| dc.description.abstract | The project concerned the examination and treatment of a still-life afflicted with metal soaps. Metal soaps are a natural part of the aging process of oil paint, but can cause changes such as increased transparency, protrusions and craters, and complex crusts imbibed in the paint layers. The aim of the treatment was to improve the painting’s current condition, as well as consider its long-term preservation by treating it in a way that does not increase the rate of metal soap formation. The main factors affecting this rate are heat, solvents and moisture. The painting was examined using imaging and analytical techniques to gather information about material composition and condition that would help in determining the direction of the treatment. Based on this examination, both metal soap protrusions and a crust were confirmed. The painting was in overall good condition, but was found to be dirty and with a visually disfiguring varnish. Therefore, cleaning it and removing this varnish were the most critical aspect of the treatment. To reduce the painting’s exposure to moisture, heat and solvents, it was decided to clean it using a gel. Different gelling agents were tested with solvents to both investigate their compatibility with solvents, and to find the one most suited to this project. Four polysaccharide gels, xanthan, Klucel® G, gellan and agar, and one chemical gel, Carbopol® were tested. The results showed that the polysaccharide gels were overall ineffective solvent gels, with the partial exception of Klucel® G. Carbopol® was very effective, and Carbopol® using the solvents acetone and benzyl alcohol was chosen for the cleaning. The conclusion was that, while it is likely impossible to avoid all use of damaging factors, it is possible to reduce their impact by choosing specific treatments and materials. Binding solvents and moisture in gels is a very helpful tool to aid in this endeavor, and further research into gelling agents is highly encouraged. | eng |