Conservation

Distrust in the Strength of Paper, Part I

Submitted by Thaw Conservati... on Mon, 11/27/2023 - 1:00pm

In the history of European bookbinding, the transition from parchment to paper as the primary material for text leaves caused an associated shift in bookbinding practices, as bookbinders adapted to what they thought of as a weaker material. Parchment is made of animal skin, prepared by dehairing, stretching, scraping, and drying, whereas paper at the time was made of plant-based materials, such as cotton and flax.

Dürer and the Woodcut

Submitted by Thaw Conservati... on Fri, 05/14/2010 - 8:25am

The woodcut, one of the earliest printmaking techniques, became popular in Europe around 1400. Woodcuts are produced by carving an image into a block of wood, usually a hard fruitwood, cut parallel to its grain. Only the lines and shapes of the drawn design are left standing in relief; all other areas of the wood are carefully excised with sharp woodworking tools, such as gouges, chisels, and knives.

Edgar Degas

Submitted by Thaw Conservati... on Sat, 09/24/2011 - 11:44am

In the early 1890s, when Degas' work became increasingly less naturalistic, he produced a series of pure landscapes that freely interpret the scenery he encountered on his way to visit the painter and printmaker Pierre-Georges Jeanniot in the village of Diénay, near Dijon. There Degas produced about fifty monotypes, which he enhanced with vivid pastel work.

From Drawing to Print: Abraham Bloemaert's Danaë Receiving the Golden Rain

Submitted by Thaw Conservati... on Fri, 01/20/2012 - 4:26pm

Until the nineteenth century it was common for works of art to be disseminated in the form of prints. But how was an artist's work transferred from paper to printing plate? In this post, we take a close look at a seventeenth-century drawing by the Dutch painter, draftsman, and printmaker Abraham Bloemaert (1564–1651) and the engraving derived from it.

Hol(e)y Moly!: Historical Damage and Repairs in Medieval Manuscripts

Submitted by Thaw Conservati... on Thu, 07/02/2020 - 6:00pm

When looking at a medieval manuscript, it is often the illuminations that catch the eye—colorful figures rendered in miniature, gleaming gold backgrounds, ornate initials that twirl and bloom across the margins. But beyond the illuminations, and even beyond the text, the substrate itself merits closer inspection.

Ingres at the Morgan: Materials and Methods

Submitted by Thaw Conservati... on Fri, 09/09/2011 - 10:02am

Whether he was making portraits of family and friends or preliminary studies for important history paintings, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780–1867) created drawings of great subtlety and nuance. Close examination of the paper and media allows us to glimpse the working methods of one of the greatest draftsmen and portraitists in French history.

Inside Story: Using X-ray Microtomography to See Hidden Features of a Manuscript Codex

Submitted by Thaw Conservati... on Sun, 11/01/2020 - 12:43am
The Morgan’s collection includes a significant number of Coptic Christian manuscripts made in Egypt and dating from the fifth through the eleventh centuries. The Coptic collection is notable for its texts and illuminations as well as for a large group of early covers and binding fragments important in the history of bookbinding.

It's Shiny! It's Sparkly! It's Glitter!

Submitted by Thaw Conservati... on Fri, 10/22/2021 - 2:00pm
Two figures facing each other earing yellow, orange and green clothes.

This post was created by Lindsey Tyne, Associate Paper Conservator

The gold, silver, red, and blue flakes that give Standing Together, 1986 (2018.105) by Luster Willis (1913–1990) its seductive sparkle are commonly known as glitter. Many of us instinctively know what glitter looks like and may even recall a childhood craft project or a greeting card we recently received, despite the fact that how glitter is made and what it is made of are trade secrets.