Conservation and Scientific Analysis of Painting

The title is ratber misleading for nine tenths of the book is taken up with scientific examination. The remainder i restricted to conservation in the sense of control of environment (another book in the same series by a different author will cover restoration of paintings). The author i head of the research laboratory of the Louvre museum. She specialize in the application of selected radiation to the tudy of paintings, so not unexpectedly the major part of the book is devoted to X-radiography and other photographic techniques. The other main section, Analytic Methods', surveys tho e which may be used to examine the materials and con truction of paintings, ranging from optical micro copy to modern instrumental method like X-ray fluorescence and neutron activation analysis. A single paragraph of general description has to suffice for most, often without specific example of application to paintings (the use made by Mme S. Delbourgo, also of the Louvre laboratory, of the electron microbeam probe is a welcome exception). The ection on 'Environment and Can ervation' describes measurement and control of atmospheric temperature, humidity and pollution and of light and lighting in the exhibition and storage of picture. Supplementary 'Technical Notes' supply practical instructions, for example for taking infrared photographs or using a thermohygrograph (oddly included in the e 'Note' are de criptions of holography and of a carbon-14 dating technique unlikely undertaking for the nonspecialist). There i a hart bibliography and an index. From its list of contents thi would eem the ideal book for explaining to the curator, art historian, picture restorer or intere ted layman what science can do to help the under tanding and care of paintings. It is also a most attractive book, lavishly illustrated with trikingly beautiful photograph for example a colour photomacrograph of bru hwork round the eye in a Van Gogh portrait, and the Xradiographs of Caravaggio Martyrdom of S.