Scientific Testing Equipment

After posting about the stolen Mouchot oil painting I received an email requesting additional information on the testing techniques and types of instruments used by the National Gallery of Art's conservation group. As the fine and decorative arts fields embrace scientific research, we as appraisers have a responsibility to not only be aware of the scientific approaches, but to also understand what they do in the event an item of property requires this type of analysis and research.

Scientific instrument use is also not limited to the fine art field. Furniture conservator Bruce Schuttinger wrote an informative article in the Journal of Advanced Appraisal Studies entitled Conservation Reports and How They Can Benefit the Personal Property Appraiser. Included within the article is photographic cross section of finish layers of a chest of drawers as well as tables and graphs revealing the elements of the finish layer through the use of a portable x-ray fluorescence instrument.

For those who attended the ISA Conference several years ago in Santa Fe, NM, there was a fascinating presentation on using CAT scans on early decorative art relics. Typically this type of scientific analysis starts in research labs, then is employed by the larger museum conservation departments, then small museums and conservators, and finally to an overall awareness and acceptance by the fine and decorative art communities. What you might call a" trickle down effect".

I have posted some of the instrument types used by the conservation group for the NGA website,I have also posted a link to the site with full definitions and use for each instrument. Click HERE for the full NGA instrument glossary.

Chromatography

A. Gas Chromatography (GC)
B. Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography (Py-GC)
C. High-performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
D. Size-exclusion Chromatography (SEC)

Spectroscopy

A. Fourier-transform Infrared (Micro)spectroscopy (FTIR)
B. Ultraviolet-visible Spectroscopy (UV-vis)
C. X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF)
D. Energy-dispersive Spectrometry (EDS)
E. X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
F. Color Spectroscopy
G. Mass Spectrometry (MS)

3. Microscopy

A. Optical Microscopy
B. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

4. Miscellaneous Instruments

A. Weather-Ometer®
B. Rheometer
C. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)

Click HERE for the full instrument definition.