Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 31. (Budapest, 2017)
Kornélia HAJTÓ: Restoration Options for Architectural Ceramics
KORNÉLIA HAJTÓ RESTORATION OPTIONS FOR ARCHITECTURAL CERAMICS Restoration principles and the possibility of repair Restoration and reconstruction of historic buildings in Hungary started up decades ago. On buildings designed in the revival and Art Nouveau styles, ceramic elements made by Zsolnay of Pécs are very common features, particularly for facing and ornament. Such building elements and the buildings they adorn have been subjected to many different restoration procedures over the years. In the early period, ceramic elements were repaired by construction workers, who used whatever skills they possessed. As construction technology modernized, the use of cements became widespread for the repair of both stone and fired ceramic building materials. Such repairs are often found on buildings in their present state. (Fig. 1)' Since the 1980s, there have been rules governing the contractors and workers who are permitted to carry out restoration of monuments and historic buildings in Hungary. Since about that time, architectural ceramics have been restored by qualified stone and wood sculpture restorers, and sometimes painting restorers. At first there was no dedicated silicate restoration course at a Hungarian university. Today, silicate restorers are trained in the Applied Arts Restorer course run jointly by the Hungarian University of Fine Arts and the Hungarian National Museum. When preparing to restore architectural ceramic ornaments, the first question to be answered is whether to replace damaged or decayed elements or to retain them in place. As museum art restorers, we follow the principle of maximizing the original content of an artwork. If an object is in a state of serious decay, it has to be conserved. Additions or patches may only be made if the appearance of the missing part can be determined with certainty. The addition may not damage the original artwork and must be removable at any time. Adhesives must as a matter of principle have a lower breaking strength than the basic material of the object so that any future mechanical stress will cause failure at the point of adhesion and will not cause further damage to the original object. Such restored items have to be kept in display cabinets under controlled conditions. A radically different case is a ceramic ornament that is to remain on a building after restoration and serve its original function. The materials used for restoration must withstand the ravages of the weather. The adhesives and additions must have material properties that as far as possible harmonize with those of the original materials, because any divergence in their reactions to environmental stresses could lead to further damage. Restoration of exterior ceramics thus has to be individually adapted to the demands of specific buildings. Nowadays, restorers have a wide range of materials to choose from for both exte93
