ABSTRACT
Our cultural heritage is largely contained in museum pieces. Preservation of these artifacts is an important part of curatorial duties of museum staff. This is done by regulation of the climate in which materials are held. However, despite these efforts, either the location of climate-monitoring systems or local (microsite) conditions are such that humidity control is insuf›cient to prevent fungal growth on these substrates (Ster©inger 2010). As a result, fungal staining of paper and nonpaper materials (silk, hemp, etc.), referred to as “foxing,” appears as brown stains (Arai 2000; Choi 2007). This staining results from concentration and deposition of metals such as iron, copper-zinc, copper-mercury, or tin that were used in the production of the paper (Figure 34.1). The typical “bulls eye” ring of metal deposition suggests concentration in the advancing hyphal front, previously solubilized by fungal acids. This is common on old manuscripts and
CONTENTS
34.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 501 34.2 Degradation of Speci›c Types of Artifacts ............................................................................................................... 501
34.2.1 Paper and Artwork ....................................................................................................................................... 501 34.2.2 Wooden Artifacts ......................................................................................................................................... 503 34.2.3 Photographic Film ....................................................................................................................................... 503 34.2.4 Stonework and Murals ................................................................................................................................ 503 34.2.5 Glass Windows ............................................................................................................................................ 504 34.2.6 Textiles ........................................................................................................................................................ 505
34.3 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................................... 506 References ............................................................................................................................................................................ 506
paintings and is caused by a number of fungi, particularly Aspergillus spp. (Arai 2000; Rakotonirainy et al. 2007). In a speci›c study of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries on water-damaged manuscripts in Maryland, United States, Szczepanowska and Cavaliere (2000) found evidence of damage caused by Chaetomium spp., which had pigmented the documents magenta/orange to yellow or olive. In her review, Ster©inger (2010) identi›ed some 29 fungal genera associated with paintings, paper, parchment, or keratinous substrates in museums.
