Experimental Study on Poultices Applying to Remove Fixative (Paraloid B72) on Earthen Mural Painting

Abstract

The possibility of applying poulticing was studied for removing Paraloid B72, a resin used for fixing an earthen mural painting. Five types of poultices were selected from clay and gel types, and acetone, ethanol, and methyl ethyl ketone(MEK) were used as mixed solvents. The possibility of mixing between the poultice and solvent was investigated, and then the spreadability, fluidity, acidity, drying properties, and solubility of the poultices were examined to confirm the characteristics. A poultice agent, which is suitable for applying to a mural painting, was selected and applied to a painting layer sample coated with Paraloid B72. As a result, all painting layers were good condition at under 50% of the solvent. The removal efficiency of Paraloid B72 was more effective when most of the solvents were used at 50%, rather than at 25%. However, it is difficult to mix 50% of MEK and ethanol with the gel-type poultices. When used at 25%, the removal performance was poorer than that at 50%, but the mixing with all the poultices was successful. In addition, the adsorption and removal power of the gel-type poultice were better than those of the clay-type, but the latter was expected to be more suitable in short-time cases due to its high drying speed. The results of this study show that the dissolution performance varies depending on the poultices and solvents. Hence, the poultice and solvent should be selectively applied, considering the fixative of the mural to be removed.

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