Vasilenkov Maksim N. — the 2nd Qualification Category Restorer in Tempera Paintings; the Grabar Art Conservation Center, Restorer of the Department of Tempera Painting Restoration; the Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox University for the Humanities, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Restoration
E-mail: vasilenkovmax@mail.ru

In 2023 – 2024, the restoration of four 17th century icons from the collection of the Kirillo-Belozersky State Historical Architectural and Art museum-reserve was carried out at the Department of Restoration of Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox University for the Humanities (Moscow). The icons are “Archangel Gabriel”, “Apostle Paul”, “St. John Chrysostom” and “St. Ephraim the Syrian”. The restored works of art are a part of the full-figured Deesis range of the iconostasis originating from the Nilo-Sorsky Monastery (in the past widely known and revered in the Russian North). The special value of the icons lies in the fact that they form a relatively complete ensemble among the few and disparate items of early decoration of above-mentioned monastery that have survived to present day. The article presents the results of the study of the origin and history of the icons of the Nilo-Sorsky Monastery and confirms the attribution previously proposed by the researcher E. V. Romanenko. According to the documents of the monastery we are dealing with the Deesis Range painted “na prazeleni” (on a green background) by the icon-painter Gregory in the middle of the 17th century. It is also known that this Deesis was painted for the wooden church of St. John the Baptist, built over the tomb of the founder of the monastery, St. Nil. During the restoration process, the technological features of the icons were studied: 1) the painting surface of the artworks was examined under a binocular microscope; 2) X-ray and IR radiography of the icons were performed; 3) microsamples of the paints were taken to determine their pigment composition. The results of this research extend our knowledge of the materials and artistic techniques used by icon painters of the Russian North in the 17th century.

Attribution issues, deesis range, icon painting of the 17th century, Kirillo-Belozersky State Historical Architectural and Art museum-reserve, Nilo-Sorsky monastery, research on painting technology, Saint Tikhon’s Orthodox University for the Humanities.

Ibragimov Igor N. — research associate of the “Pavlovsk Palace and Estate Museum”
E-mail: palace@pavlovskmuseum.ru

The presented text examines the problem of the existence and definition of the Leningrad art school in the period of the 1920s – 1940s. The main attention is paid to the debatable issue of the legitimacy of applying the term “Leningrad school” to the early Soviet period, which is argued by institutional instability and the simultaneous coexistence of various artistic trends — the academic tradition, avant-garde and the emerging aesthetics of socialist realism. A. I. Strukova’s thesis on the formation of the Leningrad landscape school in the 1930s is adopted as a methodological basis. The author expands this concept, putting forward the idea of the existence in the same period of an independent interior genre that continued pre-revolutionary traditions. It is proved that, despite the similarity of artistic methods (construction of perspective, rendering of light and colour), interior and landscape are different genres. The interior genre is characterized by a focus on a closed space, objectivity and intimacy, while the landscape is addressed to an open, monumental and socially significant space. The text also examines the cultural context of the era, noting the dualism of Soviet art of the 1930s, where regional traditions were preserved along with official art. In conclusion, it is stated that the sustainable development of interior painting, its genre and aesthetic independence confirm the legitimacy of identifying the Leningrad art school as a unique phenomenon in Russian art of the first half of the 20th century.

Interior genre, interior in painting, landscape, landscape school, Leningrad school of painting, palace interior, problem of terminology, regional school.

Kotelnikov Pavel N.  — artist-restorer of the highest category of metal works; The State Research Institute for Restoration, head of the department of scientific restoration of metal works
E-mail: 113metal@gmail.com

Mikhailova Anna — The State Research Institute for Restoration, Department of Scientific Restoration of Metal Works, research engineer
E-mail: info@gosniir.ru

Natsky Mikhail — artist-restorer of the highest qualification, The State Research Institute for Restoration, Department of Scientific Restoration of Metal Works, artist-restorer
E-mail: info@gosniir.ru

Ravich Irina — Dr. Ph. D., The State Research Institute for Restoration, Department of Scientific Restoration of Metal Works, leading researcher
E-mail: info@gosniir.ru

The article is devoted to the study of the causes of the destruction of cast brass lighting fixtures of the late 19th – early 20th century during their restoration. The aim of the study was to study how casting defects, as well as composition and microstructure, affect the tendency to fracture of these products. To solve the problem, a collection of fragments of cast brass fittings of lighting devices of the time under consideration was selected from the funds of the State Research Institute for Restoration. Their composition was determined using X-ray fluorescence analysis on a HitachiX-Met-8000 instrument, and microstructural features on a MIM-8 metallographic microscope. The elemental composition of the inclusions was recorded using a HitachiTM4000Plus scanning electron microscope equipped with Quaniax 75 (Bruker) microrentgenospectral analysis. It was found that the fragments were cast from brass containing from 19.6 to 34% zinc and from 1.44 to 3.27% lead, as well as tenths of a percent impurities of sulfur, chlorine, silicon, aluminum, and calcium. The microstructure of the fragments was characterized by large cast crystallites with pronounced dendritic liquation, the impurities formed brittle intermetallic compounds with zinc and lead, they stood out along the boundaries of the cast crystallites and in the dendritic spaces, and pores were concentrated there. These defects reduced the strength and ductility of the fragments. As a result, the products could be destroyed during restoration in case of mechanical impact.

Brass, brittle inclusions, casting, electron microscopy, fracture, lighting fittings, metallography.

Maslova Elena A. — Restorer of the highest qualification category; the State Research Institute for Restoration, Research engineer of the Laboratory of Chemical Technology Research
E-mail: maslova55maslova@yandex.ru

The Laboratory of Chemical Technology Research of the State Research Institute for Restoration has developed a restoration technique and a sequence of technological operations for the restoration of the leather interior of a retro “Maxwell” car. The novelty of this work lies in the fact that the technology of impregnation with a consolidating agent and a greasing emulsion using a vacuum was developed without removing the skin from the seat’s backs of the car. This method of skin treatment was applied due to the design of the seat’s backs, which cannot be dismantled. The article discusses the main problems of destruction associated with the loss of moisture and elasticity of the skin. Special attention is paid to such issues as cleaning from dirt, eliminating deformations, and plasticizing the skin. A material recommended by specialists of the Laboratory of Chemical Technology Research of the State Research Institute for Restoration, which has a low surface tension and is a surfactant at low concentrations, was chosen as a consolidating agent. To strengthen the skin with partial peeling, an acrylic dispersion was selected, which easily penetrates into cracks and is evenly distributed in the volume of the restored area. Attention was paid to the use of a fat emulsion, which has a good penetrating ability into the skin structure. An emulsion developed by the Shebekinsky Industrial Laboratory based on semi-synthetic oils with the addition of natural ingredients was taken. As a result, it is concluded that using these materials for restoration, it is possible to restore such skin and bring it into an expositional appearance.

“Maxwell”, aqueous acrylic dispersion, dubbing material, fat emulsion, leather interior items, polyethylene glycol 1500, retro car.

Fazlullin Sergey M. — PhD of Geography, Associate Professor; Russian state university for the humanities, Department of Restoration
E-mail: sh1703@yandex.ru

Polymers have had a significant impact on industrial, household, and cultural aspects of everyday life in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. They represent advances in technology, as evidenced by the dramatic increase in the number and types of objects used by people from these materials. Polymers have long been included in the various museum collections, characterizing changes in our daily lives and society's attitude to new materials and technologies. These materials are increasingly being used to create works of art. While museums continue to acquire objects reflecting everyday life and historical, in some cases the proportion of plastics in collections will increase. The service life of polymers is short compared to traditional materials presented in museums, and they wear out during the first decades after purchase. The destruction and conservation of plastic objects in museums has been officially recognized as an area worthy of study only since the early nineties, however, despite its novelty, plastics conservation is a rapidly developing field. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in modern objects, exhibits, historical and cultural monuments made of polymer materials, both in terms of identification and determining their condition, conservation and restoration. The proposed article discusses the general issues of identification, conservation and restoration of polymer materials in the museum environment and the problems that arise in this case. The main properties of polymers are described, which determine how and why this class of materials has found its widespread use and what its fate is in the museum collections. This article presents the second part of the thematic review, including the storage, preventive conservation and restoration of polymers in museum space and thematic collections.

Biocorrosion, conservation, cultural heritage, degradation of museum objects, elastomer, historical materials science, malignant polymers, museum, plastic, polymer, restoration, thermoplastic.