« Voyage baroque ». Etude, conservation et restauration d’un coffret du XVIIème siècle en bois et écaille de tortue conservé au Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris. Etude de la pénétration de l’eau dans le bois induite par l’application d’hydrogels rigide…

This thesis has for subject the study of the preservation and restoration of a wooden and tortoiseshelled coffer from the 17th century, preserved in the Art décoratifs Museum of Paris. It might have been exhibited shortly, but has suffered from one century of storage in unknown conditions, of which it comes out very dirty. Facing this fouling, a water-based cleaning solution has prooved to be efficient, only if we give enough time to the water to make the dirt soluble. Rigid gels allow the cleaning while holding the water back, avoiding risks such as the spreading of the dirt in the wood or the detachment of the decoration. Therefore, this established technical-scientific protocal aims for evaluing the retention ability of the gellane-gum and agar agar gels, while studying the water penetration in the wood, caused by their use. The will of exhibiting this coffer in the museum motivates the cleaning, as well as the re-establishment of lacking parts, especially the base. Therefore, a study has also been made for restoring the different types of material and the coffer’s feet, aiming for an aesthetically pleasing result withought being too invasive, as previous documentation of indication is lacking.