Art and Cultural Heritage: Discoveries during the Pandemic Year: Session I
Sponsored by: ACerS Art, Archaeology, and Conservation Science Division
Program Organizers: Marie Jackson, University of Utah; Jamie Weaver, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Wednesday 8:00 AM
October 12, 2022
Room: 402
Location: David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Session Chair: Marie Jackson, University of Utah; Jamie Weaver, National Institute of Standards and Technology
8:00 AM Introductory Comments
8:10 AM
Multiscale Imaging and Compositional Analysis Correlation of Heritage Science Materials: Michael Detisch1; Jillian Cramer1; W. Seales1; T. Balk1; Alyssa Stubbers1; 1University of Kentucky
This work has focused on applying materials characterization at multiple length scales to heritage science artifacts. Data from imaging systems that range from 3-dimensional macroscopic scanning to conventional light and electron microscopy at small length scales has been correlated to generate datasets with greater impact and information than could be generated with one of the instruments alone. Further study and application of cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging in an SEM environment to heritage science samples will be described. Additional insight has been produced by combining the CL imaging technique with compositional analysis via the attached EDS system and an additional scanning microXRF instrument. The combination of compositional mapping, CL imaging, and EM and light-based imaging produced additional insight into the artifacts themselves and the fundamental materials properties of their constituents. Work has also been completed to predict CL behavior of candidate materials based on their basic structures.
8:30 AM
Complementary Scientific Techniques for the Study of Mesoamerican Greenstone Objects: Willow Knight1; Faith Gantz1; Matthew Carl1; Marcus Young1; Brigitte Kovacevich2; Dawn Crawford3; Elena Torok4; Fran Baas4; 1University of North Texas; 2University of Central Florida; 3Southern Methodist University; 4Dallas Museum of Art
Jade and greenstone objects have been highly valued by many cultures because of their limited known sources worldwide, unique optical and mechanical properties, and symbolism. In recent years, scientific studies on jade and greenstone objects have assisted to establish provenance and usage, identify composition, and verify mineral presence. Their results suggest using multiple complementary analytical techniques for characterizing cultural heritage objects. In our study, a set of Mesoamerican jade and greenstone objects from a Dallas Museum of Art collection were examined using multiple non-destructive techniques, including scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and handheld X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. After a brief review of the techniques, we present our results, which are supported by archaeological and historical context, and emphasize the importance of using multiple techniques. We used previously collected data and met virtually with the Dallas Museum of Art to maintain progress through the pandemic.
8:50 AM
Collaboration to Develop and Validate a Microanalytical Methodology to Analyze Early European Porcelains to Predict Firing Temperatures: Thomas Lam1; Grace Dunham2; Jessica Walthew1; Sarah Barack1; William Carty2; 1Smithsonian Institution; 2Alfred University
During the pandemic, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum (CHSDM) and Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) initiated a research project focused on 18th Century European porcelains. The work required removal of original material from these collections, generally sub-millimeter in size, which were sent to MCI in Maryland. As talks and work progressed, the initial research questions expanded to include developing a microanalytical methodology to analyze these samples. The goal was to volumetrically document the crystalline phases (typically quartz and mullite) and calculate the glass chemistry of the porcelains, thereby yielding information about firing temperatures based on bulk analytical techniques. A third collaborator, Alfred University, joined the project to provide surrogate samples to confirm the proposed technique. This talk will share how this complex partnership, with collaborators located in three different geographic locations, was able progress during the pandemic.
9:10 AM
Acid Corrosion of Earthenware: Interactions between Aluminosilicates and Sulfur-Containing Adsorbents: Celia Chari1; Jessica Heimann2; Joseph Bennett2; Glenn Gates3; Zeev Rosenzweig2; Katherine Faber1; 1California Institute of Technology; 2University of Maryland, Baltimore County; 3The Walters Art Museum
Low-fired pottery, such as earthenware, has historically suffered from a range of conservation problems due to its poor mechanical properties, originating from its highly porous nature. For example, in humid environments, earthenware can retain salts within its pores, which can cause the object to deteriorate. This behavior paired with the possibility of rehydroxylation (conversion of earthenware into a clay-like material within humid/acidic environments) make it difficult to study earthenware, and heat treatments are sometimes necessary to handle and analyze objects. Consequently, the community lacks an in-depth mechanistic understanding of how earthenware degrades in acidic environments. The work presented here is the first study to experimentally and theoretically investigate the degradation of kaolinite and metakaolin in sulfuric acid environments, providing insight into to how sulfur-containing adsorbents interact with earthenware fired past 500°C, causing dealumination. Additionally, we examine how variables such as porosity, humidity, and pH impact potential conservation protocols of earthenware.
9:30 AM Keynote
Art Glass in Pittsburgh: A Creative Hub from Industrial Roots: Heather McElwee1; 1Pittsburgh Glass Center
The Pittsburgh Glass Center is a public access glass-making facility that serves artists who run small businesses and hobbyists who enjoy trying new techniques in glass. The 2020-2022 pandemic proved challenging for persons doing hands-on activities. Artists and organizations both had to pivot, and artists saw increased online sales and the need to make more work as people at home turned to online shopping while organizations had to find ways to keep audiences engaged while overcoming digital fatigue. This talk will explore both challenges as well as Pittsburgh's rich history in industrial glass manufacturing to its creative future as a hub for glass artmaking and innovation. Glass artists are increasingly turning to 21st-century technologies like 3D printing, Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) routing, and waterjet cutting to make their work. This marriage of commercial processes with artists' creativity provides an exciting outlook for the future of this fascinating material.
10:10 AM Break
10:30 AM
Binder and Volcanic Aggregate Transformations in the Mortar of Tomb of Caecilia Metella Concrete, 1C BCE, Rome: Marie Jackson1; Linda Seymour2; Nobumichi Tamura3; Admir Masic4; Gabriele Vola5; 1University of Utah; 2Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger; 3Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; 4Massachusetts Institute of Technology; 5Cimprogetti Srl
The mortar of robust conglomeratic concrete that forms a subterranean corridor of the Tomb of Caecilia Metella, 1C BCE, Rome, records reactivity of volcanic aggregate components and calcium-aluminum-silicate-hydrate (C-A-S-H) binding phase long after pozzolanic production of C-A-S-H and consumption of (Ca(OH)2) were complete. Micrometer-scale maps of Raman and SEM-EDS spectroscopic analyses and synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction studies reveal that C-A-S-H is reorganized into wispy halos and tendril-like strands, some with nanocrystalline preferred orientation or, alternatively, split into elongate features with short silicate chain lengths. Chemical and structural destabilization occurred during excessive incorporation of Al3+ and K+ derived from leucite dissolution in the Pozzolane Rosse tephra aggregate. The intermittent toughening of interfacial zones of tephra aggregate with post-pozzolanic strätlingite and Al-tobermorite mineral cements and long-term remodeling of the C-A-S-H binding phase through beneficial hydrologic interactions with surface and ground waters added to the chemical and mechanical resilience of the ancient concrete structure.
10:50 AM
Egyptian Blue: Experimental Assessment of Process Variability for Museum Exhibition: Julia Esakoff1; Arumala Lere-Adams1; John McCloy1; Travis Olds2; Lisa Haney2; Ciara Cryst2; 1Washington State University; 2Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Egyptian blue, based on mineral cuproriviate (CaCuSi4O10), is humanity’s earliest synthetic pigment, known in Egypt from c. 2900 BCE. Scientific investigation of Egyptian blue has been motivated by understanding material technology and conserving artifacts. Additionally, novel optical applications have been found for cuprorivaite. Egyptian blue is synthesized from a silica source like quartz, a copper source (e.g., copper mineral, metal shavings, or bronze scale), lime, and usually an alkali flux to lower the reaction temperature from ~1100°C to as low as ~850°C. In this work, we re-explore synthesis conditions including composition, precursor, temperature, and reaction time. Resulting materials are characterized by X-ray diffraction, visible absorption, and Raman spectroscopy. The synthetic materials are compared visually to art objects from museum collections. The ultimate goal of this work is to produce content highlighting Egyptian blue for a series upcoming exhibits focused on ancient Egypt at Carnegie Museum of Natural History.