History of stretchers and strainers

I am a third year student following a degree course of conservation
of paintings at the Malta Centre for Restoration. My interest lies
in the study of canvas paintings--especially the physical
interaction of the stretcher frames with the canvas support. Shortly
I will carry out a set of experiments to monitor the distribution of
stresses throughout the whole canvas while being stretched (at
different amounts) by the widely used 'simple mortice and key'
stretcher frame. Thus, the limitations of this type of stretcher
will be eventually pointed out. In addition I am projecting a series
of stretchers that would help the canvas paintings in having a
better, homogeneous distribution of stresses.

All this would be eventually present in my thesis. However I
encountered difficulties in trying to trace out the history of
strainers and stretcher frames for canvas paintings. I would be very
grateful if someone who encountered with such historical
information/sources will pass it on to me. It would greatly help my
research.

David Frank Bugeja


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 16:14
                Distributed: Wednesday, August 28, 2002
                       Message Id: cdl-16-14-010
                                  ***