Conservation Laboratories
Furnished with all essential research and conservation equipment, the studio at the Museum is among the most up-to-date in the world. Its qualified, certified staff specialize in paper and leather, easel and wall painting, and building materials (stone, brick, mineral mortar, wood, metal, etc.). Financial support from the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation made it possible to set up the studio.
The laboratory is equipped with scanning and stereo microscopes, a spectrophotometer, and other essential analytical equipment. All research is documented and recorded using techniques including CCD camera pickups fitted to the microscopes.
The fact that the objects of conservation at the Museum are exceptional in terms of history, emotional import, and technology makes the conservation work exceptionally challenging. The conservationists working here have extensive scope for enhancing their expertise, and even for developing innovative conservation concepts, in view of the great variety and complexity of the work with these objects. The staff conserve movable objects and take part in the preservation of structures on the Museum grounds.
The Preservation Department also has its own chemical laboratory for the in-depth analysis of items and the associated conservation issues. This work helps in planning the appropriate procedures. In many cases, the complexity of the objects requires the development of new conservation methods.
We carry out a wide range of analytical work for various tasks. We can analyze adhesives, pigments, mineral mortar, and the makeup of paper fibers on site, as well as identifying types of wood. Our laboratory applies the classical methods of chemical analysis, as well as selected methods of instrument analysis.
