The Examination and Conservation of the Raphael Cartoons
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English Slovak |
| ISSN: | ISSN 0034-5806 |
| Online Access: | http://www.viks.sk/chk/res_2_96_86_103.doc |
| Abstract: | Conclusions. The task of dealing with not just one but seven large-format objects created problems throughout the current programme. The main reason for the length of time involved in the Raphael Cartoon project is that the conservation and examination work could not begin until the refurbishment of the Cartoon Gallery was completed. There was simply no other space of sufficient size available in which to carry out the examination and photography. Once the refurbishment was completed, however, it was possible to exploit the large size of the Cartoon Gallery by having two Cartoons back in the gallery at any one time for examination. This allows the curator and conservator involved in the project access to one Cartoon each. This is very useful, of course, for comparing findings between Cartoons. However, it has been impossible to be able to work on all seven Cartoons at the same time. On completion of examination and treatment it has been necessary to reframe and hang those two Cartoons to make way for the next two. This has proved frustrating because no matter how thorough one is in documenting what one sees, it is always preferable to be able to refer back to the unframed object. From the work done until now on the Cartoons, it seems that Raphael and his assistants made the support for each Cartoon from a single layer of overlapping sheets of paper. At a later time - probably in the 17th century - the Cartoons, already cut into strips and damaged from usage and travel, were restored by the strip-lining of each strip of Cartoon. At the end of the 17th century these strips of Cartoon were reintegrated by lining them onto a continuous layer of canvas. At the time of the strip-lining, or before, or perhaps at the time of the reintegration of the strips, numerous paper patches were used to reinforce the damaged areas of the Cartoons. The rigours of time and the constant moving around of the Cartoons over the centuries - usually achieved by their rolling and unrolling - has led to damage and loss to some areas of the paint layer and the support. The stretchers on which the Cartoons are tacked were built to allow the Cartoons to be folded in half for transport, and this method of handling has also contributed to their damage. There has also been some fading, particularly of lake pigments, but generally speaking Raphael used relatively stable inorganic pigments that have resisted change and today look much as they did in his day. Summaries. The Raphael Cartoons form part of the Royal Collection and have been on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum since 1865. This paper deals with the problems posed in the handling, examination and conservation of the seven large Cartoons (average size 3.5X5.0 metres). Extensive refurbishment of the Raphael Gallery was deemed necessary and this work began in 1992. Part of this brief included the re-designing of the framing system to allow the Cartoons (which are on stretchers) to be hung within their extremely heavy frames but on separate supports. It was decided that the opportunity should be taken during the refurbishment to examine the Cartoons with a view to assessing their condition and also to try and further our knowledge of their structure. Examination techniques used included infra-red reflectography, X-radiography and photo-grammetry. Originally the Cartoons were composed of a single layer of overlapping sheets of paper that were cut into strips as part of the weaving process. Each strip of Cartoon was strip-lined before the end of the 17th century. |
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| ISSN: | ISSN 0034-5806 |
