Fig. 4 1282-1874 with Japanese paper after conservation (Photography by B.C. Westra © Victoria and Albert Museum, London)
The spoons are very fragile as they are carved from very thin sections of wood and have delicate pierced work, so it is important to store them correctly to avoid damage. Storage conditions were not ideal as the transparent trays containing the spoons were crowded and the spoons lacked sufficient support; therefore, to ensure safe transport to CRC, it was necessary to perform conservation treatments and provide bespoke packaging for the twelve spoons.
Due to the thin and fragile nature of the bowl-section of the spoons, it was decided to apply Japanese paper facing adhered with wheatstarch to support the breaks. In some cases, the facing was applied to bridge the losses and achieve more unity of the bowl-section. A few layers of Japanese paper provided enough strength to hold the bowl-section together and the water-based starch can be removed easily in the future without damaging the object (Fig. 4).
Some of the highly decorative pierced carvings in the very thin bowl-section of the spoons were fractured (Figs. 1 and 2). Some spoons had residues of old glue and supportive facings from previous repairs. Old paper tabs had been used during previous repairs to bridge gaps and strengthen joins on some of the bowl-sections. These had to be removed because they were too small and the adhesive had failed, resulting in a loss of their supportive function (Fig. 3).
After conservation was completed, a bespoke tray was made for each of the spoons using Plastazote foam. Parts of the foam were ‘scooped-out’ to form a rebate, enabling the bowl of the spoon to rest into the foam. The spoons were then secured with cotton tape to avoid any undesirable movement within their Plastazote tray (Figs. 5 and 6). This combined approach of treatment and bespoke supportive packaging will provide a safe and secure way to transport them and ideal storage conditions for the future.
Several elements of the decorative carving were broken and had been re-adhered in the past during previous treatments. However, most of these glue joints failed or fragments were out of alignment. Therefore, it was necessary to remove the adhesive residues and to reposition the loose fragments.
V&A Conservation Journal No.67
V&A Conservation Journal No.67
Fig.3 Detail of broken bowl-section and old facings on spoon 1282-1874 before conservation (Photography by B.C. Westra © Victoria and Albert Museum, London)
References
1. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O109573/sherbet-spoonunknown/ [Accessed 7 January 2020]
Fig.5 and 6 Range of Sherbet spoons after conservation treatment and positioned in a Plastazote tray (Photography by B.C. Westra © Victoria and Albert Museum, London)
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