Author(s)

N. MARCHETTINI, D. MAGRINI, A. GUIDUCCI, F.M. PULSELLI

Abstract

Cleaning old paintings has always been a major problem, because aqueous solutions may dissolve pigments. We succeeded in cleaning some precious old paintings of Siena using aqueous products. This success encourages us to clean a Lorenzetti masterpiece in the near future. The techniques used and a possible explanation of the surprising result are discussed in the light of recent insights into the physics of water.

Keywords

cleaning with water, coherent water, interfacial water, Siena paintings