6 Documents, Works on Paper and Photography

6

Documents, works on paper and photography

Title/ Topic

Papal privilege from Sylvester II to Bishop Sal·la. Manuscript in ancient curial with Carolingian minuscule influence

Author

Pope Sylvester II (946, Auvergne, France - 12 May 1003, Rome, Italy)

Date/Period Any 1001

CRBMC Register NO

11775

Coordination

M. Àngels Jorba

Restoration

Carme Bello and Àngels Borrell (EstudiB2)

Year of restoration

2012

The document is a papal privilege in which Sylvester II confirms to Bishop Sal·la all the possessions that then belonged to the church of Urgell, and is considered the founding document of the Principality of Andorra, based on the unification of several Catalan counties.

It was restored in 1926 in Rome, in the Vatican laboratory, along with the rest of the Catalan papal bulls, and later, in 1976, it was restored at the National Centre for the Restoration of Books and Documents in Madrid.

State of conservation

The papyrus base was stuck to a piece of cardboard that gave it consistency. This prevented the papyrus from adapting to changes in temperature and humidity, and caused the ink and the areas with creases and wrinkles to flake. A lot of fibres were broken and frayed, and it contained holes and cracks caused by xylophagous insects. A lot of the base material was missing. A piece of the bottom part of the ball was missing, precisely in the area of the signature and date. The seal is not preserved. There were also glue stains, from where it had been stuck to the cardboard as part of a prior restoration, and on the strips of glued paper that held several separate fragments of the base together.

The charcoal-based ink had changed colour, as a result of its exposure to light and environmental changes. It currently looks brown. When the frame was opened, dead insects were found inside, and although there appeared to no longer be any biological activity, some could still exist between the fibres that wasn’t visible to the naked eye.

Close-up of the new framing system

Intervention

When the bull arrived at the CRBMC, after documenting it, the frame was removed: glass, methacrylate, metal sheet, stretcher and frame. It was then photographed and its registering completed. As a precautionary measure, and in the belief that there might be insect larvae among the papyrus fibres, it was disinfested for one month, inside the anoxic chamber at the CRBMC.

Samples were taken to perform the analysis of the metal plate, fibres, papyrus and inks, and with the results the intervention began. The first step was to carry out a dry clean to remove surface dirt and the remains of dead insects. Blowers, brushes and a micro vacuum cleaner were used. The grey cardboard was then deacidified with magnesium oxide, which was sprayed onto the back of the cardboard support.

In order to reduce the hue of the stains and minimize their visual impact, a controlled treatment was performed by applying moisture and heat (hot spatula) at the affected points. The wrinkled areas were then flattened using moisture and controlled weight in certain parts. The anchoring points of the bull were also checked and reinforced where necessary with 12 g strips of Japanese paper impregnated with gum arabic.

In some areas, the points where the bull was attached to the cardboard support were reinforced with 20 g Japanese paper hinges, stuck on with PVA M218® from J. Hewit & Sons, Ltd. In both cases, it was left to dry with weights on top.

Finally, the wooden stretcher was restored and a new frame was made with a 2+2 glass sheet with UVA filter, beech wood frame, corrugated preservation cardboard and a 0.3 mm Dibond® plate.

— Carme Bello and Àngels Borrell

Close-up of the bull being flattened

 Framing of the bull in the original wooden structure, after the intervention

Material/Technique

Wood and leather cover with metal ornamentations and parchment block with different handwritten inks

Title/Topic

Book of the Customs, Privileges and Immunities of the City of Urgell

Author

Unknown

Date/Period

1470

CRBMC Register NO

12096

Restoration

M. Carme Balliu

Presentation system

Conservation box, made of Premier® compact cardboard

Year of restoration

2013

The Book of the Customs, Privileges and Immunities of the City of Urgell is a transcription from the year 1470 of the arbitral decision of Pere de Foix, which dates from the year 1430. The document, which governed municipal life until the Nueva Planta decrees, in the 18th century, regulated the judicial and institutional power of the city and the power between the lord and the citizens following the conflicts between the bishop of Urgell, jurisdictional lord of the city, and the Consulate, an institution that encompassed the artisan, commercial and bourgeois class during the late Middle Ages.

The binding, made of leather and beech wood core, has metal ornamentations on the corners and the city’s coat of arms on the front and back cover (inverted). The block of the Book, made of parchment, consists of three different groups of notebooks. Five notebooks making up a first block, with another five added later the last two with cut margins and a different shape from the rest.

State of conservation

The tome had undergone prior interventions and was structurally fragile due to the loss of the original stitching and the lack of cohesion between the block and the binding. There was evidence of a loss of leather material and of the upper structure of the spine, as well evidence of attacks by xylophagous insects, which affected the covers and, in places, the parchment inside the block. The parchment block was covered in dirt, dried out and deformed, with cuts around the edges and tears, and small losses also caused by the attack of silverfish (Lepisma Saccharina). The different handwritten inks had in places worn away or spread.

Intervention

The intervention began with the macroscopic observation, microscopic observation and prior study of the constituent materials using physicochemical tests, such as contact sampling, to assess the potential microbiological impact, the stability and solubility of the handwritten inks and the identification of the wooden support. The covers and the block were worked on in different ways but at the same time. The treatment of the covers involved a preventive disinfestation using inert gases (anoxic chamber), a cleaning of the wood and the leather, a cleaning of the metallic elements and the physical reintegration of the loss of the leather base material.

The intervention on the block began with a preventive disinfection of the base material, a mechanical cleaning and a vacuum cleaning with a regulation of intensity and HEPA® filter, the hydration and wet cleaning of the parchment base through ultrasonic spraying, which helped to stabilize its dimensions.

The physical consolidation and reintegration of the base material respected the work of the prior interventions (involving sowing) that did not distort the original. Subsequently, the reinforcement of the original raised bands allowed the block to be sewn and assembled together with the binding that had been restored, following the original structure.

The Book of the Customs, Privileges and Immunities of the City of Urgell is preserved at the Alt Urgell County Archive.

— M. Carme Balliu

Photo of the first page of the book after the intervention

Photograph using raking light of the first page of the book before the intervention

Title/Topic

Querimonia. Collection of customary rights accepted or modified by King James II in 1313

Author

Signed by Alfonso III

Date/Period

1328

Dimensions

800 × 610 mm

Restoration

M. Carme Balliu

Year of restoration

2014

In 1313, James ıı granted the Val d’Aran the special administration regime that still sets this territory apart today. Unfortunately, the original document has not survived to the present day, but we do have a document that reproduces the original and was signed in 1328 by Alfonso ııı. The document, the Querimonia, is written on parchment and is documented in 1753 in the archive of the Armari de les 6 Claus and, later, in the Museum of the Val d’Aran. Today it is preserved in the General Archive of Aran, in Arròs. In 2013, the document, considered the Magna Carta of the Val d’Aran, celebrated its 700th anniversary, and upon review it was decided that an intervention was required.

State of conservation

Based on the pathology identified after organoleptic examination, macroscopic observation of the document and prior physicochemical tests, a restoration was proposed that would involve a minimal intervention, reversibility of the material used and readability with respect to the original.

The project began with the photographic documentation of the piece using diffused, raking and ultraviolet light. In this case, the ultraviolet light spectrum gave us the necessary graphic information to work without risking the supported layer of handwritten ink, which was very faded, had lost its intensity and had almost disappeared on the back of the document.

Intervention

Once the mechanical cleaning was done, accentuated in the margins of the document, the solubility and stability tests of the supported layer gave way to the hydration of the hygroscopic parchment, by applying ultrasonically sprayed cold water inside the suction table. This hydration of the base material made it possible to remove the previous unstable interventions and the remains of the synthetic adhesive that had been applied, as well as to carry out the wet cleaning and the treatment of the ring marks that existed in certain parts of the document.

Next, the base material was dimensionally stabilized, with respect to the historical instance of the Querimonia and its adaptation to different display formats over the years, including being folded over into sixteen quadrants.

The project continued with the consolidation of the perimeter tears and the physical reintegration of the parchment base, where the losses posed the risk of leading to rips or a widening of the holes. Given the state of these losses in the area of the folds, Japanese paper weighing less than the original support material was stuck on with wheat starch applied with a brush.

The preventive conservation of the document, on a parchment base, involves controlling the climatic and light parameters, and its placement in a presentation system created specifically with preservation material, in order to favour the physicochemical stability of the document.

Today, the Querimonia is preserved in the General Historical Archive of Aran

— M. Carme Balliu

 Photograph with raking light. General image of the parchment before the intervention

 Photograph using ultraviolet light of the parchment flower, showing faded handwritten ink

General image of the parchment after the intervention

Material/Technique

Parchment, handwritten inks and pigments; binding: hard cover in cardboard and parchment; block: parchment, and supported layer: handwritten inks and pigments

Title/Topic

Beatus of the Seu d’Urgell

Author

Unknown

Location

Diocesan Archive of Urgell, Seu d’Urgell (Alt Urgell county)

CRBMC Register NO

12228

Coordination Maite Toneu

The author of one of the most well-known, copied, read and prized books of the Middle Ages containing the Apocalypse, divided into 12 sections, with the commentary of the text and its illustrated miniature.

The importance of this codex required that a review, stabilization and scientific and technical study of it be carried out.

State of conservation

The organoleptic examination helped identify the old interventions that had been carried out on the base material and the binding, which sources from the Archive date at around 1800, along with other undocumented ones. Some of these interventions had caused tensions and deformations of the original parchment, while the theft of the Beatus, in 1996, had left some miniatures with perimeter cuts and sheets cut and separated from the block, attached again to the tome with self-adhesive tape. Other alterations also affected the base material and binding of the Beatus: deformation and folding of the parchment, affecting text and miniatures; widespread surface dirt and concretions; stains from use and handling, ring marks derived from contact with moisture, fading in places of the supported layer, oxidation in places of pigments and small losses of the base material and technique.

The physicochemical analyses of the constituent materials, as well as the identification of the pathology and its causes,

Close-up before and after cleaning of concretions deposited on the parchment base led to an intervention plan based on the premise of minimum intervention, maximum readability of the materials used and their reversibility, as the basis of all the conservation-restoration processes.

Intervention

After determining that there was no impact from microbiological activity, the work was documented photographically under diffuse light, raking light, and near-ultraviolet and near-infrared fluorescence, to record the original state of conservation. Then, in order to remove the surface dirt, the base material was vacuumed with a specific device for archive materials, with adjustable suction intensity and with a HEPA® filter. Dry mechanical cleaning allowed us to remove grease residues, localized dirt, concretions and material deposits on the surface, always respecting the codological data of the base material. During this process, different samples of traces and residues found on the spine of the block were collected, which corresponded to particles of ink and other accumulated materials. At the same time, and after the impact assessment on the original base material, the prior intervention work was removed along with the self-adhesive tapes that created tension or covered the text in excess.

Although the Beatus had achieved dimensional stability, all the parchments contained undulations and deformations that affected the entire block, the result of its adaptation as a hygroscopic base material to the current binding. The treatment of deformations and undulations of the parchment was limited to the areas in which the old interventions and the adhesion of other base materials had altered this stability, which was

Presentation system

Conservation box, made of Premier® compact cardboard

Years of restoration

2014-2015

 General image of the front of the first sheet of the Beatus before restoration. Photograph using raking light in which the different undulations, tears and old interventions that affected the base material can be seen  General image of the obverse of the first sheet of the Beatus after restoration, with the stabilized parchment base

Close-up before and after removing the self-adhesive tapes that affected the parchment base

 Image of a miniature with its edges consolidate, in order to restore its original layout

 Close-up of the restoration of old stitching on the back of page 139

restored through the controlled application of moisture by means of an ultrasonic humidifier and by drying through the tensioning of the parchment.

With the codex clean and stabilized, the consolidation and physical stabilization was carried out by reintegrating the base material, according to the specific need in each case, whether it be a cut, tear or gap, through the application of Japanese paper or linen thread in the lost stitching from old interventions.

Finally, to prevent the continuous deterioration of the miniatures and handwritten text through friction between the bifolios of the block, protective sheets of barrier paper were introduced in certain places.

The Beatus of the Seu d’Urgell is currently preserved in the Diocesan Archive of Urgell and is displayed in a cardboard conservation box. The recommended parameters for preventive conservation are maintained, essential for its future conservation.

Title/Topic

Book for apprentices of the Honourable Brotherhood of Master Carpenters of Barcelona

Author

Several authors

Date/Period

1778 - ca. 1820

Dimensions

63 × 49 × 12 cm

CRBMC Register NO

12474

Restoration

Clara Alibés, Elisabet Carvajal, Marta Dot, Toni Esparó and Bárbara Viana

Years of restoration

Started in 2015 and is currently still in the process of restoration

The Book for apprentices of the Honourable Brotherhood of Master Carpenters of Barcelona includes the original drawings of the master’s tests, exams to become a master carpenter in the city of Barcelona, from 1778 to approximately 1820. It is the first known book to show the work of carpenters and the various branches of the trade, such as architecture and construction, geometry, machinery, tools, furniture, weapons and clocks from the time.

It was kept at the headquarters of the Woodworking and Furniture Guild of Barcelona (formerly the Guild of Carpenters, Cabinet-makers and the Like in Barcelona) until the bombings that Barcelona suffered in 1938, when it was moved for safekeeping.

In 2014 it was found inside a drawer of the sacristy of the chapel of Saint Joseph and Saint John which the brotherhood has in Barcelona cathedral. Of huge heritage, historical, cultural and artistic value, the Book for apprentices, unpublished, represents a key work of the Barcelona of the 18th and early 19th centuries, which is why it has been declared a cultural asset of national interest (BCIN).

State of conservation

The parchment covers, with a handwritten title and cardboard core, still preserve the leather ties, and the block consists of 221 pages/sheets, of various sizes and attached to sewing guards. This set up allowed the exams of future master carpenters to be inserted, and is one of the characteristic features that makes this work unique. The drawings, some of which are of great technical quality and artistic value, are handmade with graphite pencil or ink and coloured.

Its state of conservation, despite older occasional reinforcement interventions, was poor, and the pathology that affected the work put its durability at risk. Structurally, the

Image of sheet no. 196 before and after intervention. The image below (before) shows the total fragmentation of the paper, with loss of the design layer, due to microbiological activity with chromatic alteration. On the right (after), the sheet is attached to a guard, following the original presentation.

stitching of the block with the binding had completely lost its strength and it was partially fragmented. Moisture had severely affected the right side of the block (fore edge) and binding, and there was evidence of microbiological activity, which had resulted in the weakening and loss of the base material, as well as chromatic alteration and numerous ring marks.

Meanwhile, a serious alteration was evident in the last booklet, with a loss of base material, complete fragmentation and loss of the supported technique on some pages, as a result of attacks by rodents and book eating insects. Surface deposits, surface dirt, deformations, wrinkles and stresses, as well as large gaps, tears and fragmentation of the base material, had weakened it and left it in a critical state.

Intervention

First, a sample of the original base material was taken, using a sterile cotton swab, to determine whether the base materials had suffered from any microbiological activity. Despite the low values obtained, the work was treated in an anoxic chamber with inert gases.

After documenting it photographically, it was initially disinfected, mechanically dry cleaned and vacuum cleaned with a device with adjustable intensity and HEPA® filter, a process that was repeated numerous times as the intervention progressed. In parallel, and in order to determine the viability of the proposed conservation-restoration treatments, a constituent component and physicochemical study was carried out on the different base materials (pH, conductivity, identification of fibres and adhesives) and the supported elements (stability and solubility).

After this, work began on the pagination and documentation of the original sewing and assembly, so the block could then be disassembled allowing the intervention to be carried out. Each page was treated individually, since each was made up of a different base material and technique.

The old interventions that had created stresses and deformations of the base material were eliminated, and a different methodology was used to wet clean the pages, based on the study of the stability and solubility of the various supported techniques. The second phase of the intervention on the Book for apprentices was completed with the dimensional stabilization and the material reintegration of the base material, by applying Japanese paper of various weights and by cleaning and provisionally reinforcing the binding.

The third phase of the restoration is pending, and will involve the comprehensive restoration of the binding and the final assembly of the book, which is currently stored inside a cardboard conservation box.

— M. Carme Balliu and Bárbara Viana

Image of the whole of the open block with sheet no. 30 attached with a concertina guard, before the disassembly and the intervention of the block

Image of sheet no. 30 after its intervention and attachment with a concertina guard, copying the original display Photo of the book for apprentices of the Honourable Brotherhood of Master Carpenters of Barcelona before the intervention

Title/Topic

Poster for the Festa Major of Vilafranca del Penedès of 1907

Author

Josep Senabre Giralt. Madriguera Press, Barcelona

Date/Period

1907

Location

Museum of the Wine Cultures of Catalonia (VINSEUM), Vilafranca del Penedès (Alt Penedès county)

CRBMC Register NO

12475

The Documentation Centre of the Museum of Wine Cultures of Catalonia (VINSEUM) preserves an important collection of documents related to the Festa Major (town festival) of Vilafranca del Penedès. Among other things, it is worth highlighting the collections of prints of Saint Felix, from the 18th century, posters of the town fair and goigs (devotional and paraliturgical songs). This collection grows year after year with the documentation generated by the current year’s festival.

Between 2015 and 2017, the following works from this collection were restored at the CRBMC: 2 large posters from 1907 and 1928 and 13 posters with programmes from the 19th century.

The first intervention carried out at the CRBMC was on the 1907 poster. It is a work of huge significance because it displays an image that sums up some of the most important iconographic elements of the Festa Major of Vilafranca del Penedès: the entrance of Sant Fèlix into the Basilica of Santa Maria, the castellers and some of the characters of the dances, in particular the Dragon of Vilafranca del Penedès. The slogan, «the most traditional festival», created the previous year, also appears.

State of conservation

The poster was in a poor state of conservation, since it consisted of two large, separate, very fragile pieces of paper, with numerous tears and losses of the edges. It was covered in dirt, stains and residue, and the base material was deformed and undulating, while also suffering from intrinsic deterioration and ageing.

Intervention

Taking into account the state of conservation of the work, the proposed intervention set out to restore the stability of the piece, by consolidating and reinstating the tears and losses, in order to preserve it for the future. In addition, the union of the two fragments had to be resolved in order to be able to display the poster in its entirety.

The intervention began with the removal of dirt and the remains of other materials from the paper base, with a vacuum cleaner specific for archive materials, with a HEPA® filter and rubber erasers of different consistency. Once the mechanical and dry cleaning of the piece had been completed, it was dimensionally stabilized, by spraying it with water, to progressively relax the cellulose fibres, and by applying weight to certain areas, always with the piece protected by nonwoven polyester fibre and drying paper.

With the piece already clean and dimensionally stabilized, all the tears were consolidated and all the losses of base material were filled in, using Japanese paper of different thicknesses and shades, similar to the original. The gaps in the areas where there was a drawing were chromatically reintegrated to create an illusion using watercolour pencils, in order to aesthetically integrate the new base material.

The size of the poster made it difficult to store and display, which is why each of the fragments of the poster was attached to a secondary conservation cardboard support at the top using hinges. This new presentation system allows the two fragments of the poster to be stored flat in a drawer. It also enables the work to be displayed and framed.

— Èlia López

Year of restoration

2015

 Dry mechanical cleaning process of the surface of the poster with a rubber eraser in powder form

 Detail of the lower corner of the upper fragment, showing the chromatic reintegration of the lost areas with watercolour pencil

Photomontage joining the two fragments together after the intervention

Title/Topic

Elevation drawings of the gates of the wall of Mataró

Author

Unknown

Date/Period

16th-17th centuries

Dimensions

12657.1 76.5 × 43 cm; 12657.2: 81 × 42.5 cm; 12657.3: 59 ×

Location

Maresme County Archive, Mataró (Maresme county)

CRBMC Register NO

12657

Coordination

M. Carme Balliu

Restoration

M. Carme Balliu and Anna Ferran

Year of restoration

2016

There are six documents, unique in that they are the only plans of the walls of Mataró that are preserved in the Maresme County Archive. It is not known which gate each elevation drawing corresponds to and the degree of fidelity of the project on paper in relation to the final works.

The authorship of the elevation drawings is also not clear, as the engineer appointed by Charles V to make the wall was Jorge de Setara, but annotations in Catalan and drawings belonging to more than one hand have been found.

State of conservation

The plans were drawn on an 11-micron-thick, cream-coloured handmade laid paper. Of the six drawings, five were made up of two or more pieces of paper attached to each other with glue of animal origin, which left stains on the edges of the paper. Over time, different types of adhesive tapes and patches were added to strengthen the bonding areas of those that had been torn which, due to their deterioration, had lost their adhesion power. The supported elements are: black or brown ink for lines and handwritten texts; watery brown ink and graphite for shading, and blue ink for the County Archive stamp. The handwritten inks were oxidized, and at some points of high concentration had penetrated the paper.

The plans were in a moderate state of conservation, since they had numerous folds, undulations, tears and losses from the attack of xylophagous insects, which underscored the fragility of the paper, and posed a risk to its physical and mechanical stability. There was also widespread oxidation and dirt that affected the readability of the drawings. Some of the plans contained moisture stains that could be seen in the form of darker rings.

Intervention

First, the documents were mechanical cleaned using a vulcanized rubber sponge and rubber erasers of different consistency to remove surface dirt. The various adhesive tapes were then removed, by applying moisture in places with agar-agar gel and the mechanical aid of spatulas and a scalpel.

To remove the most stubborn dirt, a wet cleaning was carried out through capillarity, with non-woven polyethylene fabric on a Japanese Oita table, with the help of Japanese mizubake and shigokibake brushes, specific for this technique.

Prior to the capillary cleaning, water solubility tests were performed on the supported elements and the soluble inks were waterproofed with a silicone agent applied with a brush.

After a progressive and controlled flattening under weights, the consolidation of the tears was carried out with Japanese Kizuki-Kozu paper weighing 6 g/m2 and the gaps were filled in with Japanese Kinugawa-Kozu paper weighing 22 g/m2, both adhered with wheat starch glue.

The final presentation system consisted of two levels of protection: first, a barrier paper sleeve weighing 80 g/m2 tailored for each of the six drawings, and second, a PremierTM white and grey conservation cardboard folder for the whole set of documents.

— Anna Ferran

Photograph during the process of waterproofing the soluble inks using cyclomethicone D5

Photograph of the back of the drawings of the wall of Mataró (CRBMC reg no. 12657.5) after the intervention

Photograph of the back of the drawings of the wall of Mataró (CRBMC reg no. 12657.5) before the intervention

Title/Topic

Letter of concession of privileges to celebrate the Fira de Sant Joan in Olesa de Montserrat

Author

Peter ııı the Ceremonious

Date/Period

1366

Dimensions 41 × 31 cm

CRBMC Register NO

12720

Coordination

M. Carme Balliu

Restoration

Magalí Gómez-Franco

Presentation system

Conservation cardboard folder

Year of restoration

2016

The parchment refers to the granting of privileges to hold a fair and market by King Peter ııı the Ceremonious, and given its poor state of conservation, the Councillor for Culture of the Olesa de Montserrat Town Council and the Municipal Historical Archive of Olesa de Montserrat (AHMOM) requested that the CRBMC carry out a conservation-restoration.

State of conservation

Based on an organoleptic examination, the following pathology was identified:

Identified pathology

Alteration of the base material Widespread dust and dirt Deformation of the base; undulations and folds Weakening and perimeter tears in areas affected by biological attack Loss of the base material due to biological attack (possibly rodents and book-eating insects) Pigmentation of the base material derived from an old microbiological attack Loss of base material

Alteration of the supported technique Fading of handwritten ink Fading of buffer ink Loss in places of handwritten ink

Alteration of the seals Loss of original hanging seal Loss of relief of the embossed seal (not original) «Olesa de Montserrat City Council» After an analysis to determine whether the base material had any microbiological damage, a study of the constituent materials was carried out together with stability and solubility tests of the different supported techniques, and throughout the intervention process a photographic record was taken of both the original state of the work and the treatment it underwent, as well as of the final result of the intervention.

Intervention

After the document had undergone preventive disinfection, been mechanically cleaned and the seals had been protected, it was rehydrated through the controlled application of moisture, using a cold ultrasonic spray and a low-pressure suction table. After ensuring the base material was hygroscopically stabilized, it was then physically stabilized by consolidating and reintegrating the loss base material, through the application of Japanese paper that was thinner than the original and chromatically integrated.

Following the preventive preservation parameters, the parchment was mounted on neutral pH conservation cardboard and placed inside a conservation folder as a final presentation system. This system allows for proper storage, as well as display and observation of the document if necessary.

— M. Carme Balliu and Magalí Gómez-Franco

Stability and solubility test of the different supported inks identified in the document Process of consolidation and reintegration of the original parchment. Adhesion of the new Japanese paper base

General image after and before of the parchment after the intervention

Title/Topic

Act of consecration and endowment of the canonry of Cardona

Date/Period

11th century

Dimensions

480 × 711 mm

CRBMC Register NO

12961

Coordination

M. Carme Balliu

Restoration Èlia López

Year of restoration

2016

In handwritten ink and on parchment paper, the act of consecration and endowment of the canonry of Cardona, with Eriball as bishop of Urgell and prince and lord of the church and fortress of Cardona, and Arnulf as bishop of Roda d’Isàvena, confirms the endowment of the church, as well as the condition for future viscounts to preserve, protect and defend the new church.

Consecrated in 1040 (for which the act is not preserved) and initiated by the Viscount of Bremon before his death in 1029, it was born from the re-endowment, reform and subjection of the church of Cardona and the church of Sant Vicenç that Bremon carried out under the advice of Bishop Oliva.

State of conservation

The work was in a precarious state of conservation. The parchment, which had been folded, had missing parts and small tears at the edges of the folds, most likely caused by the attack of rodents along with the wear of the fold itself.

The localized sum of these missing parts had caused the almost total fragmentation of the base material in the area of the upper third, visibly repaired with blue (electrical type) selfadhesive tape. Also, and as well as the drying out of the base material, there were ring marks caused by moisture, stains of various types, stresses and deformations, dust, surface dirt, surface deposits, expansion and localized fading of the handwritten ink, and the losses here and there of the stitching that joined the 5 small parchments arranged at the bottom edge, which posed the risk of them coming apart.

Intervention

Once the work had been documented photographically and its constituent elements studied and analysed, a prerequisite for any intervention, the conservation-restoration process began in accordance with the principles of minimum intervention, readability and reversibility of the materials used. First, the previous interventions and remnants of adhesive on the surface were eliminated. The base material was dry cleaned and the parchment was then wet cleaned and hygroscopically and dimensionally stabilized on a suction table and with an ultrasonic spray. The consolidation of the original stitches and the material reintegration of the missing parts was carried out with Japanese paper of similar weight and tone to the original.

Currently, the act of consecration of the canonry of Cardona is preserved mounted on conservation cardboard, a final presentation system that allows it to be checked, if necessary, and stored in accordance with the parameters of preventive conservation.

— M. Carme Balliu and Èlia López

General image using raking light of the back of the parchment before the intervention

General image of the front and of the back of the parchment after the intervention

Material/Technique

Gelatin silver photography on glass plates (positives and negatives)

Title/Topic

Landscapes and everyday scenes, mainly from Catalonia

Author

Josep Forns Olivella (1881-1882, Sant Boi de Llobregat – ?)

Date/Period

From the beginning to the middle of the 20th century

Location

Photographic Archive of the Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia (mNACTEC)

CRBMC Register NO

13001

Restoration

Ángela Gallego

Years of restoration

2016-2017

Between 2016 and 2017, the conservation and conditioning of 2,058 gelatin silver photographs on glass, from the Forns Olivella collection, owned by the National Museum of Science and Technology of Catalonia (mNACTEC), was carried out.

This collection consists mainly of stereoscopic photographs that reflect landscapes and everyday scenes, mainly from Catalonia, from the beginning to the middle of the 20th century.

State of conservation

The photographic plates showed some mechanical and physical deterioration: scratches, abrasions, areas of the glass support that were cracked and broken, as well as loss of image and other chemical damage, such as the oxidation of the image caused by contact with the acid paper envelopes in which they were stored.

Intervention

First, the envelopes protecting the plates were removed. The plates were then cleaned with hydroalcoholic solution applied with cotton on the glass side, and mechanically, on the emulsion side, with a rubber hand pump and specific brush for cleaning photographic material.

As for the broken plates, they were encapsulated with borosilicate glass of the same size and thickness as the original plate, previously cleaned and dried, in order to restore their physical stability. Before joining the fragments, however, it was necessary to ensure the correct arrangement of the different parts of the negative and to rule out that any fragment could have been mixed with the rest of the negatives. The encapsulation was carried using with one or two glass parts depending on the degree of complexity of the breakage of the photographic plate. This ensure the piece was protected using transparent material which was compatible with the original. For glass plates that had missing parts, the material reintegration was carried out based on a permanent cardboard graft with a neutral pH and PAT (photographic activity test) certified according to the thickness and dimensions of the original piece.

To prevent the appearance of Newton rings produced by contact between two glass plates, a permanent paper wedge was applied between the original and the new glass, and finally the whole piece was sealed around the edges with selfadhesive conservation tape.

The intervened glass plates were arranged inside four-fold conservation paper envelopes, with the registration data and the original information attached, and placed in conservation cardboard boxes as new installation units.

— Ángela Gallego

Organoleptic examination of the glass plates using transmitted light Cleaning and conditioning in preservation envelopes and boxes

Reconstruction of a glass plate broken in 10 fragments Glass plate after and before restoration

Title/Topic

Female figure identified as Loïe Fuller

Author

Attributed to Ramon Casas

Date/Period

20th century

Dimensions

Not available

CRBMC Register NO

13088

Restoration

M. Carme Balliu

Assembly

Conservation cardboard folder

Year of restoration

2017

Loïe Fuller (Illinois, 1862 - Paris, 1928), an American dancer and choreographer who created the serpentine dance and a pioneer of modern and contemporary dance, performed at Cau Ferrat in Sitges in 1902. Her portrait, attributed to Ramon Casas, was reproduced in various publications of the time, including Feminal, no. 28, July 1909, page xvı (signed), and Pèl & Ploma, vol. ııı, no. 88, May 1902, page 374 (unsigned). A photographic reproduction of the signed drawing is also stored in the Mas Archive, which also appears later in the book Retratos de Ramon Casas, by Andreu Avel·lí Artís, Barcelona, Ediciones Polígrafa, page 109.

State of conservation

The charcoal drawing on paper of Loïe Fuller was in a very poor state of conservation. It was extremely fragile and unstable as a result of the acid hydrolysis of the original base material, the main cause of the deterioration.

This high acidity index (pH 3.5) has caused a severe loss of mechanical strength that made the base material very brittle, apart from the fact that it had also yellowed and darkened.

Meanwhile, it also contained chromatic remains from the adhesive used to attach the work to two secondary supports and from the self-adhesive tape with which the drawing was attached to the passe-partout in which it was displayed. These different points of adhesion, together with the alteration from old interventions of the base material, created strong tensions that posed a risk to the durability of the work. It was therefore necessary to stabilize it at the physicochemical level and assess the viability of the old interventions located on the front and back of the original base material.

Intervention

After examining the base material and the stability of the supported technique, and having finished the rest of the preliminary tests, the passe-partout and the various supports stuck to the back of the original were taken apart, all documented with technical photographs.

Subsequently, the different cleaning tests performed determined that the base material needed to be cleaned and stabilized chemically through deacidification. A permeable base was laid out under the original base material, which very slowly and avoiding any tension and deformation made it possible to moisten it by capillarity, and by dragging it, managed to remove the dirt and acidity from the base material, without changing the characteristics of the suspended charcoal particles. Then, earlier interventions that caused tensions were removed, although those that did not have any detrimental effect on the work were preserved and aided the intervention. At the same time, the back of the support was laminated with 3g Nao® Japanese paper, and the physical reintegration was done using 11g Mitzumata® Japanese paper. Controlled tension drying made it possible to dimensionally stabilize the work and minimize the stresses that endangered its stability.

— M. Carme Balliu

Photograph taken with UV light that shows the points of adhesion between the different base materials and old interventions Close-up showing the physicochemical instability of the base material, with tensions, undulations, folds, wrinkles, cracks, losses and old interventions

Drawing (front) before restoration in which the different tensions that affected the base material can be seen Drawing (front) after restoration, with the base material stabilized at the physicochemical and dimensional level

Title/Topic

Personnages, oiseau, étoile

Author

Joan Miró i Ferrà (1893, Barcelona - 1983, Mallorca)

Date/Period

22 April 1978

Dimensions

27,5 × 21,6 cm

Location

OlorVISUAL Collection, Barcelona (Barcelonès county)

CRBMC Register NO

13244

Restoration

Bárbara Viana

Year of restoration

2017

Joan Miró’s drawing came in a frame with a passe-partout and base made of plywood, both acidic in nature that had caused the acidification of the industrially manufactured paper, and with a graphite pencil on the front and back, as a supported element, together with typed and printed ink.

State of conservation

The alterations suffered by the work were mainly the result of the presentation system and in the adhesion of the work to the passe-partout with various types of adhesive tapes. The base material showed symptoms of physicochemical alteration by acid hydrolysis, visible thanks to the darkening and yellowing of the original base material, in direct contact with the acidic passe-partout (pH 5). Widespread surface dirt and some small perimeter tears were other alterations that could be seen.

Before carrying out the intervention, it was documented photographically and various physicochemical tests on the solubility of the supported elements, pH and conductivity of the paper were carried out to establish the most appropriate conservation-restoration processes for the piece.

Intervention

First, the work was removed from the frame and separated from the passe-partout; the self-adhesive tapes and mechanically glued tapes were also removed, using scalpel and moisture applied in places. A spot dry mechanical clean was then performed with a smoke sponge, and the adhesive was removed with soft and low friction rubber erasers.

After several tests to check what type of wet treatment would not affect the appearance of the graphite, a capillary chemical cleaning process was chosen. This wet treatment was carried out on a semi-porous wooden table, with the work arranged on a polyester and wood pulp textile base (Sontara®) and through the application of 0.3% Tylose® MHB-3000 solution in water to extract the soluble acidity. The dimensional stabilization of the base material was then carried out through controlled drying.

Subsequently, the tears were consolidated with 9g/m2 Japanese paper adhered with wheat starch paste, and the drawing was prepared with Japanese paper hinges also adhered with wheat starch paste to be arranged between two 100% cotton passe-partouts.

To adapt the original frame to the new presentation system, the original glass panels were replaced with new anti-reflective UV filter glass panels. We should emphasize that one of the most important parts of this intervention was the assembly of the work with specific stable conservation materials, which will help the future preservation of the work.

— Bárbara Viana

Cleaning and chemical stabilization process Back of the drawing with raking light before the intervention

Work once restored and assembled in the original frame, readapted to meet the necessary conditions of preventive conservation

The four manuscripts in question are from the Girona Historical Archive. They are comprised of two books with flexible binding, with reused parchment; a third book which, from the remains of preserved binding, is thought to have been bound with the same technique, and a book bound in half-skin and with wooden covers.

All four are handwritten on rag paper. The Arabs in the Iberian Peninsula started to produce this type of paper from 1150 onwards. It is a very high quality type of paper, which has been preserved to this day. These papers reached our hands in a poor state of conservation, largely because of proliferation of microorganisms, the result of an accumulation of water, as is the case of specimens 13475 and 13482. Another cause of deterioration was pests, as in the case of specimens 13476 and 13481, which had been affected by attacks from xylophagous insects.

Another factor that had altered the works was due to the handwritten metalloacid inks, which had oxidized, as in the case of specimen 13475, which as a result had penetrated the base material.

Both these factors had weakened the physicochemical structure, both of the paper and of the binding, and made reading them difficult while also putting the documents themselves at risk. The deterioration was progressive and could have resulted in the total

Material/Technique

Documents handwritten on rag paper, bound in parchment or half skin, with wooden covers

Title/Topic

4 books: CRBMC 13475: Manual of Palamós. AHG. Pa, 594; CRBMC 13476: manual from the notarial collection, of Castelló d’Empúries. AHG. Ca, 2085; CRBMC 13481: notification of the capbreu of the knight Hugo of Foixà, lord of the castle and the town of Albons.

Date/Period

Between the 13th and 16th centuries

Dimensions

Various

Location

Girona Historical Archive (AHG)

CRBMC Register NO

13475, 13476, 13481 and 13482

loss of the work. For this reason, an intervention was undertaken.

State of conservation

Books 13475 and 13482 had similar pathologies. In general, they all displayed significant mechanical alterations resulting from their reading and handling over the centuries. In terms of the base paper, some old microbiological damage was observed which had weakened the paper and there were also large ring marks (13476) due to the water. Also of note were the perforations and losses resulting from the oxidative effect of the corrosive metalloacid inks (13476).

Meanwhile, significant alterations affected the structure of the original stitching and the parchment covers, which had disintegrated, with a loss of base material and containing some prior repairs. The capbreu 13481 was the one in the best condition because, despite the fact that the base material contained holes created by woodworm and it was missing the spine of the binding, the structure and stitching were sturdy.

Intervention

Based on a preliminary study comprising of physicochemical analyses, the treatments were adjusted according to the individual needs of each specimen.

Nevertheless, the treatments described below were applied generally.

Book (CRBMC reg. no. 13475) before the intervention. Process of measuring the pH of the base material

Restoration

Berta Blasi, Lorena Escolano and Toni Esparó; intern: Elisabeth Carvajal, and work placement students: Anna Ferrer and Ariadna Garrigolas

Year of restoration

2018

Book (CRBMC reg. no. 13475) before the intervention. Close-up of original base material affected by the alteration of the handwritten metalloacid ink, which affected almost the entire text box Book (CRBMC reg. no. 13475) before the intervention

In order to minimize any microbiological damage to the books, after taking a sample using a sterile cotton swab, the first step was disinfection. In this case, the works were treated with inert gases. They were placed in the anoxic chamber and were subsequently sprayed with a hydroalcoholic solution, where necessary.

Afterwards, the different base materials were mechanically and dry cleaned, using a vacuum cleaner with a Hepa® filter whose intensity could be regulated and with brushes.

After studying and documenting the structure of the original stitching, the books were disassembled, where necessary, in order to perform the intervention.

The following step involved wet cleaning the base materials, using different methods of application, in order to remove damaging products, and almost in parallel they were chemically stabilized through deacidification. One of the books underwent a specific treatment in order to minimize the damage caused by the metalloacid inks.

To restore their physical stability, the base materials were consolidated with Japanese paper of different weights, either by lamination or by reintegrating the missing parts of the original base in certain places.

As for the binding parchments, and after consultation with the technical staff of the archive, they were worked on as separate documents so they could be studied and checked. Their treatment involved mechanical and wet cleaning, hygroscopic and dimensional stabilization and consolidation of losses of the base material.

Finally, following the previously documented stitching, the books were re-stitched. When binding 13475 and 13482, the principle of readability was followed, and the original parchment binding, now a document, was replaced with a neutral pH cardboard binding.

Protection and storage system

In terms of external protection, four boxes were made to measure for the books, and two folders for the parchments, all made with conservation material, which will help to protect the specimens from knocks, dust and light. It is crucial that the environmental and storage conditions meet the criteria of preventive conservation and priority must be given to the digitalization of the books in question in order to minimize their handling.

— Berta Blasi and Toni Esparó

Book (CRBMC reg. no. 13475) open after the intervention. The reintegrated first page and the structure of the new conservation binding that replaces the original parchment can be seen

Image of the bifolio of the book (CRBMC reg. no. 13476) before and after the intervention, showing the alteration of the base material and the handwritten inks due to moisture and book-eating insects

Reused parchment used in the binding of the book (CRBMC reg. no. 13482) before and after the intervention and its treatment as a document

Title/Topic

Vallauris exposition 1954

Author

Pablo Ruiz Picasso (Màlaga, 1881 - Mougins, 1973)

Date/Period

1954

Origin

Abelló Museum. Municipal Art Foundation, Mollet del Vallès (Vallès Oriental county)

CRBMC Register NO

13500

Restoration

Bárbara Viana

Year of restoration

2018

The poster announces the annual ceramics exhibition that Pablo Picasso organized during his stay in Vallauris (France, 1948-1964). He himself carved the posters for this event, which many of his friends collected.

The poster in question was made using the linocut technique in colour and is printed on industrially manufactured paper, made with high quality cotton fibres, and with a slightly satin finish. The poster has a «Registres-Torpes» watermark at the top. Initially, the work was framed and in contact with a very thick glass, partially attached to a secondary support and with a cardboard base, both acidic in nature.

State of conservation

In terms of its state of conservation, it was mostly suffering from widespread surface dirt, stains of various kinds, deformations, cracks, significant loss of the base material and old interventions, including the use of self-adhesive tape to repair tears and a retouching of the colours.

Although the deformation of the base material affected almost the whole work, the most significant problem was the tension created by four points of adhesion between the work and the secondary support. A ring mark was also visible in the upper margin as a result of direct contact with moisture, which had spread dirt and caused the ink to migrate, which in theory was not part of the original document. Finally, in the lower margin, there were significant losses of base material and the colours had been retouched, and old microbiological damage had left the base material very fragile and unstable.

Intervention

Before carrying out the intervention, in order to determine the viability of the conservation-restoration treatments, it was

Close-up of the affected area before and after the intervention documented photographically, examined for microbiological activity, studied and analysed to determine its constituent materials and various physicochemical tests were carried out to determine the solubility of the supported elements, the pH and conductivity of the paper.

First, the surface was vacuum cleaned, with the help of a soft hair brush. The work was separated from the secondary support and the remains of adhesive were removed mechanically by applying a solvent here and there. The self-adhesive tapes were also mechanically removed with a scalpel, and a dry mechanical clean was performed using a vulcanized smoke sponge.

Although it was not possible to apply an aqueous treatment to the whole work due to the presence of a soluble supported element on the back, a chemical cleaning was carried out in certain parts using a buffer solution adapted to the pH and conductivity of the work. This treatment was applied with a brush and on a textile base of polyester and wood pulp (Sontara®) to absorb the soluble acidity of the stains. Subsequently, to stabilize the free radicals, a solution with calcium ions was applied and the base material was dimensionally stabilized; it was then allowed to dry under moderate weight.

The tears were then repaired and the base material was reintegrated, with Japanese paper of different weights adhered with 5% Tylose® MHB-300 in water.

Finally, a more suitable framing system was created, by mounting the work on conservation cardboard, with Japanese paper hinges, and protected by methacrylate with a UV radiation filter on the front and a polypropylene base on the back.

— Bárbara Viana

Back of the drawing with raking light

Vallauris Exposition 1954 drawing, before the intervention

Material/Technique

Base material: paper and/or parchment; graphite, charcoal, pastel and others

Title/Topic

81 works with different supported techniques, on paper and parchment bases

Author

Caterina Albert i Paradís, known by her pseudonym, Víctor Català (l’Escala, 1869-1966)

Origin

L’Escala Council, L’Escala (Alt Empordà county)

Location

L’Escala Historical Archive, Alfolí de la Sal, l’Escala (Alt Empordà county)

CRBMC Register NO

13517

Caterina Albert i Paradís, better known as Víctor Català, apart from being an important literary figure, was also interested in other artistic disciplines, such as painting and drawing. Her graphic work consists of more than 80 pieces that, in some cases, were created to illustrate her own stories.

The restored works used different types of paper and other base materials, such as parchment. As for the supported elements, she also worked with various materials, such as graphite, charcoal, pastel and watercolour.

State of conservation

The treated pieces arrived in frames and passe-partouts, and some were attached to secondary supports, with self-adhesive tapes or other types of adhesives. The main physicochemical alterations they suffered included surface dirt, deformations, ring marks, folds, tears and losses of base material. Also, the base material was oxidized, there was darkening, oxidation stains (foxing) and chemical destabilization, as a result of the acidity of the paper.

After the work had been documented photographically and been treated with inert gases (anoxia), it underwent physicochemical tests to determine the state of the base material and the supported elements. First, contact sampling was carried out using a sterile swab in order to rule out any microbiological activity that might be affecting the different base materials. The pH and conductivity of the base material, as well as the solubility of the supported elements, were then measured, and a test for Fe2 was performed to evaluate the stability of the metalloacid inks. The conservation-restoration process was then designed based on the results of these tests.

Intervention

First, the works were separated from the various secondary supports and the traces of adhesive from tapes were removed mechanically. To eliminate the remains of aerosol adhesive, rigid and semi-rigid gels were used, along with solvents applied alone, in emulsion or in gel.

Subsequently, dry and wet mechanical cleaning was carried out on the works that required it. After various tests, it was decided that the works should undergo a capillary cleaning process on oita (semi-porous wooden table: this is the application of moisture through a porous membrane, which ends up absorbing dirt) using a buffer solution adapted to the conductivity of the base materials. For those pieces where the supported elements were unstable, a controlled wet cleaning on a suction table was carried out, through the application of an ultrasonic spray.

Then, all the parts that required it were dimensionally stabilized, through controlled drying. Once the base materials had been stabilized, the tears were consolidated with Japanese paper applied with cellulose ester adhesive.

In terms of the final presentation system, the works intended for exhibition were mounted on Japanese paper hinges so they could be framed. The rest of the pieces were arranged in conservation sleeves made from barrier paper, which were made to measure, and placed inside conservation boxes, as new installation units and in accordance with the established criteria of preventive conservation.

— Ariadna Garrigolas and Francesca Tort

pH and conductivity testing of the base material with agarose tablets Controlled wet cleaning inside the humidification chamber

Year of restoration

2018

Self-portrait by Caterina Albert, drawn in charcoal on paper

Framing system for pieces intended for exhibition

Material/Technique

Paper, fabric, cardboard, natural leather, synthetic leather, different types of adhesives, etc.; inks, printed and handwritten

Title/Topic

Various, basically related to the world of cinema

Author Various

Origin

Government of Catalonia, Barcelona (Barcelonès county)

Location

Barcelona (Barcelonès county)

CRBMC Register NO

13606

It is essential to have a management plan in place for emergencies, in order to respond quickly and minimize the potential damage to cultural artefacts.

In the event of flooding, the deterioration of the artefacts depends on the response time, but also on the nature of the constituent materials. If the affected heritage item is a documentary collection, the great diversity of types, format and base material of the documentation, which in itself is made up of different materials, must be taken into account.

During the autumn of 2018, Barcelona suffered episodes of intense and sudden rainfall that affected various cultural entities, though the alertness and rapid reaction of heritage conservation-restoration professionals ensured that the damage could be repaired and its effects minimized.

State of conservation

The set of documentation affected by the flood consisted of books, posters, pamphlets, photographs, etc., and was located in three different spaces, arranged in compacts, flat and metal filing cabinets. Part of this set, which was treated at the CRBMC, had suffered the direct effect of the flood, and the rest of the material was subjected to an environment saturated with relative humidity.

The microbiological damage, confirmed from the results of the analyses, was evident and showed an exponential growth of fungi, bacteria and yeasts that generated a diverse chromatic substrate on the different materials.

Assessing and establishing the order of intervention in situ

Intervention

The emergency intervention began in situ in the repositories where the documentation was located. Clearly, an order of priority had to be established for the treatment of the affected collection, which was transferred to the CRBMC.

There were three levels of damage, which required different disinfection, drying and cleaning treatments. The most affected works were freeze-dried, which, together with their encapsulation in which the oxygen level was controlled and the incorporation of an antifungal agent for the second level of damage, and anoxia for the rest, minimized the identified microbiological growth.

The analysis of the samples taken systematically, before and after the different treatments, determined the suitability of each one, and different levels of treatment were also established for the physicomechanical alterations derived from the incident and from the treatments themselves.

At the same time, the intervention continued in the repositories with the cleaning and control of the rest of the documentation that had not been affected. Several conservation-restoration projects are still being carried out today, and work is continuing on achieving the stability of the stored collections, and on establishing the ideal parameters for their preventive conservation, in order to minimize the risk of the damage being reactivated.

It is worth mentioning that at all times we worked following rigorous occupational health and safety protocols with the use of different PPE (personal protective equipment), essential to carry out the cleaning and disinfection of the documentary heritage.

— M. Carme Balliu

Close-up of the sample taking from the affected books

Years of restoration

2018-2019

Cleaning of different affected books and sample taking at the CRBMC facilities

Book affected by microbiological activity and physicomechanical alteration, before and after the intervention