The remedial conservation of an eighteenth-century painting on canvas. Sustainable surface cleaning systems for use on unvarnished oil paints.

The first impression of the painting when it was first assigned in March 2021, was its deteriorated physical state and the overwhelming amount of dirt on the painted surface. The latter damage particularly opened an opportunity to address the topic of sustainability, which is gaining an increasing amount of attention in the conservation profession, and in the world in general. The European Council for Conservation stated in their Code of Ethics and Professional guideline (2003): that the selection of conservation materials, and also the procedures, should not harm the cultural heritage, the environment, nor the people. In conservation practice, it is an integral routine to discuss the materials and methods in favor of the artwork. In this thesis, conservation materials are also discussed in relation to environmental sustainability, as well as adapting sustainable optimalization of the working system. Evaluation of conservation materials concerning their potential to be sustainable was conducted by gathering information about their chemical composition, waste and disposal, and ability to be reduce, reuse, and recycle in reading safety and technical data sheets and performing the three R`s in practice. Visual and technical examinations of the painting provided a comprehensive understanding upon its original constituents and state of condition, which influenced and shape the conservation treatment of the painting. The most important findings in this thesis were the extraordinary results of adapting sustainable cleaning strategies for the painting. The cleaning evaluation of the sustainable cleaning methods provides a systematic and reproduceable approach that can be adapted by both professionals to-be as well as already established professional in the field