Paper Conservation: Decisions & Compromises

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Fig. 3: Map of the Yellow River showing a large tear before treatment. (Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC: Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1909.220) Fig. 4: Map of the Yellow River, after treatment. Tear repaired using partial remounting. (Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC: Gift of Charles Lang Freer, F1909.220) repeated and unsafe handling, will lead to large tears in the painting. Treatment Options The Freer|Sackler groups conservation treatment of handscrolls into three categories: (1) minor treatment; (2) intermediate treatment including partial remounting; and (3) complete remounting. If possible, minimal intervention should be the first option. Minor treatment can include minor consolidation of loose paint or ink, surface cleaning, reattaching lifted support layers, strip reinforcements, repair of small tears, infill of lost material on the brocade cover, and repair of lost or damaged cords and toggles. Minor treatment requires sparing use and localized application of water to minimize the potential for distortion of the absorbent paper layers. Strip reinforcements are used to stabilize creases and minor tears. Different thicknesses of Chinese Xuan paper and Japanese Mino paper are pre-cut into narrow strips. A narrow strip of paper is pasted and applied to the crease or tear on the backside of the handscroll. Strip reinforcements can be used to temporarily stabilize a handscroll that still requires further treatment, or can be applied as a permanent solution when there are few creases and tears or they are limited to the mount joins. Successful strip reinforcements depend upon the conservator’s skillful use of the appropriate papers and paste consistency, otherwise, these repairs may cause additional damage. Humidifying and flattening handscrolls under weight is a minor treatment for addressing undulations or the upward bowing of scrolls when unrolled. The Freer|Sackler uses a controlled moisture humidifying and flattening technique that is similar to what is known in western conservation as friction drying. Controlled introduction of moisture into the support makes the scroll more flexible, evens out areas where strip repairs were applied, and can restore bonding strength between the mounting layers by softening and reactivating the paste, while minimizing the potential for water-induced stains and distortions. When minor treatment is inadequate for stabilizing condition problems, partial remount- ICOM-CC Graphic Documents Working Group Interim Meeting | Vienna 17 – 19 April 2013 124
ing techniques, which build upon fundamental mounting practices, should be considered. Partial remounting includes reusing or replacing cover silks, repairing major tears, compensating for unevenness and imbalance in the mounting structure, and replacing the final backing layer. For example, severe tears and imbalance in the mounting structure can be addressed with a partial remounting treatment in which sections of the original backing paper are removed and replaced with new backing support. This approach allows serious condition problems to be locally treated without completely dismantling the handscroll. Partial remounting requires the skills used to remount old paintings and should be carried out by a trained specialist. Complete remounting should be the last treatment option when a handscroll is in poor condition and can no longer be handled and displayed safely. Complete remounting may be necessary when the old mounting and support layers are brittle, severely creased, delaminating, and no longer function to protect the painting. Specialists trained in traditional methods of conservation and mounting techniques of handscrolls should be consulted to carry out complete remounting. Prioritization of Treatment Solutions In most cases, treatment options for handscrolls, from minor treatment to complete remounting, reflect a balance between the needs of the handscroll and the resources available to the conservator. Time requirements for proper treatment, available working space and facilities, appropriate materials, and the expertise of specialists are factors that influence treatment decisions. Minor treatment and partial remounting can be appropriate preservation solutions even for handscrolls in poor condition, when the time, resources, and expertise required for complete remounting are unavailable. Two Ming (1368-1644) dynasty paintings on silk from the Freer|Sackler collection, Patriarchs of Chan Buddhism (Fig. 1-2) and Map of the Yellow River (Fig. 3 - 4), are examples of paintings that would have been completely remounted under the standard of traditional practice, but were successfully stabilized using less invasive treatment methods. Patriarchs of Chan Buddhism was in fair condition except for several severe vertical creases that rose into high peaks across the length of the handscroll. It required treatment for safe exhibition, but frequent handling or further display after exhibition was unlikely. Given the time constraints, the fairly stable condition of the primary support, and expected infrequent handling and display following the exhibition, minor treatment was the most appropriate treatment solution. One- or two-layered strip reinforcements were applied to reduce the creases. For shallow creases, one layer of paper provided enough support, but for deep creases, two layers of paper were used to add extra support. After applying the strip reinforcements, the handscroll was humidified and dried under weight to flatten it and make it more flexible. Map of the Yellow River was in good condition overall, but had a large vertical tear that made handling unsafe. Tears of this degree are often addressed with complete remounting, but a partial remounting treatment was carried out instead because of the painting’s overall good condition. In addition, the blue and green paint were thickly applied and could easily be disturbed during complete remounting. The partial remounting treatment included removing the backing layers around the area of the tear using localized application of water, mending the break, integrating new backing papers to achieve the thickness and flexibility of the original support layers, and overall humidifying and flattening. In this case, partial remounting offered a more stable and long-term solution than minor treatment, but avoided the risks of complete remounting. Conclusion This systematic approach to assessing the condition of and determining treatment options for handscrolls is used by the conservators in the East Asian Painting <strong>Conservation</strong> Studio at the Freer|Sackler to successfully manage the needs of the collection while keeping in mind the limitations of time and other resources. Recognizing that many other institutions face additional limitations and do not have conservators who specialize in Chinese paintings, this paper summarizes the most common condition problems of handscrolls and some of the treatment options that are available. It is hoped that this paper will provide basic guidance on the structure and problems of handscrolls and build awareness for the sound management and preservation of these repeatedly handled objects. Like ICOM-CC Graphic Documents Working Group Interim Meeting | Vienna 17 – 19 April 2013 125
Page 1 and 2:
Paper Conservation: Decisions & Com
Page 3 and 4:
Content Lieve Watteeuw Introduction
Page 5:
Michael Wheeler | Nicholas Barnard
Page 8 and 9:
New Trends in Preservation in the D
Page 10 and 11:
and monitoring against adverse envi
Page 12 and 13:
Steve Hobaica, Patrick Loughney, Ma
Page 14 and 15:
The Albums of Duke Charles de Croÿ
Page 16 and 17:
Fig. 4: turning the supporting pape
Page 18 and 19:
Fig. 2: Close-up of some of the los
Page 20 and 21:
manuscript paper, the binding would
Page 22 and 23:
Figure 2 partial sewing: the blue d
Page 24 and 25:
Books in Exhibitions: History and A
Page 26 and 27:
Fig. 4 Museum in London and the pre
Page 28 and 29:
Risk and Safety of Illuminated Manu
Page 30 and 31:
Fig. 2 Atlas, the Crown papers are
Page 32 and 33:
Acknowledgments The authors would l
Page 34 and 35:
Verdigris I: Compromises in Conserv
Page 36 and 37:
Verdigris 2: Wet Chemical Treatment
Page 38 and 39:
Integrated Modelling: The Demograph
Page 40 and 41:
Fig. 3: The consequence of 50 insta
Page 42 and 43:
Characterisation of Historical Pape
Page 44 and 45:
pling is required, tide-lines are c
Page 46 and 47:
Study of Phytate Chelating Treatmen
Page 48 and 49:
Evaluation of stochiometric effects
Page 50 and 51:
Practice and Progress in the Conser
Page 52 and 53:
Fig. 1 Fig. 2 plex picture and prov
Page 54 and 55:
Fig. 2: Coloured paper strips place
Page 56 and 57:
the fire (on the other hand paper,
Page 58 and 59:
inform decisions on conservation tr
Page 60 and 61:
This paper summarizes what is known
Page 62 and 63:
2. Methods An interdisciplinary met
Page 64 and 65:
Fig. 4: Dyed endpaper pasted at the
Page 66 and 67:
Preservation of Architectural Drawi
Page 68 and 69:
Notes 1 According Salvador Muñoz V
Page 70 and 71:
course of time under the influence
Page 72 and 73:
the curators in review of the treat
Page 74 and 75: cellulose powders with cellulose et
Page 76 and 77: Authors Xing Kung Liao Conservator
Page 78 and 79: Fig. 2: Our Railroad Workers and th
Page 80 and 81: The Restoration of Cartoons at the
Page 82 and 83: tation presumes that the works are
Page 84 and 85: To Remove or Retain? - Extensive In
Page 86 and 87: Fig. 4 repeated applications until
Page 88 and 89: The Migration of Hydroxy Propyl Cel
Page 90: tion issue allowed a visualisation
Page 93 and 94: Ethical Considerations Concerning t
Page 95 and 96: emoved with damp cotton swab. Then
Page 97 and 98: Conservation of a Book of Hours fro
Page 99 and 100: Fig. 4: Pigments movement and conse
Page 101 and 102: Notes 1 Brazilwood lake, lapis lazu
Page 103 and 104: pages, which would easily have torn
Page 105 and 106: The Microflora Inhabiting Leonardo
Page 107 and 108: Acknowledgments The authors would l
Page 109 and 110: Microorganisms in Books - First Res
Page 111 and 112: hyaline white mycelia on and in the
Page 113 and 114: Deconstructing the Reconstruction E
Page 115 and 116: Fig. 3: Poster after 2012 conservat
Page 117 and 118: Conservators’ Investigation of Ch
Page 119 and 120: had been used, may be false-positiv
Page 121 and 122: function will provide a holistic pi
Page 123: Fig. 2: Patriarchs of Chan Buddhism
Page 127 and 128: Applications of Image Processing So
Page 129 and 130: Fig. 3 Fig. 4 images in a single wi
Page 131 and 132: Analysing Deterioration Artifacts i
Page 133 and 134: Fig. 3 similarity maps. Similarity
Page 135 and 136: Strategy in the Case of a Wrecked P
Page 137 and 138: without preliminary consolidation.
Page 139 and 140: Fiber Optic Reflectance Spectroscop
Page 141 and 142: Fig. 3: 18 th century paper seal, i
Page 143 and 144: Fig. 3 Fig. 4 of responsibilities r
Page 145 and 146: Characterising the Origin of Carbon
Page 147: Fig. 3: Sampling depth for ATR spec
Page 150 and 151: Fig. 2: Filmoplast® tape attached
Page 152 and 153: Pluchart, F. 1971. Pop Art Et Cie.
Page 154 and 155: Fig. 3: The reverse of left screen
Page 156: porting the reverse of severe creas
show all

Paper Conservation: Decisions & Compromises

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?