Műtárgyvédelem 23., 1994 (Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum)

Restaurálás - Konzerválás - Deák Endre: Festett menyasszonyi láda restaurálása

RESTORATION OF A PAINTED DOWRY CHEST

Abstracts: This piece of furniture was made in the 18th century, presumably in the workshop of a joiner-painter in Miskolc. The painting displays late Renaissance and Baroque stylistic elements which seem to be related to the style of panel wooden church ceilings. The chest was received in a very poor condition. Traces of damage by insects and fungi were apparent. The legs were feeble and disintegrating. Some parts of the painted surfaces were dirty beyond recognition. The multiple layers of resin and oil, used in treating the wood, turned dark while the paint itself crumbled away when the front panel was touched.

The most important tasks involved saving the painting as well as reinforcing, conserving and completing the wood material. The peeling of paint was halted by Coletta brushing and ironing. Cleaning with a solvent was carried out on the basis of the Teas ternary diagram. The "Kromofág" solvent mix was deemed suitable for this purpose. It dissolved dry oils and resins efficiently. Since this solvent is only slightly polar, it posed little risk for the underlying layer of paint that would have been very sensitive to polar solvents. Cleaning was followed by retouching and the protection of the surface.

The poor condition of the wood material also caused a number of problems. First, the legs were carefully separated from the chest and then soaked in Paraloid B72. They were dried in a press. Following the disinfecting and cleaning of the main trunk part, spongious, weakened parts were similarly strenghtened by saturation. Completions were made using in part wood, in part sawdust mixed with Araldit AW 106+Härter HV 953V (Ciba-Geigy) resin. The legs were glued and then attached to the main trunk using epoxy resin. Other, non structural glueing work was carried out with the help of a PVAc based agent. Metal fittings were treated using phosphoric acid tempered with inhibitors. Additional inactivation and coloring was made using tannic acid. Finally, the fittings were rubbed with silicon oil.

Szerző cime/Author’s address:

Deák Endre Műtárgyvédelmi Osztály vezetője/Head of Conservation Dobó István Vármúzeum H-8300 Eger, Vár 1.

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