What do conservators do when a single artwork can be classified as both an object AND a painting? Take this 14th century manuscript book cover. It could be considered as both a decorative panel painting and a sacred object used as part of a religious practice. So then, how do we decide how it should be treated? Fortunately, at the Brooklyn Museum’s conservation lab, objects, paintings, frame, and paper conservators all work in close proximity, which enables easy cross-disciplinary collaboration. So when developing a treatment for these 12-13th-century Nepalese book covers, objects and paintings conservators also invite paper and book conservators to join the discussion.
Avid followers will recall that we aren’t strangers to such collaborations, since techniques that are common place for paintings conservators, are sometimes less familiar to us in object, and vice versa. One such technique used for examination and documentation that is commonly used by paintings conservators and less so by objects conservators is raking light photography. This method of photography, done by taking photos with a light source coming from one side at an oblique angle to the surface, is a technique used by painting and fresco conservators to better understand painting techniques and condition. These digital raking-light photographs highlight the complex topography of the Nepalese manuscript cover’s surface. Here, the texture of the wood substrate, the flaking paint and losses are much more clearly visible than in the photo taken under standard lighting conditions. Similarly, when examining surfaces under an optical light microscope, manipulating the light allows you to also achieve raking light photos at a microscopic level!
We are now moving forward to the treatment phase where we will continue to take advantage of more opportunities to learn from each other. We will keep you posted!
Posted by Sasha Drosdick