297
lacunas, making them equal in terminations with refined lime and
sand mortars low-located from the murals preserved. All this has
been necessary to maintain and protect these murals, being the key-
stone of the intervention.
The interventions undertaken in the murals at the
Ba
ñ
os
do not in-
clude reintegration of pictorial losses. However, except for the barrel
vault whose scratches and incisions needed to be concealed urgently,
as a consequence of unorthodox previous interventions using scrap-
ers. At the end of these conservational actions, this painting had still
a confusing appearance. That is why a second action was undertaken
for renovation purposes, to re-establish —as far as possible, accord-
ing to codes of ethics— the formal and aesthetic aspect of the com-
position, with the intention of improving the interpretation and the
reading of the pictorial composition, within the limits of the discern-
ible fragments preserved. The restoration has dealt with the exclusive
recovery of incomplete draws and background colours of elements
chromatically blurred, according to a criterion which does not prevail
over the surface preserved but contributing to lighten figures and ele-
ments represented, to provide an easier reading and interpretation.
RESTORATIVE TREATMENT
The approach about the intervention has been carried out treating
in situ
different main elements, among which we find the support,
the different stratums of mortar and a pictorial layers.
Supportive treatment
the main interventions about the face of the masonry are the fol-
lowing:
Deep cleaning
, consisting of the elimination of dust and dirt, bio-
crusts, roots and plants, detrimental mortar, or in bad conditions, as
a result of cracks.
Biocide treatment
first brushing to the whole surface, and later in
general by permeation, and occasionally, by injection in cracks and
holes, in order to eliminate the residues of the cryptogamous micro-
flora and to protect the surface of new colonisations (depending on
the conditions it is exposed)
Treatment of consolidation, filling and sealing cracks and holes
with the help of lime mortars.
Consolidation by permeation of the masonry
, in places presenting
surface disintegration. If the bad conditions of any brick showed it, it
has been replaced by another similar to it, well brushed, cleaned and
treated with biocide previously.
Joint of masonry
, where needed, with suitable lime and sand mor-
tars. The cladding of the areas attached to the masonry surface, have
been previously protected gauze, and whose the edges have been
tied up with lime mortars in case of need.
Reconstruction of gaps
, with lime and sand mortars.
Treatment of the pictorial claddings
in situ
in these vaults and wall coverings the next interventions have been
common:
Previous protection, by covering with gauze
, of the colourless ar-
eas and mural paintings in order to avoid damages.
First stage of elimination of previous addedmaterials,
if they have
been affected negatively in a material, chemical or aesthetic level.
Previous gauze covering the adjoining surfaces.
Surface cleaning,
and to the extent possible, between the stratums,
eliminating roots, bio-crusts, and those substances which were
stuck on but not embedded.
Fastness of the dusty polychrome
by pulverization
Second stage of elimination of the materials previously added
,
when those have been affected negatively in a material, chemical or
aesthetic level. The first step has been to delimit polychrome areas
and stuccos or original mortars that needed to be preserved, after an
initial visual and photographic examination. Due to the poor state
of paintings and the amount of added materials, it has been needed
to execute series of samples, and a first mechanical and chemical
cleaning with surgical tools and/or specific
pappetas
for assess the
significance of painting and originals claddings. This first cleaning
has involved previous polychrome attachment operations in order
to ease the consecutive operations.
Biocide treatment
of the mortars.
Attachment of the lost fragments
, with nitrocellulose adhesive.
Removal of
edges
from surfaces belonging to preserved areas, with
lime and sand mortars.
Injection consolidation,
detected previously by touching and sign-
posting the cavities in the proper dose with selected lime mortars.
Consolidation by lime solution
mainly in the areas with processes
of de-consolidating by intern disintegration by injection and by im-
pregnation.
Deep cleaning of claddings
, mainly by mechanic and chemical
procedure, with surgical tools and with drills, and with the help of
chemicals solutions previously tested in the construction.
Deep cleaning of the pictorial layers. Exhaustive cleaning of the
pictorial surface
, The treatments of polychrome have been out-
lined from a conservational level, based on actions to reduce the
effect of the current pathologies, by means of fastening of coats,
its settlement, deep cleaning and accurate consolidation, removing
those detrimental materials to the extent possible for its preser-
vation (carbonate and other saline rests of different characterisa-
tion, non-original and damaged materials integrated in patching
interventions (whitewashing, different mortars, tempera,
jabelga
.).
The same methods that all together make difficult the vision and
the localisation of the preserved polychrome. By the same token,
the elimination of the biological rests which covered the surface
and the inside of the mortars by the use of specific biocide treat-
ments. Polychrome has been cleaned mainly by handmade and
mechanic procedure, with the help of surgical tools and drills. In
these vaults has also needed the use, though exceptional, the use
of specific plaster in order to dissolve the insoluble crust (
pappeta
AB57
), and chemicals solutions with organic solvent for removing
films of grease.
