Conservation Services
Consulting Services
SCICCA provides specialized consulting services in art preservation, conservation and scientific analysis for both organizations and individual clients. We cater to a diverse clientele, including national, regional, and university museums, cultural heritage groups, commercial art galleries, corporate art collections, private collectors, and artists. Whether you need advice, conservation treatment planning, scientific diagnostics, condition evaluations, or strategies for long-term preservation, our team of experts is ready to help.
Conservation Science Laboratory
We offer high-standard art conservation services by combining scientific expertise with a deep respect for cultural heritage items.
Our work is supported by access to advanced scientific instruments at Chulalongkorn University and close collaboration with researchers and specialists both within the University and beyond. These partnerships allow us to integrate material science with conservation practices and art historical research, providing valuable insights that guide responsible and effective preservation of artworks.
Our laboratory employs a variety of non-destructive and micro-invasive techniques, including Technical Photography (TP), Micro-X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF), Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Colorimetry and Gloss Measurement, and Scanning Electron Microscopy with EDS (SEM-EDS), among others. These tools are instrumental in identifying the chemical composition of materials, pigments, binding media, and deterioration factors, thereby supporting both conservation decision-making and art historical research.
Paintings Conservation Studio
Our Paintings Conservation Studio is comprised of a skilled and knowledgeable team of Paintings Conservators committed to the examination, preservation, remedial conservation, and restoration of painted artworks. Our work is dedicated to the conservation of oil, acrylic, modern, and contemporary media paintings across a wide range of supports, such as canvas, wood panels, composite wooden panels, metal, and murals in their original locations.
Our treatments are carefully tailored and evaluated in accordance with the ethical considerations of the conservation profession, regarding both interventions and selected materials, and follow a structured decision-making model involving all relevant stakeholders. These treatments are developed to address the specific material requirements of the paintings, the particular climatic conditions in Southeast Asia, and the historical significance of each piece. Divided into three phases: preventive conservation, remedial conservation, and restoration, and may involve:
- Surface cleaning (removal of dust, atmospheric deposits, stains, fly-spots, etc .)
- Reduction and removal of oxidized surface varnishes and old retouches or overpaints
- Removal of previous conservation and restoration interventions
- Consolidation of unstable paint layers
- Structural treatment of canvases: repairing tears, strip-lining and lining using contemporary techniques
- Original stretcher adjustment, self-tensioning stretchers and canvas tensioning
- Structural treatments of wooden panels: rejoining boards, consolidation of joints, filling of holes, and tailored auxiliary supports
- Filling of paint losses and retouching techniques
- Varnishing and protective surface coatings
- Interventions against biological degradation: elimination of insects, rodents, mold, and fungal infestations, combined with biocide protection measures
- Frame adjustments, protective backings, and custom microclimatic frames
- Reconstruction of damaged frame ornaments through molding and reintegration of gilded surfaces
- Conservation-standard housing, framing, and mounting
- Etc.
The approaches, techniques, and materials we use are constantly updated through research by international institutions, as well as through workshops and training sessions in which our team of paintings conservators participates worldwide.
Beyond conservation treatments, we also conduct collection surveys and condition assessments for both private and institutional collections. Our team assesses not only the artworks but also their storage, handling, display, and overall conservation environment, in order to provide practical recommendations for their long-term preservation.