PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Methodological conclusions
preferred to others. As the visualization of scenarios and plain
documentation photos cannot provide a thorough understanding
of the process, they need to be accompanied by detailed
explanation. Michelle Moore has emphasized the relevance of
combining visual, textual and check-list style methods of documentation.
Explanations of a particular concept are essential.
A conservator working with historic wallpapers should
have an interdisciplinary education, which helps in understanding
the relationship of wallpaper to other decorative details
and architectural structures. In addition, a conservator should
be able to communicate with various co-operating specialists.
Dominant parties, such as building managers, sponsors and
representatives of local municipalities, often have very strong
personal opinions on what a historic interior used to look like
and how it should be presented. Thus a conservator should act
as an educator who explains the values of an object, as well as
the aim of certain conservation decisions.
Wallpaper conservation contributes above all to the physical
and aesthetic unity of an object, as well as to its setting. The
conservation treatment of a wallpaper is thus beneficial for the
appearance of the whole interior. According to contemporary
conservation theory, separate conservation paradigms can seldom
be applied alone. Thus, depending on the condition of an
object and the expected result, principles of various conservation
paradigms are commonly combined with each other.
To preserve a wallpaper in an interior, several options
should be considered: preservation in situ, returning a conserved
wallpaper to its original location or mounting a wallpaper in
a completely new location. Wallpapers can be preserved in an
interior either intact or in fragments. Naturally each option has
its own advantages and disadvantages.
The least common and least demanding case is clearly a
well-preserved historic wallpaper found in its original location.
If both the wallpaper and the supporting structure are stable, it
is reasonable to preserve the wallpaper in situ.
None of the eight wallpapers observed in detail in the given
thesis were in such good condition that they did not need any
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