Development and model application of an 'in situ' humidification method with a monitoring concept using the example of an anthropogenically damaged large-format wooden panel painting

The panel painting is decoupled from the rest of the room climate and enclosed in a housing. The actual condition, and later also movements and changes in the wood and the painting layer, will be closely documented with a measuring and monitoring system during the project. After material and painting technique analyses, hygrothermal simulations and practical tests with reference samples will be carried out in the climate chamber. These should provide information on how and to what extent object- and material-compatible humidification can be carried out, so that an appropriate humidification method can then be performed in the research project. Only then will the severely shrunken wooden beam be conditioned and humidified by means of systematic climate control so that it can expand very slowly. Once the expansion is complete, the aim is to dismantle the enclosure and use environmentally friendly and energy-saving measures, such as sorption-capable moisture buffers, to maintain equilibrium moisture stability and ensure the sustainability of the measure.

The KDWT contributes to the project especially its existing expertise in the detection and visualization of movements of cultural assets in the context of spatial and environmental climate. See also the research project "Under 40". 

Applicant and grantee:

• Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (BLfD), Referat A V - Restaurierung, Fachbereich Gemälde und Skulptur

Project partners:

• Centre for Heritage Conservation Studies and Technologies (KDWT), University of Bamberg, Professorship in Materials and Preservation Science
• Technical University of Munich, Chair of Timber Structures and Building Construction
• CARE FOR ART

The project is funded by The German Federal Environmental Foundation (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt DBU) it is listed under the file number 37502.