Author: Gwen dePolo

I'm a Ph.D. graduate student at Northwestern University in the materials science and engineering department. I'm interested in studying the kinetics of the early stage curing behavior of oil paints and other soft materials found in the field of cultural heritage. My main project focuses on creating model systems to study metal soap formation in oil paints.
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Don’t lick your hands: Arsenic pigments used in 16-17th c. bookbinding

When working with historic texts, people are usually concerned about how they may harm the book, not how the book may harm them. Explore this post to learn about some 16-17th century books with potentially toxic components that were found in libraries at the Smithsonian Institute and the University of Southern Denmark. Continue reading Don’t lick your hands: Arsenic pigments used in 16-17th c. bookbinding

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Distinguishing the composition of medieval stained glass windows using x-rays

Non-invasive techniques are always at the forefront of a conservation scientist’s mind when working with historic artifacts. But how do we apply these techniques to stained glass windows? Check out this article about using MA-XRF as a first step for understanding the composition of medieval stained glass windows and how they were colored. Continue reading Distinguishing the composition of medieval stained glass windows using x-rays

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