Conservation of pith paper

Julia M. Landry <j.landry [at] ns__sympatico__ca> writes

>Does anyone have any experience working with Chinese pith paper,
>often mistakenly called rice paper.  I'd be interested to receive
>any information on its physical properties, etc.

I worked on a number of pith paintings as an intern at NEDCC long
(long!) ago. I didn't do a lot of research on the nature of the
material, though, and in retrospect I think I was lucky that the
treatments I carried out went as well as they did.  I recall that
the paintings I worked on were curled and extremely fragile, with
many breaks and tears.  I ended up lining them.  I found that when
the brittle pith was moist due to humidification and contact with
the lining adhesive it became extremely vulnerable to compression,
which could result in a change in translucency.  It had to be
handled very carefully.  If you want to contact me with specific
questions about those pith treatments I'd be happy to tell you what
little I know, and to point you in the direction of other colleagues
who might help.

Karen Potje
Head, Conservation / Preservation Department
Centre Canadien d'Architecture
1920, rue Baile
Montreal, Quebec
Canada, H3H 2S6
514-939-7000 x 1236
Fax: 514-939-7020


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:48
                  Distributed: Friday, March 24, 2000
                       Message Id: cdl-13-48-011
                                  ***