Recent Advances in Characterizing Asian Lacquer
Workshop 2013
July 15-19, 2013
Yale Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage
Yale West Campus, Orange, CT
Yale Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage
Yale West Campus, Orange, CT
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The Getty Conservation Institute, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Yale Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (IPCH) are pleased to present the 2013 Recent Advances in Characterizing Asian Lacquer workshop at the Center for Conservation and Preservation (CCAP) on Yale's West Campus, July 15–19, 2013.
The five-day workshop will explore newly developed analytical procedures for acquiring detailed compositional information about Asian lacquer. During the workshop, conservators and scientists will work together in research teams to study and discuss historic lacquer samples. This is a unique opportunity for scientists and conservators to work in close collaboration and to discuss topics such as the compositional variation in lacquered objects made in different countries and time periods, the identification of research priorities, the expanding network of lacquer researchers, the development of suitable reference collections, and the relevance of analytical research to the conservation and interpretation of lacquered objects.
Objectives
- to demonstrate particular analytical protocols and the level of information that can be gathered using these methods
- to provide participants with the tools necessary to make use of these methods, such as a marker compound database and custom data evaluation tools
- to highlight the benefits that collaboration between scientists and conservators can provide
- to identify pressing analytical and conservation issues in the field and priorities for future research
The workshop provides instruction in the following low-tech and high-tech procedures with the aim of identifying traditional and non-traditional materials in Asian lacquers:
- Visible and fluorescent light microscopic examination of chemically-stained lacquer cross-sections which can provide visual, layer-specific information for a number of organic materials
- Precision sample collection of discrete lacquer layers prior to TMAH-Py-GC/MS permits layer-specific compositional information to be obtained
- Pyrolysis - gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry with thermally-assisted hydrolysis and methylation (TMAH-Py-GC/MS); a versatile method with excellent limits of detection. Application of a systematic protocol for data analysis and interpretation based on GC/MS quantitative analysis software and a specialized Excel worksheet permits detection of a broad range of compounds even when present at trace levels. Moreover, the concepts taught in the workshop may also be applied to the study of materials other than lacquer
Instructors
Michael Schilling - Senior Scientist and head of the Organic Materials Research at the GCI, specializing in GC/MS and thermal analysis techniques.
Arlen Heginbotham - Associate Conservator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the J. Paul Getty Museum, specializing in the technical examination of furniture.
Nanke Schellmann - Senior Lecturer and Research Scientist at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, specializing in conservation and analysis of furniture and decorative objects and the characterization and treatment of degraded decorative surfaces.
Michael Schilling - Senior Scientist and head of the Organic Materials Research at the GCI, specializing in GC/MS and thermal analysis techniques.
Arlen Heginbotham - Associate Conservator of Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the J. Paul Getty Museum, specializing in the technical examination of furniture.
Nanke Schellmann - Senior Lecturer and Research Scientist at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, specializing in conservation and analysis of furniture and decorative objects and the characterization and treatment of degraded decorative surfaces.
Workshop Facilities
The workshop will take place primarily in the scientific laboratories of the Center for Conservation and Preservation (CCAP) and the conferencing facilities at Yale's West Campus. CCAP is a new core facility that supports Yale's collections and the newly established Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage. Detailed information about the Center and logistical information for the workshop will be provided for successful applicants.
The workshop will take place primarily in the scientific laboratories of the Center for Conservation and Preservation (CCAP) and the conferencing facilities at Yale's West Campus. CCAP is a new core facility that supports Yale's collections and the newly established Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage. Detailed information about the Center and logistical information for the workshop will be provided for successful applicants.
The 2013 workshop at Yale is the second in a series of workshops on the characterization of Asian lacquers. These workshops are part of the GCI's Research into Practice Initiative which seeks to advance the practice of conservation through educational activities that draw on new scientific research and the conservator's perspective to improve understanding and treatment of conservation problems.
For questions about the workshop or additional information, please contact Lacquers@getty.edu
Last updated: April 2013