Preventive
Conservation
All objects in a collection, whether
or not they receive conservation treatment, need to be adequately housed.
For works of art on paper this means storage in either acid-free folders
(individually or in small groups) with acid-free interleaving tissue; or
hinging onto mats made from 100% rag board.
Because of the added bulk of
the mats, this housing method requires much more storage space and so is
generally reserved for objects most likely to be exhibited or examined
by researchers. Objects are secured in their mats with two hinges of good
quality Japanese paper placed in the upper corners verso, adhered with
cooked wheat starch paste. This adhesive ages well without yellowing and
is strong but easily reversible.
Both folders and mats are stored
in sturdy, acid-free solander boxes.
Restoration
and Stabilization
Both these terms refer to types
of conservation treatment.Discoloration, dirt, and staining can be disfiguring
and substantially alter the artist's original intent. However, they are
not always damaging, especially if exposure to light is minimized. Therefore,
the decision to correct these problems can be based on aesthetic considerations
and falls in the realm of restoration.
In addition to mending tears and filling losses in
paper, examples of stabilization are
1.) removal of damaging tapes and adhesives (e.g., masking tape
or rubber cement); and
2.) reducing the acidity in paper, which is deteriorating, especially
when catalyzed by light.
An example is Rembrandt's Descent
from the Cross (see below).Before treatment, the paper color was
so dark that much of Rembrandt's dramatic contrast between the darkness
of the night and the figures illuminated by torchlight was lost. Restoring
the paper to approximately its original color reestablishes this balance.Stabilization
(retarding or arresting deterioration) can be illustrated with the same
Rembrandt print. The lower corners needed mending, since they had been
almost completely torn off from a combination of how the print was attached
to the album page and through careless handling of the album.
8¼" x 6½"
see Conservator Elizabeth Coombs Leslie's
Condition and Treatment Report
for this print.
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