PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Preservation of wallpaper as a part of interiors
Lining is recommended for wallpapers that will be handled
or remounted again. Since wallpapers preserved in museums
should be observable from both sides to reveal various properties
(manufacturer stamp, taxation stamp, signatures, watermarks,
commentaries etc.), one should consider employing
alternatives to lining.
Remounted wallpapers preserved in situ are occasionally
attached to wooden screens (shoji) layered with a considerable
number of linings. The type of mounting will be discussed in
more detail in the following sub-chapter.
4.2.14. Remounting
In terms of remounting a historic wallpaper that has been
removed for better conservation treatment, consideration must
be given to the means of re-installing it. Since the wall finish partially
dictates the type of mounting system, wallpapers should
be remounted in the same way they were originally discovered.
However, to enable the conserved wallpapers to be preserved
longer, the original method can be improved on. In selecting a
mounting method, the original dimensions and principles should
be viewed as important qualities of the room where the preservation
is conducted. Wallpaper support should not obscure
the decorative mouldings at the tops and bottoms of the walls
or around the doors and windows. 376 Although remounting a
wallpaper can be a very creative process and each conservator
may come up with his or her own solution, there are two main
types of remounting: onto a lining system pasted directly on a
wall or onto a lining system attached to a structure.
In the case of the eight conservation objects, both methods
were put to use. If a wallpaper has been pasted onto a wall,
there is usually not enough space for a new mounting system
with larger dimensions, such as a wooden framework. Although
one should use the original method for remounting a wallpaper,
an alternative that complies with the conservation standard of
reversibility can be implemented instead. For example, an inter-
376
Hamm and Hamm, “The Removal and Conservation Treatment of a Scenic Wallpaper...”,
1981.
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