Detection of transport and age induced damages on artwork: an advanced concept

For the society it is of great interest to make cultural heritage accessible to the general public. The subsequent increase of museum loan services increases the risk of accelerated degeneration. Hence, in addition to the age related deterioration, transportation can be another source of damage. Despite modern packaging technologies, vibrations and environmental climate change can add up and damage the transported object. Besides obvious mechanical influencing quantities, a main concern is the detection of climate induced damages. Changes in the relative humidity cause inner strain, which may lead to defect formations and damages. White light fringe projection was applied to detect object changes due to variations of the relative humidity. First measurements indicated a sensitivity down to a relative humidity change of 6 %. Recently, the Stuppach Madonna, a painting by Matthias Grunewald (painted 1514 - 1516), was investigated with shearography after the return from an exhibition. The obtained shearograms revealed a variety of defects like bubbles, delaminations and tunnels caused by wood worms. Even the planking of the wooden panel and existing putty could be detected. This paper describes the first steps of a project with the aim of investigating and implementing a method to detect and classify transport related damages on works of art.