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Museum Conservation Department Adopts Reflectance Transformation Imaging Techniques
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"The conservation department's initial forays into the use of RTI on works from the Museum's collection produced some extraordinary results and the five-day training session with the CHI staff went a long way in enabling us all to explore new applications for this remarkable technique. Since RTI is such a unique and powerful image-based method of examining and documenting surfaces, the potential is clearly there for it to take a place alongside other more established methods of technical examination commonly used in the field of conservation such as x-radiography and infrared reflectography."
–Philip Klausmeyer
Mellon Conservator in Paintings and Conservation Science
Worcester Art Museum |
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Worcester Art Museum, Objects Conservator, Paula Artal-Isbrand and Mark Mudge carefully check the RTI dome setup before running the capture sequence
Cultural Heritage Imaging (CHI) provided training for staff members in the conservation department of Worcester Art Museum (WAM). This five-day class included a custom-built light array that allowed them to create images of different types of objects from paintings to paper artifacts. The light array uses reflectance transformation imaging (RTI). The staff also learned to capture RTI using the highlight method, which allows them to image large objects. Using these methods, the conservators were able to see details that they could not see using other imaging techniques.
CHI and WAM Conservation staff group photograph. Left to Right: Birgit Strähle (Samuel H. Kress Fellow in Paintings Conservation), Paula Artal-Isbrand (Objects Conservator), Winifred Murray (Conservation Program Intern), Rita Albertson (Chief Conservator), Philip Klausmeyer (Andrew W. Mellon Conservator in Paintings Conservation and Science), Marlin Lum (CHI Imaging Director), Carla Schroer (CHI Executive Director), Amy Crist (Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Paper Conservation), Mark Mudge (CHI President)
Black ball capture setup
Mellon Conservator in Paintings and Conservation Science, Philip Klausmeyer and Mark Mudge examine an RTI
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