Museum Narodowe w Krakowie [Hrsg.]: Rozprawy Muzeum Narodowego w Krakowie (N.S. 8.2015)

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Janusz Czop, Joanna Sobczyk

the Lady underwent the process of acclimatization in the storage (photo 12) and after
that it was transferred to the exhibition room.
The analysis of the gathered data led to the following observations. Ali of the in-
stalled acceleration and tilt indicators were not activated. Shocks registered by the ex-
ternal sensor did not exceed 24 G, and the inner 7 G. Most of the strongest shocks
happened during loading and unloading of the case. Car transport was a source of
substantial number of shocks of little (in Germany) and middle (in Great Britain)
values. However, on the way from the airport to the National Gallery one exceptional
shock with a value 23.6 G took place. During air transport, no shocks (above the given
minimum threshold 2 G) were registered. We should remember that for transported
objects, the estimated limit of safe shock value is about 40 G. The microclimate inside
the cases with the painting remained stable all through the journey despite significant
fluctuations of RH and T parameters outside. Due to the selected means of transport
and the season, RH in the proximity of the cases changed within the rangę from 13.8%
to 67%, and T from 23.8°C to 14.1°C. This caused a slow change of the parameters
inside the case in the close proximity of the painting: RH from 51.3% to 54.1% and T
from 22.7°C to 21°C.
During the journey (especially the air stage), the atmospheric pressure was also
changing. In this case, from the starting value 1013 hPa during the flight (because
of the change of height) it dropped to 890 hPa, and after landing it remained around
992 hPa. This variability had relatively a smali value, close to the natural conditions of
exhibition of the Lady (as quoted earlier) and had no impact on the State of preserva-
tion of the painting.

The Lady after travels
On February 8 2012, the Lady with an Ermine returned to the National Museum in
Kraków (photo 13). On the following days, MNK specialists performed in their mu-
seum Laboratory of Analysis and Nondestructive Investigation of Heritage Objects
a comprehensive examination of the condition of the painting in order to document
its current State and to make a comparative assessment. A fuli description of the re-
search and its results are presented in an article published in the current issue of
the Papers of the National Museum in Kraków/7 After completing the work on March
22 2012, an expert conservation committee was established/8 which after familiariz-

77 J. Czop et al., Leonardo da VinciLady with an Ermine - the latest research...
78 Members of the committee: Prof. G. Korpal (Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków), Dr M. Lubryczyńska
(Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw), Prof. B. Rouba (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń), Prof.
R. Kozłowski (Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry at Połish Academy of Sciences in
Kraków), M. Sikorska (Ministry of Culture and National Heritage), J. Janczykowski (Lesser Poland Voivodship
Monuments Conservator), O. Jaros (Chairman of the Board of Princes Czartoryski Foundation), Z. Gołubiew
(Director of the National Museum in Kraków), J. Czop (Chief Conservator at the National Museum in Kraków).