Piatra in patrimoniul românesc

Abstract

In the 336 full-color pages of the book “Stone in Romanian Heritage. Specific Deteriorations and Appropriate Treatments”, Iulian Olteanu presents emblematic monuments of Romanian heritage: Constantin Brâncuși’s Gate of the Kiss, the National Bank of Romania, Elisabeta Palace, the Palace of Justice, the Brukenthal Museum Portal, Stavropoleos Monastery, the Episcopal Church in Curtea de Argeș, as well as movable heritage works from the National Museum of Art of Romania. The petrographic structure of the artworks is analyzed, along with the state of conservation of the stone material, and appropriate treatments for the identified types of degradation are presented, all illustrated through case studies.

“A result of authentic experience, developed from the interdisciplinary standpoint of the restorer, the book that Iulian Olteanu offers us today has the dimensions and substance of a true treatise. The axis around which his research is built, with constant scientific rigor, is the work of art itself. And the goal of his rigorous approach to determining the specific degradation of stone materials is the construction of a correct diagnostic methodology, capable of legitimizing interventions on sculptural and architectural stone works.

Representing the first methodological guide dedicated to stone conservation in Romania, the book gains broader interest through a critical reassessment of what has so far been stated about the etiopathogenesis of artistic stone components.”
Prof. Univ. Dr. Dan Mohanu

“This work is a surprising novelty in its approach to the restoration of monument rocks. It creates a successful and highly necessary connection today between geological study methods, on the one hand, and the practice of stone restoration, on the other. The reader finds valuable scientific content, multidisciplinary study methods, and excellent forms of graphical representation.”
Prof. Univ. Dr. Marin Șeclăman