PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Discussing principles of conservation
rial and authentic documents. It should stop where conjecture
begins and it must bear a contemporary stamp. 289
In conservation, both traditional and modern materials can
be used. The latter can be used if the traditional materials are
too weak to consolidate an object. However, modern materials
can also be more easily visually distinguished and removed from
an original. For example, in the case of a missing area, it can
be filled with either a piece of available original wallpaper or
a reconstruction using modern material. Since modern papers
seldom have the necessary properties, such as the appropriate
thickness, shine and texture, it is preferable to use the original
material instead. The visual difference between an original
and an addition should be minimal, because marking additions
too diligently might lead to patchiness and breaking the visual
unity of the object. In addition, restored areas can be mapped
and pointed out in documentation.
Sometimes partial or full reconstruction of a historic wallpaper
can be justified to re-create the original appearance of
a historic room. The original appearance of an object may be
revealed through research, but also through analysing additional
materials, such as archival material, photographs or other
images, such as prints or paintings of the interior. Reconstruction
is appropriate only when a place is incomplete through
damage or alteration, and only when there is sufficient evidence
to reproduce an earlier state of the object. In rare cases, reconstruction
may also be appropriate as a part of use or practice
that retains the cultural significance of the place. 290
Recent justifications for aesthetic reconstruction of historical
objects rely on educational value. Firstly, this shows what a
historic setting used to look like. Secondly, comparison between
old and new material might lead to understanding and appreciation
of the original properties of an object.
Different types of reconstruction can be considered based
on original wallpaper fragments and the function of the room. 291
289
The Venice Charter, Article 9, 1964.
290
The Burra Charter, Article 20, 1999.
291
Martin, “Wallpaper Reconstructions in Historic Interiors...”, 88.
156