Preservation of Medieval Art

The Preservation of Medieval Art and Architecture

by Nicole Petilli

The Preservation of Medieval Art

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Abstract

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Introduction

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Section 1: Background

First it is necessary to distinguish between preservation, conservation, and restoration, because each means a very different future for what is being conserved. Preservation will be defined as trying to keep the object as found without making and changes to correct for previous or future damage. Restoration would be trying to recreate lost elements of the object using what is left behind. Conservation is the keeping the object in a predetermined state via preservation, restoration or both. additionally we need to differentiate between preservation goals and presentation goals since both factor into how an object should be conserved.

Preservation

It is impossible to keep art and architecture from being damaged or corroded entirely but some measures can be taken to reduce the amount of damage they take and extend their lifetime. Historical Palaces does a lot of preservation work to keep their collections in a presentable state. At the Tower of London they have identified different risk factors and have done work to minimize them. The potential dangers are dust, light, pollution, vibrations, and weather.
Dust can cause damage by working its way into materials or by caking onto a material. With more susceptible materials like fabrics, dust can work its way into the fibers and cause damage and weaken the material. It can also sometimes chemically react with the material causing further damage., along with absorbing moisture or pollutants which can also cause damage. additionally it can serve as food for pests which could also then damage the material. with more resistant materials dust can cement on over time which makes it hard to remove without causing damage. Frequently dusting objects can prevent it from cementing on or prevent it from absorbing pollution and moisture and prevent damage. preventing dust from getting on them in the first place woks as well. since most dust indoors comes from people, keeping a distance between them and the object can prevent dust from accumulating.
Light can cause bleaching in more sensitive materials like the ones used for tapestries and paintings. Sunlight is usually the most damaging variety since it covers such a large range of waves and such an extensive variety of ultra violet rays but all light can be damaging. Once a material has been discolored or faded and even weakened due to light exposure it is impossible to repair.Since sunlight is the most damaging variety of light, keeping the objects indoors with limited natural light and low amounts of artificial lighting can limit damage due to light exposure.
Pollution, like dust can work its way into different materials and chemically react with them or cause other damage. Castles and art located in large cities are more at risk for damage due to pollution due to gas emissions from cars and other vehicles. Monitoring the amount of pollution and keeping objects in cases when the levels are high can prevent damage due to pollution.
Vibration can loosen floorboards and windows or cause cracks and damage to structures. Vibration tends to work in small amounts overtime and causes damage through cyclic fatigue. It can be caused by crowds of people walking through an area. Keeping activity in the area low can reduce the amount of vibrations. vibrations should be kept low enough to prevent damage and can be monitored in higher risk areas with sensors.
Harsh weather like rain, wind, snow or frost can increase erosion significantly. Improper conditions such as humidity and temperature can even damage more sensitive items while there indoors. Shielding items outdoors and keeping more sensitive items on a climate controlled display case can prevent damage.
It is near impossible to preserve a building since there is no way of protecting it from either weather or pollution. most of the preservation cases of buildings are when part of the building had been buried and there is an active choice to leave it that way instead of excavating in order to prevent exposing it to the elements. In the case of Wigmore Castle, ferns and other greenery was deliberately left on the walls because the protection the plats were giving was doing more conservative work that the roots were doing damage to the mortar.

Restoration

There is some controversy as to whether restoration is good for historic items or damaging . It depends on the conservative goals and the quality of the restoration. The main issue is maintaining historic integrity. If a restoration is attempted after there is no longer sufficient record or original material is left to understand the builders intent, then it can be done inarticulacy. ________ compared it to a game of telephone where the end result looks kind of similar but may have an entirely different meaning. additionally if a building is restored continuously as the original material erodes, then eventually the entire building will have been replaced and it loses its historic value. In order for a restoration to be quality there is some analysis necessary as to which aspect that need to be preserved. in a more visual or artistic sense is might be OK to replace the material with a more durable variety that looks similar so the look of the building can be conserved. if the structure or building method is important than the materials and building procedure need to be adequately analysed and some loss of visual accuracy over time should be accepted since it is not economically feasible to continuously repair the building such that the original builder's intent is completely conserved. The main issue with restoration is that is is sometimes done in a well meaning manner without fully understanding of what is being restored, which can lead to further damage.

Conservation

Conservation is very relative and what it means for different buildings is determined on a case by case basis. For some buildings this might mean adhering to the original structure and materials essentially freezing the place in time while in others it might mean allowing the building to change and adapt over time. In the case if Wigmore Castle it meant leaving as much as the original structure as possible, even leaving some sections buried and inaccessible such that they do not get damage. conversely in the case of Norton Priory the educational and and human interest in it was prioritized and it sees many changes based on visitor comments. In the same way it is essential to clearly define what is being restored, why and to what extent is necessary for a restoration, It is necessary to understand what aspects of a castle needs conserving. decided this depends on how the historic value of the building weighs against the presentation value. in many cases it is impossible to preserve a building as it was found and still allow for visitors to understand it and travel though it without causing damage. More historically valuable building tend to have national support and can prioritize the buildings safety but some privately owned buildings might depend more on tourism to support maintenance fees. a balance between presentation and preservation needs to be decided.

Section 2: Deliverable

Additional Image

In this section, provide your contribution, creative element, assessment, or observation with regard to your background research. This could be a new derivative work based on previous research, or some parallel to other events. In this section, describe the relationship between your background review and your deliverable; make the connection between the two clear.

Quality of Restorations and Effectiveness of Preservation Efforts

...use as many subsections or main sections as you need to support the claims for why what you did related to your Background section...

Comparing Persevered Castles to Abandoned Castles

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Gallery

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Conclusion

In this section, provide a summary or recap of your work, as well as potential areas of further inquiry (for yourself, future students, or other researchers).

External Links

To the Historic Royal Palace Site: http://www.hrp.org.uk/conservation/#gs.PB0fyas

Image Gallery

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