Complex Study of a Painted Gypsum XVIII Century Bas-Relief by Optoelectronic Methods to Develop a Combined Cleaning Technique

Abstract

In this work, a painted gypsum bas-relief from the facades of the inner courtyard of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts building was examined using UV and visible light photography and optical and electron scanning microscopy, which showed the heterogeneous layers of white painting on the surface of the bas-relief that covered the historical ones. These undesirable layers should be removed during the restoration work, but it was found that the traditional method of removing surface layers of painting with the help of chemical solvents and mechanical cleaning does not solve the problem to the full extent. A cross-section of all the painting layers was prepared to investigate the stratigraphy of the paint layers. These studies were conducted using optical and electron scanning microscopy in order to determine the structure of the paint layers more properly and study the chemical composition of every layer. After this study, a complex cleaning technique was developed. This technique combines chemical and laser cleaning, making it possible to effectively remove the upper dense layers of paint without damaging the historical paint layers.

Keywords

• gypsum bas-relief diagnostics
• optical microscopy
• scanning electron microscopy
• UV light photography
• laser cleaning
• restoration