A Proposal to Reduce the Exposure to Light of Museum Objects Without Reducing Illuminance or the Levelofvisual Satisfaction of Museum Visitors

Christopher ‘Kit’ Cuttle

22 citations0/0 files storedJournal of the American Institute for Conservation

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Conservation Techniques and Studies Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis Color Science and Applications

Abstract

Many types of museum exhibits are susceptible to damage caused by exposure to light, and current recommendations for museum lighting include avoidance of nonvisible radiant power (UV and IR), limitation of illumination level, and restriction of exposure duration. However, these recommendations do not distinguish between the potential of incident radiant power in the visible spectrum to stimulate the sense of brightness (illuminance) and its potential to cause damage (irradiance).This article investigates the notion that the visual satisfaction provided by incandescent sources could be matched with significantly less irradiance by illumination composed of three spectral bands corresponding to red, green, and blue light. Pairs of identical artworks were displayed in two adjacent simulated art galleries, and 16 subjects adjusted the illumination in the test gallery to match the appearance of the similar display in the comparison gallery. The light source in the comparison gallery was an MR tungsten halogen display spotlight of either low (2850 K) or intermediate (4200 K) color temperature. The light source in the test gallery was either an identical MR spotlight, or it was an experimental three-band source of far lesser irradiance for which the color temperature had been matched to that in the comparison gallery.It was found that, when instructed to adjust for equality of appearance, the subjects set for equality of illuminance. For this condition, the irradiance of the artworks was significantly less for the three-band source than for either of the MR lamps. Also, at equal illuminance and color temperatures, subjects' responses indicated that they were conscious of differences in appearance between the three-band source and the MR lamps, but the difference seemed slight and they did not necessarily discriminate against the three-band source. It is concluded that a practical light source for museums could be developed that would have the potential to equal the visual satisfaction provided by incandescent lamps at a given illuminance, while exposing exhibits to significantly less irradiance, thus reducing their rate of degradation while on display.

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1978The museum environment 1996Damage to museum objects due to light exposure

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2018Spectral Optimization to Minimize Light Absorbed by Artwork 2007Examination, conservation and restoration of painted art 2020Lighting and visual experience of artworks: Results of a study campaign at the National Museum of San Matteo in Pisa, Italy 2011The development of a significance-based lighting framework at the National Museum of Australia 2014Artwork visualization using a solid-state lighting engine with controlled photochemical safety 2020Identification of effective criteria to improve lighting quality in existing art museums 2020Sustainable Illumination for Baroque Paintings with Historical Context Considerations 2006An experimental illuminator for museum conservation lighting

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