PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Methodological conclusions
treatment. Of the eight, the wallpaper from the Estonian Literary
Museum in Tartu was in the best condition. Since it had survived
almost completely intact in situ and its condition was stable, it
was decided to treat it locally without dismounting. Although
dismounting would have permitted a more thorough treatment
of the material, it would have also destroyed the unity of the
object and its original mounting method, it might have caused
further mechanical damage, and it would have increased the
cost of the whole process.
Since people look for beauty in historic rooms, it is important
to offer them an aesthetically appealing result. However,
restoring an object’s aesthetic appearance is not always the
main aim of a conservation treatment. In the case of valuable
historic interiors, it is necessary to develop a preservation conception
which helps to preserve as much historic material as
possible and at the same time presents a historically accurate
outcome. The maintenance of a wallpaper that has survived
only in fragments usually raises the most questions. The extent
and character of a conservation treatment depend largely on
the decorative value and amount of material that has survived.
If the fragments are too large to be preserved in an archive, an
effort should be made to preserve them in situ. Small fragments
found underneath other decorative details, such as baseboards,
over-doors and window frames, are often removed from their
original locations. Although the fragments may reflect the extent,
era and type of wall decoration, their removal and preservation
in an archive is more reasonable than preservation in situ. If
preserved in situ, they would most probably be covered up by
decorative details. Such fragments, accompanied by thorough
documentation, can be more informative than when they are
preserved in their original location.
If a wallpaper has survived only in fragments and it does not
provide enough material to re-create a full wall scheme, it can
be documented, conserved and covered up by a new decorative
layer instead. The new layer should seek to imitate the visual
properties of the original. In such a case, research on analogue
wall covers and their use in interiors can help to create a hypo-
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