glues, PVAemulsion glues, and epoxy do not adhere well when there are
even minimal traces of wax.
One of the main problems facing Italian conservators today is the
certainty that many of these objects are destined to return to environ-
ments with severe fluctuations in their ambient humidity and temperature.
Many Italian museums have little or no climate control, and it is not
unusual to see a great masterpiece—such as a polyptych by Giotto in the
Pinacoteca in Bologna—close to a wide-open window. Panel paintings
housed under such unsympathetic conditions will eventually blister,
deform, or split. To offset some of these effects, attempts have been made
to create microchambers that attach to and seal the backs of panel paint-
ings to reduce drastic exchanges of humidity (Del Zotto and Tonini
1993:684–85). Most Italian restorers are faced with the daunting task of
finding a solution to establishing an equilibrium among unsuitable envi-
ronments, minimal intervention, and the natural tendency of wood to
constantly react to changes in humidity and temperature.198 Rothe
Figure 21
Girolamo da Santacroce, The Resurrection,
ca. 1525. Oil on panel, 54.6 3 82.5 cm. Sarah
Campbell Blaffer Foundation, Houston, Texas.
This detail shows the severe formation of
cracks after the painting delaminated from
a support constructed with wax-resin and
balsa wood.
Figure 22
Girolamo da Santacroce, The Resurrection.
Sideview, detail. The edge shows the delami-
nation of the panel from the balsa and wax-
resin support.