CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF CHURCH ICON FROM BAPTISM MUSEUM, JORDAN: CASE STUDY

Abstract

Most of church icons are suffering of bad display and storage conditions that cause damaging of its physical

and chemical structure. In this study, we identified the conservation state of an icon taken from the Bethany

museum in Jordan. The icon was also investigated by means of Fourier Transfer InfraRed (FTIR)

spectroscopy, and X-ray Fluoresces (XRF) to identify the chemical compositions for pigments, ground layer

and varnish. Results were used to decide level of interventions to restore the icon. The choice for the

intervening materials were based on compatibility with original materials and good reversibility.