Paper Conservation: Decisions & Compromises

tation presumes that the works are mounted in
such a way that both recto and verso can safely
be examined. This imperative directs the selection
of restoration treatments.
Conserving, displaying, consulting – these
demands are sometimes difficult to reconcile,
especially for large-sized works. Conservation implies
a stable environment and climate, minimal
handling, and maximum protection against light
and against atmospheric pollution. The solutions
needed for exhibition of the work may be temporary;
in that case, it is more a question of means,
of the time needed for an intervention, of the
budget allocated for the restoration, installation
and taking down of the work, than an ethical
issue. However, consultation of the works on paper
requires durable and sustainable solutions to
problems of conservation; the works need to be
accessible and it must be possible to manipulate
them safely.
The approach chosen by the conservation studio
at the Department of Drawings and Prints
seeks to take into account, in its treatments,
to maintain as much as possible the work’s authentic
character, to enable its exhibition and
its consultation, and thus to allow historians to
conduct their research.
In the case of Le Brun’s cartoons, there is the
additional difficulty of the sheer number and
heterogeneity of the ensemble. Among the 700
cartoons there are masterpieces, unique items of
great historical and artistic importance, as well
as more modest works and even copies that were
used to transfer the drawing or as teaching material
for pupils. However, all share the fact that
they are essentially working drawings, carrying
the traces of their use.
Since the creation of the conservation studio
of the Department of Drawings and Prints in
1989 and following the first restoration campaign,
which involved superficial cleaning and
consolidations needed to allow an inventory of
the collection to be taken, sixty cartoons have
been restored. Over the past twenty years, restoration
protocols have evolved and the materials
used have been updated. Nevertheless, the same
inherent logic and the main stages of restoration
remain valid. They take into account both the
history of the cartoons and their dimensions.
Cartoons that were folded or rolled often suffered
so much friction that the radiance of the
white chalk heightening and the velvety character
of the black chalk lines were lost. If the
Fig. 4: Ambassadors’ staircase, Château de Versailles, detail
of conservation work
cartoon was pasted onto a backing canvas, on the
other hand, it usually is now badly discolored
and few traces of the white highlights are left.
The stiffness of the marouflage and the deterioration
of the adhesive justify the cartoon’s removal
from the canvas backing. Additionally, poor storage
conditions were often the cause of distortion
of the canvas, extreme dirt, and stains. The difficulty
encountered in removing the glue depends
on the quality of the adhesive used and its age.
Selected solutions involve heat and an alphaamylase
gel.
Consolidation of tears and filling in missing
areas are needed in all the cartoons. Folded or
rolled works often exhibit more tears, yet their
paper is not as distorted as is the case with works
that were backed on canvas in the nineteenth
century. Some cartoons are lined once or twice.
Wheat starch paste and Japanese “minogami”
paper are used to line the cartoons (Fig 4).
The large- scale cartoons are, in general, pasted
onto a canvas of ‘aged’ linen prepared with
ICOM-CC Graphic Documents Working Group Interim Meeting | Vienna 17 – 19 April 2013
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