Martínez-Weinbaum, Marina;
Lozano-Carbó, Míriam;
Maestro-Guijarro, Laura;
Carmona-Quiroga, Paula María;
Oujja, Mohamed;
Castillejo, Marta
Comparison of the Use of Traditional Solvents and Nanosecond 213 nm Nd:YAG Laser in Thinning Naturally Aged Varnish on a Contemporary Oil Easel Painting
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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Comparison of the Use of Traditional Solvents and Nanosecond 213 nm Nd:YAG Laser in Thinning Naturally Aged Varnish on a Contemporary Oil Easel Painting
Contributor:
Martínez-Weinbaum, Marina;
Lozano-Carbó, Míriam;
Maestro-Guijarro, Laura;
Carmona-Quiroga, Paula María;
Oujja, Mohamed;
Castillejo, Marta
Description:
<jats:p>The removal of aged varnish on artistic paintings is a delicate intervention and the use of UV laser for this purpose is of special relevance. In particular, the use of nanosecond-pulsed lasers operating at 213 nm has been noted to produce good results in mock-up samples, but it has not been tested in real artworks. In this paper, we report on the application of this procedure for the first time on a contemporary oil easel painting with naturally aged varnish. The obtained results were compared with those achieved using traditional solvents, specifically a mixture of ligroin:acetone. Additionally, hot water was used to remove surface dirt. The performance of the different cleaning procedures was assessed with a range of techniques, including low-power microscopy, UV lamp illumination, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Of the tested treatments, the best performance is obtained by nanosecond laser irradiation at 213 nm using an adequate laser fluence (typically 0.14 J/cm2) that allows controlled and efficient removal of the outermost aged varnish layer without affecting the underlying non-aged varnish and paint layers.</jats:p>