Conservation of varnished map

  • Owner: Private collection
  • Artefact: Map of Catalonia, oversized (164 x 136 cm, wooden slats excluded). Drawn on China ink, hand coloured with watercolour, gouache and coloured pencils. It was lined on a canvas and varnished.
  • Author: Hermanos [Mari]stas (Marist Brothers, catholic teaching congregation).
  • Date: 1906.
  • Damages: [3rd video below, left image] The wooden slats (top and bottom) and fabric tapes on the edges were lost, although there was evidence of their former presence. General dust and surface grim, stains, remnants of synthetic glue applied on surface. Tears and losses on both the lining and the paper. Surface cracks on the varnish, wrinkles and folds.
  • Conservation treatment: Dry cleaning, removal of former restorations (synthetic glue), [1st video below:] varnish removal with gels. [2nd video below:] fabric lining removal, capillary washing. Reinforcement: infilling losses, backing with Japanese tissue, lining with new cotton fabric. Retouch (losses), varnishing, new fabric tapes on edges, new wooden slats on top and bottom.
    You can see all these stages in the videos below. The second has episodes that you can get right into by opening the video on YouTube.
  • Conservartors: Tereza Kubalová, Cristina la Chica, Rita Udina.
  • Other links: See below some instagram posts (first one has several images of before and after treatment). You can as well check the blog post announcing the video premiere.
BeforeAfter

0:00 Backing removal
0:15 Tear mending
0:18 Capillary washing (I)
0:31 Capillary washing (II)
0:44 Capillary washing (III)
0:50 Infilling losses (front)
1:02 Sizing (front)
1:20 Infilling losses (back)
1:31 Sizing (back) and adhesive layer
1:33 Backing with japanese tissue (layer 1)
1:43 Backing with japanese tissue (layer 2)
1:58 Backing with cotton fabric – ahesive layer
1:58 Lining with cotton fabric
2:13 Flattening, drying
2:29 Retouch
2:40 Edges trimming
3:02 Varnishing
3:14 Adhesion of cotton tapes (edges)
3:30 Wooden slats fixing (top and bottom)
3:49 The end!

Clients

AHEH (10) Alcon-Cusi Pharmacy Museum (5) Archive Barcelona Sants-Montjuïc Dst. (5) Archives (50) Ayuntamiento Barcelona (5) Barcelona City Council (11) Barcelona Municipal Archive (9) Buat Fine Art (3) CoAC (Association of Architects of Catalonia) (15) Cores (5) Documentation Center of Catalan Orfeó (3) Domènech i Montaner (5) Gaboche Ars (3) Galleries (24) Government of Catalonia (19) Historical Archive of Barcelona (3) Historical Archive of Lleida (4) ICON (4) Industrial Museum of Ter (4) Institute for Cultural Heritage of Spain (IPCE) (6) INTACH (Dehli) (7) La Pedrera Foundation (4) Laura Corso (3) Libraries (29) Municipal Archive of Renteria (5) Museums (26) Márk Somogyi (3) National Archive of Catalonia (ANC) (8) National Museum of Norway (4) NSK - National Library and University (Zagreb CROATIA) (5) onLine (14) private collector (26) Provincial Council of Barcelona (DiBa) (5) Public Library of Girona Carles Rahola (7) Regional Archive Baix Ebre (3) Regional Archive of Vallès Occidental (4) Regional Archive Urgell (4) Research Library of Dubrovnik (CROATIA) (4) Restauratoren Nederland (5) Rijksmuseum (5) Sant Cugat del Vallès Council (5) SICP Chile (3) Sitges Museums (4) Tapestry Art Centre Grau Garriga (5) University of Granada (Spain) (4)

Types of projects

Conservation of varnished map

  • Owner: Private collection
  • Artefact: Map of Catalonia, oversized (164 x 136 cm, wooden slats excluded). Drawn on China ink, hand coloured with watercolour, gouache and coloured pencils. It was lined on a canvas and varnished.
  • Author: Hermanos [Mari]stas (Marist Brothers, catholic teaching congregation).
  • Date: 1906.
  • Damages: [3rd video below, left image] The wooden slats (top and bottom) and fabric tapes on the edges were lost, although there was evidence of their former presence. General dust and surface grim, stains, remnants of synthetic glue applied on surface. Tears and losses on both the lining and the paper. Surface cracks on the varnish, wrinkles and folds.
  • Conservation treatment: Dry cleaning, removal of former restorations (synthetic glue), [1st video below:] varnish removal with gels. [2nd video below:] fabric lining removal, capillary washing. Reinforcement: infilling losses, backing with Japanese tissue, lining with new cotton fabric. Retouch (losses), varnishing, new fabric tapes on edges, new wooden slats on top and bottom.
    You can see all these stages in the videos below. The second has episodes that you can get right into by opening the video on YouTube.
  • Conservartors: Tereza Kubalová, Cristina la Chica, Rita Udina.
  • Other links: See below some instagram posts (first one has several images of before and after treatment). You can as well check the blog post announcing the video premiere.
BeforeAfter

0:00 Backing removal
0:15 Tear mending
0:18 Capillary washing (I)
0:31 Capillary washing (II)
0:44 Capillary washing (III)
0:50 Infilling losses (front)
1:02 Sizing (front)
1:20 Infilling losses (back)
1:31 Sizing (back) and adhesive layer
1:33 Backing with japanese tissue (layer 1)
1:43 Backing with japanese tissue (layer 2)
1:58 Backing with cotton fabric – ahesive layer
1:58 Lining with cotton fabric
2:13 Flattening, drying
2:29 Retouch
2:40 Edges trimming
3:02 Varnishing
3:14 Adhesion of cotton tapes (edges)
3:30 Wooden slats fixing (top and bottom)
3:49 The end!

Clients

AHEH (10) Alcon-Cusi Pharmacy Museum (5) Archive Barcelona Sants-Montjuïc Dst. (5) Archives (50) Ayuntamiento Barcelona (5) Barcelona City Council (11) Barcelona Municipal Archive (9) Buat Fine Art (3) CoAC (Association of Architects of Catalonia) (15) Cores (5) Documentation Center of Catalan Orfeó (3) Domènech i Montaner (5) Gaboche Ars (3) Galleries (24) Government of Catalonia (19) Historical Archive of Barcelona (3) Historical Archive of Lleida (4) ICON (4) Industrial Museum of Ter (4) Institute for Cultural Heritage of Spain (IPCE) (6) INTACH (Dehli) (7) La Pedrera Foundation (4) Laura Corso (3) Libraries (29) Municipal Archive of Renteria (5) Museums (26) Márk Somogyi (3) National Archive of Catalonia (ANC) (8) National Museum of Norway (4) NSK - National Library and University (Zagreb CROATIA) (5) onLine (14) private collector (26) Provincial Council of Barcelona (DiBa) (5) Public Library of Girona Carles Rahola (7) Regional Archive Baix Ebre (3) Regional Archive of Vallès Occidental (4) Regional Archive Urgell (4) Research Library of Dubrovnik (CROATIA) (4) Restauratoren Nederland (5) Rijksmuseum (5) Sant Cugat del Vallès Council (5) SICP Chile (3) Sitges Museums (4) Tapestry Art Centre Grau Garriga (5) University of Granada (Spain) (4)

Types of projects