This second volume of Studies in Art, Science, and Technology unites studies by scientists, curators, and conservators, all of which are published here for the first time. Essays and technical notes address a variety of themes, such as connections between technology and aesthetics, aging processes of artworks, attribution and dating issues, and conservation theory. Specific examples from throughout art history add context and help promote deeper understanding. A wide range of objects are discussed in the texts, including medieval sculptures, Baroque musical instruments, Egyptian stone works, photographs, enamels, and paintings. The refined analyses of these works will prove relevant and enlightening to an interdisciplinary professional audience.

"Metropolitan Museum Studies in Art, Science, and Technology is devoted to exploration of the reciprocal relationship between physical nature and aesthetics in the visual arts. Each volume will publish new, collaborative scholarship by curators, conservators, and scientists engaged in the study of artists' materials, their aging properties, and the techniques and technologies used in the manufacturing of works of art. This inaugural volumes includes a history of early objects conservation practices in The Metropolitan Museum of Art; an analysis of the polychrome decoration on four French Romanesque sculptures; a report on the discovery of both lapis lazuli and azurite used as pigments in ancient Egypt; an evaluation of a group of paintings by Paolo Veronese; a compositional study if medieval Islamic enameled glass; and two related investigations into the casting methods and materials of early Chinese bronze Buddhist sculpture. Collectively, these studies give emphasis to the invaluable role of technical findings in establishing authenticity and attribution, and demonstrate how technological style is fundamental to visual expression. The articles are generously illustrated with color reproductions, including numerous details, as well as X-ray radiographs, photo- and SEM micrographs, and previously unpublished archival photographs.

Conservation of Time-based Media Art is the first book to take stock of the current practices and conceptual frameworks that define the emerging field of time-based media conservation, which focuses on contemporary artworks that contain video, audio, film, slides or software components. Written and compiled by a diverse group of time-based media practitioners around the world, including conservators, curators, registrars and technicians among others, this volume offers a comprehensive survey of specialized practices that have developed around the collection, preservation and display of time-based media art. Divided into 23 chapters with contributions from 36 authors and 85 additional voices, the narrative of this book provides both an overview and detailed guidance on critical topics, including the acquisition, examination, documentation and installation of time-based media art; cross-medium and medium-specific treatment approaches and methods; the registration, storage, and management of digital and physical artwork components; collection surveys and project advocacy; lab infrastructures, staffing and the institutional implementation of time-based media conservation. Conservation of Time-based Media Art serves as a critical resource for conservation students and for a diverse professional audience who engage with time-based media art, including conservation practitioners and other collection caretakers, curators, art historians, collectors, gallerists, artists, scholars and academics.

Despite the perception that artworks are timeless and unchanging, they are actually subject to biological attack from a variety of sources--from bacteria to fungi to insects. This groundbreaking volume, which publishes the proceedings of a conference held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2002, explores how the development of these organisms can be arrested while preserving both the work of art and the health of the conservator.The richly illustrated text, containing the writings of over 40 scientists and conservators, is divided into sections on stone and mural paintings, paper, textiles, wood and archaeological materials, treatment and prevention, and special topics. The artworks and cultural properties discussed include, among many others, Paleolithic cave paintings, Tiffany drawings, huts built by early Antarctic explorers, and a collection of toothbrushes taken from Auschwitz victims.