NEW APPLICATIONS IN THE USE OF CELLULOSE PULP FOR THE INTEGRATION OF WOODEN SUPPORTS

Cellulose pulp, mainly utilized as a support for cleaning stone material, in this study, is proposed as a ller for wooden supports. In the last 10 years, pulp has been used in many restoration works carried out in the laboratory of the Diocesan Museum (MDP) in Palermo, including both wooden sculptures and panel paintings. These artworks, exhibited in the MDP, are constantly monitored in order to evaluate the effectiveness of cellulose pulp as a ller, assessing its durability and bio-receptivity. In particular, struc- tural characteristics, drying time, shrinkage, loss in weight, af nity to the pigments, etc., were simultaneously evaluated. Tests were also carried out on arti cially aged cellulose pulp samples, in order to appraise if cellulose could be a source of nourish- ment for microbial growth.