analytical techniques

Glossary of the paper conservation group of the American Institute for Conservation

"This page was created to gather together the various glossaries found in the Paper Conservation Wiki. Included so far are the glossaries from Adhesives, Hinge, Tape, and Adhesive Removal, Mold, and Written Documentation. This page may eventually be merged with the AIC Wiki Lexicon. Readers may also wish to consult CAMEO or the Ligatus Language of Bindings".

Entries arranged alphabetically. Identifies which section of the Paper Conservation Wiki the term is drawn from - and where further information would be available. Very few references.

Website: "The written documentation glossary is written for paper conservators, related professionals, and other persons who read written documentation created by paper conservators. The glossary's intent is to define specialized terminology used in condition and treatment reports which is not defined in general dictionaries, either adequately or at all. While a completely standardized vocabulary does not yet exist in the field, this glossary is an attempt to gather terms in general use and their meanings. Some terms are more widely used than others, and usage may vary according to individual conservators. Not included in the glossary are terms describing artist's techniques and media which have been well covered in a growing body of literature, such as William Ivins, How Prints Look, Felix Brunner, A Handbook of Graphic Reproduction Processes, Paul Goldman, Looking at Prints, Drawings and Watercolours, etc. "


The AAT is a thesaurus containing generic terms, dates, relationships, sources, and notes for work types, roles, materials, styles, cultures, techniques, and other concepts related to art, architecture, and other cultural heritage (e.g., amphora, oil paint, olieverf, acetolysis, sintering, orthographic drawings, Olmeca, Rinascimento, Buddhism, watercolors, asa-no-ha-toji, sralais). "The four Getty vocabularies are intended to provide terminology and other information about the objects, artists, concepts, and places important to various disciplines that specialize in art, architecture, and material culture. The AAT contains generic terms; it contains no iconographic subjects and no proper names. That is, each concept is a case of many (a generic thing), not a case of one (a specific thing). For example, the generic term cathedral is in the AAT, but the specific proper name Chartres Cathedral is out of scope for the AAT (it would be included in CONA instead)."

Search field - scope note, other terms, hierarchical position, references


CAMEO is a searchable information resource developed by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The MATERIALS database contains chemical, physical, visual, and analytical information on historic and contemporary materials used in the production and conservation of artistic, architectural, archaeological, and anthropological materials.

Use Search Field. Entries arranged alphabetically.

In addition to materials database: "Also includes FRIL (Fiber Reference Image Library) is a database of images of textile fibers acquired through the use of multiple microscopic techniques (brightfield, darkfield, polarized light, and differential interference contrast) to provide complementary information contributing to identification and characterization." Also DYE ANALYSIS section of CAMEO. "This new resource is seminal to the scientific art analysis world because it provides critical analytical parameters for the analysis of synthetic and natural dyes using state-of-the-art liquid chromatographic and mass spectrometric equipment. The site is organized into categories of Natural and Synthetic Dyes with sub-categories of dyes found on cultural artifacts."


English definitions with translations into Bulgarian, Croatian, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish and Turkish. "The EwaGlos project, and this publication which arises as a result of it, represents an important step to create a much neededtool to facilitate communication across cultures and languages through the medium of word and image."

"450 pages with an English introduction, the illustrated glossary, a materials appendix (practically without figures), and eleven indices (one for each language), as well as a bibliography." The work is divided into: (a) Art and Craft Techniques: Construction, Surface Design, Construction aids (b) Condition: Deterioration Sources, Deterioration Phenomena (C) Interventions: Documentation and Investigation, Preventive Conservation, Conservation, Restoration (d) Materials Appendix.


Website: "Terminology used for recording the techniques, recovery methods and materials associated with archaeological sciences. Maintained by Historic England on behalf of the FISH Terminology Working Group."


A development of the ALGAO events wordlist. The thesaurus is an indexing tool to be used for recording archaeological and architectural investigative, data collection exercises; from intrusive interventions into the resource to non damaging survey events.

Website: "Terminology used for recording archaeological and architectural investigative, data collection exercises; from intrusive interventions to non damaging surveys."

Divided into intrusive and non-intrusive events; Intrusive events divided into 3 concepts (Environmenal, Archaeological, Non-archaeological) and Non-intrusive events (observation, assessment & analysis, survey, remote sensing).


XARRIÉ, M. (2005). Glossary of conservation. Barcelona, Balaam.

3 volumes to this. Glossary of Conservation (2005); Glossary of Art Conservation II (2006); Glossary of Art Conservation III (2006). [For this exercise, only vol II was examined but this volume has index for both vol. I and II, so information drawn from this with regard to content, no. of entries etc.]

Entries arranged alphabetically; Source for scope note given - can be multiple scope notes per entry depending on number of sources used. In examples checked, the source note is a quotation from the source. Source notes, then, may not be original. Bibliography & Index included at end. Vol. II includes bibliography for Vol. I and II combined


"Graphics Atlas is a sophisticated resource that presents a unique, object-based approach for the identification and characterization of prints and photographs. Includes visual guides for colour, deterioration, etc." This includes a controlled vocabulary.

Divided into four processes - pre-photographic, photomechanical, photographic, digital. Each then subdivided. Very detailed scope notes and images.


Definition of terms from various sources: Mosaics - Illustrated Glossary - Technician Training for the Maintenance of In Situ Mosaics. 2014, by Getty Conservation Institute and Institut National du Patrimoine (Tunis); ICOMOS-ISCS: Illustrated glossary on stone deterioration patterns; EwaGlos – European Illustrated Glossary of Conservation Terms for Wall Paintings and Architectural Surfaces; Petra (Jordan) Archaeological Park Weathering and Deterioration Definitions in English and Arabic
Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2015, Germany. Translations into Bulgarian, Croatian, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Spanish and Turkish.

One page, list of terms arranged alphabetically. Brief scope notes


DOHERTY, T., & WOOLLETT, A. T. (2009). Looking at paintings: a guide to technical terms. Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum.

Presents concise and readable glossary of the technical terms most often countered by museum-goers. This new edition pays special attention to the processes and methods of paintings conservation; it also offers definitions and examples of materials and techniques--such as color field and collage--that did not appear in the earlier volume. With illustrations, all in color, that have been specially chosen from the masterpieces in the J. Paul Getty Museum and other collections, this book will be invaluable to all those wishing to increase their understanding and enjoyment of the art of painting.

Foreword: " This guide is intended as a guide for the museum visitor who wishes to know more about the materials and techniques of the paintings, as well as the rerminology used to describe their visual effects".

Alphabetical entries. No references in scope notes. Index of entries at end.

Paintings. Preface to the revised edition: " This new edition reflects the impact of trends in the field of art history and in painitng conservation in recent years. Terms from the practice of conservation have come to infomr the discussion and interpretation of paintings in exhibitions and in didactic materials within museums today. A substantial number of terms related to condition and process, both historical and scientific, have been added to the original text."