Caring for Glass Collections: The Importance of Maintaining Environmental Controls

Koob, Stephen P.; Giffen, N. Astrid R. van; Kunicki-Goldfinger, Jerzy J.; Brill, Robert H.

doi:10.1080/00393630.2018.1492252

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Higher RH can promote mould and fungi growth that damages the wood, paper, glass support and paint layers, and the corrosion of glass and metal. As observed in the collections, high RH is particularly dangerous in slides where two glasses are overlaid without ventilation, creating condensation between them, since it increases the reaction of glass with atmospheric water (which can lead to leaching, dissolution and deposition of alkali salts on the glass surface, consequently causing the detachment of the paint layer) and fungi growth, enhancing its deterioration (Figure 6g) [23,24,41,42]. Too low temperature or RH can cause painting materials, wood, and paper to shrink and fracture and increase microcracking in already deteriorated glass [23,32,36].…”

Section: Temperature and Relative Humiditymentioning

confidence: 97%

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Defining the first preventive conservation guidelines for hand-painted magic lantern glass slides

et al. 2021

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This article intends to define and make available guidelines for the preventive conservation of hand-painted glass slides for magic lanterns, the first optical instruments for the projection of images, invented in the 17th century. For this purpose, around 300 hand-painted glass slides from the Portuguese Cinematheque – Museum of Cinema (CP) and Nacional Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Lisbon (MUHNAC), were studied in terms of representativity in these collections, discursive genre, type of construction or movement mechanism, state of preservation and degradation problems. A survey was designed and distributed to institutions across the globe aiming for an overview of the formal characteristics of the collections of magic lantern slides and the preventive and interventive conservation measures undertaken. The guidelines are focused on the environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity, and light), fine particles and pest control, storage and display conditions and materials, as well as handling. Recommendations on performative projections or demonstrations are also provided.

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Section: Temperature and Relative Humiditymentioning

confidence: 97%

“…%) [22]. Glasses are inherently susceptible to corrosion by their interaction with atmospheric moisture, and the complex construction of the magic lantern slides attracts dust and moisture, promoting that interaction [23,24]. Furthermore, special attention needs to be paid to the potassium-rich glasses.…”

Section: Research Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Defining the first preventive conservation guidelines for hand-painted magic lantern glass slides

et al. 2021

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“…The conservation of glass collections strongly depends on climate, being particularly sensitive to large fluctuations in relative humidity (RH). According to the different compositions of glass, deterioration appears as droplets or moisture films or efflorescences on the surfaces [29]. Ions sampled on the surface of glass vessels from different museums revealed, among others, the presence of acetate and formate anions, which are attributed to the emission of formic acid, acetic acid, and formaldehyde from the wood or wood composite materials used in storage or display [30].…”

Section: Effects Of Volatile Emissions In Display Cases and In Other Museum Enclosuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indoor Air Quality in Museum Display Cases: Volatile Emissions, Materials Contributions, Impacts

Chiantore

Poli

2021

Atmosphere

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The control of air quality in museum showcases is a growing issue for the conservation of the displayed artefacts. Inside an airtight showcase, volatile substances may rapidly concentrate and favor or directly cause the degradation or other unwanted phenomena on the objects. The role of materials used in the construction of museum display cases as a source of pollutants and volatile compounds dangerous for the cultural heritage integrity is here reviewed with an illustration of consequences and critical damages. Ways of assessing the suitability of materials used either in the construction or in use of the display cases are also discussed altogether with an overview of the possible choices for monitoring the air quality and limiting the concentration of volatile compounds in their interior.

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“…Despite the common belief that glass is an inert object, there are many types of glass and some are prone to deterioration due to their composition and method of manufacture. The environmental conditions an object is subjected to can trigger active chemical deterioration in a seemingly stable object . The ability to understand and detect early symptoms of chemical deterioration is critical to maintaining the longevity of precious glass objects in historical collections.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The alteration gel layer exhibits an increased porosity resulting in cracking induced by tension between the unaltered and hydrated phases and in eventual dissolution of the glass as hydrolysis of the silica network progresses. Glass deterioration manifests visually in historical collections under two broad categories: microcracking, often called crizzling, ranging from thin, parallel lines to extended cracking, and weeping or sweating due to the presence of small liquid droplets on a glass surface or a thin, continuous surface film . Glass that has absorbed water but exhibits no visible signs of deterioration is considered to be in an early stage of deterioration, otherwise known as incipient deterioration …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy for the detection of historical glass deterioration

et al. 2019

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Historical alkali silicate glass is prone to deterioration over time due to the uptake of atmospheric water and subsequent hydrolysis of the silicate matrix. Recent studies of historical glass have provided insight into the mechanism of alteration; however, few techniques can assess early onset glass alteration noninvasively. Herein, we present fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) as an invaluable tool to analyze historical glass alteration. We study a series of artificially aged model potash glasses and assess the nature of the alkali‐depleted alteration layer by microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy, and FORS. We find that the model glass FORS spectra demonstrate peaks associated with hydroxide, liquid‐like water, and bound water. FORS was able to detect an alteration layer as thin as 0.66 µm. The model glass data were then used to generate a hydration thickness prediction curve in order to predict the alteration layer thickness of twenty‐one 19th‐century glass flutes of similar composition. In the one case that an actual flute sample was available, the predicted value was in good agreement with previous SEM measurement. The results indicate the ability of FORS to noninvasively assess glass deterioration and to understand the nature of absorbed water in historical glass objects.

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Caring for Glass Collections: The Importance of Maintaining Environmental Controls

Cited by 11 publications

References 1 publication

Defining the first preventive conservation guidelines for hand-painted magic lantern glass slides

Defining the first preventive conservation guidelines for hand-painted magic lantern glass slides

Indoor Air Quality in Museum Display Cases: Volatile Emissions, Materials Contributions, Impacts

Application of fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy for the detection of historical glass deterioration

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