The understanding of cultural heritage objects can require a multi-technique approach to identify materials, manufacturing, and history. This research focused on a four-panel Chinese kuan cai lacquer screen from the Walters Art Museum, initially dated to 1681 from its inscription. Due to its complex layered structure and extensive restoration, both non-invasive and micro-invasive methods were used. Fiber Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) identified surface pigments, while Raman spectroscopy analyzed cross-sections to distinguish original materials from restoration layers. Supporting techniques included XRF, SEM-EDS, and THM-Py-GC/MS. The detection of synthetic ultramarine blue and azo carmine dye—unavailable in the 17th century—suggested a later production date. The absence of traditional pigments like vermilion, orpiment, and malachite further challenged the original attribution. Provenance research later revealed the screen’s identity as a twentieth-century replica made in New York City by the retailer Charles Gracie & Sons. This study highlights the value of combining spectroscopic techniques for accurate material analysis.

​This research project is being conducted as the fourth installment of a multi-year collaboration between Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC), Voices in Contemporary Art (VOCA), and The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation (RRF).  The purpose of this study is to distinguish between and identify Robert Rauschenberg’s use of dye-based and pigment-based inkjet colorants in his inkjet transfer works made between 1992 and 2008. The colorants of these works have faded over time, in some cases to a degree where the RRF no longer sees the object as representative of the artist's work. An understanding of the chemical composition of these colorants and their relative lightfastness can impact the stewardship and understanding of this body of Rauschenberg’s late work. Three inkjet transfer works from the RRF study collection will be used as case studies for visual and compositional analysis (x-ray fluorescence (XRF), fiber optics reflectance spectroscopy (FORS), and Raman spectroscopy).​

Click on each to read the full blog post (2020).

• Conservation of "Paul Revere" by de Saint-Mémin

• Conserving a Nipmuc Storage Basket Using Unexpected Materials

• The Global Influence of Blue and White Ceramics

• Carefully Conserving a Museum Treasure: the Worcester Hunt Mosaic

Madonna and Child was acquired by Henry Walters in 1910. It has not been exhibited since 1994 due to its unstable condition. The presence of salts, first identified in 1992, have continued to undermine the structural stability of the limestone. The sculpture has visible salt crystal growth on the surface and exhibits issues including powdering, delamination, flaking, spalling, cracking, and loss. The sculpture cannot be safely handled, transported, or exhibited in its current state. A successful treatment will allow for the possibility of Madonna and Child to be reinstated in the Walters Art Museum galleries.

As a pre-program intern at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, I worked with Jia-Sun Tsang, Senior Paintings Conservator, and Dr. Thomas Lam, Physical Scientist to optimize a method for preparing paint cross sections. Our research was published in the 2019 issue of the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation.