FRESCO GLUE
July 1st, 2003
BY KEITH NUTHALLIT was a case of nature outdoing the toughest solvents. Art restorers have used bacteria to eat through glue that has for 50 years covered a medieval Italian fresco, following a botched post-war restoration attempt. Bombs had damaged the 'Conversion and Battle of Saint Efisio' by Spinello Aretino in the Camposanto cemetery, Pisa, and restorers unwisely attempted to pull the frescos from the wall intact using organic glue and canvases. Unfortunately, one painting vanished under a layer of glue, which has since resisted all attempts to dissolve it. ...
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