Backing boards and glazing on paintings: Their damping capacity in relation to shock impact and vibration

The use of backing boards and glazing as a protective measure is well established in preventive conservation of delicate canvas paintings. A wide range of materials is currently being applied. However, there has been little knowledge on the effectiveness of these modern materials in relation to transport protection of canvas paintings, i.e., vibration and resonance reduction. A range of such damping systems was mounted on sample paintings and compared in their damping capacity with respect to shock impact and vibration in a newly developed transport simulator. Some of the systems produce very effective damping, whereas other systems recommended as standard showed little protective effect. Some even induced negative resonance effects and must be classified as unsuitable. Current findings thus highlight the importance of the evaluation regarding the effects of the protective system as a whole. This should help to avoid unwanted destructive effects induced by unsuitable combinations of “protective” materials.