Knowledge of Conservation and Restoration

The Clay Relief of the Konar Sandal Site in Jiroft: A Study on Preservation and On-Site Conservation

Hamid Fadaei

The Southern Mound of Konar Sandal, situated in the Halil River basin, is one of the most significant prehistoric sites in the Jiroft plain. Among the notable discoveries at this site is a life-sized clay relief positioned within a recessed, doorway-like feature in a large room. This relief, recognized as the oldest known example of a monumental clay relief integrated with architecture in the Middle East, dates back to the third millennium BCE. Since its discovery in 2006, its conservation has posed significant challenges for experts. The history of illegal excavations in the region and the lack of adequate infrastructure for permanent protection and maintenance of the site have exacerbated these challenges, leading to occasional proposals to transfer the artifact to a museum. The primary research question focuses on identifying an appropriate approach for the on-site conservation of the clay relief. Using both library-based research and fieldwork, this study gathered information related to the site and the relief, documented environmental factors contributing to its deterioration, and analyzed the data. The findings indicate that the current protective cover is inadequate. Environmental conditions, particularly moisture rising from the soil containing soluble salts, significantly accelerate the relief's erosion and the deterioration of its surface paint layers. Based on these findings, the study provides recommendations for optimizing the conservation of the relief.

Preparation of an Antimicrobial Green Tissue for the Conservation of Historical /Cultural Works

Samera Salimpour Abkenar

Nowadays, preparing a natural, non-toxic, low-cost, and biodegradable substrate called “Green sheet” is one of the new approaches to Nano sciences and biotechnology. Green sheets have multiple functions in various industries such as food packaging, preparation of wound dressings, hospital clothes, drug delivery systems, perfumery, antiperspirant, antimicrobial, and insect repellent, and they have found a special position. One of their unique applications is the use of cultural heritage, such as conservation in the restoration of ancient works, and historical documents, packaging and transportation of historical objects, and making traditional dolls and embroidery. In this study, a natural sheet was prepared using unreelable cocoons through degumming, opening, and finishing processes in the presence of a natural crosslinking agent and the well-known pad-dry-cure method. Tea tree and oregano plant oils were applied to achieve an antimicrobial property. The antimicrobial activity was assessed against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans through qualitative and quantitative methods. The results showed that the silk sheet had good resistance against the mentioned microorganisms.

Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Effect of Plant Essential Oils on Biodeteriogenic Microorganisms of Cultural Heritage

Azam Aliasghari Veshareh

The beneficial effects of plant essential oils (EOs) have been known for a long time and now they are used in various fields such as medicine and aromatherapy as well as in food and pharmaceutical industries. In the last few years, the use of plant EOs has been noticed against biodeterioration of cultural heritage, which represents a powerful resource of green conservation strategies. This research aims to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of 3 essential oils of rosemary, eucalyptus and thyme on 5 fungal strains, including Aspergillus niger, Penicillium polonicum, Cladosporium limoniform, Penicillium chrysogenom, Parengyodontium album, and 3 bacterial strains including Bacillus cereus, Bacillus licheniformis, Kocuria rosea isolated from deteriorative areas of Jamé Mosque of Isfahan. The results showed that among the used EOs, thyme EO had the greatest antimicrobial effect on the selected microorganisms. This EO in 50% dilution prevented the growth of the tested microorganisms. Eucalyptus EO showed the lowest antimicrobial effect. This EO did not show any antimicrobial effect on Penicillium chrysogenum. However, eucalyptus EO was effective on the tested bacterial strains with the diameter of non-growth zone of 25, 28 and 15 mm on Bacillus cereus, Bacillus licheniformis and Kocuria rosea, respectively. According to these results, thyme EO can be potentially used to control the biodeterioration of cultural heritage.

Investigation of Environmental Condition Parameters in the Preservation of Glass plate Photographic Works

Sahar Noohi

This research is an exploration of the environmental conditions for preserving photographic glass plates in storage and how environmental parameters influence each other. Understanding the extent to which environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity, pollutants, and light can interact with one another—and recognizing that they cannot be assessed independently—can play a critical role in establishing suitable environmental conditions for these works, especially photographic glass plates. Based on conducted studies, photographic glass plates are subject to serious damage risks similar to other visual artworks and sometimes even more so. Given the historical and artistic value of these pieces, as well as their potential utility as documents providing valuable information, it becomes clear why preventive conservation measures for this category of artifacts are vital, especially considering that treatment and restoration processes can be extremely challenging or even impossible.The aim of this research is to introduce standard and appropriate environmental conditions for the preservation of photographic glass plates.The content presented in this article results from studies and observations derived from reviewing relevant literature on the topic while also taking into account the condition of existing works within collections dedicated to glass-based photography. This study identifies appropriate environmental conditions including temperature, humidity, light levels, and permissible pollutant thresholds for this category of artworks. Additionally, it examines how these various environmental parameters relate to one another and affect each other’s impact. At the same time, it addresses ways to control these environmental factors and prevent certain damages that may occur when suitable conditions are not maintained.

A review on the use of calcium hydroxide nanoparticles in deacidification of easel paintings

Mehdi Razani

Historical canvas paintings are subject to many destructions due to their age. Among these damages, environmental pollution such as moisture, light, atmospheric pollution, biological pollution and vandalism can be mentioned. The settling of SO₂ and SO₃ gases in the air next to the humidity on the paintings causes acidification of the canvas, which in addition to weakening the support of the painting, weakens the connections of the paint to the underlying layer and ultimately results in the deterioration of the work. Therefore, deacidification of painting canvas will be a serious and very effective measure to prevent the destruction of the work. The traditional methods of deacidification, which have been used until today, unfortunately left adverse effects on the work, such as dandruff and weighting of the painting fabric. With the advancement of technology and nanotechnology, new methods have been presented for deacidification of historical works, including cloth, wood and paper. The use of calcium hydroxide nanoparticles makes it possible to spray materials in restoration operations. Due to the small size of nanoparticles and the lack of concentration of solutes on the surface of the effect and the high penetration depth due to the ability of nanoparticles to be absorbed by cotton fibers, it causes the high efficiency of nanoparticles compared to coarse particles. In this article, firstly, the use of calcium hydroxide nanoparticles in deacidification of canvas painting canvas is investigated, then the methods and method of calcium hydroxide nanoparticle production, its stability and lifespan are discussed.

Investigating and Technical Studying of Advertising Paintings at the Entrance of Cinemas

Saeedeh Namdar

Promotional cinema facade paintings were created in the early 1950s to attract audiences to cinemas. With the advent of digital printing technology in the 1980s, these paintings lost their prominence and gradually fell into oblivion. Over time, they have become historical artifacts that require preservation and restoration. This study aims to identify the materials used in cinema facade paintings. The research employs a descriptive methodology, utilizing classical chemical laboratory techniques, digital and polarizing microscopes, and infrared spectroscopy. The results indicate that the paintings consist of three layers: support, base, and pigment. The support layer is made of cotton and fabric fibers, and silk is used in restoration efforts. The base composition includes gypsum, calcite, and white lead, while the pigments contain compounds such as white lead, calcite, Prussian blue, and black iron oxide.

Conservation of Leather, Wood and Plant Fiber Works Found in Cheharabad Zanjan Mine

Narguess Afzalipour

Cheharabad Zanjan mine is one of the few ancient salt mines in the world and the only identified salt mine in Iran that has evidence of salt extraction in a long period of time from about 500 BC to the modern era. According to the field research conducted so far in the explored area of the mountain of this mine, the mining activities related to the Achaemenid, Sassanid, Middle and Late Islamic periods have been proven. What has been done in this project is the result of a year of group effort by experts during the solar years of 1398 and 1399 in order to protect, maintain and restore a valuable collection, uncovered from Cheharabad mine in Zanjan. Leather bag, fur-leather gloves, skins, and leather shoes are among the prominent objects of this collection. Following the decisions made by the managers of the exploration in this historical mine, some of the uncovered objects were selected for preparation and presentation in a joint exhibition between the National Museum of Iran and the Bochum Mining Museum with the title "Death in the Salt Mine, an Archaeological Narrative from the Land of Pars". became in order to present various works in this exhibition, it was necessary to study and protect them with the aim of checking the conditions of the works, necessary protective measures and carrying out preparatory operations for the safe display of the works in the exhibition. 33 leather objects, 23 wooden objects, 7 plant fibers (rope) and 4 animal remains were studied and preserved. The work process includes examination and documentation, chemical tests, examination of surfaces with a digital microscope, biological tests, cleaning, softening, finding parts, cconsolidation and fixing, Retouching, strengthening, removing the label and renumbering and packaging. It has been fixed. Considering the nature of the selected collection, the purpose of working on them has been to identify and discover the final state and introduce them as museum objects rather than the works that previously only had study value by recognizing their use as unique museum objects. protected and displayed. The small number of organic works among the findings of archaeological excavations in Iran increases the importance of the correct and principled preservation of these unique objects.