Delicate Paper Conservation | How Our Conservator Works With Early Life Drawings | Annibale Carracci

This is a selection of drawings by Enibe Karachi This year the Royal Collection is lending 25 drawings to the Louvre One of these drawings will undergo conservation and reassembly which is carried out here in the paper restoration studio at Windsor Castle Nibley Karachi founded a sign academy in Bologna Italy together with his older brother Ago Gustino and their cousin Ludovico This was the first art school in Europe based on drawing from live models Artists such as Guido Raimi and Dominica Nino were among the students of this academy Carax Fresco in the Galleria Farese in Rome set the standard for extravagant and illusionistic ceiling paintings ey should be sustained until the next century Hundreds of Knieblaise drawings exist from this project mostly in the Louvre Besançon and the Royal Collection The Louvre is holding an exhibition to bring together as many of these drawings as possible o show the entire creative process of Nibley from the first ideas to the detailed scale models Therefore the loan request is significant and offers an opportunity to present the great diversity of the Windsor drawings The eight works in our studio require a series of treatments The process ranges from ink consolidation to reassembly The first step is the initial assessment of the drawing To determine stability and condition and to examine the materials and techniques used by the artist After the written documentation and the visual inspection with the naked eye We photographed the drawings under various lighting conditions to capture information This door study which is one of the highlights of this drawing group It was for example photographed in transmitted light revealing information about the leaf There is a partial watermark on the left edge in the middle We can also see impressions of the paper mold This drawing was re-mounted as it had previously been firmly glued to a back wall That is why the back side was not visible and it would not have been possible to take a transmission image which is now possible for us This drawing was made with iron gall ink which can decompose significantly over time and eventually lead to ink loss and image degradation Here a small area of the ink has started to flake off which is typical for this medium To prevent further deterioration I reinforced the area with an adhesive This drawing was also firmly attached to its backing board causing severe waves in the sheet She was removed from the back cover and then humidified in a chamber system It is carefully introduced into the humidity to allow the leaf to relax safely in preparation for pressing The drawing is slightly pressed for a period of time before being rewound to smooth out the waves Then the re-coiling process can begin We often reuse washing line edges to maintain the consistency of the collection To display the drawing on the back it was secured with a paper flap That was very unsafe This drawing is inserted along all four edges of this sheet and then provided with an acrylic glass back that offers support for this drawing The preservation of these Karach drawings ensures their long-term survival for the coming years For the recovery of exhibition visitors and for use in scientific research The 25 drawings we are lending are a significant contribution to this important exhibition