The cleaning of a work of art often involves removing not only dirt and grime but also unwanted layers of varnish, gilding, and paint from the work's surface. The challenge for conservators lies in finding a cleaning agent that will act on one layer without affecting the layer being preserved and without leaving any harmful residues on the cleaned work. This book, which examines gel cleaning in the treatment of paintings and painted works of art, presents the methodologies, data, and results of a collaborative project of the Getty Conservation Institute and Winterthur Museum. Among the issues covered are the theory and application of gel cleaning systems, the detection of residues left on the surfaces of objects cleaned with these systems, research into solvent-gel and solvent residues, stability of surfactants during natural and artificial aging, and recommendations for formulating gels for specific cleaning tasks.

The papers in this publication will be talks at the 3 day Gels in Conservation conference held by IAP in association with Tate. The conference will be a gathering of conservators, conservation and other scientists, and students of conservation to present and discuss the theory and practical use of gels in various branches of conservation (paintings, paper, wall paintings, textiles, museum objects etc).The papers and posters present in this publication cover topics on the theory of Gels, recent developments in Gel technologies, clearance and residues, systematic evaluation of Gel properties and effects, preparation and practical issues with case studies concerning: wall paintings, easel paintings, contemporary art, textiles, archaeological objects, paper, sculpture, mixed media, traditional materials and more.

This book contributes significantly to the selection of appropriate and controllable cleaning methods for varnished and unvarnished paint surfaces. It is a distillation of many years' experience of formulating a cleaning treatment for any given object. The general principles of the chemistry and the practical applications are described. The methods are applicable to the surface cleaning of both traditional and modern paint media found on sculptures, ethnographic materials, paintings, gilded surfaces and furniture. Aqueous methods are certainly worth considering for those surfaces which cannot be cleaned safely by methods based on solvents.

Gels are ubiquitous both in materials science and biology. Interest in the behavior of this class of soft materials has increased significantly in the last decades as new experimental approaches have been developed to synthesize and characterize gels, and as theoretical and computational methods have advanced to model the structure and properties of these complex materials. For example, molecular simulation is now an essential tool to investigate gels and other types of soft matter where experimental measurements are not possible. The growth of this field to include applications in biology and medicine as also provided much impetus to gels research. The goal of this volume is to discuss recent progress in gel science. The chapters cover a wide variety of topics from polymer chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering, reflecting the interdisciplinary character of this field. A knowledge of the physical and chemical behavior of gels is essential for understanding, designing, and controlling material properties and performance. Gels can be synthesized with either flexible or stiff chains, linear or branched, and their length can also be tailored, etc. The network chains can be bonded to each other by chemical crosslinks or physical bonds involving van der Waals interactions, dipole-dipole interactions, hydrogen or ionic bonds, or pi-pi or pi-charge interactions. In addition to traditional polymer gels, this volume also focuses on low molecular mass organic gelators, relatively new, but rapidly growing, research direction in gel science. Special attention is devoted to the diverse applications of gels; using hydrogels for cleaning the painted surface of artwork (conservation of cultural heritage such as paintings and sculptures), developing advanced drug delivery systems, investigating the mechanism of setting of cement and hardening of concrete, etc.

Understanding the chemistry behind works of art and heritage materials presents an opportunity to apply scientific techniques to their conservation and restoration. Manipulation of materials at the nanoscale affords greater accuracy and minimal disturbance to the original work, while efficiently combating the affects of time and environment. This book meets the growing demand for an all-encompassing handbook to instruct on the use of today's science on mankind's cultural heritage. The editors have pioneered modern techniques in art conservation over the last four decades, and have brought together expertise from across the globe. Each chapter presents the theoretical background to the topic in question, followed by practical information on its application and relevant case studies. Introductory chapters present the science behind the physical composition of art materials. Four chapters explore various cleaning techniques now, followed by four chapters describing the application of inorganic nanomaterials. Each chapter is fully referenced to the primary literature and offers suggestions for further reading. Professional conservators and scientists alike will find this essential reading, as will postgraduate students in the fields of materials and colloid science, art restoration and nanoscience.

"This volume will be of interest to teachers and students of conservation and art history, as well as to practicing conservators and museum curators, professionals in related disciplines, and others interested in art history and paintings conservation."--BOOK JACKET.