Venetian papier mache mask

Olaya Balcells <olaya.balcells [at] gmail__com> writes

>One of my clients brought me a Venetian papier-mache mask, which is
>completely distorted in the forehead. Could anyone give me advice on
>what to do?

I bought several masks in the mid eighties in Venice, some made of
papier-mache, others plaster of Paris over layers of gauze. They
have been displayed since then and have held up remarkably well.

Early on I noticed that the paper ones tended to sag in high
humidity. To prevent distortion I inserted a "tension rod" made out
of a bamboo chop stick cut to the exact width of the mask's forehead
and with padded cotton tips. I placed the rod inside the mask just
above the eyes.  I also reinforced the inside of the paper masks
with strips of cotton muslin and wheat paste. A client's masks with
lacunae and dents were repaired with Japanese tissue and wheat paste
and inpainting.

I should think that after humidification you will be able to reshape
your mask by stuffing the distorted area with crumpled newsprint and
letting it dry. Then, if your distortion was due to the pull of the
hanging ribbon that is usually placed at the level of the temples,
try the tension rod solution just above that area.

Jenny Hille
Book and Paper Conservation
Riverside CT


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 25:16
                Distributed: Sunday, September 25, 2011
                       Message Id: cdl-25-16-004
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