These are from two Ukrainian museums coming on loan. (shh.. don't
tell). What you said is what I expected before I went there.
However, there were at least two piles of very fresh frass right next
to damage, and one of the techs that unwrapped them said that he saw
a hole in the glassine wrapping that corresponded to a hole in one
panel. One of the conservators told me that they see insect activity
in the pieces every spring! The registrar also found an (empty)
wasp's nest on the back of a canvas painting.
B
Here we go again - IS IT ACTIVE OR INACTIVE?
Icons are so old, they've often lost their appeal to wood destroying
insects. In time the sugars turn to starchs. What you're usually
seeing is old damage, frass, and galleries; especially if some of
the finish or surface has been scraped off in the past. Powdered
frass can drift out of the piece as it is moved about. I have yet
to see actual activity in ancient icons. If an "old" icon has
activity, it may be a forgery and of more recent vintage. Even old
statuary covered in gesso often has old beetle galleries and packed
frass beneath the gesso, which is exposed when some removes (or a
tourist picks off) the gesso.
Tom Parker
-----Original Message-----
From: Appelbaum & Himmelstein <aa...@mindspring.com>
To: pestlist@museumpests.net
Sent: Wed, Jun 9, 2010 1:32 pm
Subject: [pestlist]
This is a message from the Pest Management Database List.
To post to this list send it as an email to
<mailto:pestlist@museumpests.net>pestlist@museumpests.net
To unsubscribe please look at the footer of this email.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I need some info asap. My question is about low-temperature
treatment of icons - egg tempera on wooden panels. I would like to
hear from anyone who has done "freezing" on these or similar items -
polychrome sculpture, for example - and how it turned out. Any signs
of enhanced cracking? Any indications of the thoroughness of the
kill?
Many thanks.
Barbara Appelbaum
-- Appelbaum & Himmelstein
444 Central Park West
New York, NY 10025
Conservation of Works of Art
212-666-4630
<mailto:aa...@mindspring.com>aa...@mindspring.com
<http://www.aandhconservation.org/>www.AandHconservation.org
-------------------------------------------------------------
To send an email to the list, send your msg to
<mailto:pestl...@museumpests.com>pestl...@museumpests.com
To unsubscribe from this list send an email to
<mailto:imail...@museumpests.net>imail...@museumpests.net and in the
body put:
"unsubscribe pestlist"
Any problems email <mailto:l...@zaks.com>l...@zaks.com
--
Appelbaum & Himmelstein
444 Central Park West
New York, NY 10025
Conservation of Works of Art
212-666-4630
aa...@mindspring.com
www.AandHconservation.org
