SECOND CALL : Protection of the Heritage in France > From: Michel Van Praet, Chair ICOM-France > > To : - Chairpersons of ICOM national and international Committees > - ICOM's members > - ICOM-L subscribers > > > Dear Colleague, > > The Checking Commission of loans of works of Art from collections of the > French > State, was set up in 1997 is in charge of general inventory in France and > abroad. > > The Commission assignements are : > - to ensure that the correct procedures are used for this inventory, to > organize it, to set up a working methodology, to create new tools if > necessary and to initiate studies, > - to ensure the actual presence of loans entrusted to the holders, their > condition, to have them photographed, and to establish reports on them, > - to account for them accuratly, > - to decide what has happened to any missing works and to prepare reports > for the Law Courts, > - to make propositions to the holders of works of art and to the minister > of culture, > - and to give a final report to the State audit office stating the results > of the Commission's findings, the situation of the works and all it's the > Commission's observations and propostions. > > Therefore, one of the working groups, the Label Sub-Commission was created > to improve all the products and systems to mark the different supports of > works of art, even traditional or contemporary, These began a few months > ago, and Mr Jean-René Gaborit, General curator of the Sculptures > Department > of the Louvre museum, was nominated as Chair. Most of the meetings were > held with two laboratories, one of the French museums (C2RMF) and the > other, the National Laboratory of Tests (LNE). > > Few thousands of objects (art collections of the French State) are > traditionally exhibited in public buildings, offices of Ministries or > City > Mayors ... Some of the heads of these administrations are not really proud > about their responsabilities and an 'educationnal' action is engaged by > the > Ministry of Culture to push them to be more aware of their duties. > In the same time a task force is in charge to performe the inventory of > these objects. In this goal a survey is engaged to select the better > marcking processes. ICOM-France is engaged in this action and I ask you to > kindly answer to the questionnaire below and to send your contibution to : > > Commission de Récolement des dépôts d'oeuvres d'art > to Mrs Genevieve Ravaux, chargée de mission, > 1 rue Berbier du Mets, 75013 Paris > (T) (33) (0) 1 44 08 52 96/97 > (F) (33) (0) 1 44 08 52 98 > e-mail : [log in to unmask] > > > This bibliographic study is urgent and has to be completed in January > 2002. After publishing this study, two years of tests will be necessary to > report the conclusions to the ICOM members involved in the research. > > > At the end, all the research and tests form of the supports/products > couples will be printed in a report and the best labels to be used will be > identified. > > The future prospects of this Checking Commission of the loans of works of > art is to ask the French Committee and the foreign members of ICOM for > help > as partners to participate at this research. Next year, the Commission > will > publish a general and bibliographic report about the experiences of > products, labels and tests in France and abroad. > We thank you very much for your help. > > Sincerely > > Michel Van Praët > Chairperson ICOM-France > > Jean-Pierre Bady > President of the Checking Commission of Loans of Works of Art > > **************************** > QUESTIONNAIRE > > I - What are the " new " marking processes most commonly used in your > museums: > I-A bar-code labels, > I-B tags, > I-C chemical and biochemical tracers (fluorescents, DNA synthesis), > I-D laser graven, > I-E other processes ? > > > II - The marking processes currently used in your museums are : > II-A attached to the work of art (thus somehow spoiling its integrity); > II-B separated from the work of art (not to spoil its > integrity). > > III - How did you chose the process(es) used? > III-A in compliance with the recommendation of a national or > federal authority (if so, which authority)?; > III-B by working together with heritage institutions (if so, which > instutions)? > III-C a specialized firm recommended it (which firm)? > III-D the supplier of a product recommended it (which supplier)? > III-E thanks to a bibliographic study made on this subject by a > laboratory; > III-F other processes? > > IV - How were these processes approuved? > IV-A According to a test protocol defined in association with a testing > laboratory? > IV-B What types of tests did the processes underwent to measure their > strength to environmental stresses to which works of art are submitted: > - chemical characterisation of marking products, of medium products > - used when they are applied (binder, glue, varnish, adhesiveS); > - strength tests to mechanical withdrawal, to changes in the climatic > - conditions, to chemical agents? > > V - Is the selected marking: > V-A to be directly read? > V-B to be read with a special device? > > VI - On which criteria was the test protocol established? > - durability, > - readability; > - reversibility, > - irreversibility, > - safety, > - withdrawal, > - others (which criteria) > > According to you, what is the mean criteria ? > > VII - Did you use ageing test of 10 years, 50 years, more, how many years? > > VIII - Is there any comparable study on traditional marking means (paint, > India ink, labelsS) > > IX - Among marking processes you applied, did you have : > IX-A difficulties in carrying out the process > IX-B specific problems not referenced in specialized paper or in brochures > of suppiers? > Please mention them. > > Please send back this questionnaire to: > > Commission de Récolement des dépôts d'oeuvres d'art > to Mrs Genevieve Ravaux, chargée de mission, > 1 rue Berbier du Mets, 75013 Paris > (T) (33) (0) 1 44 08 52 96/97 > (F) (33) (0) 1 44 08 52 98 > e-mail : [log in to unmask] > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the archives at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html