V&A Conservation Journal, no.65

Autumn 2018 Number 65

Conservation Journal

Contents

Editorial Board Sandra Smith Head of Department Nigel Bamforth Senior Furniture Conservator Nicola Costaras Head Paintings Conservator Sherrie Eatman Head Stained Glass Conservator/ Production Editor Elizabeth-Anne Haldane Senior Textiles Conservator Bhavesh Shah Scientist (Environment)

Photographs are credited individually

V&A Conservation Journal No.65

1 Editorial

Sandra Smith, Head of Conservation & Technical Services

2 Conservation of a Christmas Cracker

Alice Woodward, MA Student, University of Northumbria

5 The Spirit of Gaiety, Guardian of the Gaiety Theatre Zoe Allen, Head of Furniture Conservation Yukiko Yoshii Barrow, Frame and Furniture Conservator

8 Application of Ultrasonic Cleaning for Historic Textiles: Initial Trials and Treatments Joanne Hackett, Head of Textile and Fashion Conservation

10 Application of Ultrasonic Cleaning for Historic Textiles: Micro-analysis of potential damage to textile fibres using Scanning Electron Microscopy

Gabrielle Crowther, UCL MSc Conservation for Archaeology and Museums Stefani Cavazos, UCL MSc Conservation for Archaeology and Museums Netanya Schiff, UCL MSc Conservation for Archaeology and Museums

All enquiries to: Conservation Department Victoria & Albert Museum London SW7 2RL, UK Telephone +44 (0)20 7942 2231 Email: conweb@vam.ac.uk

12 Salted Paper Prints: their past, present and future

The V&A Conservation Journal is an informal publication and references in articles are discouraged. Readers may contact authors for further information via the email address above.

18 Hwagak: the brilliant horn technique

The V&A Conservation Journal is available online at: https://www.vam. ac.uk/blog/caring-for-our-collections/ conservation-journal

Lauren Ashley-Irvine, Conservator of Photographs and Paper

15 Red-Dyed Gold from Southeast Asia

Emma Burdon, MA Student, Courtauld Institute of Art Tristram Bainbridge, Furniture Conservator

20 Effects of Wet Cleaning Beetle Elytra Embellished Textiles Lauren Osmond, MA Conservation student, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario

23 Ocean Liners: Creating Life on Board

Lilia Prier Tisdall, Textile Conservation Display Specialist

26 It’s in the Stars – the Conservation of a Celestial Globe Susan Catcher, Senior Paper Conservator Zoe Allen, Head of Furniture Conservation

Editorial

Sandra Smith, Head of Conservation & Technical Services

This, sadly, will be my last Editorial for the V&A Conservation Journal. I leave the Museum for pastures new in February after 16 years as Head of Conservation, and latterly as Head of Conservation and Technical Services. Moving away from an organisation is always a point of reflection, looking back on what has changed and forward to the further challenges to come.

There remains, however, the fundamental need for curiosity and challenge, to investigate a little deeper the recipes and manufacturing knowledge so as to move our understanding forward. Research is increasingly collaborative, with large grant-giving bodies such as AHRC encouraging cooperation between museum, university and industry (Hackett) to maximise the applications of the research.

Conservation and science students (Crowther et al, Burden), are increasingly looking for ‘real’ rather than theoretical questions to explore as part of their course, whilst museums share expertise and equipment to solve common questions (Osmond).

Local research, which was once noted, inaccessibly, within conservation records or shared only in professional journals, is now available in blog posts and on websites, where readers have the opportunity to contribute to the narrative. This openness and partnership is a great reflection of a profession coming to maturity.

The conservation profession has become increasingly confident and able to lead museum-wide discussion regarding the use and care of collections. Over 70 years of collective experience, since the first conservation course was established in the late 1950s, have moved us from risk-averse ‘nay- sayers’ to pragmatic decisionmakers, where judgement is underpinned by risk management, training and good practice. As a result, exhibitions successfully tour across the world and include increasingly fragile collections (Tisdall).

Care of collections and long-term preservation now takes priority over large scale interventive treatments.

Whilst this is much lamented by conservators, with the associated concerns over loss of hand skills, this hands-off approach, combined with increasingly sophisticated investigative techniques, is elucidating new knowledge of collections, which would be compromised by (some) cleaning and consolidation techniques. Where intervention does take place, there is a noticeable move away from petrochemical-based synthetic resins and a return to traditional, natural materials (Catcher and Allen, Allen and Barrow).

Green sustainable, conservation is embedded in practice, reducing health risks to the conservator and contributing to the greater good of the environment.

The use of these materials can also increase insight into original making and decorative techniques (Bainbridge).

Looking to the future, there is the need to grow new skills for the future as twentieth- and twenty-firstcentury materials (Ashely-Irvine), synthetics, digital, time-based, biodegradable, ‘eco’ etc. (Woodward) become embedded into museum collections.

These, I am sure, will be the V&A Conservation Journal articles of the future.

It has been a pleasure and an honour to work with the V&A Conservation Journal Editorial teams throughout the years and to see the range of expertise, the lines of enquiry and the creativity of all the authors. I wish the Department all the very best for the future and look forward to reading the next edition of the Journal.

Front cover image: Ocean Liners: Speed and Style installation: ‘The Pool’ © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Alice Woodward, MA Student, University of Northumbria

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Conservation of a Christmas Cracker

Fig. 1. ‘Totem Cracker’ before treatment, showing the damaged orange gelatine film and misshapen ends Photography by Alice Woodward © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Paper conservators usually work on flat works, but in some cases are presented with the challenges of conserving three-dimensional objects comprised of mixed materials. This article focuses on the conservation of a rather unusual three-dimensional object – a Christmas cracker from 1927 (S.26-2007), in preparation for a Christmas display in the Theatre and Performance Galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2016.

musical toys, imitation jewellery, ‘curios’ and the usual jokes. The contents of the cracker can be seen in the X-ray shown in Fig. 2, but it is difficult to infer which one the hidden gift may be.

The cracker is constructed in several layers. A layer of golden embossed paper covers the internal card tube, and the outermost layer is a transparent orange film.

An image of the head and shoulders of a Totem-Pole girl is adhered to the center, and each end of the cracker has a paper border (printed with patterns inspired by those on the Totem-Pole girls’ costumes) with gold-fringed ends.

The Christmas cracker was invented in the late 1840s

by Tom Smith.1 On a trip to Paris, Tom came across the bon-bon (sugared almonds wrapped in a twist of tissue paper), and incorporated it into his own product range of wedding cake decorations and confectionery at his grocery on London’s Goswell Road. A few years later, love mottos were placed inside the wrapping, followed by small toys and trinkets, to immediate success. In the 1850s, the product evolved fully into the Christmas cracker, when Tom heard the crackling of logs burning on an open fire and was inspired to invent the cracker ‘snap’.

In terms of condition, the ends of the cracker were crumpled and the rubber band was cutting into the orange film. Most alarmingly, the orange film was severely degraded and torn, requiring the addition of a support material to prevent the loose flaps from detaching. Initial treatment involved the removal of the rubber band and the ends of the cracker were reshaped. Melinex loops were inserted to support the fringed edges.

Given the disposable nature of Christmas crackers, it was rather remarkable that this cracker (Fig. 1) escaped being pulled open on Christmas Day, and arrived in the V&A’s collection with its snap still in intact. The cracker was one of the ‘Totem Crackers’ made by Tom Smith & Company and was illustrated with an image of a Totem-Pole girl from the hit musical ‘Rose Marie’, which opened in London at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in March 1925 and ran there for 851 performances.

According to ‘Tom Smith’s Christmas Crackers & Novelties’ catalogue from 1927-8, the cracker came from a box of twelve (four crimson, four green and four golden), which contained totem head-dresses,

On initial examination the orange film was identified as cellophane, however in the 1927-28 Tom Smith catalogue it was described as orange gelatine. An article in the December 1891 edition of ‘The Strand Magazine’ includes a detailed description of how Tom Smith’s crackers were manufactured and most interestingly how the gelatine film was made, by pouring dyed molten gelatine onto a sheet of glass.2 Small loose fragments of the orange film were analysed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy by the V&A Science Section, confirming that the orange material is indeed gelatine.

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Fig. 3. ‘Totem Cracker’ during conservation, showing the coloured Visking Dialysis Tubing inserted beneath the loose flaps of the original orange gelatine film Photography by Alice Woodward © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

very moisture sensitive and difficult to handle. Other potential materials were discussed with ElizabethAnne Haldane, from V&A Textile Conservation.

Elizabeth-Anne suggested experimenting with Visking Dialysis Membrane, a material she was considering for the repair of a 1950s Balenciaga headpiece with ‘leaves’ made from cellophane attached to a ramie core.4 Visking is a transparent semi-permeable membrane used for filtration in medical applications.

It is made of regenerated cellulose (from cotton linters) and comes in a range of thicknesses.5 Visking behaved in a similar way to the gelatine film when spot-tested with water, which resulted in moderate distortion and no change in gloss. In addition, Visking becomes flaccid and gel-like when immersed in water, so it could be coloured by immersion in a solution of Cartasol K dye. Dyed and undyed samples of Visking were sent for Oddy testing, to ascertain its suitability for conservation.

Fig. 2. X-ray showing the novelty gift inside the ‘Totem Cracker’ © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Since coloured gelatine film is a relatively unusual material, research on the conservation of cellophane was consulted to help with the selection of an appropriate support material. In a study by Léculier, Melinex was used to support torn cellophane in a collection of 21st century Vietnamese lanterns.3 However, due to the age and delicate nature of the gelatine film, adhering it to a strong film like Melinex could put the film at risk of more splitting if the object were subjected to changing environmental conditions.

In addition, Melinex cannot be coloured so the repairs would be conspicuous.

Due to time constraints, reversible repairs were carried out using Visking prior to receiving the test results.

Visking was rinsed in water for three hours before being immersed in a solution of orange/red Cartasol K dyes (three drops orange + two drops red, in 100 ml deionised water) for 15 minutes, to produce a shade of orange that was slightly duller and paler than the original gelatine film. After air-drying, the Visking

Next began the search for a repair material that could be coloured. Isinglass (a protein-based glue derived from the swim bladder of the sturgeon fish) was considered initially, as it is known to have good aging properties. Isinglass was coloured with Cartasol K dyes before being cast into a film, but the dried film was

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from manufacture.4 It is hoped that this article raises awareness of the need for more research into the conservation of cellophane and gelatine films, and that Visking could be introduced as a new material for conservation after further testing and research.

The treatment was considered to be very successful as the loose flaps of gelatine film were secured and supported, and the adhesive was not visible. The losses were well disguised, as the gloss of the dyed Visking closely matched the gelatine film, and the colour was pale enough that any overlaps were discrete. It is likely that both materials will respond in a similar way when exposed to environmental changes, but further investigation is needed.

References

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was cut into small pieces shaped to fit the areas requiring support. Each piece was threaded under the degraded gelatine film with tweezers (Fig. 3), before the loose flaps of gelatine film were attached to the Visking with dots of adhesive, to allow for movement of the gelatine film. A 1:1 mixture of Lascaux 303 HV and Lascaux 498 HV was used, to ensure flexibility as well as good adhesion. Lascaux is suitable for nonabsorbent supports and can be solubilised in alcohol, making it easy to reverse without causing distortion of the Visking and gelatine film. Finally, two grey/ black twisted cotton threads were added to complete treatment and restore the aesthetical symmetry of the object (Fig. 4).

The Spirit of Gaiety, Guardian of the Gaiety Theatre Zoe Allen, Head of Furniture Conservation Yukiko Yoshii Barrow, Frame and Furniture Conservator

Acknowledgements

I am extremely grateful to my supervisor, Susan Catcher, for her invaluable support throughout this project and to Elizabeth-Anne Haldane for introducing me to Visking Dialysis Membrane and advising on treatment options.

I would also like to thank National Museums Scotland and Dr. Paul Garside (British Library) for Oddy testing.

1. Kimpton, P., Tom Smith’s Christmas Crackers: An Illustrated History (Tempus, Stroud, 2004), pp. 14-27.

2. ‘Christmas Crackers’, The Strand Magazine (December 1891), vol. 2, pp. 616-622. Available at: https://archive.org/stream/StrandMagazine12/ Strand12#page/n65/mode/2up 3. Léculier, A., Cellophane in Collections. Objects Specialty Group Postprints, vol. 10, 2003 (The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, Washington, DC, United States, 2004), pp. 206-214.

Available at: http://resources.conservation-us.org/ wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2015/02/osg010-19.pdf 4. Haldane, E.A., ‘Shiny Surfaces: the conservation of cellophane and related materials’, Preprints of the North American Textile Conservation Conference (6-11 November 2017), pp. 139-150.

5. Visking Dialysis Tubing was purchased from Medicell Membranes Ltd. http://www.visking.com. Visking with a Molecular Weight Cut-off of 12-14000 Daltons (Size 9: pore size 24 Angstrom, thickness 0.03mm) was used, as the thickness matched the original gelatine film most closely.

After treatment, the results of Oddy testing revealed that Visking is only appropriate for temporary use.

However, the cracker has been monitored regularly over the past year and there have been no observable changes to either the Visking or gelatine. If any changes are detected in the future the Visking repair will be removed. Since the treatment of the cracker, ongoing testing has shown that there is potential for Visking to be used if it is treated before use, to remove the glycerine humectant and residual trace impurities

Fig. 4. ‘Totem Cracker’ after treatment, showing the stabilised orange gelatine film and reshaped ends Photography by Alice Woodward © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Fig. 1. From left to right: i. Post card of Gaiety Theatre Strand, 1903 (image purchased from Alamy Limited); ii. The internal supporting ironwork became heavily corroded causing internal wood to rot and weaken, 2010 © Plowden & Smith Ltd, London; iii. New stainless steel support inserted by Plowden & Smith Ltd, Conservation London, 2010 © Plowden & Smith Ltd, London

The carved and gilded Spirit of Gaiety angel (S.2630-1986) was made by the sculptor Hibbert C Binny in 1904 to stand on top of the dome of the second Gaiety Theatre in London, which formerly stood at the junction of Aldwych and the Strand (Fig. 1.i). The figure, measuring 4500mm high by 2200mm wide, is made of blocks of carved teak held together by an internal metal armature.

The theatre was demolished in 1957 but fortunately the angel was not destroyed; the sculpture was removed and preserved in the well of the Citibank building which was built on the same site. In 1984 the angel was presented to the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden by its joint owners and displayed in the main entrance until 1992 when, due to concerns regarding its condition, it was taken off of display and moved into storage at the Victoria & Albert Museum. It is extremely rare for wooden architectural sculpture to survive. Due to the size and weight of these figures, and the deterioration they suffered through exposure to the elements, they are seldom preserved intact when the buildings they surmount are demolished. The V&A’s angel is likely to be unique within UK museum collections.

and in 2010 the angel underwent a first phase of extensive structural treatment by Plowden and Smith Limited. The sculpture was x-rayed to understand more accurately how it was constructed. The information gained allowed the safe removal of the wings and arms and the original joints were identified to enable the figure to be split into two halves. Once opened up, the severely rusting internal armature (Fig. 1.ii), consisting of a central ferrous post and six lateral bolts, was removed and replaced with a new stainless steel support made by V&A technicians. Rotting timbers were consolidated with Paraloid B72 in acetone. Where consolidation was not possible the wood was removed and replaced with new sections of iroko wood (Fig. 1.iii).

After treatment the two halves were re-joined with four new lateral stainless steel bolts and gaps were filled with Flugger acrylic filler. No treatment to the gilded surface was carried out other than protecting the surface edges with facing tissue of Japanese paper and starch paste. The sculpture was then transported back to the V&A and displayed at the end of The Edwin and Susan Davies Galleries (Rooms 81 and 82).

During its 50 years on the dome of the theatre, rain water had penetrated to the sculpture’s core and the internal supporting ironwork became heavily corroded causing internal wood to rot and weaken. Urgent treatment was required to prevent eventual collapse.

Funds were raised for conservation to be carried out

In 2016 a second phase of conservation began to treat the gilded surface in situ. The surface had undergone several campaigns of repair in the past consisting of consolidation, filling and protecting the surface with facing tissue but only two of these interventions were recorded. In 1987 work was carried out at the Theatre

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After tissue removal the extent of losses to the gilded surface could be established. There were approximately 20% of visually disturbing losses to the surface, exposing the wood below. The surface was coated with an isolation layer of a 10% solution of gelatine. Tests were carried out to find a filler which would allow some future movement in the sculpture. Pigmented Flugger and gesso produced cracks on drying and Flugger is not so easily reversible. Microballons with 10% rabbit skin glue pigmented with yellow ochre to match the base color under the gilding produced the best results. This filler is easy to reverse and once dry, the surface could be easily shaped and smoothed. Open construction and stepped joints were shallow filled in such a way as to show the original construction but to give an overall unity (Fig. 2.iii).

Under the tissue, large areas of the gilded surface were blistering and delaminating from the wooden substrate. There was also lifting and flaking between the painted and gilded layers. These areas needed to be re-fixed and this process often needed to be carried out at the same time as the tissue removal. Depending on the area and nature of delamination, the consolidation product used varied. For flaking gilding, Lascaux 4178 was used and for thicker delaminating layers, 20% rabbit skin glue was used. For areas delaminating from the wooden substrate, Lascaux 360/498 was used in conjunction with a heated spatula.

Existing fills from previous treatments (1987 Tetrion, 2010 Flugger) were shaped and re-worked to to replicate the texture of the surrounding area. Fill material which had been applied over the gilded surface was carefully mechanically removed. These previous fills were painted an ochre base colour.

All fills were sealed with gelatin and gilded with Charbonnel Mixtion 12 hour Oil Gold Size and gilded with 23.5ct Triple Thick Transfer Gold Leaf (lightly presses) from Wrights of Lymm Ltd (Fig. 2.iv).

Some more brittle areas of lifting were humidified first by brushing the surface with deionized water before applying the consolidant beneath the lifting surface.

Wet tissue (Tork heavy duty cleaning cloth) was placed over the area to be consolidated and ‘ironed’ on top.

This effectively steamed the lifting surface, kept the temperature lower than 100°C and softened the layers, allowing them to fit back into position to follow the sculptured shapes of the statue.

Fig. 2. Sequence of treatment from left to right: i. Pre-treatment image of the base, 2009; ii. Removing facing tissue, one half, 2016; iii. Losses filled, 2017; iv. Losses gilded, 2017; v. New gilding distressed and toned, 2017. Photography by Zoe Allen and Yukiko Y. Barrow © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Below the facing tissue the surface was quite dirty where surface dust had become ingrained with dirt in the layer of rabbit skin glue that had been applied to the whole surface in 1987. The surface was patchy with several areas of old retouching in ochre-coloured acrylic and bronze paint and there were also areas of residue from the Rhodoviol 4/12 (PVA) adhesive. After consolidation, the surface was cleaned with deionized water. Discoloured bronze paint was removed with an alkaline glycerol solution of 120g sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), 40 ml glycerol, 2L deionised water then rinsed with a weak acidic solution of acetic acid in deionised water PH 3.2-3.4. A Tork heavy duty cleaning cloth was used during the cleaning process.

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Museum by Malcolm Green (V&A Gilding Conservator until 1993) to prepare the sculpture for the Theatre Museum’s opening in April 1987, and in 1992 further treatment was carried out prior to its removal from the Theatre Museum to storage. When work began in 2016, approximately 80% of the surface was covered with the protective facing tissue applied during the last two conservation treatments to prevent the surface gilded decoration from detaching, one carried out in 1992 with eltoline tissue and Rhodoviol 4/12 (PVA adhesive) and the other in 2010 using starch paste (Fig. 2.i). Surface dust was removed from the entire surface with soft brushes and a vacuum. Tests carried out established that the best method for the removal of each phase of facing tissue was deionized water applied with a brush over the tissue then carefully removed with a stiffer brush. Tissue applied with starch paste was removed very easily, while some areas with tissue applied with Rhodoviol were more stubborn so were removed with lukewarm deionised water brushed on the surface and left for longer when necessary (Fig. 2.ii).

Fig. 4. Cross Section Analysis Photography by Lucia Burgio © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

was decided to leave the current scheme but having the information at hand opens the avenue to further possible research regarding its history.

Fig. 3. Conservation of gilded surface in situ, 2016

In her new splendour, the angel is now visible to many visitors and the joy and gaiety she represents (blowing through her trumpet) can be appreciated once more (Fig. 5).

Photography by Zoe Allen © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

When new gilding is applied it is very bright so a process known as distressing and toning is carried out to dull down the gold to match the surrounding area. Distressing was carried out with stiff brushes and abrasive sponges (Fig. 3). The gilded surface of the angel is quite mottled and rough due to the years of exposure. Furthermore it is not likely to have ever had a perfect finish as it was not meant to be viewed from close up. Our distressing aimed to imitate this finish.

Toning was carried out with rabbit skin glue pigmented with Shminke watercolours plus one drop of Primal to break the surface tension and watercolours (Fig. 2.v).

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Lucia Burgio, Senior Scientist (Object Analysis), Ramona Riedzewski, Head of Collections Management, Theatre and Performance, V&A Technical Services, and Plowden and Smith Ltd. for their assistance.

The Spirit of Gaiety was given by Citibank, its landlord The Prudential Assurance Company, and the Greater London Council.

During conservation, close visual examination of the surface showed that the present gilded surface is not original. Earlier decorative schemes were visible and surprisingly a silver-coloured finish could be seen in areas. The scientific analysis of cross sections from the surface showed that four decorative schemes are present (Fig. 4): • The earliest visible scheme (1) is made of gold-coloured filings. Their appearance suggests that they are made of bronze or brass paint.

• The second scheme (2) is made of finely divided aluminium.

• The third scheme (3) contains a barely visible layer of aluminium leaf.

• And finally the fourth scheme (4), which is what gives the current golden appearance to the angel, looks like it contains gold leaf.

We know at some point in its life the sculpture was silver in colour but no records exist of when this happened. As it started out golden in appearance it

Fig. 5. Treatment completed and dismantling of scaffold, 2017 Photography by Zoe Allen © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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In 2016, the Textile Conservation Studio at the Victoria and Albert Museum was approached by Mr. Harry Singh of HDS Ultrasonics Ltd to test an ‘ultrasonic wand’ that he had developed as a potential tool for the cleaning of museum objects. Ultrasonic cleaning uses cavitation bubbles induced by high frequency pressure waves to agitate a liquid. Initial testing on heavily soiled textiles in our handling collection was very promising, especially in the removal of particulate soiling on sturdy cotton textiles and lace during wet-cleaning treatments. A pair of soiled lace cuffs were wet-cleaned side-by-side in a 0.2% solution of Hostopon TPHC in deionized water. One cuff was sponged for two minutes and one cuff was given two minutes of ultrasound waves in three second bursts with the wand approximately 0.5 cm away from the surface of the textile. The cuffs were then rinsed and dried. The cuff cleaned with ultrasound was noticeably cleaner (Fig. 1). As this test proved promising, with no visible signs of damage to the cuff treated with ultrasound, samples of ultrasonically treated cotton, silk and wool were given to students on the MSc programme at University College London for examination with a Scanning Electron Microscope, to see if damage at the fibre level could be detected.

Initial results are promising for cotton textiles treated with a combination of ultrasonic waves delivered through a Melinex barrier during wet-cleaning, though the results indicate that ultrasonic cleaning may not be suitable for aged silk fibres due to their brittle nature and that wool fibres may become slightly felted.1 An opportunity to treat an accessioned textile presented itself when ‘Skara Brae’, a 1959 printed cotton textile designed by William Scott for the Edinburgh Weavers, was chosen for display in the Scottish Design Galleries at V&A Dundee. This textile was once part of the V&A Circulation Department, which was founded in 1901 and remained active until 1977 and was, in effect, an object lending library. Many of the objects in the circulating collection are soiled and stained from their many years of heavy use. This textile was originally bought new and hemmed at each end with machine stitching before being sent out to various museums and teaching institutions around Britain. For the display in Dundee the textile needed to be cleaned and flattened, requiring us to remove the hard crease and a line of soiling where the hem has been let down (Fig. 2).

The textile was wet-cleaned in two stages, firstly using 0.2% solution of Hostapon TPHC, followed by 0.1% Hostapon TPHC with the addition of 5g/Litre by volume of Trisodium citrate. Then the sharp crease line and soiling were treated with the ultrasonic wand (Fig. 3). The wand was passed over the sharp crease in a sweeping motion, keeping the end of the wand approximately 0.5cm from the surface of the textile.

The soiling was observed to be loosening and floating away from the textile. Areas of densely screen-printed design were avoided to prevent potential loss of colour. This method proved very effective in reducing the heavy soiling, which is usually resistant to conventional methods of wet-cleaning (Fig. 4).

Additional trials revealed that applying the ultrasonic wand through a layer of Melinex had the benefit of both keeping the textile and fibres still and prevented the build-up of surfactant foam which blocks your view. Experimentation will continue to evaluate how much more effective ultrasound is in comparison to conventional wet-cleaning using artificially soiled fabric samples. Harry Singh continues to modify and improve his equipment in response to our findings.

Fig. 1. Lace cuffs from the textile conservation department handling collection. Both cuffs cleaned in a 0.2% solution of Dehypon LS54 in deionized water. Upper cuff sponged for 2 minutes, lower cuff treated with 2 minutes of ultrasonic waves in 3 second bursts.

Photography by Joanne Hackett © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Joanne Hackett ACR FAIC, Head of Textile and Fashion Conservation

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Application of Ultrasonic Cleaning for Historic Textiles: Initial Trials and Treatments

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Mr. Harry Singh of HDS Ultrasonics Ltd. for his expert advice and encouragement as well as for providing two models of the ultrasonic wand for us to use in our trials.

I would like to thank Gabrielle Crowther, Netanya Schiff and Stefani Cavazos, MSc Candidates in Conservation for Archaeology and Museums, University College London, for undertaking the SEM examination of our trial samples.

References

1. Crowther, G. S.Cavazos and N. Schiff. Applications of Ultrasonic Cleaning for Historic Textiles: Micro-analysis of potential damage to textile fibres using Scanning Electron Microscopy. V&A Conservation Journal Number 65, Autumn 2018.

Fig 3. Nora Mellor of the National Maritime Museum using the ultrasonic wand to treat the line of heavy soiling on Skara Brae.

Fig. 2. ‘Skara Brae’ Circ. 266-1960. Printed cotton textile designed by William Scott for the Edinburgh Weavers, 1959. Detail of crease and soiling along one end. Before wet-cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning.

Photography by Textile Conservation © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Photography by Textile Conservation © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Fig. 4. ‘Skara Brae’ Circ. 266-1960.

Printed cotton textile designed by William Scott for the Edinburgh Weavers, 1959. After Treatment.

Photography by Textile Conservation © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Application of Ultrasonic Cleaning for Historic Textiles: Micro-analysis of potential damage to textile fibres using Scanning Electron Microscopy Gabrielle Crowther, Stefani Cavazos, and Netanya Schiff UCL MSc Conservation for Archaeology and Museums The Textile Conservation Studio at the Victoria and Albert Museum is currently trialling cleaning textiles with the aid of an ultrasonic unit developed by Harry Singh of HDS Ultrasonics Ltd (Fig. 1). As part of this project the authors have analysed test cleaning samples using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to observe potential damage caused by the ultrasonic cleaning system to the textile fibres.

traditionally done with brushes and sponges in direct contact with the textile to encourage the migration of soiling and stains into solution. Ultrasonic cleaning provides a controllable micro-agitation system to remove more persistent embedded soiling, which offers a localised treatment and eliminates the need of excessive direct physical contact with the object, reducing overall manipulation.

Four samples of historic textiles from a reference collection held at the V&A were immersed in de-ionised water and cleaned with the ultrasonic unit. The sample types were chosen by conservators to be representative of common cleaning challenges due to either age, fragility, or other inherent characteristics of their material composition. Through the SEM investigation, the researchers sought to better understand the mechanical effects of the ultrasonic cleaning on each type of historic textile individually, as well as to compare the damage caused with and without the use of a Melinex barrier between the ultrasonic device and the textile surface. The effectiveness of cleaning was not a focus of this analysis.

The ultrasonic unit being tested has an amplitude of 40 kHz with up to 50 W of power and consists of a control box with a wand attachment. The size of the wand head is 10mm. The unit works similarly to ultrasonic baths, by using sound waves to agitate a solvent, generating cavitation bubbles that provide gentle abrasion to break down soiling. The wand attachment on this instrument is the transducer, which allows more localized cleaning. In order to analyse the potential damage of the ultrasonic device on textiles, samples were prepared in Textile Conservation by MA student placement Lauren Osmond. The textiles investigated included wool, silk embroidery, painted silk, and cotton chintz. These samples were chosen based on their similar degree of soiling and structural stability. Each sample was marked out with six sample areas and a seventh control area which was not treated. The six sample areas were then submerged in a bath of deionized water and cleaned with the ultrasonic wand as follows:

Removal of deeply embedded soil and staining from textiles often relies on wet cleaning methods in combination with agitation of the textile fibres to dislodge unwanted materials from the fabric body, which can result in damage to the textile fibre.

Removal of ingrained soiling during immersion is

With the wand held in one position and in direct contact with the fabric 1. 25 seconds 2. 10 seconds 3. 2 seconds With the wand in continual movement with a Melinex barrier between the sample and wand 4. 25 seconds 5. 10 seconds 6. 2 seconds These times were chosen in order to determine at which point visible damage could occur due to direct

Fig. 1. Singh’s ultrasonic unit used for textile cleaning in this analysis Photography by V&A Textile Conservation © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Fig 2. Painted silk; mechanical damage caused by the ultrasonic wand after direct contact without barrier. Top left: Dino-lite image of control sample. Top right: SEM-SE image; control sample at 18x magnification. Bottom left: SEM-SE image; sample 2 (ten second contact, no barrier) 18x magnification Bottom right: SEM-SE image, sample 2 (ten second contact, no barrier) 47x magnification.

Fig. 3. Wool; some fibres loose and weave interrupted but very little mechanical fibre breakage after cleaning with probe in different scenarios. Top left: Dino-lite image of wool control sample.

Top right: SEM-SE image; control sample at 30x magnification.

Bottom left: SEM-SE image; sample 5, cleaned with Melinex barrier and continual lateral movement of the probe, 23x magnification (10 seconds). Bottom right: SEM-SE image; sample 2 (10 second contact with no barrier) at 30x magnification.

Photography by researchers, UCL Institute of Archaeology © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Photography by researchers, UCL Institute of Archaeology © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

contact between the wand and the surface of the substrate. The samples were prepared for SEM by cutting around the sampled areas and mounting on aluminum stubs. They were then examined and photographed using a Dino-Lite Pro HR AM7013 MT at 20x magnification in raking light. Images produced with the Dino-Lite were used as points of reference, to create a comparison between visible and microscopic damage to fibres caused by cleaning.

in the recommended methodology accompanying use of the ultrasonic wand for cleaning.

Although it is difficult to make definitive recommendations for the use of the ultrasonic unit, as all textiles tested were historic and had unique states of degradation and soiling prior to analysis, the cleaning of wool with the instrument appears to be safe when a Melinex barrier is used in combination with continual lateral movement across the textile surface (Fig. 3). Cotton chintz also appeared to be unaffected by cleaning despite its degree of historic degradation prior to testing. Methods of systematic movement to ensure even cleaning and minimal damage should be the next area of practical experimentation. V&A textile conservators have achieved satisfactory results in removing persistent soiling with practical use of the ultrasonic unit, and it is hoped that the findings of this SEM investigation have contributed to more specific recommendations for safest methods of cleaning.

The samples were gold coated to enable conductivity using a Quorum Technologies Q150R ES gold coater.

Qualitative investigation of the samples was then conducted with SEM imaging using a Hitachi S-3400 N scanning electron microscope under 5.00kV accelerating voltage at varying magnification (between x16-950). Secondary electron images were captured to observe detail of surface morphology, and images were focused on areas of mechanical damage, if present.

Across all textile types tested, the damage was most pronounced when the wand was held in direct contact with the sample for an extended length of time from two to 25 seconds, with 25 seconds representing the most extreme case of damage. The two silk samples exhibited the most damage of the four textile types, likely due to the inherent fragility of this material (Fig. 2). However, in all textile types, negligible damage was observed when the textile was first covered with a Melinex barrier and the wand was continually moved across the sample, rather than held in one position.

This represents best practice and should be included

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Harry Singh for his cooperation and support as well as to Frances Hartog, Senior Textile Conservator, V&A, Joanne Hackett, Head of Textile Conservation, V&A, and Lauren Osmond. Thanks to University College London Institute of Archaeology Wolfson Archaeological Science Laboratory for access and Tom Gregory, SEM technician, UCL, for support using analytical equipment, as well as Caitlin O’Grady, Lecturer in Conservation, UCL, for the first stage of editing.

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Fig. 1. Portrait of a patient, Surrey County Asylum (RPS. 2966-2017) © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Fig. 2. Amanda Maloney demonstrating the Salt Printing process Photography by Lauren Ashley-Irvine © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Victoria and Albert Museum is the custodian of one of the world’s largest collections of photography.

The recent addition of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) collection of 270,000 photographs includes numerous salted paper prints (Fig. 1). The salted print process was a revolutionary, direct, negative to positive photographic process invented by William Henry Fox Talbot in 1839, which allowed multiple prints to be created from a single negative. However, depending on the precise process used, it can result in extremely light-sensitive prints. This article discusses the knowledge gained by the author by attending a highlyspecialised conservation symposium and workshop.

Details of the talks, which covered chemistry and process, preservation issues, current display practices, the history of the salted paper print as well as its contemporary use, will also be discussed.

understanding of the care, conservation and long term preservation needs of the RPS collection of salted print material at the V&A and get to know other professionals in the field. Organised by the American Institute of Conservation (AIC) in partnership with Harvard Library and Harvard Art Museums, the symposium looked at contemporary approaches and research studies undertaken by cultural institutions across the world. The talks focussed on the latest analytical techniques, preservation issues, ethical exhibition and display practices, and historical manufacturing techniques.

The presentation portion of the symposium, held at Harvard University at the Harvard Faculty Club, was attended by over one hundred professionals in the fields of photographic conservation, science, curation and photographic arts. On the first day of the symposium the Northeast Document Conservation Centre, which had partnered up with the host institution, held a practical hands-on workshop.

Amanda Maloney, Associate Photographs Conservator

In September 2017 the author travelled to Cambridge, Massachusetts for five days to attend Salted Paper Prints: Purpose and Process. A Collaborative Workshop in Photographic Conservation in order to develop an

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Lauren Ashley-Irvine, Conservator of Photographs and Paper

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Salted Paper Prints: their past, present and future

Fig. 3. Newly created, four different historic salted paper print processes

Fig. 4. Showing all four processes after two months of exposure to daylight

Photography by Lauren Ashley-Irvine © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Photography by Lauren Ashley-Irvine © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

at the Centre, gave a short but very illuminating presentation on the history, chemistry and technique of salted paper prints. Following this, attendees proceeded to the conservation studio on site to try making their own prints (Fig. 2). Although there are dozens of historic recipes for creating salted prints, the workshop focussed on four of them: a Fixed Salt Print, a Gold Toned and Fixed Salt Print, a Potassium Iodide (KI) Stabilised Print and a Sodium Chloride/ Salt (NaCl) Salt Print (Fig. 3). These processes became standardised as salted printing became better-known and used in the mid-nineteenth century. Using four different negatives, one print from each process was created using pre-sensitised paper.

stable image. Three coatings were also applied to the two fixed salted prints: beeswax, albumen (egg white) and gum arabic. These were brushed on in sections, side by side, to both prints so a visible comparison could be made between them. Coatings were often applied to salted prints, as they were to other photographic and art works, to act as a protective layer and increase image clarity and contrast. 3 After returning from the symposium, the four salted prints were placed in front of a desk window and exposed to daylight for several months, half covered, to observe the changes. While some clearly visible fading and darkening occurred in the unfixed and sensitised salted papers, the salted prints that were gold toned and fixed in sodium thiosulphate remained unchanged to the eye (Fig. 4). Knowing which processes are vulnerable to rapid fading and why, such as photogenic drawings, will help to inform the care and use guidelines of the objects in the RPS collection for future exhibition, display, loan or public viewing request.

The most straightforward process was the stabilisation-only technique. With this, the contactprinted paper is placed in a bath of either sodium chloride (NaCl) solution or potassium iodide (KI) for two minutes and left to dry. Washing and fixing is not carried out. Early photogenic drawings, which are also salted paper prints, were often stabilised in this way, which inhibits the fading of the image.1 In the second process, the printed image was washed and fixed using sodium thiosulphate (a common fixative). Sodium thiosulphate creates a more stable image because it removes a significant amount of the excess light-sensitive silver halides from the paper.2 A gold toning technique was also carried out for one of the prints. Because gold is a very stable element, when the printed image goes through this bath, it coats the silver particles embedded in the emulsion in gold, which results in a crisp, long lasting, more

In addition to gaining a greater understanding of the chemistry of salted paper prints, another important insight gained from the talks in Cambridge was how to make use of facsimiles in exhibitions in an ethical and effective way. There is a significant amount of this highly light-sensitive photographic material in the RPS collection so the possible use of facsimiles in place of the originals is interesting, as is the potential involvement of contemporary artists in their production. The talk by Dan Leers, Curator of Photography at the Carnegie Museum of Art,

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Attending the symposium helped shed significant light on how salted paper print collections can be preserved and utilised. It was also a wonderful opportunity to gain knowledge of this remarkable photographic process, build international networks and share information. The special benefit of a workshop should not be underestimated; there is no substitute for the insight that comes from creating a replica. That the V&A’s new Photography Centre could engage artist/photographers in producing facsimiles and use those facsimiles to preserve unique objects would be a great outcome, both preserving skills and making more images available; education and access, two of the V&A’s core values.

Fig. 5. Curator Dan Leers discussing the ethical use of photographic facsimiles in exhibitions Photography by Lauren Ashley-Irvine © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

focussed on the importance of using facsimiles of salted paper prints in exhibitions in place of originals and looked at how different museums and galleries across the world carried this out (Fig. 5).

As an example, he showed a photogenic drawing created by William Fox Talbot made in 1835, called Linen. This print had been on exhibition at the Getty in 1989 and had faded significantly after only five weeks on display. The British Library displayed facsimiles, created by curator John Falconer in their Beyond Photography exhibition, in place of sensitive originals. The National Library of Scotland’s Sun Pictures and Beyond exhibition in 2017 also made use of reproductions, as did the Carnegie Museum of Art in the recent exhibition William Henry Fox Talbot and the Promise of Photography where the highly light-sensitive photogenic drawings were replaced by facsimiles. Another alternative to displaying the originals with facsimiles was the use of virtual reality (VR) for Thresholds, organized by Somerset House and Photo London in 2017. An interactive VR experience was developed by the artist Mat Collishaw and VMI studios in London; it recreated the world’s first major photography exhibition and allowed visitors to interact with very early Fox Talbot prints.4

Acknowledgements

Attendance at this symposium was made possible with a Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Research Grant from Art Fund.

References

1 Maloney, Amanda. “History and Craft of Salt Prints.”

Salted Paper Printing Workshop, 13 and 16 September 2017, Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, MA. Workshop Session.

2. Maloney, Amanda. “History and Craft of Salt Prints.”

Salted Paper Printing Workshop, 13 and 16 September 2017, Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, MA. Workshop Session.

3. ‘Characteristics of Salted Paper Prints.’ Salt Prints at Harvard, 2018. Accessed 7 February 2018. https://projects. iq.harvard.edu/saltprintsatharvard/characteristics-saltedpaper-prints 4. Collishaw, Mat. Thresholds, 2017. Accessed 7 February 2018. https://matcollishaw.com/

The topic of contemporary creation of salted paper prints was also discussed by a number of speakers at the symposium. Both artists and photographers presented talks on how to re-create this historic

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photographic method to create modern reproductions.

Using the same historic materials such as salted papers and silver nitrate emulsions produces more convincing facsimiles than digital prints because they have the same tactile look and feel. The benefits of using this approach with salted prints is that modern, more realistic copies can be shown for the duration of an exhibition in place of the highly light sensitive photographic originals-thus prolonging their life.

Red-Dyed Gold from Southeast Asia Emma Burdon, MA Student, Courtauld Institute of Art

In the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, there are eleven gold objects that are described as being coloured red using tamarind. They originate from Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand, and are thought to have been made during the nineteenth century.

The Burmese objects are as follows: five necklaces (123-1852, 03160(IS), 03164(IS), IM.38-1927, IM.39-1927); a bowl (02747(IS)); an ear-cylinder (03172(IS); and a hintha-shaped betel box and stand (IS.246&A-1964).

From Thailand, there are two boxes (IM.49-1937, IM.50-1937) and a stand (IM.55-1937). The objects from Thailand and the ear cylinder have been identified as ‘stained with tamarind juice’. Others, principally from Burma, are identified as coloured red by ‘boiling the gold with tamarind seeds or exposing it to the fumes of burning sulphur during the smelting process’. Tamarind was chosen for investigation because all of the objects in the study are thought to have been coloured using tamarind in some way.

Whether tamarind juice was used to ‘dye’ gold was the subject of a preliminary investigation undertaken as a dissertation for an MA in Buddhist Art: History and Conservation at the Courtauld Institute of Art in collaboration with the V&A. The use of tamarind can be traced to textual sources.

Wardle (1886) writes that the red colour on Thai vessels is achieved by using tamarind juice as a dye.1 Thompson (1910) reported that Siamese royal vessels were sometimes ‘stained crimson with tamarind dye’.2 Scott (1906) notes that gold objects were boiled with tamarind seeds to create a red hue, while Bird (1897) writes that exposing the metal the fumes of burning sulphur during the smelting process will have a similar effect. Scott and Bird are cited by Fraser-Lu (1994), who writes that the ‘muted reddish hue’ favoured by the Burmese ‘was obtained either by boiling the metal with tamarind seeds, or by exposing it to the fumes of burning sulphur during the smelting process’.3

Fig. 1. Top: image under ambient light. Bottom: Ultra-violet induced luminescence of tamarind paste (left), and flesh (middle) next to a non- luminescence reference standard (right).

Photography by Emma Burdon and Giovanni Verri © Courtauld Institute of Art

production of red gold. One of the main limitations of this research is that it only refers to fresh tamarind paste, which is just one possible option for the fabrication of red gold objects.

Visual analysis was carried out as an initial examination, in order to determine the nature of the dye and how it may have been applied. No brush marks were observed, suggesting that the layer was not painted on. The colour appeared on both the inside and the outside of the vessels, indicating that the objects may have been immersed in a substance to colour them. Macrophotography and microscopy clearly showed that the red colour forms a coherent and superficial layer, which is not found within the main bulk of the gold, indicating the red hue was not obtained by alloying gold with copper.

A motivation behind this research was to understand how the materials would behave, and therefore how the objects should be cared for. The presence of an organic colorant, for example, may restrict light levels for its long-term preservation. In order to better understand the materials and techniques involved in producing red-dyed gold, different non-invasive tests were carried out. For this preliminary study, it was not possible to replicate the various recipes for the

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Fig. 2. 123-1852 showing no luminescence next to the non-luminescent reference standard.

Photography by Emma Burdon and Giovanni Verri © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

While there is an indication that some organic materials might be present, their origin could not be determined. It is possible that tamarind was used, but in a more complex method than identifiable by the non-invasive methodology used here for its identification. In addition, tamarind may have undergone modifications during the dying of the gold and because of ageing. Other materials may also have been involved in its production. For example, Richter and Carpenter (2011) draw attention to a report devoted to metalwork in Indonesia by Jasper and Pirngadie (1927), which includes several methods for producing red gold.4 Richter (2010), referring to Jasper and Pirngadie, outlines a process involving ‘repeated chemical cleaning, drying, very gentle heating, and then the submersion of the item in chemical compounds’. One compound is a mix of tamarind or rotted citrus fruit, combined with sulphur to make an acidic paste. The other is a combination of potassium nitrate, rock saltand alum.5

Ultraviolet-induced luminescence imaging (UIL) was used to examine each object, to try and locate the presence of luminescent organic materials, such as tamarind. Fresh tamarind paste has a weak, bluewhite luminescence, whereas the intact fruit has a white luminescence (Fig. 1). Some objects, for example 123-1852 (Fig. 2), showed no luminescence.

While there was some luminescence detected on a number of objects, it did not correspond to the red areas. For example, the Burmese bowl (02747(IS)) (Fig. 3) shows some yellow luminescence properties in a small area on the base and on the side. As this area does not correspond to the red on the object, it cannot be associated with the red colour. There was an area of weak, yellow-white luminescence on the tail of IS.246A-1964 (Fig. 4). However, even in this case, there was not a strong correlation between the red on the object and areas of luminescence. While none of the objects consistently produced similar luminescence, this does not disprove the presence of tamarind. Luminescence can be affected by the presence of other materials such as binders, and metals may have quenching properties. Additionally, aged tamarind may have different luminescent properties from fresh tamarind.

Although the results of this study were inconclusive, it is hoped that this preliminary research will provide a useful reference for further invasive investigations, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), as well as experimental attempts to interpret and replicate the various historic recipes for a more systematic approach to reveal the ‘secrets’ of red-dyed gold.

X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) was used to characterise the composition of the metal. As XRF

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Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to try to identify organic or inorganic compounds present. As there was no ‘Tamarind’ reference spectrum on the Infrared & Ramen users Group (IRUG) database of heritage materials, a reference was made using fresh TRS commercial tamarind paste. None of the samples from the objects matched the FTIR reference closely enough to confirm the presence of tamarind as a dye. FTIR did detect the likely presence of organic materials, as shown

by CH-stretchings at around the 3000 cm-1 region on the readings taken, indicating the presence of hydrocarbons, particularly calcium oxalate (Whewellite/Weddelite), a product of organic degradation. However, none of the readings corresponded with the FTIR reference for tamarind captured for this study. Additionally, CH-stretchings alone cannot be easily used to identify organic materials.

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cannot detect the presence of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen, it is not a suitable technique to detect organic compounds, such as tamarind dye, so it was used alongside other methods of analysis. The XRF results corroborated the visual analysis that the red colour is not due to the presence of high quantities of copper.

Fig. 3. Luminescence on 02747(IS).

Photography by Emma Burdon and Giovanni Verri © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Fig. 4. Luminescence on IS.246A-1964. Presented by the Government of Burma in generous recognition of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s safekeeping of the Mandalay Regalia (1886 to 1964).

Photography by Emma Burdon and Giovanni Verri © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Acknowledgements

References

I would like to thank Diana Heath for introducing me to red-dyed gold at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I am also grateful to Dr Giovanni Verri, Dr John Clarke, Anne Bancroft, Catriona Gourlay and Anita Nathwani for their help and guidance in carrying out this research.

1. Wardle, T., Colonial and Indian Exhibition, 1886, Empire of India-special catalogue of exhibits by the Government of India and private exhibitors. W. Clowes, London, 1886, p.268 2. Thompson, P. A., Siam: an Account of the Country and the People, J. B Millet, Boston, 1910, p.146 3. Fraser-Lu, S., Burmese Crafts, Past and Present. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1994, p.170 4. Richter, A. and Carpenter, B., Gold Jewellery of the Indonesian Archipelago, Editions Didier Millet, Singapore, 2011, p.8 5. Richter, A., The Jewellery of Southeast Asia. 2nd Edition, Rorimer. London, 2010, p.158

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A brightly-coloured Korean lidded box, made in the nineteenth century from reverse-painted horn in the late Choson dynasty (1392-1910), was treated for the Lustrous Surfaces display: a cross-cultural showcase of Asian lacquer throughout the Museum (Fig. 1). Small panels of ox horn were painted on the reverse and adhered to the box’s wooden substrate with a proteinbased animal glue. The panels each have a distinct scene of animals and flowers, each one variously representing longevity and good fortune. Although not made from lacquer, with its glossy surface it forms part of the East-Asian artistic tradition which employs a large range of materials and techniques in the creation of decorative arts. Asian lacquer work can be characterised by its lustre and the use of horn allows the craftsman to create a shiny surface, not limited by colour palette or lacquer technique. The technique is called hwagak in Korean, literally translated as ‘brilliant horn’.

is then applied to the surface to soften it further and the cylindrical piece is opened out and flattened using tongs. The flattened piece of horn, around 10mm thick, is then cut in two along its thickness. The cut pieces are further reduced in thickness with files and other grinding tools. The surfaces are scraped smooth and the final thickness can be around 0.5mm. Korean ox horns are relatively short, so the panel dimensions on this box are around 100mm x 65mm.

The translucent property of horn has been well known around the world for centuries; in Europe lanterns were commonly made from horn panels and were sometimes referred to as ‘lanthorns’. Horn appears in boulle marquetry from the seventeenth century, often with a painted paper backing. The technique for creating usable panels has changed little. The tip of the horn is cut off then the cone-shaped piece is cut open along its length and boiled in water for hours to soften it. Direct heat from a stove or burner

Treatment was carried out on this box to re-adhere the lifting horn decoration. Like wood, horn is hydroscopic and anisotropic: it absorbs atmospheric humidity, shrinking and expanding with fluctuations in relative humidity. Some of the horn panels had fine parallel cracks and larger cracks that had caused a loss of material. The combination of movement in the wooden substrate and in the horn resulted in around 80 loose areas. The main challenge in re-adhering translucent material is in the selection of an adhesive

The paint is proteinaceous, traditionally made from the swim bladder from the brown croaker fish (Sciaenidae sp.) and skin from the walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus). 1 To adhere the panels to the box, animal glue would have been applied to the wooden substrate, allowed to dry and then reactivated with a hot iron when the horn piece was applied. This would have prevented the paint layer from being disrupted by wet animal glue.

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Tristram Bainbridge, Furniture Conservator

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Hwagak: the brilliant horn technique

that does not disrupt the painted decoration or cause visual problems with chromatic change or saturation.

The protein-based paint was likely to have been sensitive to aqueous adhesives and testing revealed the paint layer was disrupted by polar solvents.

Paraloid B-72 15% w/v concentration in xylene was trialled and no negative interactions were noted.

The B-72 mixture was injected under the lifting horn and massaged further under using bamboo spatulas.

The horn was re-attached using cast films of isinglass.

These were inserted under the horn, softened using a localised humidity chamber (made from a small plastic dish and damp cotton wool), and further warmed with a Preservation Pencil that directed warm (60o C) moist air to the surface. The horn’s surface was protected with polyester Bondina and blotting paper and heated MDF blocks were then used to clamp the horn in position.

Various clamping methods were used, including deep throated ‘G’ clamps and Berna Multiclamps (Fig. 2).

The clamping pad used 3mm clear acrylic squares to spread the clamping load with a soft silicone sheet (20 Shore A) to conform to the uneven surface.2 To clamp the edges of the box, silicone putty cauls were made using a harder addition cure dental putty (60 shore A). These were moulded directly on the area to be clamped with a thin polythene barrier layer between the silicone and the object.

Horn has been valued by craftsmen for its translucency, but as these treatments show, this property can be a challenge for the conservator when it comes to treating without causing visual change to the object.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks for support from the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, Mr. Yang Seok Joong, lacquer and furniture master and Mr Kim Kyoungsu, lacquer conservator at the National Museum of Korea. Thanks also to Rosalie Kim, V&A Samsung Curator of Korean Art; Alex Owen, Furniture Conservator, who developed the treatment for the Hwagak box, and Andrew Thackray, Furniture Conservator, who treated the marquetry desk.

A similar scenario had been encountered when treating painted paper-backed horn on marquetry objects for the Europe 1600–1815 galleries. The early eighteenth-century desk (372-1901, Fig. 3) has marquetery with horn, turtleshell, brass, copper and mother-of-pearl. Several areas of the horn veneer were lifting and there was adhesive failure between the painted paper and the horn, as well as between the paper and the substrate. Any wet method for re-adhering caused colour change and saturation.

References

1. Lee Jae-man, Korean Hwagak master interviewed

by ArirangTV in 2014, https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=5Y5AzJZu6No (accessed 20/02/18).

2. Bainbridge, T., et al. Goberge, Shimbari, Go-Bars: The Use of Flexible Sticks for Clamping in Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, Vol. 54, Iss. 2, 2015.

Fig. 3. Detail from the marquetry desk (372-1901), showing the coloured horn Fig. 2. Clamping during the consolidation of the lifting horn

Fig. 1. W.38-1920, Korean Hwagak box on display in Gallery 47G © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Photography by Alex Owen © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Photography by Tristram Bainbridge © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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strips (badla) wrapped around a starched silk core, braids made of two badla strips, dome-shaped sequins (katori), and sequins cut into teardrops (tikki) and circles. Hidden under the metalwork is a black block print outline that would have guided the embroiderer during production.

This fabric was designed with the intention of being made into a woman’s skirt. The skirt length originally consisted of five cotton net panels stitched together but is now in three separate fragments. After being transferred to the V&A from the India Museum in the UK in 1879, the skirt panel in question was likely unstitched and cut from the other panels in order to be framed for display in one of the Victorian wood cases once found in the V&A Textile Study galleries. There are no records of the object’s display but evidence can be seen on the skirt panel where a rectangular area of distortion about the size of the wood case frame is visible.

In addition to unravelling elements, overall museum dirt accumulation, hydrolysis, oxidation, tarnishing, staining, holes, and structural distortion, the most interesting degradation in this textile was in the elytra elements. The peripheral area of the skirt panel that would have been hidden behind the display frame, and thus blocked from light, is well preserved and appeared cleaner and more sparkly than the inner rectangular section of the skirt panel. In the former, the iridescence of the elytra boasts a vibrant emerald green, the original colour of the insect. In turn, the inner section where the textile was exposed to light

Fig. 1. Dress skirt panel (4411(IS)) before treatment Photography by Lauren Osmond © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

In the mid-nineteenth century, in India, the outer wing casings (elytra) of iridescent Jewel beetles were used to adorn metal embroidered textiles produced specifically for British export. The Victoria and Albert Museum owns many of these luxurious objects and continues to acquire them for its collections. In the summer of 2017, a skirt panel embellished with hand-cut beetle elytra (4411(IS), Fig.1) was conserved in preparation for display in the South Asia Galleries.

This article outlines the condition of the object, the questions it raised, and the conservation work completed.

The skirt panel was made in 1858 in Hyderabad, India, out of a starched cotton bobbinet fabric with metal embroidery that is heavily embellished with elytra, cut into leaf and octagon shapes and sewn onto the net using indigo-dyed silk threads. The silver-gilt elements consist of two-ply threads made of flat thin silver

Fig. 2. Detached elytra sequin from 4411(IS) showing “resist” lines, 51.9x magnification, Dino-Lite Photography by Lauren Osmond © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Lauren Osmond, MA Conservation student, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario

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Effects of Wet Cleaning Beetle Elytra Embellished Textiles

reduced mechanically. To prevent further losses during handling and wet cleaning, all loose and already detaching elements were secured using Gütermann Skala 100% polyester thread. The suction table was lined with Bondina 30gsm, on top of which the textile was placed face-up with a protective layer over the embroidered areas. The textile was then covered with thin Melinex, leaving exposed 15cm2 sections for cleaning. In an effort to eliminate potential crushing of the metal and elytra sequins, Sympatex was used as the protective cushioning between the object and the Melinex to buffer the pressure caused by the sucking action of the table.

It also doubled as a barrier that could control the potential wetting-out of the embroidered areas, if ever there was water infiltration.

and ultraviolet radiation had changed colour from green to a deep blue-violet with green “resist” lines where the dyed silk yarn had couched down the elytra to the net (Fig. 2).

The iridescence and colour in this type of beetle, Buprestidae Julodinae Sternocera aequisignata, is structurally produced by many layers of chitin-protein fibres, meaning that this change in colour is the result of a structural change in the elytron microstructure.

During examination, it was hypothesized that the structural change could be the result of dehydration causing the layers of chitin to collapse or delaminate, thus changing the way in which wavelengths of light are absorbed and diffracted. This sparked concerns about how the elytra would respond to the wet cleaning required to prepare this skirt panel for display. Consultation with Gill Comerford, preventative conservator, and Max Barclay, an entomologist, both from the Natural History Museum (NHM) of London, was pursued to inquire into this colour change phenomenon. It involved undertaking preliminary imaging techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, which suggested minimal chemical changes and an overall friable structure. With no definite answers about the condition, we decided that the skirt panel would be selectively wet-cleaned on a suction table to offset any possible damage if water was to come into contact with the elytra.

Moving section by section with fresh blotting paper positioned between the object and the Bondina, the cotton net substrate was washed under a low suction using deionized water applied with a large mop brush, and then one application of Dehypon LS 54 suds and two applications of 1% Tri-sodium Citrate.

The application of the detergent suds rather than the liquid solution allowed for more contact time with the textile under suction. Strips of blotting paper were positioned at the edges of the embroidery to absorb any water that could have been wicked under the Melinex and to control the development of tidelines. The net ground in the interstices of the embroidered areas was then cleaned using deionized water and a very small paint brush. Finally, the extreme tarnishing and accumulated dirt found on

The cotton net was first lightly surface cleaned and the tarnishing on the silver sequins was minimally

Fig. 3. Colour change after contact with water, wet (left) to dry (right) Photography by Lauren Osmond © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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undertaken into its ‘resist’ pattern. Though a handful of textiles embellished with beetle elytra have been successfully washed at the V&A, the condition and behaviour of the elytra elements seen in 4411(IS) indeed suggests that a more in-depth understanding of possible degradation mechanisms could shed light on the long-term effects and/or benefits of washing.

This dual interest – in the scientific underpinnings and applied conservation raised by the skirt panel – has resulted in a continued collaboration between the NHM Imaging and Analysis Centre and the V&A and was the premise of the author’s Master’s research.

Continued conservation-based research at the V&A will commence autumn 2018 with generous support from the Samuel H. Kress Conservation Fellowship program.

During washing, some water had accidentally wicked its way under the Melinex seal causing a few elytra to become wet. This resulted in a further change of colour from blue to a deep orange-red (Fig. 3). Upon drying, the effected elytra turned back to blue. Finally, after significant rinsing and allowing suction to eliminate as much water as possible, the textile was blocked out, given a full Stablitex lining support, and then stitched to a grey fabric-covered padded board.

Even though the elytra had been protected from the wet cleaning process, there was a visible shift of the colour of the elytra post-treatment (Figs. 4 and 5).

Many of the interior blue sequins had reverted back to a green or blue-green similar to the original emerald colour. These post-cleaning observations added new questions about the mechanisms causing colour changes. Were post-cleaning changes caused by the suction pulling the layers of chitin back together, or from humidity that swelled the chitin-protein matrix during washing?

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Joanne Hackett and Elizabeth-Anne Haldane for their engaged mentorship during my internship and for their support in my research initiatives; Lucia Burgio for XRF and microscopic analysis; Boris Pretzel, Gill Comerford (NHM), and Max Barclay (NHM) for their consultation; Alex Ball (NHM) for SEM analysis; and Tomasz Goral (NHM) for continued work with confocal microscopy imaging.

Research abroad was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

The NHM specialists who performed a preliminary analysis of the object suggested research should be

Fig. 4. Before treatment © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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the metal areas along the fold lines was reduced by swabbing Industrial Methylated Spirits and lightly blotting with unbuffered blotting paper.

Ocean Liners: Creating Life on Board Lilia Prier Tisdall, Textile Conservation Display Specialist

The list of costumes to be mounted for the exhibition Ocean Liners: Speed & Style seemed relatively small at 20 ensembles in comparison to some of our main shows, which can feature upwards of 200 textiles. Small, however, certainly does not mean straightforward; it was clear from our first meeting that curator Ghislaine Wood and the exhibition designers from Casson Mann had big ambitions for these historic garments. They wanted all the costumes on display to have been worn on an ocean liner (or presumed to have been), which is why most of them belong to the collections of the American socialite Emilie Grigsby and diplomat Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, both seasoned transatlantic travellers.

As such, the textiles in the exhibition not only have the function of showcasing the development of fashion styles in swimwear and evening wear during the early 20th century heyday of the ocean liner, but also of populating and animating the space with a sense of the characters who might have been aboard these ships.

mannequins in unique poses that interacted with their surroundings. Particularly challenging was the pool scene featuring a variety of reclining and seated figures and a striking diving mannequin (Fig. 1).

Dramatic mannequins of this kind can run the risk of waxwork creepiness as attempts at life-like poses can appear awkward when frozen in time and space.

This is the costume mounter’s constant conundrum: how to breathe life into inanimate garments when mounting them on inanimate mannequins. Clothes are designed to be worn by living bodies that walk, sit, swim and even dive. Mannequins, by contrast, stay still. With this design brief in mind it might have seemed that ordering bespoke mannequins for each garment was the only option, which is extremely costly as well as time-consuming. However, we were able to achieve the majority of the desired poses using off-the-shelf mannequins, with a few simple but innovative adaptations.

One major success where conservation requirements and design vision came together was the mounting of a 1920s beaded Lanvin dress worn by Emilie Grigsby (T.151&A-1967). Although mounted temporarily for photography on an upright dress form, the inherent fragility of this garment, constructed of glass beads embroidered onto silk chiffon, meant that this was

The combined curatorial and design vision was to tell the story of life on board an ocean liner through a series of nautical scenarios including pool, cabin, deck and bar areas, with a central, show-stopping ‘Grande Descente’. To bring these tableaux locations to life we would need highly individualised

Fig. 5. After treatment, showing a colour change back to green © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Fig. 1. Ocean Liners: Speed and Style installation: ‘The Pool’ © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Fig. 2. Mounting process for beaded Lanvin dress (T.151&A-1967) © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Fig. 3. Mounting process for Pucci Bikini (Private Lender) © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

inconceivable for long-term display. Usually these types of dresses have to be displayed flat on a board but this would not fit with the ambition that the fashion bring a sense of life and character to the exhibition.

theatrical dazzle of the moment when passengers would descend from their cabins to dinner, showing off their latest eveningwear styles. The result is a dramatic combination of mannequins and audio/ visual where replica garments worn by a living actress morph into static mannequins walking down a stepped display plinth (Fig. 4, https://www.vam.ac.uk/ articles/making-an-entrance-ocean-liner-style). Once again, we were lucky to source the majority of these poses off-the-shelf, with only Mr. Biddle’s tailcoat (T.134:1 to 13-2015) requiring adapted legs and poseable wire arms. While most exhibition-goers will have little inkling of such behind-the-scenes efforts, here in the Textile Conservation Studio we are quietly proud of the contribution we have made to keeping Ocean Liners looking shipshape.

and a tight stretch jersey cover give additional support to the beaded fabric of the dress.

Mounting some of the skimpier swimwear in the exhibition required a similar degree of ingenuity and attention. One example is a 1960s Pucci bikini (Private Lender) that was destined for a glamorous reclining poolside figure. The bikini top, cut like a bodice with a lace-up front, would not sit correctly on the ample bosom of the mannequin due to the smooth surface of the fiberglass. To provide a surface with a bit more grip that would hold the bikini top in place, as well as provide a barrier layer between the textile and the fibreglass, it was necessary to create a very tight jersey cover, cut away so as not be visible. This cover needed to be held in place invisibly, resulting in some intricate architectural rigging using a combination of stitched cotton tape, rivets on the shoulders and clear nylon thread across the bust.

Finally, discreet 10mm Plastazote blocks were used to ensure the mannequin would not put weight on the bikini itself (Fig. 3).

A compromise was found in the idea of a seated pose, which would support most of the weight of the dress as well as show it on a full-figure mannequin.

As the dress has a narrow slim-fitting inner slip, the question then became how to achieve this seated position without the mannequin sitting on the dress.

Working with technician Matt Rose, we adapted an off-the-shelf mannequin in a seated position from a previous exhibition, developing a cantilevered system that allows the mannequin to hover 5cm above the seat (Fig. 2). First a square aluminum plate (12mm thick) was riveted and screwed to the underside of the mannequin to ensure a secure fixing method to the mannequin. To this was attached a steel bar (30mm wide, 5mm thick) bent at a stepped right angle to follow the bend in the legs. This steel bar was then attached to the fabric-covered display seat, 5cm clear of the top of the seat. This left enough room for a padded board to be inserted beneath the mannequin to fully support the lower part of the dress, which could be carefully pulled round and under to its natural hem line at the back of the knee. Extra padding

For the ‘Grande Descente’ section of the exhibition the designers were keen to take the idea of bringing garments to life one step further by creating a Duchamp-inspired film installation that captures the

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Acknowledgements

I am grateful to V&A Museum Technician Matt Rose and V&A Textile Conservator Elizabeth-Anne Haldane for their collaboration in the mounting of Ocean Liners Speed & Style.

I am also grateful to Proportion>London and Doyenne for their help sourcing, selecting and adapting the mannequins used in the exhibition.

Ocean Liners: Speed and Style is sponsored by Viking Cruises and runs until 17 June 2018.

Fig. 4. Ocean Liners: Speed and Style installation: ‘The Grande Descente’ © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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V&A Conservation Journal No.65

Susan Catcher, Senior Paper Conservator Zoe Allen, Head of Furniture Conservation

V&A Conservation Journal No.65

It’s in the Stars – the Conservation of a Celestial Globe

Fig. 1. Prior to gesso fill © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Fig. 2. Gesso fill with paper infill © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Fig. 3. Toned and varnished fill © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The celestial globe (W.52-1916) is an 18” (46cm) globe and is one of a pair, the other being a terrestrial globe (W.52a-1916). They were made by the London-based Bardin family of globe makers who began globe production in the 1780s, and from 1799 manufactured ‘New British Globes’ that depicted the latest geographic and astronomic discoveries, rendering all earlier globes obsolete. Both globes are inscribed at the South Pole with dedications from ‘W & J. M. Bardin’ to the Rev. Nevil Maskelyne, Astronomer Royal (celestial globe) and to the Rt. Honorable Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society (terrestrial globe). The celestial globe underwent conservation treatment prior to going on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s autumn 2017 exhibition, Opera: Passion, Power and Politics.

with small pins at the equator. Weights would have been placed inside to balance the globe. The sphere is supported in a varnished mahogany stand with three reeded legs on brass castors, jointed with three straight stretchers meeting at the centre in a circular panel fitted with a large compass.

with IMS. Deeper areas of loss were filled with a first application of Flugger (Fig. 3), an acrylate filler, followed by several layers of gesso (calcium carbonate mixed with rabbit skin glue 1:12). In order for the loss to be filled almost to the surface while leaving enough depth for the new paper insert, the shape of the loss was traced onto a piece of the same acid-free card to be used for repair, lined with 220 mic Melinex film, sunk into the wet fill, then removed when dry. Fills were further smoothed with fine grade abrasive papers, ‘pens’ and scalpels.

The condition of the globe was poor and there were large losses down to the plaster core due to previous impact damage. The paper had lifted at some of the gore edges and the globe’s surface had been unevenly vanished, probably at a later date, with shellac (a resin secretion from a beetle that lives on an Indian tree), which had darkened (Fig. 2). This was followed by a wax layer, added at a later date, which had become ingrained with dirt, obscuring the beautiful celestial images. Previous restorations were unsympathetic in both structure and colour and overlapped the original.

The laid paper compass held in a circular frame at the base was planar distorted and badly stained, rendering the information indistinct. The mahogany frame was stable with some small losses to the veneer. The nonoriginal glass over the compass had been poorly cut with rough edges and was not fixed in place.

The celestial globe is likely to have been constructed of two semi hemispheres of paper or thin board gores (triangular shaped pieces of printed paper calculated to join together to form a semi hemisphere of a specific size of globe) formed over a mould and joined to make a sphere at the equator (Fig. 1). A plaster-like material was applied over the paper sphere and that then was overlaid with printed and hand-coloured paper globe gores. Over 6ooo stars, star clusters and planets were calculated in position for the beginning of the nineteenth century. It is supported internally by a wooden cross structure attached to the sphere

Flaking plaster was consolidated with Lascaux Medium for Consolidation and losses were coated with an isolation layer of Paraloid B72 in acetone (50:50)

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The missing areas were traced and the shape pricked out using an awl through the tracing paper onto the toned end leaf paper. The pricking-out line followed the outside of the drawn line, but when the line corresponded to the straight edge of a globe gore, it was accurately knife cut. The resulting tiny holes are akin to postage stamp perforations and can tear to the exact shape required. The edges of the slightly oversized infill were chamfered from the back to remove the uneven perforated edge and thin the paper.

The infill was then adhered with wheat starch paste to the corresponding missing area, with the thinned edge minutely overlapping the original paper and the knife cut edge abutting.

Some old plaster fills were reshaped and excess that was covering the original print was removed by slightly humidifying and carefully dry scraping. Areas of unsightly yellow in-painting were removed with Biostrip, a non-toxic paint remover (Fig. 4). The surface was lightly cleaned with white spirit to remove the later wax layer. It was decided not to remove the darkened shellac varnish as a test sample using Industrial Methalated Spirits bleached the hand colouring.

Overpainting the new paper infills was essential to create a cohesive look. The hand colouring and shading of the shellac varnish meant that each repair had to be assessed and decisions made as to the predominant pigment. Some areas of the grey and green handcolouring had to be acknowledged without adding unknown detail. Once all fills were complete, the matt varnished surface was recreated. A 20% solution of acacia gum and water was made and tested but it was too viscous and caused the paper to curl, making the wrong refractive quality. A 10% solution of acacia gum and water produced the best results so was brushed over the toned infills and allowed to dry before a

The paper infills were created from previously stretched and toned acid-free archival end leaf paper, then toned with Windsor and Newton watercolours.

The uneven application of the shellac varnish meant that the paper was initially coloured to a lighter tone to enable more precise in-painting to take place later.

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Fig. 4. Conservation complete © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Head of Conservation & Technical Services Sandra Smith

Textiles & Fashion

Victoria Oakley

Joanne Hackett

Ceramics & Glass Fi Jordan Hanneke Ramakers

Albertina Cogram Susana Fajardo Lara Flecker Sarah Glenn Elizabeth-Anne Haldane Frances Hartog Rachael Lee Rachael C Lee (c) Keira Miller Roisin Morris Christina Ritschel Katy Smith (c) Lilia Prier Tisdall

Metals Diana Heath Donna Stevens Joanna Whalley

References

Sumira S., Secrets of the Inner Globe, Globe Studies No.51, International Coronelli for the Study of Globes, pp.133-140. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23993602 [Accessed 22 February 2017.]

Losses to the wooden veneer in the globe stand were filled with gesso, smoothed and toned to match the surrounding wood. The brass meridian ring denoting measurements of latitude and the hour rings positioned at each pole were cleaned with white spirit.

The laid paper compass was removed from its frame and surface cleaned with a grated Mars eraser. The black ink was tested for fugitivity before the paper was washed for two hours in cold water then air-dried. It was then re-humidified and flattened before being placed over Melinex to provide a barrier between it and the mahogany stand. The glass covering the compass was replaced with low reflective Artglass UV 2mm and a new wooden molding was tailor-made to secure the glass in position.

Millburn JR. and T.Rossaak., The Bardin Family, Globe-Makers in London, and their associate, Gabriel Wright, pp. 21-66. http://www.jstor.org [Accessed 22 February 2017.]

Sculpture Victor Borges Sarah Healey-Dilkes Charlotte Hubbard Johanna Puisto Mariam Sonntag Stained Glass Sherrie Eatman

Masschelein-Kleiner L., Ancient Binding Media, Varnishes and Adhesives, ICCROM Rome 1995 pp.50 and 78 McClintok T., Bigrigg L. and LaCamera D., Case Study: conservation and restoration of a pair of large diameter English globes, Journal of the Institute of Conservation Vol 38, Number 1, Routledge 2015 pp. 77-91

Key Senior Management Team

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Yukiko Barrow for making the new moulding holding the glass in place.

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PA & Office Manager Laura Bibby

Objects Conservation

Furniture Zoë Allen Tristram Bainbridge Nigel Bamforth Yukiko Yoshii Barrow Dana Melchar

second coat was applied. Any repair edges with minor lifting were re-adhered with wheat starch paste.

Conservation Department Staff Chart June 2018

Paper, Books & Paintings (PBP) Alan Derbyshire Paper Lauren Ashley-Irvine Clair Battisson Victoria Button Susan Catcher Simon Fleury Chris Gingell Maudie Gunzi (c) Eoin Kelly Melissa Lewis (c) Books Anne Bancroft Jane Rutherston Paintings Nicola Costaras Condition Reporting Liaison Louise Egan RIBA Charlotte Anstis Lisa Nash

Science

Boris Pretzel Val Blyth Lucia Burgio Brenda Keneghan Bhavesh Shah

Autumn 2018 Number 65

Conservation Journal