Preserving Priceless Art

The cracking and flaking of paint films containing lead white are well-known problems in art conservation. Now, a team of scientists and students from New York University, the Pratt Institute and the Metropolitan Museum of Art has discovered the mechanism that causes these films to degrade over time.

Basic research into the chemical mechanisms for degradation of art materials will help scientists develop better means to stabilize materials and improve the preservation of one-of-a-kind objects for future generations.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy allows researchers to study the chemical environment of certain chemical elements and was used in this study to determine how mobile structures form within paints made with lead white pigment. The presence of these mobile structures leads to the loss of structural integrity of the applied paints, causing cracking and flaking.