Art Conservation in the Philippines Beginnings and Development of Scientific Cultural Heritage Preservation Maria Bernardita Maronilla-Reyes Chemist Conservator/ Associate Professor, Graduate School, Cultural Heritage Studies, University of Santo Tomas Manila, maita.reyes@gmail.com Introduction “The preservation of the past is the task of the present. It is in our knowledge of what has gone before that we are guided in what to do today and in what to hope for in the future.” Pondering on these words by the late Jaime Cardinal Sin (1928 - 2005) in one of his conversations with this writer when she was the Conservator at Museum and Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila (RCAM), evokes a feeling of joy to reflect in the past. It also brings to mind a sense of duty for the present, to share an interesting past of which she was part of, and for which she continues to be part of an endeavor, the scientific field of heritage preservation. It all started in December 1979 when this writer chanced by the National Historical Institute (NHI), then under the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), for a possible job which needed the services of a chemist. Intrigued by the thought of having to work at NHI and having just passed the Board Exam for Chemists, this writer did not hesitate to accept the job. She was tasked to assist Renato Perdon in setting up the NHI Conservation Laboratory. The Lab was to undertake treatment of deteriorating objects displayed at the history museum of NHI. Being a pioneering field, she was encouraged to attend specialization courses abroad since they were not offered locally. This was made possible through study grants obtained from the Italian Embassy, the German Goethe Institute and the Japanese Cultural Office. Everything went fast and it’s been more than thirty years that this writer has been in active practice in the field. More than the knowledge earned and the experience gained, she is grateful for the privilege of having direct encounters with some of the more prominent figures in the field of heritage preservation during her studies abroad. These were the late Dr. Giorgio Toracca (1927-2010), pioneer of conservation science and Deputy Director of the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property in Rome (ICCROM) and the late Umberto Baldini (1921 -2006), Director of Istituto Centrale per il Restauro in Rome during the restoration of the Sistine chapel ceiling paintings, and was Head of the restoration team tasked to manage the 1966 great flood of Florence. Other professors who also had great influence on this writer as to methods of approach to conservation include Cathy Baker, Robert Child, Lorenzo Lazzarini, the late Sergio Vannucci and John Ashursts, to name a few. Access to their brilliant minds paved the way to the best foundation this scientific endeavor could offer, that is, for any aspiring conservator for that matter. The succeeding texts will provide readers how conservation evolved as a scientific endeavor internationally followed by how it started and advanced in the Philippines. Background: A History of Conservation in the International Setting The history of art conservation can be traced back to 1565 in Italy, when the Sistine Chapel frescoes were restored for the first time after 53 years since it was created (Marco, 2012). Since then, attempts to develop different techniques of painting restoration were initiated in the succeeding years. Example of a technique was the transfer of a Titian painting to another support by Domenico Michelini (Forni, 1866). Another technique was developed in 1794 when Charles Willson Peale introduced wax-lining, a technique similar to what was applied on Rembrandt’s Night Watch in 1853 (Brown, 2009). From 1735 to 1820, restoration of paintings in Spain became widespread following the fire of 1734 when around five hundred paintings from the royal collections were damaged. This evoked awareness on the importance of the principles of conservation which took off in 1785 (Bomford & Leonard, 2004). Relevant information about object conservation were being printed out and becoming available to public. Among those publications belong to Pietro Edwards that involved basic concepts on preventive conservation, respect for the artist’s original intent, and reversibility. He was then the director of the Restoration of Public Pictures of Venice and the Rialto. In the 19th century, there was a growing awareness of the importance of science in preserving different artworks in Europe. Earliest record of scientific approach in conservation began in 1809 when Count Chaptal of Napoleon’s court analyzed pigments in Pompeii (Scott, 2002). Subsequently while traveling in Europe in 1815, Sir Humphry Davy studied pigments with the help of a small portable chemical laboratory whereas his associate Michael Faraday analyzed the effects of varnishes, cleaning methods and the impact of London fog, coal smoke, and gas lighting on the discoloration of artworks (Russell, 2000). In 1877, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings was founded by William Morris and Philip Webb in United Kingdom. It is the first recorded organization that made theoretical preservation guidelines for cultural heritage. Similarly, French architect and theorist Eugène Viollet-le-Duc established a movement for restoration of medieval buildings while German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered x-rays in 1895 and used it in analyzing a painting the next year. He called them “X rays” because their nature was at first unknown. According to Dr. Harold Plenderleith, development of conservation as a distinct field of study started in Germany in 1888 when Dr. Friedrich Rathgen became the first chemist to be employed by a museum. Being the first museum laboratory personnel of the Royal Museums of Berlin, he put together “recipes” for the treatment of ailing antiquities. The manual containing these recipes, “Die Konservierung von Altetumsfunden”, was initially published in 1898 and translated in English in 1905 by the Auden Brothers of Cambridge (Auden & Auden, 1905). Subsequently, advancement of the conservation theories and practices started in Britain when British Museum inaugurated the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1924. It was created by the museum to treat the damages obtained by their collection while stored in the London Underground tunnels during the First World War. In 1956, Dr. Plenderleith, who also worked there together with Dr. Alexander, wrote a significant handbook called The Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art. It set a new paradigm for the development of art and cultural conservation. Later in 1930, the first International Conference for the Study of Scientific Methods for the Examination and Preservation of Works of Art was held in Rome (Bomford & Leonard, 2004). Development of art restoration in America started in the 1920s when George T. Oliver invented the vacuum hot table for relining paintings. The innovation was patented in 1937. Oliver Brothers, established 1850 in New York City, is believed to be the first and the oldest continuously operating art restoration company in the United States. Fogg Museum of the Harvard University followed later by putting up, this time, the first conservation laboratory in 1925. When F.I.G. Rawlins was appointed as Scientific Adviser to the National Gallery in 1934, he drew attention to the use of soft x-rays in studying the structure of paintings and the right atmospheric and lighting environment for paintings. Globally, natural catastrophes like the Florence Flood in November 1966 have brought international awareness to issues of art conservation to a greater extent. It gave birth to numerous organizations that have pluralistic approach in preserving diverse cultures such as the following: UNESCO constitution was signed on November 16, 1945 and ratified on November 4, 1946 by twenty (20) countries. Thereafter many important conservation organizations were born, viz.: a) International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 1947, the beginning of the ICOM-Committee for Conservation began in 1967 and its first triennial meeting was held in 1969; b) Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC) in 1948; c) ICCROM in 1959; e) International Committee on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 1965; d) American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) in 1972; f) Australian Institute for Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM) in 1973; and g) the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) in 1985 (International Heritage Organizations, n. d.). To date, most of these organizations are active in giving training programs and covering topics on ethics, standards of practice, policies, documentation, preventive conservation, etc. Newsletters and technical journals featuring articles on different materials, their composition, conservation and findings of research studies are consistently being published, most of which are made accessible online. Scientific Conservation in the Philippines The beginnings of heritage preservation in the Philippines can be traced to the post world war II era when efforts to restore Manila went underway because the Walled City of Intramuros was heavily damaged by the bombings. In 1961, the National Historical Commission, later renamed National Historical Institute (NHI) and now known as National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) was established to undertake the restoration and preservation of Fort Santiago. 1970s The first known Conservation Laboratory in the Philippines was created in 1969 at the National Archives of the Philippines (NAP). This is according to Dr. Teresita Ignacio, former Chief Archivist of NAP based from an interview in 2012. The laboratory was under the Bureau of Records Management (BRM) which was founded in 1901. BRM was later renamed Records Management and Archives Office (RMAO) before eventually becoming NAP (Archiviana, 1972). The laboratory was located in one of the rooms of the east wing section of the National Library building which this writer had the chance to visit. Also in the earlier part of this decade, restoration of paintings started in a small room in Malacañang Museum. This was undertaken by then museum curator, the late Tomas Bernardo, artist and restorer. He obtained his training on painting restoration from the Instituto Centrale per il Restauro, Rome sometime in the late 60s. This writer became one of his interns in the early 80s. Among his peers in this undertaking were Antonio Dumlao, Leonardo Hidalgo, Leon Pacunayen, Florendo Concepcion, and Cenon Rivera. Another person who started restoration in the 70s was the late Susano “Jun” Gonzales. He later joined the National Museum to be part of the team in charge of authentication of artworks. His contemporary, the late Eleuterio “Teyet” Pascual, a doctor of chemistry, was a patron for conservation studies at that time. This decade was witness to the establishment of the two (2) conservation laboratories. The first was the NAP’s Paper Conservation Laboratory headed by Angelito David. The second was the National Museum’s (NM) Chemistry and Conservation Laboratory, then headed by Engineer Orlando Abinion. The NM Lab was a unit of the Anthropology Division under the supervision of Dr. Jesus T. Peralta, then Anthropologist and Assistant Director of the National Museum. The Conservation Laboratory was initiated by Dr. Jaime C. Laya while Dr. Peralta was tasked to look for additional funds and grants for the pilot project. In the beginning, the Lab catered only to ethnographic materials such as basketry, mats, and other collections from branch museums. Later it extended its treatment to underwater archaeological objects. Engineer Abinion was assisted in the lab by Susan Naranjo who later started a journal on conservation but publication was stopped after a few years when Naranjo left the museum. Other NM personnel who also initiated conservation in the 80s are Mauro Alvarez and Robert Balarbar. They are still connected with the National Museum as of this writing. 1980s The third Conservation Laboratory in the country was established in the early 80s in NHI through the efforts of Renato Perdon, Head of the Monuments and Heraldry Division. It was intended to cater to both movable and immovable objects. Incidentally, it was Perdon who played a major role in the development of standards and policies for historic preservation in the Philippines. He was also active in working for the creation of the Philippine Commission for Culture and the Arts (PCCA) now known as the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Perdon invited this writer to join the NHI and help set up the Lab. Trainings on conservation in Italy and Japan were attended by this writer to attain the goal of Perdon. Among the responsibilities given her as Head of the Conservation Section were equipping the lab and developing personnel to specialize in the different fields of conservation such as ceramics, metals, wooden artifacts, textiles, papers, photographs, paintings. Other NHI personnel who trained in conservation in this period were Jane Balbuena-Villegas, Janet Fernandez, Rafael Concepcion, Yvette More and Nimfa Rubias. All have pursued other professions, except for Rafael “Jun” Concepcion who remain active in the profession to this date as a painting conservator and professor in a local university. With the growing awareness for cultural preservation, local seminars and workshops by international experts became a trend. In 1983, Dr. Helmut Bansa, paper expert from Germany, conducted a seminar workshop on paper conservation. It was held at the National Library of the Philippines, in collaboration with the NHI through the sponsorship of the German government. The NHI, through this writer, also engaged in efforts to upgrade its conservation center by approaching cultural offices for possible assistance. As a result, the NHI Lab received a 3.5 million-peso grant from the Japanese government in 1985 apparently to become the most equipped conservation laboratory in the country. Among the equipment received were scanning electron microscope (SEM), x-ray diffractometer (XRD), polarizing light microscope (PLM) and an autoclave, to name a few. Through this grant, the treatment of various materials from the different history museums of NHI went on full swing. Philippine flags, archival documents, memorabilia of heroes and past presidents, wood and leather furniture, ceramic plates, paintings, paper artworks, sculptures in marble and metal were among the items treated for conservation. Subsequently, NHI Lab extended its services and ventured in material analyses of historic buildings. Examples include coralline limestones of Miag-ao church, the adobe stones of Sta. Maria Church in Ilocos, and the paint layers of the walls of Basilica of San Sebastian, reportedly the only all-steel Catholic Church in the Far East. NHI Lab personnel worked closely with its resident architects. In this regard, among the NHI architects considered pioneers in historic building restoration were Eduardo Ongpin, Reynaldo Inovero and Irma Correces. With regard to international linkages, the NHI through Perdon granted permission to this writer to attend to the possibility of Philippine membership at ICCROM. It was concurrent to the time this writer underwent conservation studies in Italy. Eventually in 1981, a meeting was held in Rome between this writer and Giorgio Torraca at the ICCROM office in Via San Michele. The meeting led to Philippine membership at ICCROM and was formally signed in 1985 by then Philippine Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arturo Tolentino. The annual dues were shouldered by NHI in the first few years. With the demands of the need to professionalize the field of conservation following the membership at ICCROM, the Philippine Association for Scientific Conservation for Cultural Property, Inc. (PASCON) was organized in 1986. This writer became its Founding President with the NHI Lab personnel as founding members. It was approved and certified by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Membership was also opened to museum, library, and archives workers, as well as architects engaged in built heritage restoration. PASCON played an active role in conservation. It was authorized to conduct seminars and workshops all over the country. It was represented in committees under the NCCA sub-commission on cultural heritage such as museums, libraries and archives, not to mention, historic monuments and sites. Conservation shortly reached the consciousness of the Catholic institution. In 1988, the fourth conservation lab in the Philippines was established at the Museum and Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila (RCAM) in Intramuros, Manila. This Lab was also the second to be set-up through this writer. It was intended to cater to the conservation needs of Spanish archival manuscripts dating as early as 1573. It was considered a showcase among Paper Conservation Laboratories in Catholic dioceses worldwide according to Cardinal Francesco Marchisano, then Head of the Pontifical Commission for the Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of the Church when he visited the Lab sometime in the 90s. Since then, guests from different dioceses would come occasionally to this Lab upon his recommendation. In the years that followed, growing awareness of the need for scientific conservation increased. Cultural exchange programs pertaining to conservation between the Philippines and other countries were strongly felt, viz.: Thailand through the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization - Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts (SEAMEO-SPAFA); Italy through ICCROM; Germany through the Goethe Cultural Center, Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA); and Spain through the Agencia Española Cooperacion Internacional (AECI), and the like. Practicing conservators from other countries came to be invited to give seminars and workshops to different museums. Dr. Nicole Tse from the University of Melbourne became one of the in-house conservators of CCP under the exchange program between Australia and Philippines. Other conservators from Singapore and Austria were commissioned to undertake painting conservation works upon the invitation of Mariles Ebro-Matias, then Director of the Lopez Museum. 1990s In the early 90s, a meeting was held at NCCA between this writer who was then working with the Archdiocese of Manila Conservation Laboratory and representative of PASCON and Ms. Catron, AECI Cultural Officer. The former reported the state of conservation in the Philippines and the aspects in conservation which needed assistance for development. Aside from workshops on painting and paper conservation, need for training on classical bookbinding specifically for Spanish-period rare books, was also raised. A cultural grant from AECI was requested by the National Museum and the National Archives. Workshops and trainings on Painting Conservation were conducted for the former and modernization of the Paper Conservation Lab for the latter. It was attended by other local conservators to include Mauro Alvarez, representative of the National Museum, and Malu Dancel, representative of NHI. The said meeting was set upon the recommendation of Carmen Padilla, then NCCA Executive Director. Few years later, the National Archives also received a grant for their Paper Conservation Lab to include a leaf casting machine. Likewise, the National Museum was granted with major equipment, such as the scanning electron microscope, gas chromatogram and spectrophotometer. They were also provided with specialists from Spain for the conservation training workshops. Participants from all over the Philippines were invited. Those who attended eventually became the founding members of another conservation organization, the Art Conservation and Restoration Specialists, Inc. (ACES). Established in 2000, this was the second association of conservators and restorers after PASCON in 1986. . Five (5) other conservation laboratories were born as well, through the assistance of this writer, to include the following, viz.: the UST Archives Conservation Lab in 1993; the Museo Recoleto Conservation Lab in 1996; the UST Museum Conservation Lab in 1997; the San Agustin Museum Conservation Lab in 1998; and the Lopez Museum Conservation Center in 1999, later named the Roberto M. Lopez Conservation Center in 2004. This writer was a consultant for Museo Recoleto and San Agustin Museum pro bono for several years. 2000s In September 4, 2003, the Center for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Property and Environment in the Tropics (CCCPET) was organized. The idea was conceived in 1998 upon the suggestion of this writer to architect Clarissa Avendaño, then UST Museum Assistant Director. The CCCPET was actually an off-shoot of the Masteral Course in Cultural Heritage Studies (CHS) launched in 1999 at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila. This effort to promote conservation at the university was the idea by Father Isidro Abaño, O.P., UST Museum Director. Said course was originally meant to be a course on Museum Studies. The scope was broadened to cover cultural heritage, upon the suggestion of Eric Zerrudo. The latter pushed for the inclusion of “environment” as part of the CCCPET thrust. Conservation education was made part of the UST Graduate School CHS curriculum under the subject taught by this writer, Introduction to Conservation and Restoration: Theories and Practice. Institutions such as the Far Eastern University (FEU) and Philippine Women’s University (PWU) introduced Art Restoration as a subject in their curriculum. The former was under the Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts in 2001, and the latter under Institute of Fine Arts and Design in 2003. At University of the Philippines in Diliman, Conservation was introduced as a subject in the Library Science curriculum with Yolanda Granda as one of the first professors to handle the subject. To date, efforts from local cultural organizations are being made to professionalize the field of conservation in the Philippines. In a recent development, a group of cultural workers from the private sector set up the Phil-Asia Heritage and Art Conservation Center Inc. (PHACCI) in October 2013. This writer is a co-founder of this Center. Among its thrusts is a section devoted to analysis and research in aid of art authentication and architectural restoration. The section on Art Conservation handles painting and object restoration while the section on Paper Conservation is dedicated to the treatment of books, documents and other library materials. The Heritage Library of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Manila The Antonio Vivencio del Rosario Heritage Library is a section of the Miguel de Benavidez Library of the university. It is one of the important depositories of historical books in the Philippines. It has a Conservation Lab to boast of which caters to the preservation needs of its priceless treasures. One of its significant collections is a book (which dates back to 1492) entitled La Guerra Judaica. Equally significant are the rare books with different stamps that can be traced historically from different sources such as Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Convent of Sto. Domingo of Manila, Society of Jesus, UST Central Seminary, Binondo, Convento del Parian, San Jacinto de China, and many others. The aforementioned interesting collections are what the conservation laboratory is aiming to preserve through the following: environmental monitoring and control, restoration treatment of the fragile books at the conservation laboratory and digitization. The lab is located within the Heritage Library and has a staff of 3 personnel, project-based workers and is equipped with leaf casting machine, suction table, spirabilia and original curateur polyester edge welder. Periodic in-house trainings and workshops are also held to develop the professional competence of its staff through: bookbinding, paper conservation and preservation, digitization, etc. Spanish and Filipino paper conservation experts that have visited and given lectures in the Heritage Library were Sras. Manuela Palafox, Ana Santos Aramburo, Maria Elvira Silleras, Maria Victoria Bescansa Miquel and this writer. To date, the library continues to upgrade its conservation program through the acquisition of the scientific equipment, personnel development programs and other projects such as digitization of rare antique bibles. The book project entitled Lumina Pandit II, has been made possible through a grant sponsored by Union Bank of the Philippines. The man behind the conservation efforts at the UST Heritage Library, Reverend Father Angel Aparicio, O.P., Prefect of Libraries of the University of Santo Tomas Manila, is indeed commendable for understanding the importance of preserving the past for the present and future generations to see, enjoy, learn from and appreciate. Sincere gratefulness is hereby expressed to him for including preservation topic in this book. It has become a welcome opportunity to finally put into writing a significant personal experience. It is hoped that through this humble contribution, the people who travail this path of preservation amidst all constraints of a hot humid environment where earthquakes and typhoons prevail, be continually inspired to pursue this advocacy while being guided by the unending light, the Lumina Pandit. References: Auden, G. & Auden, H. (1905). The Preservation of Antiquities: A handbook for curators. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from https://ia600309.us.archive.org/10/items/preservationofan00rathrich/preservationofan00rathrich.pdf Bomford, D. & Leonard, M. ( 2004). Issues in the Conservation of Paintings (pp. 14, 46 & 97). Getty Conservation Institute. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=ywaDvCzGxpsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false Brown, S. (2009, May 17). The natural aging process of a textile support. Susan Brown Conservation articles and papers. Retrieved from http://www.sbconservation.com/articles/lecture Forni, U. (1866). Manuale del pittore restauratore. p. 106. Retrieved April 3, 2013, from http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=8OcHAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=true Gewertz, K. (2002, April 14). Color, form, action and teaching. Harvard University Gazette. Retrieved from http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/04.04/16-fogg.html Marco, G. A. (2012). Preservation. The American Public Library Handbook (p. 347). Retrieved from https://www.google.com.ph/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=1565+Sistine+Chapel+frescoes+restoration Majuelo, E. S. (2006). Catalogue of Rare Books: University of Santo Tomas Library, vol. 2, ed. Aparicio, A., Manila, Philippines: UST Library Maronilla-Reyes, Maria Bernardita. Chemist Conservator for Stone, Paintings & Paper Objects and Stone Conservation Specialist Russell, C. A. (2000). Michael Faraday: Physics and Faith (p. 40-44). New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=04xk5M168nEC&pg=PA40&lpg=PA40&dq=michael+faraday+pigment&source=bl&ots=R-mFb_7mx2&sig=aBHKKtPW_IThOs0A12p-jriYzTg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vn5eUfW8CYyziQeO3ID4DA&ved=0CD4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=michael%20faraday%20pigment&f=false Scott, D. A. (2002). Copper and bronze in art: Corrosion, colorants, and conservation (p. 259). Los Angeles, California: Getty Publications. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=yQKuSOzkLvcC&pg=PA259&dq=pigment+analysis+in+1809&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MZBeUciEJ4ibiQedtYCgCA&sqi=2&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=pigment%20analysis%20in%201809&f=falsernia 2