Resin Bleed on a Painted Wooden Sculpture by Nicholas Pope: Problem, Analysis and Treatment

This research deals with the problem of resin bleed in the black and white painted wooden sculpture The Church, the Village and Myself (1986) by the British/Australian artist Nicholas Pope (1949) from the Kröller-Müller Museum collection. Resin from the wooden substrate
has emerged on the surface of the object, leading to stains, drops, drippings and disruption of the paint. The leaking substance was identified by Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Atmospheric-Solid-Analysis-Probe High-Resolution Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry to be a resin from a tree of the Cedrus genus, consisting of mainly sesquiterpenes. This rare case of excessive bleeding, which will likely continue until the wood runs out of resin, was considered disturbing. The artist was interviewed twice, first on his working methods, the idea behind the work and his opinion on the work’s appearance, which changed from opposing to the visibility of the resin bleed to embracing it as part of the artwork’s life in the second interview. Based on the findings of this combined research, the sculpture could be treated non-invasively, and in accordance with both the artist and the owner.