Exploring Benzyl Alcohol Derivatives and Related Compounds in the Cleaning of Oil Paintings

This study examines five benzyl alcohol derivatives and three chemically similar compounds and compares them against benzyl alcohol in gelled emulsions for the removal of overpaint during cleaning of oil paintings. Comparative cleaning tests using xanthan gels, Pemulen® TR-2 gels, and neat solvent w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Studies in conservation Vol. ahead-of-print; no. ahead-of-print; pp. 1 - 12
Main Authors: Liu, Chun (Tracy), Alvarez-Martin, Alba, Keune, Katrien
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Routledge 03.07.2024
Subjects:
Benzyl alcohol
chemical derivatives
gel cleaning
molecular changes
oil paintings
Pemulen
solvent cleaning
varnish removal
xanthan
ISSN:0039-3630, 2047-0584
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This study examines five benzyl alcohol derivatives and three chemically similar compounds and compares them against benzyl alcohol in gelled emulsions for the removal of overpaint during cleaning of oil paintings. Comparative cleaning tests using xanthan gels, Pemulen® TR-2 gels, and neat solvent were made on overpaint on fragments of a seventeenth-century test painting. This approach demonstrated that molecular changes to a benzyl alcohol core resulted in enhanced control during the cleaning process. In some cases a benzyl alcohol derivative enabled selective removal of non-original material, when benzyl alcohol appeared to affect the original paint. Select derivatives were also tested in an area of overpaint on a sixteenth-century oil on panel painting by Jan van Scorel in the Rijksmuseum Collection through modifying the chemical activity of benzyl alcohol. Finally, two GC-MS-based methods were used to monitor benzyl alcohol retention and possible oxidation in paint layers post-treatment.
ISSN:0039-3630
2047-0584
DOI:10.1080/00393630.2023.2233374