Naturally dyed papers

I am doing research in Japan on the techniques and tradition of
coloring papers with natural dyes. I am primarily documenting
existing methods, but the question of longevity does arise. Many
ancient examples of dyed papers that survived very well, but some of
the current techniques do not result in stable papers because they
require the use of strong acidic or alkaline mordants to fix the
color. This is not considered a problem here if the papers have
temporary, religious uses.

Are there ways to buffer dyed papers without changing their color?
If the sheets are first coated with a vegetable starch solution such
as funori or konnyaku would that suffice to protect the paper? Any
thoughts or relevant sources of information would be much
appreciated.

Tatiana Ginsberg
2003-4 Fulbright Researcher
Handmade paper/Natural dyes
Kyoto, Japan


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 18:14
                 Distributed: Sunday, September 5, 2004
                       Message Id: cdl-18-14-029
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