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Conservation Science Department

The Conservation Science Department is a scientific department dealing with topics connected to the study and preservation of objects held in the collections of the KHM and its affiliated institutions. The main tasks cover the research of artistic techniques and historic materials, the investigation of alteration and corrosion processes, the improvement of analytical techniques used in art analysis as well as the so-called preventive conservation, a topic very important to museums and collections.

About the Conservation Science Department

Due to a close co-operation of the Conservation Science Department and the restoration departments of the museum specific concepts for the restoration and prevention of objects for future generations can be developed for single objects or groups of objects. In addition, the Conservation Science Department acts as a contact point for performing external analyses in co-operation with Austrian and international research institutes.

Results from the investigations are presented at Austrian and international scientific meetings and are published in different kinds of journals, e.g. also in the KHM’s own series called „Technologischen Studien“.

The Conservation Science Department mainly deals with requests from the KHM, WMW and TM. Depending on the availability of resources investigations for external customers, e.g. other museums and collections or free-lanced restorers, can also be performed when paid for by the customer. Expertises concerning the authenticity of objects or their dating are generally not done.

Methods

Microscopic techniques

  • Incident light microscopy (light field, dark field, differential interference contrast, UV fluorescence),
    magnification 100 – 1000 times
  • Transmitted light microscopy (light field, dark field, polarisation),
    magnification 100 – ca. 600 times
  • 3D microscopy (HIROX),
    magnification 0 – 800 times
  • Electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray detection – SEM/EDX (using an instrument at the Institute for Art and Technology, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Head of the institute o.Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. techn. Alfred Vendl)

Spectrometric techniques

  • Gaschromatographie-Massenspektrometrie – GC/MS
  • Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry – GC/MS
  • Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry – Py-GC/M
  • Portable µ-X-ray fluorescence spectrometer – µ-XRF (in preparation)

Preventive Conservation

  • Material tests: Oddy-test, microchemical tests
  • Controlling tightness of showcases: CO2-Logger
  • Measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs): handheld instrument ppbRAE3000
  • Monitoring of pollutants using MUSECORR sensors

Further collections & departments