Standard mount sizes

In response to Kirsten Elliot's comments regarding the selection of
appropriate mount sizes, I would like to suggest the following: Here
at the National Galleries of Scotland we have employed the same
standard sizes for decades and it has worked very well. I would say
however, that the standardisation is really only applicable to the
individual institution--in other words, no matter what size you
choose, as long as you stick with it, it should work.

We have employed neither the Imperial nor the metric system. Instead
we have something of a hybrid, based on the standard 44 x 32 inch
board size.

In descending order we have:

    44x32 inches
    32x22 inches
    22x16 inches
    16x11  inches

As you can see the sizes are achieved by simply halving the board
each time - this means there is absolutely no waste which keeps the
environment as well as your Institutional Accountant happy. The
storage of the smaller three sizes is within Solander boxes and the
largest size is either stored flat in plan chests or  framed.

In more recent times we have introduced two other sizes of 36x28 and
25x20 inches for aesthetic reasons and mainly for our Modern Art
collection. Again the  smaller size is stored in Solander Boxes and
the larger in plan chests or framed.

Graeme Gollan
Senior Paper Conservator
Department of Conservation
National Galleries of Scotland
74 Belford Road
Edinburgh EH4 3DR
+44 131 624 6361


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 17:13
                   Distributed: Monday, July 21, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-17-13-004
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