparedness, Management, and Response: Paper-Based Materials (A Primer), Exhibition Installation and Dismantling Precautions for Paper-Based Materials, Housing and Environment Options for Paper Documents on Display, Housing and Environment Options for Paper Documents in Storage, Preservation Processing Steps for Paper-Based Collections, Preservation Responsibilities for Paper-Based Collections, An IPM Checklist for Planning & implementing Pest Control on Art & Artifact Collections, Acid Free Tissue Paper for Textiles and Costume. If the surface coating is clean and physically sound yet needs additional optical saturation and enhancement, a wax coat may be applied. The first step in this procedure is to precisely determine what is supposed to be on the surface of the object and what is not appropriate. Furniture was so important in Roma that it even helped shield Romans from spiritual harm. Candelilla is also a leaf wax, being derived from a shrub indigenous the U.S. southwest and northern Mexico. It should be noted, however, that these copolymers are designed with very specific performance characteristics which may not be identical to those required of commercial finishing lacquers. These “eccentric wefts” are characteristic of tapestry weaving from late Roman Egypt. Further confusion is brought by the delineation of these soft film formers as either balsams, which are not water soluble, and gums which are water soluble. Solving the problem of polychrome being susceptible to fracturing and cleaving as outlined in the Deterioration Section requires that in many treatments, the decorative surface must be stabilized and adhered to the substrate. This approach is much broader than restoration, or the physical repair of existing damage. Sciences, Culinary Arts and Personal Wilks, Helen, editor. 3. Synthetic resins which are thermoset include urethanes, phenolics, amides, polyesters, epoxies, and amino resins. … For resins and gums the drying process is exactly the opposite of the liquifying process. There are several ways of organizing reviews of materials. These waxes include paraffin and microcrystalline waxes, ozokerite and ceresine, and montan. Couches are one area where we see a wide variation between rich and poor. 6. The list of historic finish materials is a long one encompassing hundreds of different items. Byzantium was also heir to ancient Greek learning and literature. Another option is "oil gilding," which uses an oil/resin varnish as the size and results in a matte surface. In general, treatment options for leafed surfaces revolve around the repair of the ground, as already implied. There are several sources for animal waxes including sperm whales (spermaceti), fleece (lanolin), and oriental insects (Chinese wax and Lac wax), but in general the only animal wax of importance for coating furniture and other wooden objects is beeswax. Once the ground has been stabilized and cleaning is complete, areas of loss to the metal leaf may be re leafed. All compensation for damage regardless of extent, should be done with stable, thermoplastic coatings and permanent colorants. A finish undergoing a chemical reaction which turns it very dark and makes it difficult to remove, is a problem indeed. Linseed oil may be used alone as a transparent coating simply by applying it to the surface of the object to be coated and allowing the film to harden in a matter of hours or days, depending on the extent of the modifications implemented during the refining process. If the desired visual effect is one of moderate sheen, the leaf may be applied onto the gesso, using the glue in the gesso as the binder, a technique known as "water gilding." Services. The Romans took their home lives very seriously and used their furniture to reflect their identity as Romans and their place in the Roman world. ----- "Boston Japanned Furniture," Boston Furniture of the Eighteenth Century. Visiting the gallery Particularly popular with school groups and families, Room 69 allows you to explore the lives of ancient Mediterranean peoples through objects used in everyday life. courses that prepare you to earn Roman collection. 18 likes. For that reason, poultices should contain a soft, film forming ingredient such as methyl cellulose or low weight (poly)vinyl acetate (PVA) or (poly)vinyl alcohol (PVOH) resin along with the cleaning agent itself. By: Donald C. Williams Ara Pacis Museum. 7. Chemical degradation of coatings depends on the chemical stability of the coating materials themselves, and environmental factors which may assist any degenerative reactive process. Gums include turpentine of various origins (common turpentine "thinner"is more properly called "spirits of turpentine"), gum arabic, and gum tragacanth. Romans made their furniture from wood, metal, or stone (generally marble). The most general distinction delineating coatings is whether they are transparent (varnishes), opaque (paint or polychromy) or metallic (leaf). For example, a dining table may be carved with images of hunting or Bacchus, god of wine. So, what kinds of furniture did the Romans actually use? Here, the information about the coatings is loosely grouped according to the respective material's functionality as a coating on wood. In order for this core knowledge to fit into a rational context, and ultimately expand, the finisher must begin to study materials science in general, and specifically paint and varnish chemistry. At this point the material is called "seedlac", which may be used in spirit varnishes or may be processed for further purification. The simplest manifestation of this last occurrence is the removal and damage of surface coatings via abrasion as witnessed in coatings being simply scratched or rubbed away completely. The pictures and paintings of the ancient Roman furniture on the frescos are still found in pieces and ruins on ancient Rome. Ben Franklin (right) is dressed Roman-style in a toga in an 1817 bust. If the intent is to only partially reform the coating, such as when re adhering a delaminated coating to the substrate, the solvent may be introduced in a vapor chamber with good success. Brooklyn, NY: Chemical Publishing, 1944. ), acids, or alkali solutions. For example, how was the piece originally fabricated, and what has been its history since? French polishing yields a finish of remarkable sheen and clarity, which is frequently imitated by other finishing methods and materials. imaginable degree, area of Roman Ancient Glass Drop Earrings - Museum Shop Collection $35.00 $24.85. The first option for damaged leaf work, regardless of manifestation, is to remove and eliminate the cause of damage. New York: Chemical Publishing Co., Inc., 1961. It was the seat of a government that perpetuated many Roman administrative and judicial practices. 9-22. Both historic and contemporary fabricators of wooden objects generally consider(ed) coatings, particularly "non decorative," to be a potentially sacrificial element of the whole. Log in here for access. Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology. The framework presented for treating transparent coatings pertains also to polychrome surfaces, although obviously not all the specifics are applicable. In this lesson, we're going to talk about Roman home furnishings and see how furniture helped the people of Rome define their lives and society. An example of this would be using specially formulated acrylic copolymer resins rather than commercial acrylic lacquers or modified nitrocellulose lacquers. Finally, the examination involves analytical methods, including instrumental determination of the coating constituency. The most frequently encountered chemical degradation involves changes in the polymeric condition of the coating; it either becomes more polymerized and crosslinked, or breaks down and depolymerizes. While these four areas might seem to be unrelated, they must be integrated into all treatment procedures to insure successful finish care and preservation. 's' : ''}}. Mastic is soluble in both spirits and oils, and remains soluble for extremely long periods of time. III. "The effects of selected solvents and soaps on a simulated canvas painting;" in Cleaning, Retouching and Coatings Preprints of the Contributions to the Brussells Congress, 3-7 September 1990, Mills, John S., and Perry Smith, editors. "Surface Treatment of a Philadelphia Pillar and Claw Snap top Table." This anecdotal information is usually quite accurate, but it is also very limited. too fragile to survive the rigors of applying and buffing a coat of wax, the surface can be saturated with an easily removable resinous coating. These range from humble tools and personal items to artefacts used in rituals such as … 5, May 1986, pp. The surface to be coated was placed near the fire or stove and the molten wax was worked into the surface of the wood. One factor which must be overcome is that many coating films, while remaining soluble, require a longer exposure to solvents in order to complete the dissolution. A successful framework has been devised for doing exactly that, in the guise of a series of questions whose honest answers provide insightful guidance for responding to the deterioration of nearly every object in every circumstance. through the 21 st century and includes masterpieces created by Mildred Thompson, Peter Paul Rubens, Winslow Homer, Thomas Moran, Whitfield Lovell, Norman Rockwell, and Romare Bearden. Frequently all three modifications are employed in concert during refining. Deposits of the exudate are removed with the branches as they are cut off the host tree, and are called "stick lac" in this raw state. Another find was from ancient Roman furniture from AD 43-200. Knowledge of Roman furniture is derived mainly from depictions in frescoesand representations in sculpture, along with actual pieces of furniture, fragments, and fittings… Regardless of chemical composition, all waxes and wax like materials are used in a similar manner as coatings, and the many varied formulations of wax mixtures created and used through the ages, exhibit a surprising similarity in their working properties. In addition to "antiques", museums and collectors are acquiring furniture whose makers are still living, so historical knowledge should cover all periods. For several of the broad option categories, several additional considerations are explored, each of which must be evaluated and considered. A Roman bust of Bacchus (left), circa 200 A.D., in the new exhibit "Ancient Rome & America," opening today at the National Constitution Center, running through Aug. 1. Finally coatings provide scholars, including conservators and historians, information regarding the practices and technologies of the past. It is frequently used as a plasticizer for harder varnish resins. Edinburgh: Scottish Society for Conservation and Restoration, 1983, pp.11-16. Finally, there are film formers which do not fit neatly into any of the aforementioned categories, such as urushiol, or Oriental lacquer, which is a reactive latex with vague similarities to both oils and resins, and which can be used as a transparent or opaque coating. Collections Maintenance for Paper Materials. In contrast, polychrome surfaces not only aid in the interpretation of an object, they are frequently the entire basis for that interpretation. Originally formulated late in the 19th century, acrylics are the product of esterifying acrylic acids. 27, no. credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. The three large curtain fragments (ECM 6300, 6301 and 6305) are examples of the most common form of decoration on late Roman textiles. Earth pigments include umbers, ochres, siennas, chalk, Indian red and terra verde. Blackshaw, Susan, and Susan Ward. When this type of cleaning is used on coating films with extensive fracturing, characterized by a network of fissures in the surface, the result can be to simply push dirt into those fissures, leaving the surface no cleaner than before the attempt. Acrylic resins tend to be more stable than nitrocellulose, and in some cases are extremely stable. Mineral or synthetic waxes include materials obtained from processing petrochemicals, either by petroleum distillation or extraction from coal and coal related geologic deposits. "New synthetic resins for picture varnishes;" in Cleaning, Retouching and Coatings Preprints of the Contributions to the Brussells Congress, 3-7 September 1990. 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