Albrecht Dürer’s Material Renaissance

Conservation of Fragile Books and Prints:  Preparing for Exhibition

Albrecht Dürer’s Material Renaissance features rare and fragile books and prints – some nearly 600 years old. Because these precious items will be exhibited for over four months, it is crucial to ensure that they are not damaged while on display. The range of factors to take into account include gallery and ambient lighting, temperature and humidity, the fragility of book spines, and even – for one item – a need to turn pages during the exhibition. To ensure the safekeeping of every exhibit, a team of specialist conservation staff have made expert decisions about lighting levels, gallery temperature and humidity, book opening angles, and page turns.

What is the role of a paper and book conservator in an exhibition like Albrecht Dürer’s Material Renaissance?

Paper and book conservators are committed to the preservation, conservation, technical analysis, and study of paper-based cultural material which includes prints, drawings, and bound volumes.

Conservators are normally consulted early in the development of large exhibitions like Albrecht Dürer’s Material Renaissance as their recommendations can influence object selection and exhibition design. Conservators are involved in all stages of exhibition production including:

• Assessing selected items and providing advice on display
• Conservation treatment to ensure an object is stable enough for display
• Condition reporting and exhibition mounting
• Overseeing packing and transportation of collection items
• Installation of items into showcases or hanging framed items
• Assessment and management of environmental conditions within the gallery
• Risk management and disaster response during the exhibition
• Deinstallation, final reporting, and the return of items to storage

When preparing a print or book for exhibition, what are the most important factors to consider?

Preparing old master prints, like the framed works in this exhibition, is quite straightforward. The paper and inks are typically chemically stable and their manufacture is well understood. Conservators will consider the physical strength of the paper when it’s mounted, the light sensitivity of both the paper and image, and the display history of the particular print. Most of Dürer’s prints are printed in black ink made from carbon which is inert, while coloured prints tend to be more sensitive to light fading.

Because the materials and construction of books is more complex, books conservators consider factors like the weight of the book, the strength and tightness of the binding, and the display history of the particular opening. Some of the books in this exhibition are in their original bindings constructed from material such as wood and leather covers with metal clasps, bosses, and cornerpieces. Other books have bindings that aren’t original, but are still historically significant.

Why are the lighting levels so low in this exhibition?

Light is one of the most important factors that can be controlled to extend the life of an object. Light, particularly ultra violet light (UV), causes the fading of many pigments and inks which is irreversible. It also causes yellowing of paper and may initiate damaging chemical reactions. Luckily, we don’t need UV to see so we can remove it entirely from the Gallery lighting. For visible light, which is needed to view the objects, we keep it as low as possible to reduce this damage, which is typically around 50 lux for sensitive materials.

A range of techniques are used in exhibition design to make this low lighting less obvious and viewing easier. This includes having the overall lighting as low as possible so the objects appear more brightly lit in comparison. Transitions from more brightly lit to darker spaces are also used to allow your eyes time to adjust.

Sometimes it is important to know precise information about how a particular item responds to light – this often the case with very significant, light-sensitive, or frequently exhibited items. To get this information, we use a technique called Micro Fade Testing (MFT). You can read more about the MFT analysis of two hand-coloured prints in this exhibition via this link.

Why are some of the book openings in the exhibition so small?

The bindings of books often become rigid over time as the materials harden and become more brittle. In addition, historic bindings like the ones in this exhibition are often heavy and particularly vulnerable to damage if the book is forced open. This may cause damage at the point where the covers attach, known as the joints, or split the sewing along the spine.

Because most of the books in Albrecht Dürer’s Material Renaissance will be left open to the same page for over four months, a smaller opening applies less pressure to the binding, and avoids them developing a ‘memory’ which would cause them to fall open to this particular page in the future.

What are the ideal environmental conditions for the display of works on paper, and why do we care?

Both temperature and humidity have a direct role in many forms of damage and degradation to heritage material, and organic materials, like paper and leather, are particularly vulnerable. All organic materials continually absorb and release moisture with their environment, which causes materials to expand and contract. Moisture also plays a role in some damaging chemical reactions, and at high levels can contribute to mould or microbial growth.

If the humidity is unstable, an organic object such as a book or print, will experience multiple cycles of expansion and contraction causing physical stresses and may result in damages such as distortions, cracks, flaking of paint or delamination of layers. This is why we aim for stable humidity in gallery and storage spaces. For most heritage material, stable humidity of around 50% is considered appropriate.

The impact of temperature is two-fold – higher temperatures increase the rate of damaging chemical reactions, and because temperature impacts humidity, fluctuating temperatures make achieving stable humidity more difficult. A temperature of around 20°C during exhibition is considered a good compromise between the preservation of the collection and the comfort of the visitors.

For an exhibition like Albrecht Dürer’s Material Renaissance, we use several techniques to manage the temperature and humidity. Arts West Gallery itself has temperature control which provides some stability in comparison to the outside environment, and the frames and display cases provide insulation to further stabilise the temperature. The inbuilt display cases have mechanical humidity control which takes in ambient air and adjusts the humidity to make sure it is in the desired range before being released into the showcase. The free-standing cases use a passive system to control the humidity. The cases themselves are well sealed to reduce the rate of air exchange to very low levels. We then add a volume of silica gel preconditioned to a particular humidity setpoint. This absorbs excess humidity above the setpoint and releases moisture below the setpoint. We use environmental loggers to constantly monitor the temperature and humidity are in the correct range, so if anything drifts we can adjust the systems and make the needed corrections.

Have students contributed to the conservation?

Over the years, several students have contributed to the conservation of collection items in this exhibition.

In 2019 Master of Cultural Materials Conservation student Laura Daenke undertook a major conservation treatment of Albrecht Dürer’s woodcut the Knight and the lansquenet included in this exhibition for her thesis research coursework.

You can read about the conservation of the Knight and the lansquenet or listen to an interview with student conservator Laura Daenke.

Read

Listen

In 2023, as part of her internship subject, Master of Cultural Materials Conservation student Ellie Thomas completed a complex mounting of two prints in this  exhibition – Madonna Queen of Angles, 1518 and Adoration of the Magi, 1511.

Albrecht Dürer’s Material Renaissance

The exhibition, Albrecht Dürer’s Material Renaissance provides an in-depth encounter with German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) and the material culture of his home city of Nuremberg. It explores how print and book production developed in Nuremberg from the late 15th century alongside constant innovation in the city’s craft and manufacturing trades. The exhibition is co-curated by University of Melbourne staff Hansen Associate Professor Jenny Spinks, Dr Matthew Champion, Professor Charles Zika, and Dr Shannon Gilmore-Kuziow; they have worked closely with colleagues in the University’s Special Collections, Grimwade Conservation Services, and State Library Victoria. Research towards the exhibition was funded by the Australian Research Council Discovery Project ‘Albrecht Dürer’s Material World – in Melbourne, Manchester and Nuremberg’ (DP210101623).

It will be open in the Arts West Gallery from 22 July to 29 November 2024, Monday to Friday. Admission to the exhibition is free.