Paper Conservation: Decisions & Compromises

Fig. 3: The reverse of left screen overall before treatment. Large losses and punctures are clearly visible. The hinges were
split, with soiling in the lower portions and fother damage and tears in the upper portion.
tion for historic wallpapers (McClintock, 2003).
In 2012, Melody Chen presented a case of digital
in-fills as used for Japanese Prints (Chen, 2012).
A digital image of another impression from the
Japanese print collection at the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston was printed on the Hahnemuehle
Rice Paper (‘Digital FineArt’, n.d.). This is another
successful example of how a digital image was
used for in-filling when there exists an authenticated
reference.
After reviewing these cases, compelling reasons
for compensating losses to the fold-dyed
paper of Munakata Shiko’s folding screens with
digital in-fills were determined. They were:
1. The digital reproduction has enough reference
from the original. The image of patterns could
be captured from undamaged fold-dyed areas
by photography.
2. The losses to the fold-dyed papers are located
on the folding screen’s reverse. The fold-dyed
papers present a style of craft-art but not the
fine art created by the artist. Reproducing
partial patterns would not change the context
and character of these fold-dyed papers.
3. The digital reproduction is less time-consuming
and creates a more satisfactory method of
creating a visual in-fill than other possibilities,
such as using basic toned in-fills, remaking
fold-dyed paper using traditional techniques
for in-fills or hand painted in-fills.
4. The digital in-fills are printed in a lighter
color than the original, so that they would be
clearly visible at a close distance. The authenticity
of the original would still be distinguishable
from the repairs.
Digital in-filling treatment
After examining and documenting the condition,
the folding screens were photographed before
and after treatment to document their condition.
Wooden trims were removed; each panel
was separated and the fold-dyed papers were
removed from the panels. The papers attached to
the back of the fold-dyed papers were removed
using Gore-tex to humidify them; followed by
pressing between Reemay, blotting paper and
thick Plexiglas.
Of the twelve fold-dyed papers, three had considerable
losses and needed large digital in-fills.
Since fold-dyed papers were going to be pasted
onto the new under-cores, the papers for in-fills
had to be similar or slightly thinner in thickness
than the fold-dyed papers, so that the in-fills and
the original would have similar expansion and
shrinkage during mounting. Japanese handmade
Sekishu paper was chosen for printing the image
ICOM-CC Graphic Documents Working Group Interim Meeting | Vienna 17 – 19 April 2013
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