Investigating five totalizing counters manufactured by the Alphonse Darras company of the CNAM collections in Paris

Abstract

The paper reports the study of five totalizing counters preserved in the collections of the CNAM (museum of the French National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts) in Paris. These artefacts are part of a corpus of over forty counters attributed to the Darras company founded by engineer Alphonse Darras (1860-1936). In the framework of the LacCA project at Haute Ecole Arc, Neuchâtel (Switzerland), dedicated to the characterization of lacquered copper-alloys, our attention was drawn to the different aspects of the object’s coatings. Lacquers were frequently applied to technical objects to both protect them from corrosion and provide an esthetical appearance. Five totalizing counters showing various typologies and surface colours were chosen from the set and explored by a non-invasive multi analytical approach. The comparative study – investigating lacquering processes and materials - contributes to the historical study of these artefacts.

The Cleaning of Corroded Lacquered Brass with Complexing Agents: A Comparative Study

“…The use of shellac as a component of surface finishes on technical heritage and decorative brass objects has been confirmed by non-invasive analysis campaigns conducted by FTIR on scientific instruments, technical objects and gilded bronzes dating from the 18th and 19th centuries [4,6]. FTIR analysis of lacquers dating from the 19th and the very beginning of the 20th century also showed that alcohol-based resin lacquers with shellac as a single component were used [7,8]. Unbleached shellac varnishes, exhibiting a bright to dark orange fluorescence under UV illumination, were frequently observed on various objects, both scientific and decorative, during analysis campaigns [9].…”