Okręgowa Pracownia Konserwatorska w Szydłowcu

On the decision of Kielce local authorities has been called into being a new District Conservation Atelier in Szydłowiec with the range of its .activities covering the whole territory of the Kielce Voivodship. It is w e ll worth to be stressed that this newly formed District Atelier represents an unique institution of that kind in this country and is dealing with preservation of paintings and polychrome sculptures being the property of museums scattered in the te r ritory as w e ll as with conservation of historical monuments under care of the Voivodship Conservator Office in Kielce, numbering to 15,000. The Szydłowiec Atelier has at its disposal 9 rooms of varying sizes with the floor area totalling to nearly 400 sqm. On this area are sited the following: the preservation atelier, photographic atelier with accompanying dark-room, X-ray and chemical laboratories, and two stores, one of which is housing objects and the other materials. Among the equipment units and modern specialized apparatus should be named electrically heated v a cuum- operated table for canvas-doubling, three microscopes, three cameras, two enlargers, colposcope, X-ray apparatus, photo-negative viewing device, two laboratory driers, three shade-free lamps, fume cupboard, racks for painting storage, moisture m ea suring equipment and the like. In this newly established atelier several highly interesting works and preservating operations have already been carried out on valuable objects of art. In addition to its normal range of preservating operations th e atelier is conducting conservator’s tests, periodical surveys of state of preservation with regard to monuments kept in museums, diffe r ent physico-chemical investigations and analyses on objects under preservation and also prepares detailed documentations. On all the investigations and preservating activities special publications are being issued. It is intended that the future development of the atelier should be aimed at increasing the number of skilled personnel which in turn w ill enable the preservation of several first-class monuments in the Kielce Voivodship.