Vincent Beltran

• The J. Paul Getty Trust

The microfade tester is used to assess fading rates of fugitive colors of collection items. The paper presents the research considerations to design a simple, less expensive and portable contact microfade tester that could serve as a screening tool for conservators. Hardware design for such an instrument is presented that includes variations in lig...

Two investigations of the validity of microfading spectroscopy to predict the fading behavior of a diversity of colorants at lower light levels is discussed. The specific research question being: what is the probability that a particular sample being tested with micro-fading will alter significantly differently from the same luxhours light exposure...

The Getty Conservation Institute says: In recent years more cultural institutions in hot and humid climates have been installing air-conditioning systems to protect their collections and provide comfort for both employees and visitors. This practice, however, can pose complications, including problems of installation and maintenance as well as st...

This paper presents the results of an empirical evaluation of several transparent organic coatings designed to prevent the corrosion of brass, with particular consideration on their suitability for use in the conservation treatment of Boulle marquetry. While similar studies have been conducted to evaluate coatings used on silver, to the authors’ kn...

A wide-ranging sample set consisting of dry pigments, dyed textiles, organic and aniline-based dyes, gouaches and watercolors, fluorescent inks, and natural history specimens was exposed to light in air (20.9% oxygen) and near-anoxic environments. After a light dosage of approximately 17.5 Mlux-hours under controlled temperature and humidity condit...

Our Lord in the Attic is a historic house museum located in the historic center of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It is a typical 17th century Dutch canal house, with a hidden Church in the attic. The Church was used regularly until 1887 when the house became a museum. The annual total number of visitors has grown from 36,000 in 1990 to 75,000 in 2005...

Extensive urbanization in Hawai'i, and Honolulu in particular, during the 20th century presents an opportunity to examine the effects thereof upon the storm-driven transfer of terrestrial material from the land to the ocean. This contribution focuses on the variability of Pb, Zn, Cu, Ba, Co, As, Ni, V, and Cr concentrations in streams during storm...

Urbanization on the small subtropical island of Oahu, Hawaii provides an opportunity to examine how anthropogenic activity affects the composition of material transferred from land to ocean by streams. This paper investigates the variability in concentrations of trace elements (Pb, Zn, Cu, Ba, Co, As, Ni, V and Cr) in streams of watersheds on Oahu,...