Provided it has been properly processed and implemented in structural applications, including protecting against biological attacks and accounting for moisture induced movements, wood is able to withstand considerable duration of loading thanks to its good resistance to fatigue and sophisticated multi-scale composite structure. For that reason, it is still present as the structural element of various types of ancient objects belonging to our cultural heritage, from buildings to painted panels or musical instruments. The requests by conservators to contribute to the maintenance of these old objects offer stimulating challenges to the wood scientists. Long-term creep predictions, essential for the design of wooden structures, would be safely validated when they manage to describe the present state of timber in an old building, while the better understanding of the ageing processes responsible for the sound quality of an old instrument could inspire novel approaches for wood drying and improvement by hygrothermal or chemical modifications.
Hygromechanical behaviour of painted wooden panels from the cultural heritage, the Mona Lisa wooden support