19th Century Japanese Palanquin with carrying beam.

Last month, I was very pleased to complete the conservation treatment of  a 19^th century Japanese Palanquin with carrying beam. This project was directed by the Objects Conservator Elisabeth Cornu.

The following is a summary of her treatment report.

PALANQUIN BEAM:

The lacquer edges of the beam, both at front and rear, had suffered many losses, abrasions and exposed areas—please refer to condition photos. Numerous gold-leaf decorations had suffered partial or full losses, particularly in “floral” and “leaf” areas—refer to photos. The gilded brass/copper section at both ends had suffered considerable corrosion; numerous original brass tacks were missing.

Treatment:

Consolidation of lacquer areas where chipped and abraded with Acryloid B-72; consolidation of loose gold leaf with same. Filling of chipped areas in lacquer with Acryloid B-72, microballoons and pigment, smoothing of fills, inpainting with Acrylic pigments, and partial recoating with a Ketone Resin. Completion of some of the missing gilt flowers and leaves with 23K gold leaf, and partial inpainting with non-metallic acrylic pigment. Gilded metal ends of the Beam were cleaned with a mixture of acetone/mineral spirits in order to remove old varnish, and with NeverDull impregnated wadding. Residue was removed with acetone.

PALANQUIN CARRIAGE:

Some of the lacquer edges of the carriage, both at front and rear, had suffered losses, abrasions and exposed areas—please refer to condition photos. Numerous gold-leaf decorations had suffered partial or full losses, particularly in “floral” and “leaf” areas—refer to photos. The gilded brass/copper decorations showed corrosion, wear, and had old discolored varnish; this was especially true for the roof sections of the carriage.

Treatment:

Consolidation of lacquer areas where chipped and abraded with Acryloid B-72; consolidation of loose gold leaf with same. Filling of chipped areas in lacquer with Acryloid B-72, microballoons and pigment, smoothing of fills, inpainting with Acrylic pigments, and partial recoating with a Ketone Resin. Completion of some of the missing gilt flowers and leaves with 23K gold leaf, and partial inpainting with non-metallic acrylic pigment. Gilded metal ends of the Carriage were cleaned with a mixture of acetone/mineral spirits in order to remove old varnish.

A few gilded hardware items had been lost, such as round medals at one end of roof, and a few small medals—

These were reproduced in epoxy putty, tinted to match original and reaffixed to Palanquin roof with Acryloid B-72.

The two door panels had delicate curtains which had numerous tears and losses – these were reinforced with a

tinted Crepeline and a Swiss Lascaux fabric adhesive.

Conservation Treatment on 19th Century Globe. Work carried out by Elisabeth Cornu and Johana Krantz-Moreno

Artifact: Globe, rotating on large stand, late 19^th-century; Globe approx. 30” dia., Stand approx. 28” high and 36 ½” diameter. Globe is inserted onto a metal rail in the stand and rotates. Globe is made of printed paper mounted onto cardboard strips which in turn are mounted onto a wooden curved rib-substructure. Stand is made of wood, with printed map measurements at the upper horizontal surface. Photographs below. 

-The Globe itself showed several problems: discolored varnish overall (aged coating); a light-colored area approx. 8” in diameter that was an accidentally overcleaned area, with spill-lines running down along the vertical sections of the globe in a number of areas; and a few 4”-6” areas which have in the past been repaired with a shellac—now discolored to a red-brown. The shellac had dried into droplets that have turned dark brown, and had accumulated on the surface. The remainder of the surface showed a typical craquelure pattern that is part of aged shellac.   

TREATMENT PERFORMED:

-GLOBE:  Overall very light cleaning with soft eraser pad.  Light-colored areas were found to be overly cleaned areas [probably as a result of an accidental cleaning with a spray cleaner—this would explain the run-off lines to the bottom of the globe). These areas were inpainted with water-color, and thin glaze (acrylic-based) was added to the surface to match the overall appearance of the remaining surface.

The dark-colored areas of dried shellac were partially reduced with local application of acetone/ethanol on cotton swabs. The shellac was redistributed over the adjoining surfaces. A light coating of Microcrystalline wax (Renaissance wax) was added to the Globe surface for future protection against drastic cleaning.

-STAND: Stabilization of loose delaminations of printed paper was done with an acid-neutral paper adhesive (polyvinyl acetate-based). Missing areas were fabricated with Japanese tissue paper and acid-free cotton rag paper, tinted to the finished surface of the remaining areas of the stand. Minimal drawn lines were completed in the fill areas – it was not recommended that the entire drawing be completed. Paper fills were integrated into overall surface of horizontal area of stand by means of the same paper adhesive [polyvinyl-acetate-based] and minor acrylic glazing was performed in the fill areas.

The carved wooden section of the stand was lightly cleaned with soft brushes, and a light layer of carnauba/microcrystalline wax was applied. It was noted that a number of the carved elements at the mid-region of the stand were missing – refer to photographs.