Museum Display Research Articles

Revision ofNannopterygius(Ichthyosauria: Ophthalmosauridae): reappraisal of the ‘inaccessible’ holotype resolves a taxonomic tangle and reveals an obscure ophthalmosaurid lineage with a wide distribution

AbstractThe Late Jurassic ichthyosaur Nannopterygius is among the poorest known, with the only skeleton, NHMUK PV 46497, on display in the Natural History Museum, London and, therefore, difficult to access. This holotype specimen is here reassessed. The newly obtained data have enabled the identification of several additional specimens of Nannopterygius in museum collections across the UK. Furthermore, all the material of Russian ichthyosaurs previously referred to genera Paraophthalmosaurus and Yasykovia, and considered as junior synonyms of Ophthalmosaurus in the majority of subsequent works, are also reassessed. Both these genera are synonymized with Nannopterygius with preservation of the two from six originally erected species: Nannopterygius saveljeviensis comb. nov. and Nannopterygius yasykovi comb. nov. Additionally, a new species from the Berriasian of Arctic (Svalbard and Franz Josef Land) is proposed. To resolve the phylogenetic relations within Ophthalmosauria, a revised dataset, including 44 taxa and 134 characters, 20 of which are new, was compiled. The results of a phylogenetic analysis places Nannopterygius spp. as sister to Arthropterygius spp. within Ophthalmosaurinae. Thus, the lineage of Nannopterygius was among several ophthalmosaurine lineages that crossed the Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary and, similarly to Arthropterygius, survived the Jurassic–Cretaceous transition at high latitudes.

W oczekiwaniu na Niepodległą – działalność kolekcjonerska Heleny Dąbczańskiej

During the period following the Partitions of Poland, the partitioning powers took control of cultural institutions, using them to deprive Poles of their national identity. Therefore, an unofficial cultural life had to be organized by the Polish people themselves. The current paper presents the activities of Helena Dąbczańska (1863-1956), a well-known book collector from Lwów, who established a museum in her house. The museum held a large library, a collection of paintings, china, furniture and other works of art. Dąbczańska’s example shows how an energetic and committed individual could make an immense contribution to Polish culture during this period. The sources referred to in the article are H. Dąbczańska’s memoirs, the materials she bequeathed to the National Ossoliński Institute in Wrocław, the existing literature about the collector’s life and legacy, and the results of preliminary research conducted in several museums. During her lifetime, the collector transferred her collections to various museums. The largest portion of her legacy went to the National Museum in Kraków, the Industrial Museum in Kraków and the National Museum named after King John III in Lwów. Smaller bequests went to the Wielkopolska Museum in Poznań, the Podole Museum in Tarnopol and the Ethnographic Museum in Kraków. Today, artefacts from Dąbczańska’s collections are still on display in museums and libraries.
 
 

STUDI TATA PAJANG KERIS PADA MUSEUM PUSAKA, TAMAN MINI INDONESIA INDAH

The purpose of this research is to find a good and interesting collection system of the heirlooms at museum as to provide the visitors with an appeal and clarity information about collections in Museum as a public spaces. The background of this research is looking at the condition of Heritage Museum which looks like been abandoned and not neatly arranged, we concern about the suistainablity of collections’s display that are not maintained well. They need to be upgraded for a display system to be more interesting and easily seen. Especially the ancient museums of heirlooms which is keris that are not quite interesting for youngster nowaday due to the proliferation of contemporary museums. Therefor it is our duty to make the museum look more interesting to be visited and show much more information to the visitors. However, there are many aspects that need to be considered in designing good museum display, while many supporting factors such as the grouping of collections, the signage systems, as well as lighting are needed too. This study will examine how the object of research solves the issue above and researchers will provide appropriate and better display system as the solution, hoping that it will increase the interest and attention of visitors to know the museum colletion better. The method used in the research are documentation of the research object, combined with the study of literature. Hopefully this research will give contribution to the design of the museum's display system with ergonomical and clearly information about the collection, also gives happiness to the wider community. For the further development of museums, this research is aimed to contributes a good and friendly display technique and system in the future.

Microorganisms on Stage

The Winogradsky column is a nineteenth-century device for culturing microorganisms using samples of water, mud and other nutrients in transparent tube-shaped containers. In this device, metabolic processes and microbial functions are not reduced to mere illustration but are staged at the intersection of presence and representation. In this article, the Winogdrasky column is analysed as a cultural artifact that embodies recent changes of conceptualization of microorganisms in the life sciences and the humanities. As an instrument that models specific ecosystems, the Winogradsky column moves away from conceptualizations of microbial species as isolated and self-defined organisms in favour of a more ecological, interdependent, multi-species interpretation of life. This paper also traces the transition of the Winogradsky column from an experimental device of the natural sciences into a form of display in natural history museums and later appropriated as an artistic medium. With examples from displays at natural history museums as well as works of art and biology, the Winogradsky column embodies the shift in thought and discourses regarding microorganisms, their ubiquity and impact on the environment and on us, which corresponds to a larger epistemological transformation to re-frame microorganisms towards a post-anthropocentric turn.

Müzede Aydınlatmanın Kullanıcı ve Eserler Açısından Değerlendirilmesi

Müzeler, bir toplumun bilim, sanat, kültür ve tarih alanlarında değerli görülen eserlerinin sergilendiği, saklandığı ve korunduğu yapılardır. İlk müze 16. yüzyılda, ilk resmi müze ise 18. yüzyılda oluşturulmuştur. Bu dönemlerde kurulan müzelerde amaç, sadece nesnelerin bol güneş ışığı altında sergilenmesidir. 19. yüzyılda sergileme işlevine ek olarak insanların sosyalleştiği, eğitimsel ve kültürel etkinlikler ilave edilmiştir. Müzeler bulundukları şehirlerde birer röper noktası haline gelseler de, ana işlevleri olan sergileme devam ettirilmektedir. 20. yüzyıldan sonra ise artık koleksiyon nesnelerinin korunması gündeme gelmiştir ve doğal ışık kontrolüyle birlikte yapay ışık ve yansıtıcılar kullanılmaya başlanmıştır. Müzelerde sergilemeden sonra ikincil işlev, insanlığın kültürel ve tarihi değerleri olan nesnelerin toplanması ve korunmasıdır. Ancak sergileme esnasında fiziksel ve çevresel faktörler nedeniyle sergilenen nesneler zarar görmekte ve bozulmalara uğramaktadır. Sergilenen nesneler, tüm insanlığın ortak değeri ve kültür mirası haline dönüşmüştür. Bu nedenle büyük tahribatların geri dönüşü zor, hatta imkânsız olabilmektedir. Sergileme, birincil işlev olduğundan, sergilenen nesnelerin doğru algılanabilmesi çok önemlidir. Eserlerin algılanabilmesi fiziksel temas sağlanarak gerçekleştirilemediğinden görsel algılama ve aydınlatma önemlidir. Maksimum algı için doğru aydınlatma sisteminin, ışık miktarının ve ışığın renginin seçimine dikkat edilmelidir. Aydınlatma sistemi hem kullanıcı gereksinimlerinin karşılanması, hem de nesnelerin ışıktan kaynaklanacak tahribatlara uğramaması iki önemli faktördür. Kullanılan aydınlatma tasarımı ziyaretçiler için görsel konforu sağlamalı, nesnelerin doğru algılanmasını, tanımlanmasını ve tasarımın göze hoş gelmesini sağlayacak düzeyde olmalıdır. Ayrıca ışıklandırma ile mekânın davetkar olması ve ilgi çekmesi hedeflenmelidir. Sergi objelerinin vurgulu aydınlatıldığı özel durumlarda, kullanıcıların yön ve mesafe bulabilmesi sağlanmalı; olası çarpma, düşme gibi durumlarda hem ziyaretçinin hem de materyallerin zarar görmesi önlenmelidir. Koleksiyon nesnelerinin aydınlatılması, sergileme amacı ve nesnelerin içeriğindeki malzemelere göre farklılık göstermektedir. Bu nesneler uzun yıllardır ışık gibi çevresel etkilerle karşı karşıya kaldığından, zamanla hassasiyetleri artmaktadır. Işığın nesnelerde oluşturabileceği tahribatlar, nesnenin kimyasal özelliklerine göre farklılık göstermektedir. Genelde bu bozulmalar; renk değişimi/solması, yapının zayıflaması ve kırılganlaşması, ışık kaynağından yayılan ısıya bağlı yüzeyde genleşme ve çatlaklar olarak meydana gelmektedir. Bu çalışma kapsamında, kültürel mirasların korunup sergilendiği müzelerde, ışık faktörünün ve etkilerinin, aynı zamanda ışığın olumsuz etkilerine karşı alınabilecek tedbirlerin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır.

Spatial resolution as a trade-space for low-light imaging of sensitive cultural heritage documents

Abstract A 14th-century manuscript was imaged at high image quality with an HSI detector, using a low-illumination dose of 57 lx h, significantly less than one day’s worth of museum display (≈ 400 lx h). Initial work digitally downsampled spatial resolution from 333 pixels per inch (ppi) to 161 and 80 ppi, and increased the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by a factor of 2.00 and 2.79. Despite downsampling, pan-sharpened images were up to 1.5 times spatially sharper than the reference HSI image. Relatively high spectral accuracy was maintained, with spectral angle mapper (SAM) measurements of 0.0527–0.0963. The process was then repeated with physical adjustments to imaging height replacing the digital downsampling process, decreasing resolution from 403 ppi to 111 ppi, increasing SNR from 27.1 to 95.4, and sharpness by 60% using pan-sharpening, while maintaining SAM values of 0.110. An overall image quality metric is proposed, composed of fundamental spatial, spectral, and SNR metrics. This metric highlights efficient lighting and processing methods for increased image quality while limiting total illumination dose on the target, and can be tailored based on one’s imaging constraints.

Comparative and Experimental Studies for Evaluation of Paraloid B-72 in Traditional and Nano Forms for Joining of Pottery Samples

Many of the excavated pottery artifacts are suffering from different deterioration aspects. The pressure of burial environment is considered the most deteriorative agent for pottery in soil, which leads to damage of the artifact. Therefore, it is necessary to join these damaged parts to be suitable for museum display. The adhesive materials play a significant role in the joining processes of these artifacts. In this study, Paraloid B-72 in its traditional and nano form was prepared (50% in acetone) as adhesive for pottery artifacts. Twelve pottery tiles (14 ×4×1 cm) were prepared and then were adhered together with the adhesive in traditional and nano forms. The pottery samples were exposed to artificial aging as follows; accelerated heat-humid aging (temperature 100°C and 60% relative humidity) and light aging by U.V lamp for 100 hours. Visual assessment and several analytical techniques were used for the evaluation of the selected adhesive. The analytical techniques are transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), color change and tensile strength. The results obtained from transmission electron microscope showed that grain size of nano paraloid was ranging from 33 to 51 nm where the particle size of the traditional paraloid was in the range between 103 to 150 nm. Visual assessment proved that nano paraloid had some simple changes in appearance. Scanning electron microscope revealed that the nano paraloid was more resistance for aging than traditional form. Color change revealed that nano paraloid gave the lowest level of total color differences (ΔE) after light, heat-humid and light-heat aging with 2.31, 3.26 and 4.60 respectively. The tensile strength revealed that nano paraloid gave highest tensile strength (81.3 N/mm2). According to these results, we recommend the use of nano paraloid in joining of archaeological pottery artifacts.

La maqueta del siglo XVIII de la Plaza Fuerte de Cádiz. Su estancia en Madrid y regreso a Cádiz

espanolEl plano en relieve o maqueta de la ciudad de Cadiz se realizo, aproximadamente a escala 1/250, entre 1777 y 1779 bajo la direccion del teniente coronel de infanteria e ingeniero ordinario D. Alfonso Jimenez, por mandato de Carlos III. Inmediatamente despues de su construccion, tal como estaba previsto, fue enviada a la Corte, regresando a Cadiz mas de un siglo despues, permaneciendo actualmente expuesta en el Museo de las Cortes de Cadiz. Describiendose en este articulo, puntualmente, los traslados y avatares de esta valiosa obra desde su llegada a Madrid hasta su regreso y primeros anos en Cadiz. Ademas de una aproximacion a sus circunstancias de localizacion, restauracion y mantenimiento hasta nuestros dias. EnglishThe relief plan or model of the city of Cadiz was made in the city, at approximately 1/250 scale, between 1777 and 1779, under the direction of the lieutenant colonel of infantry and ordinary engineer D. Alfonso Jimenez, by order of Carlos III. Immediately after its construction, as planned, it was sent to the Court, returning to Cadiz more than a century later, currently remaining on display in Museum of the Cortes de Cadiz. Describing in this article, punctually, the transfer and vicissitudes of this valuable work from its arrival in Madrid until its return and fi rst years in Cadiz. In addition to an approach to its location, restoration and circumstances to this day

Optical and Acoustic Aura in the Medieval Image: The Golden Retable of the Pentecost at Stavelot

This study explores optical and sonic brightness–aura–in the medieval church interior by focusing on one object: the golden retable of the Pentecost at Stavelot (Belgium). Its metal surface changes and becomes radiant in candlelight, in contrast to its static and dormant presence in the steady electric light of the standard museum display. This phenomenon–ephemeral brightness–was purposefully activated in the medieval ritual in order to offer the faithful an optical experience of the divine. Phenomenal aura exemplifies how matter imbued by the Spirit becomes alive, purified and perfected. The subject matter of the retable, a scene of Pentecost, further inscribed this descent of Pneuma in the visible. Its in-dwelling causes a return (choros) to the image of God. Thus, the enlightened apostles begin to mirror the imago Christi. The retable further links optical luminosity with sonic aura by means of a chant inscribed on the panel. The way the bright tones of this melody are spatialized traces the same principles of choros and mirroring in the sonic. To uncover the cultural significance of optical and acoustic aura, this analysis relies on texts produced or used at Stavelot, the vitae of the patron saint Remaclus, a treatise on the Eucharist composed by Alger of Liège (c. 1060–c.1131), the letters of Wibald, Abbot of Stavelot, Malmedy, Montecassino, and Corvey (1130–1158), his personal sacramentary, and the liturgy and poetry written at the monastery of Cluny for the feast of Pentecost.

A Tale of Two Objects: Electro-Convulsive Therapy, History, and the Politics of Museum Display

A Tale of Two Objects: Electro-Convulsive Therapy, History, and the Politics of Museum Display

A Tale of Two Objects: Electro-Convulsive Therapy, History, and the Politics of Museum Display

This essay offers a biography of two Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT) machines: the Bini-Cerletti machine used for the very first shock treatments and now housed in the History of Medicine Museum, Rome; and a machine from Adelaide based upon H.M. Birch's original design and used to give the first shock treatments in Australia. In discussing these objects, I take a number of steps. Firstly, a short history of ECT introduces the major debates around the therapy and its history. Secondly, the machines are positioned within this history. Thirdly, the machines 'function within the galleries is discussed. Finally, I ask how these objects might be presented in a way that better reflects their history and the history of psychiatry more generally.

Re-Assembly of Archaeological Massive Limestones Using Epoxy Resin Modified with Nanomaterials—Part 2: Applied

This part of study represents the applied study; which is a continuation of the experimental study that was carried out in part 1 [1]. The experimental study in part 1 focused on evaluation of the effectiveness of Montmorillonite clay, calcium carbonate, and silicon dioxide nanoparticles for enhancing the performances of epoxy adhesives used in re-assembly of archaeological massive limestones. Based on the obtained results in part 1, the choice fell on epoxy-clay nanocomposites as the best re-assembly adhesive material reinforced with Stainless Steel to conduct the applied study project. The current applied study that represents a big project was carried out on 3 archaeological pharaonic massive limestones discovered separately in Ain Shams (Heliopolis) archaeological area in Egypt. The methodology included an accurate archaeological study, followed by analytical, and then the restoration and reassembly process. Firstly; in order to prove whether these artifacts are complementary to each other or not, then with a view to re-assembly and conserving these artifacts in the form of one stone block to be ready for museum display. Referred to the comprehensive archaeological and analytical study of the mentioned archeological stones, the results confirmed that, these stone pieces, in the original were one piece, therefore, it is possible to regrouping again to become one block complementary to each other, and this is what was done in this study.

Designing a Portable Museum Display of Native American Stone Projectile Points (Arrowheads) to Ensure Accessibility and Tactile Quality

Two archaeologists and one engineering professor designed a prototype of a traveling museum exhibit that is inclusive to both blind and sighted visitors. While three dimensional (3D) replicas provide tactile information to people who are blind or have low vision, they can also be appreciated by sighted people. This paper describes the process of creating 3D replicas of stone projectile points (spear tips and arrowheads) that are found in the collections of the Maryland Archaeological and Conservation Laboratory. We define the design considerations related to (1) scanning artifacts to acquire accurate data with which to produce high-quality replicas, and (2) ensuring that visitors can retrieve information about these artifacts, including electronic braille and audio-text descriptions accessed through quick response (QR) codes on a common web-enabled smartphone.

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of a Novel Display Case Design: Case Study of the Renovated Anne Frank House

ABSTRACT Many museums are housed in historic buildings, sometimes the building itself is part of the museum collection. Creating a stable environment by providing a nearly constant temperature and relative humidity at correct levels decreases the risk of object degradation. Maintaining this steady indoor environment, however, increases energy consumption and risks to the historic building. Museum display cases offer a solution to the mitigation of risks to which valuable objects may be subjected by providing an extra layer of protection to indoor climate fluctuations. The Anne Frank House is a historic house museum located in Amsterdam. The museum has undergone several renovations in the last years to deal with an increase in the number of visitors to over 1.2 million a year. The original diaries and other documents of Anne Frank are permanently on display in the Anne Frank House. With the recent refurbishment the possibility arose to design a new state-of-the-art display case. This study presents the results of the experimental research related to the design, performed in-situ. The temperature and relative humidity in the new exhibition space and inside the new display cases were monitored to gain insight into the hygrothermal behavior of these controlled environments. A complementary numerical study was performed to investigate effects of dynamic climate control of the exhibition gallery and climate conditions in the display case under various circumstances. Four main conclusions are presented in this paper. The investigated display case design is able to provide a stable relative humidity environment by means of silica gel, while using an active box-in-box climate control system to create stable temperature conditions. The inner case temperature depends on the temperature supplied by the display case air handling unit. Protocols must be in place in case of malfunction or failure of the climate control system of the display case. The air handling unit of the case needs to be shut off to create a passive environment for the objects on display until necessary actions are taken. Exhibition gallery set points can be less stringent when susceptible museum objects are on display in the display case. The environments are separated and provide an opportunity for energy saving set point strategies. The last conclusion drawn is that the numerical study provides valuable insight into imposing dynamic control of set points for temperature and relative humidity in the exhibition gallery and the effect on the display case environment.

The Layered Life of JE26204: the Construction and Reuse of the Coffins of Henuttawy

In the Twenty-first Dynasty, ancient Egypt was facing a number of economic, political, and religious challenges and transformations. To compensate for a lack of imported resources and subsidized incomes, the Egyptian people were robbing and reusing the tombs of their predecessors. Royal coffins and mummies were collected by priests and placed in tomb caches, supposedly for their protection. In this article, the authors show how a detailed material analysis of the coffins in these caches can help reveal the social history of Egypt at this time. The coffins of Queen Henuttawy prove to be a combination of Eighteenth and Twenty-First Dynasty construction and decoration, and may provide insight into the actions of Third Intermediate Period priests. Following these pieces through to their modern excavation and display in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, it is evident that these objects continue to impact lives, acquiring additional layers of history and social significance.

The Presence, Provenance and Presentness of a Non Artifact

This article is a biography of a green tile collected from a Canadian hospital. It explores various properties of the tile in order to draw out lessons for research and display in museums. There are immediate sensory qualities of the tile that have inspired an exhibit about the colour green in medicine; there are aspects of the tile's provenance that bring out multiple local and international narratives; there are stories of the tile's present context that provide a powerful reminder that museum artifacts are not just vehicles for exploring the past, but for understanding what remains in the present.

Blickar och betydelser

During the years 1795–1866 the Swedish national art collection, today’s Nationalmuseum, was on display at the Royal Palace in Stockholm at what was known as Kongl. Museum. This museum consisted of two sculpture galleries adjacent to the palace garden Logården and a paintings gallery and a few more rooms on the second floor. While the sculpture galleries are well known as well as reconstructed in situ, there has been much less research on the display of paintings at the museum. In the cross disciplinary research project »Virtual Museum at the Royal Palace» we are using a digital 3D model to reconstruct the display of paintings in the so-called smaller gallery of the palace, as it was displayed during the period. The reconstruction deals with two different hangings of the gallery, in 1795 and c. 1843, made by the curators Carl Fredric Fredenheim and Lars Jacob von Röök respectively. Our preliminary findings show that, contrary to earlier claims, the two hangings are rather different and constructed on quite different ideologies of museum display, something that is possible to see thanks to the method of using digital 3D-models as a basis for analysis.

A Novel Passive Method for Regulating Both Air Temperature and Relative Humidity of the Microenvironment in Museum Display Cases

Display cases are widely utilized in museums to build an appropriate microenvironment for artifacts. In this study, a novel passive method is utilized to regulate both the temperature and relative humidity simultaneously of the microenvironment in museum display cases by proposing the concept of composite temperature and humidity control materials (CTHCM), which can be fabricated by combining both phase change material (PCM) and silica gel. The PCM is helpful to reduce the range of air temperature changes caused by melting or solidification processes, while the silica gel is helpful to reduce the range of relative humidity changes caused by adsorption or desorption processes. In this study, a coupled heat and mass transfer model is established to analyze the temperature-regulating and humidity-regulating performance of CTHCM using the software COMSOL Multiphysics. The influences of thermodynamic parameters of materials on temperature-regulating and humidity-regulating performance are also analyzed numerically. Results show that CTHCM is able to regulate the air temperature and relative humidity of the microenvironment in museum display cases effectively. It performs well in temperature-regulating as the phase change latent heat increases, and performs well in humidity-regulating as the water vapor permeability or moisture diffusivity increases.

Analysis on Interactive Design of Contemporary Museum Display

Analysis on Interactive Design of Contemporary Museum Display

Understanding the genital diseases of Ancient Anatolia in the light of the inscribed male genital offerings presented to gods

In the ancient Greek and Roman world, many gods and goddesses were considered to possess healing powers, and there were their temples where they could heal those who prayed. For that reason, in the ancient times, people were going to healing temples of various gods and goddesses to recover from their illnesses or grievous injuries. Sick individuals at the temples were offering some written or unwritten votive reliefs indicating their illnesses, to the gods or goddesses to ask for healing or to express gratitude after finding a cure. Among these, votive stones containing written expressions and reliefs expressing the owner's health problem held an important position. In the research on this antiquity, four inscribed votives that had a male genital organ depicted on them and that were dedicated to Anatolian gods Theos Hypsistos and Sozon, and goddesses Phileis and Ollie, were found. In this article, we aimed to study the inscribed offerings that are still on display in museums and private collections discovered during the excavations in Anatolia hosting the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations simultaneously and their possible relations with the urogenital illnesses.