PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Preservation of wallpaper as a part of interiors
the Theodor Aman Museum by Markus Krön and his team. The
canvas and the lining-paper were applied with Metylan Extra
from Henkel. (Fig. 99)
In both of the cases, the layer of canvas should allow for fast,
safe and easy removal of a wallpaper if necessary. The method
allows for the dismounting of a wallpaper in large integrated
segments. In my opinion, the removal of large segments is preferable
to dismounting separate strips, since it helps to preserve
the newly created integrity of an object. In addition, the canvas
provides the object with additional support for packaging and
transportation.
If only one or a few segments of wallpaper are dismounted
for conservation, it is reasonable to continue using the original
mounting method, which helps to maintain the dimensions inherent
to the object. A few heavily moulded strips and mechanically
damaged borders from the Puurmani manor were removed
from their original location to allow for better conservation in a
workshop. Since they had been applied to a lining and a layer of
older wallpaper, they were remounted onto two layers of acidfree
Japanese paper 379 with methyl cellulose, with an addition
of wheat starch paste after their conservation.
The lining protects and separates the object from the rough
surface of the wall, but it only provides minimal support if the
wallpaper is be removed.
To remount wallpapers that have earlier been attached to
either wooden battens or frames covered with canvas, a structure
known as a shoji is often recommended. It is suitable for
Chinese or very fragile wallpapers. The shoji has been used for
hundreds of years to create a rigid and flat base for artworks,
such as standing or folding screens, sliding-door screens and
wall and ceiling paintings. 380 The method of applying a paper
to a layer of stretched canvas has proven to damage the fragile
material of the paper, because the tension and movement of the
textile and paper are different. This leads to loosening of the
adhesion, and tears and losses in the pigment and paper. The
379
Gampi, 36 g/m 2
380
Meredith, Sandiford & Mapes, “A New Conservation Lining for Historic Wallpapers”, 43.
204