The use of paper-based materials for the treatment of plant fibers
Discipline
Arts
History and Archaeology
Subject
Archives and collection management - Conservation Lab
Audience
Scientific
Date
2019Publisher
Textile Specialty Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC)
Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
ABSTRACT The collection of the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) in Belgium encompasses a broad range of objects that contain plant fibers. Those plant fibers are sensitive materials that damage easily owing to handling, light exposure, and fluctuations in relative humidity and temperature. Consequently, the fibers of the objects are often discolored, deformed, or broken; multiple objects are actively shedding fibers or suffer from baldness. Some plant-fiber objects selected for exhibition in the RMCA were too degraded to be displayed. These plant fibers were treated with paper-based materials in order to stabilize the objects and improve their readability. Multiple products can be grouped under the term paper-based materials, such as Japanese tissue, archival grade paper, and cellulose pulp. These products have specific sets of characteristics that can be used for diverse treatments of objects, ranging from thin protective coatings to structural fills. The versatility of the paper-based materials will be demonstrated through a discussion of several treatments that straddle the disciplines of textile, object, and paper conservation
Citation
De Paepe, Anoek; Genbrugge, Siska; van Es, M. (2019). The use of paper-based materials for the treatment of plant fibers. , The textile specialty group postprints, Vol. 28, 52-66, Textile Specialty Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), ISSN: 2169-1363,Type
Article
Peer-Review
No
Language
eng