Read part one and part two in this series.

After drying The Studio Table (1923), it was noted that some adhesive still remained in the paper, creating distortions and discoloration.  Identification of the adhesive was made using examination with ultraviolet light and spot tests.  A gelatin specific enzyme was selected to remove the residual adhesive and brushed onto the margins under a controlled temperature and humidity setting. The print was then rinsed to remove any excess enzyme and a Japanese stippling brush was used to encourage the leftover adhesive to come loose. After drying between felts, it was observed that the adhesive had successfully been removed along with much of the staining in the margins. Click on the thumbnails below to view the process.

1. DT After drying, adhesive still remained on the surface.

2. DT Adhesive residue still distorted the paper.

3. DT Adhesive residue fluoresced under UV visible illumination.

4. Adhesive tests

5. DT Preparation of mylar tray for enzyme treatment.

6. DT Preparing the enzyme solution.

7. DT Applying the enzyme to the adhesive residue on a temperature controlled platform.

8. DT Covering the print during enzyme treatment.

9. DT Rinsing of adhesive broken down by enzyme.

In addition to the previous mat being glued onto the piece, the mat board behind the print was composed of poor quality materials and had likely been in place for more than 50 years, which led to discoloration in the form of a matburn surrounding the image area of the print. A reducing agent solution was brushed onto the stain in tiny dots with a tiny brush in order to diminish it. The print was again rinsed, then rehumidified and dried between felts.

10. DT Preparation of solution for reducing the mat burn.

11. DT Application of solution to matburn.

12. DT Final rinsing.

13. DT After complete drying, rehumidification in preparation for final flattening.

14. DT Print drying between felts.

Here you can see the dramatic difference in the print’s condition before and after treatment. The Studio Table is currently on display on the second floor of the Sant Building as part of the Georges Braque and the Cubist Still Life exhibition until September 1, 2013.

Caroline Hoover, Conservation Assistant

Studio Table before treatment, left, and after treatment, right.

Read part one in this series here.

In order to remove the adhesive from the margins surrounding the printed image of The Studio Table (1923), conservation treatment was undertaken. First, the print was humidified and placed upon a wet blotter infused with pH adjusted water.  Blotter poultices were added on top of the adhesive around the margins. Once the adhesive had sufficiently softened, it was gently coaxed off using a dental tool and the signatures were revealed. The print was then left to dry between felts. Click on the thumbnails below to view the process. Read part three tomorrow…

Caroline Hoover, Conservation Assistant

1. During Treatment (DT) Humidification between Goretex.

2. DT Preparation of correct pH wash water.

3. DT Spraying the back before washing.

4. DT Blotter washing using correct pH water.

5. DT Blotter poltices to remove adhesive.

6. DT Removing adhesive covering signature with dental tool.

7. DT Further adhesive reduction with cotton.

8. DT Blotter from washing showing removed discoloration.

Print before treatment. Georges Braque, The Studio Table, 1923, Color aquatint on paper 23 x 8 1/2 in.; 58.42 x 21.59 cm.. Acquisition date unknown.

This etching and aquatint, The Studio Table (1923), was done on RIVES BFK paper by Jacques Villon, a significant printmaker during the early 20^th century, in collaboration with Georges Braque. In 1922, the Bernheim Jeune dealers and publishers asked Villon to create a series of 40 intaglio plates after modern artists’ works. This print was the 4^th pull in an edition of 200 made in 1923 after Georges Braque’s painting Guitar and Still Life on a Guéridon (1922) in the collection of the Met.

Villon used very advanced and complicated techniques to reproduce the texture and aesthetic of the paintings his prints represented. It appears that three plates with a total of seven different colors of ink were used; the registration holes that kept these plates lined up during printing are visible below. Two different techniques were used to create this work. One was etching, a process where a copper plate is covered with wax and then scratched into using an etching needle and bathed in acid to bite into these lines. Villon also used aquatint, a process where a layer of acid resistant particles is spread across the surface of the copper plate as the ground. The artist will use a stop-out varnish to allow the acid to bite around the particles for different lengths of time to create darker or lighter toned areas. A unique tool called a rocker was used to create the dashed line texture, which can be seen in the details below. Click on the thumbnails below to see details of the print.

Detail illustrating printing textures

Detail illustrating printing textures.

Detail illustrating registration pinhole in print

There was a significant layer of adhesive that obscured the margins of the print. Using infrared imaging, we were able to see through the adhesive that both Villon and Braque signed the bottom of this print. In other editions, both artists did not sign the print, making the Phillips’ work particularly significant. The decision was made to remove the adhesive to show these signatures using a series of controlled steps that can be seen in more detail in the following posts. Read part two tomorrow…

Caroline Hoover, Conservation Assistant

Detail illustrating excess adhesive in the margin.

Signatures of Braque, left and Villon, right.