Preventive Conservation
Preventive conservation is a term used to describe conservation practices that prevent damage and extend the life of a precious work of art. The term can cover a wide range of activities and subjects, from maintaining the proper temperature and humidity in a storage vault to something as simple as wearing gloves when handling art. By protecting cultural materials and providing optimal storage and care, we can avoid the need for later repairs and restoration.
Using magnetic mounts for art display
With preventive conservation in mind, the Conservation Department has begun hanging art in a new way—using magnets! Artwork often needs to be displayed on gallery walls without a traditional frame. There might be a number of reasons: Asian paintings were seldom intended to have European-style frames, and most costumes are simply too bulky. Often these works are attached to a panel using hidden pins, stitching, or paper hinges. But a new generation of super-strong rare earth magnets can now provide overall support to an artifact without the need for pins or intrusive supports. The magnets serve as gentle clamps, pressing the artwork against a padded sheet of steel hidden inside a backing board. The pressure can be adjusted by adding more magnets or more padding layers as needed, so that the artwork need not be altered by pins, sewing, or other attachments. These mounts can be easily reused, saving time and money, too.
Chinese imperial court overvest, 1990.214 Super-strong rare earth magnets can be used to mount costumes, replacing a traditional pinned or stitched support. The steps below describe how an imperial Chinese court overvest from the Ming Dynasty was displayed and packed for shipping using a custom mount board and magnetic inserts. This mount provided continuous support for the textile and reduced overall handling.
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First: super magnets are covered with silk fabric or inserted into strips of mat board and covered with fabric. The number and strength of the magnets must be carefully determined to hold the artwork without crushing it. |
Next: the costume is carefully positioned on a mount board. The mount for this Chinese vest was a custom design, with steel panels beneath the red fabric to secure the magnets. The cotton velveteen selected for the mount has a heavy nap, to add even more support for the vest. |
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A padded silk form is fitted inside the robe. The padding gives the robe some depth, softens the fold lines, and helps to support the textile during handling and display. |
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The magnets keep the robe securely attached to the board, without pins or sewing. After display, the magnets can be removed from the padded form. The padding will be left in place to protect the vest during storage. |
The result: this fragile robe was safely displayed in Power and Glory: Court Arts of China's Ming Dynasty, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
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Spot these magnetic mounts in the galleries:
For more information on magnet mounts:
Daria Keynan, Julie Barten and Elizabeth Estabrook, "Installation methods for Robert Ryman's wall-mounted works, The Paper Conservator Volume 31 (2007): 7-15.
Gwen Spicer, "Defying Gravity with Magnetism" AICNews (Nov. 2010) vol. 35, 6:1,3-5.
