Restoration program for the marble panels of the Stocklet Palace in Brussels

A study was carried out to define the appropriate cleaning and consolidation of deteriorated marble panels of the Stoclet Palace in Brussels constructed at the beginning of the 20th century. Deterioration of the marble panels was triggered by the anisotropic dilatation of the constitutive dolomitic minerals creating irreversibly fissures and pores through which penetration of water and corrosion products could occur. The results from the study carried out by the consortium of the Belgian Building Research Institute and the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage showed that the mechanical removal of the superficial black crust was not possible without important material loss of degraded zones. However, deposited copper corrosion products from bronze sculptures and decorative elements, could be chemically removed. Moderately deteriorated marble panels could be effectively consolidated which was not the case for strongly degraded ones for which replacement was recommended.