Behaviour of Painted Wood Panels under Strong Illumination

In addition to the spot-lit object, the surrounding air also increases in temperature and its relative humidity is reduced. It is an established fact that atmospheric variations have an unfavourable effect on organic materials. Various instances of damage discovered over the last few years have shown how sensitive to atmosphere are such materials as parchment, ivory, horn, and gold leaf on wood. The best known example, however, is the danger to wood panel paintings, where the comparatively inelastic paint layer is unable to follow the movement of the wood, and therefore suffers damage.[i] At the instigation of the Doerner-Institut,