Knowledge of Conservation and Restoration

A Review of the Ethical Codes in the Profession of Conservation of Historical Relics

Fatemeh Alimirzaei

The conservation of historical artifacts, as a profession that closely linked to the prevailing history and culture in individual and social life, carries a heavy mission and responsibility towards the creators and owners of these artifacts in the past, present, and future. On the other hand, despite the diversity of thoughts, desires, and approaches, it is an activity that must be conducted within a specific scientific and theoretical framework. Conservators, while adhering to this specified framework, must also consider particular ethical considerations. These considerations are crucial not only for maintaining the quality and clarity of conservation activities for the conservators and their audience but also for making them aware of the ethical consequences of their actions and the ethical standards used to evaluate those actions. These ethical considerations have been variously addressed in the theories and documents related to the conservation and restoration field as the profession has evolved. In this research, an attempt is made to provide definitions and basic concepts related to the topic, alongside examples of ethical codes in the conservation profession with an interpretive approach. The aim of this research is to understand the role and function of ethics in conservation and restoration processes and some ethical considerations when dealing with artifacts. To this end, To this end, ethical conduct documents prepared by several conservation institutions, such as the American Institute for Conservation (AIC), the Canadian Association for Conservation (CAC), the International Council of Museums Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC), the European Confederation of Conservator-Restorers' Organisations (ECCO), and the United Kingdom Institute for Conservation (UKIC), have been examined as case studies. The reviews revealed that these documents strive to define the boundaries of professional conservation, with the primary goal of protecting public assets and gaining public trust and social approval for the profession. Therefore, they focus on the interests of humanity rather than professional interests and develop conservation ethics based on attention to universal values and a focus on cultural values.

Conservation and Restoration Plan of the Urartian Inscription of Seqindel, Varzeghan, East Azerbaijan, Iran

Mehdi Razani

This research investigates methods for conservation, restoration, and reinforcement of the Urartian inscription of Seqindel. It also aims to propose feasible recommendations for improving the preservation and stabilization conditions of the inscription and consequently, the historical site itself. The Seqindel inscription was discovered in 1951 CE near the village of Seqindel, beside a complex archaeological site. It stands as a significant artefact from the Urartian era in northwest Iran, dating back approximately 2750 years. Stone inscriptions are inherently vulnerable to environmental factors that can lead to deterioration. To address this concern, the research incorporates structural studies, pathology assessments, and analyses of the inscription's current condition. The results indicate that priority should be given to emergency stabilization and consolidation to prevent the collapse of the inscription, followed by practical measures for ongoing protection, and finally, preventive conservation. Considering the inscription's location approximately 2 kilometers from the village of Saqindel, the following key recommendations are proposed for its preservation and promotion: 1) Community participation in protection efforts, 2) Tourism enhancement and deterrence of unauthorized excavations, 3) Road construction for improved accessibility,4) Site access and signage development, 5) Natural stone staircase construction, 6) Design and insulation of informative signage, 7) Vegetation revitalization in the adjacent valley.

Application of Colorimetry for Compartive Study of Minium Pigment in Five Safavid Illustrated Manuscript Belonging to the National Museum of Iran

Somayeh Noghani

Red mineral pigments, including minium, vermilion and ocher, have historically been some of the most important and widely used colors ranges in painting, gilding, tabulation and marking verses. This color spectrum in the artworks from previous centuries has shown acceptable stability, with its brightness well-preserved. The preparation of color, as one of the most a significant tools for artists, has long been an important issue, leading to the documentation of color preparation methods in book design in book design treatises. Minium processing is mentioned as a red pigments in three treatises: Umdeh al-Kottab, Bayan al-Sana, at and Qanun al-Sovar. In the current research the text of these treatises were reviewed, and a comparative study of minium identified in a number of illustrated manuscripts from the Safavid period was carried out using colorimetric method. Initially for this purpose, in the first step, minium was mixed with specific ratios of vermilion to prepare red color tables based on minium. Eight samples of selected miniatures from Safavid period illustrated manuscripts (including 5 illustrated manuscripts from the National Museum of Iran) and 17 prepared color samples were subjected to spectral and color analysis using a spectrophotometer. The color difference values of the prepared samples and the historical samples were then calculated. The results indicate that there is an acceptable color difference between the prepared colors and the historical samples. Therefore, this method can be used in the reconstruction and homogenization of the red spectrum resulting from the minium pigment.

Damage Diagnosis of Rock Reliefs, Case Study: the Tomb of Xerxes

Anisa Shiri

Stone structures are susceptible to weathering and erosion over time, necessitating the identification and elimination of damaging factors to ensure their preservation. This research focused on diagnosing the damage to the tomb of Xerxes located at the historical site of Naqsh-e Rostam through a multidisciplinary approach encompassing library research, field observations, laboratory analyses, and geological studies. Petrographic studies revealed that the rocks comprising the tomb belong to the Seruk Formation. The sedimentary sequence within this formation exhibited thick and light-colored limestone layers. Utilizing the geophysical technique of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), two major fractures were identified along the boundaries of the tomb. These fractures predominantly followed north-south and east-west orientations. The intersection of these fracture sets, combined with the layering surfaces, resulted in the development of dissolution phenomena, leading to the formation of dissolution holes and cavernous porosity on the structure. Additionally, field studies investigated the presence of plants and cyanobacterial lichens on the tomb.

Emergency conservation and restoration of the architectural ornaments of the Central room in Aeram house, Yazd

Hamed Yaqbzadeh

Many projects in the field of Protection, conservation and finally restoration of historical monuments are carried out in the country every year, However, there is unfortunately no suitable platform for sharing the practical experiences in this field within the country, which could significantly enhance the quality of these protection and restoration efforts nationwide. Emergency reinforcement of architectural ornaments is often necessary during the restoration of historical buildings. For this purpose, the restorer of architectural ornaments must create safe conditions to preserve the existing ornaments during the restoration of the building. Eram House in Yazd is one of the Qajar-era buildings in Yazd city that is currently about to be restored and repurposed. This
building, in the Central Room, features plasterwork, mirror and glass ornaments, as well as wall paintings with plant motifs and inscriptions. Due to the damage in the various layers of the architectural ornaments restorers faced challenges in reinforcing the structure and restoring the deteriorated parts of the building. Structural restoration measures posed a risk of destroying these ornaments; since the cracks indicating structural movement had caused the ornaments to detach and loosen from their underlying layers, which include: support (brick), scratch coat (straw), and top-layer (fine coat), all of which require reinforcement. The entire surface of walls, except for the ceiling wall in the Eram House, has an additional layer of gypsum plaster coating, which has obscured parts of the gypsum stucco ornaments and murals. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the hidden ornaments in different parts by conducting soundings in the walls of the Central Room of Eram House.

In some places, the walls need careful reinforcement by the building restorers. However, the presence of murals in these areas, limits the possibility of any reinforcement measures. Thus, the murals at these points should be separated carefully from the walls and preserved. After completing structural reinforcement, the murals should be reinstalled in their original locations. The main goal of this project was to stabilize the existing arrays in the king's room and also to create suitable conditions for any structural restoration interventions in the building. Therefore, in line with the projectives objectives as the conditions of placement and considering the placement conditions of works and materials, as well as the type and extent of damage in different parts of the room, an emergency strengthening method was selected. Restoration materials were prepared according to each method, as presented in Table 1. This article is not a result of comprehensive research. but rather an account of an emergency
intervention experience. The intervention focused on a strengthening approach, to achieve the needed stability, allowing building restorers to carry out structural reinforcement and restoration without concern. In this context, understanding the remaining of architectural arrays is crucial, Subsequently, key the questions were addressed to guide the restorers: what is the type and extent of the damage? Which damages require strengthening at this stage? to what extent should this operation progress? What method should be adopted for each architectural array with various damages? Ultimately, emergency strengthening was carried out on the ceiling and walls of the palace, encompassing plaster arrays, mirror and glass arrays, as well as murals. In several parts of the murals, due to the sever condition of the underlying layers (cause by Saudi humidity), it was decided to separate the mural pieces. This article provides a detailed, description of the practical emergency reinforcement measures undertaken on the architectural arrays of Eram House in Yazd.

Conservation and Restoration Operations of the Metal Clogs of the Iran Carpet Museum

Shaiba Khadir

The "Clogs of the Kaaba" at the Iran Carpet Museum is a pair of metal/ copper alloy shoes by Parviz Tanavoli for an outdoor installation. The work is part of a memorial chapel designed minimalist style within the museum’s grounds. The clogs are crafted to a life-size scale, with their surfaces textured with fine and delicate grooves to enhance their aesthetic and visual appeal. The artist has also applied a dark artistic patina to the surface of the clogs. The interior of the clogs has accumulated dust, soot, and debris from the surrounding greenery. Additionally, prolonged exposure to environmental conditions such as annual rainfall, seasonal temperature variations, and urban pollutants such as acid rain has affected their condition on the ground. The surface of the clogs shows green corrosion products and carbonate deposits. the aim of this operation is to stabilize the clogs and prevent further exposure to harmful urban environmental factors. In order to evaluate and document the current condition, digital photography was conducted on both a macroscopic and microscopic scales. Surface sediment removal was carried out using manual mechanical methods with a scalpel and ultrasonic device. The poultice method was applied in a controlled and limited manner to remove thick sediments using Rachel's salt solution and%2 hydrochloric acid. To protect the surface, a %3 BTA (benzotiazol: C6H5N3) solution was used, followed by a coating of epoxy polyamide solution.