Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 31. (Budapest, 2017)

Kornélia HAJTÓ: Restoration Options for Architectural Ceramics

rising and hygroscopic moisture. The restorer must make sure that the newly hydrophobic surface will not indirectly cause damage to some other part of the building by blocking the exit of moisture that gets in from the surroundings or the soil.

Summary

Before embarking on the reconstruction of any building that involves restoration of architectural ceramic elements, it is essential to carry out thorough research and apply the best information available. For the reconstruction of the Museum of Applied Arts, it is important to determine the condition of all of the ceramic roof tiles and the ornamental ceramics that cover its faşades. Where elements have degraded, or been damaged, the causes of deterioration must be established. For example, the cracks and breaks on the ceramic ornaments along the

roof ridge were in many cases caused by the means of fastening. Corrosion of metal, dilatation of timber and the force of the wind generated motion in the rigid ceramic, eventually leading to cracks and fractures. (Fig. 7f

The large panel elements on the faţade are fastened with iron hooks and embedded in mortar. Iron expands as it corrodes, and the mortar washes out, leading to the loosening of the elements. Cleaning, conserving and restoring ceramic elements is only one part of the job. The restorer also has to find new means of fastening ceramics to the building. Problems must be investigated and solved, and programme of maintenance must be followed even when the building is finished. Although most initial deterioration, such as a minor crack or the failure of a blocked water drain, does not immediately produce visible symptoms, it can lead to serious damage if not detected in time.

NOTES

1 The photo was made during an inspection by Pannonterv Kft. in 2011. The lantern was removed from the dome in 2011 after cracks appeared at several points on its surface. The photo was taken during the inspection that preceded its removal.

2 Sand blasting equipment was first patented in Hungary in 1915. It has been used to clean metal objects in the museum since 1962. Krach, Ernő: ‘A homokfúvásos tisztítási eljárás a múzeumi gyakorlatban’ [Sand blasting in museum practice], Múzeumi műtárgyvédelem 3, no. 3 (1976), pp. 231-234.

3 Fig. 2a-b: the trial cleaning was made by Miklós Kisvárday-Papp (PROFETT Ipari és Szolgáltató Kft.); Fig. 3a-b: the trial cleaning was made by

László Verebélyi (Első V. Kft.).

4 The trial cleaning was made by Miklós Kisvárday- Papp (PROFETT Ipari és Szolgáltató Kft.).

5 The trial cleaning was made by Klára Csáki.

6 Pápay, Zita - Török, Ákos: ‘Kovasavészter kőszilárdítók hatása a durva mészkőre’ [Silicic acid ester stone strengtheners on coarse limestone], Építőanyag 58, no. 4 (2006), pp. 102-104.

7 The photo was made in the pyrogranite factory of Zsolnay Porcelain Manufactory in 2012.

8 The photo was made by A-Modul Ipari és Kereskedelmi Zrt. during a roof inspection in 2008. The roof ridge elements were also removed during the safety work of 2011.

104