The Bowes Museum
Report for the Pilgrim Trust: ‘The Tapestry Project’
March 2011
An update report on the work of the Textile Conservator towards the Pilgrim Trust
funded conservation project at The Bowes Museum.
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1.
Introduction
The Bowes Museum was awarded a grant by the Pilgrim Trust in 2009 to raise the
profile of the tapestry collection.
The project is based around a collection of 179 large and small tapestry objects.
This first report indicates the progress of the project from March 2010 to March 2011
and the anticipated progress for the next two years.
2. Progress on the project
The project comprises 111 small tapestries and 58 large tapestries.
Because of a pest infestation all large rolled tapestries needed freezing to kill the
pests. All objects were wrapped and sealed, put in a large freezer for one week, and
placed in the new storage area for the large rolled textiles in the textile gallery.
The new storage area had to be completed with poles and location numbers before
the rolled textiles could go in.
As a preventive measure against future infestations in the tapestries, synthetic under
layers for three big carpets (one made with a tapestry technique), were made to
replace the woollen ones.
A clear and accurate recording system, that covers all the important information, has
been developed using a database (File Maker Pro Software) onto which the general
information is recorded. The documentation includes an object description,
photographs, a condition report and a treatment report. The more general data of
this information will be copied to the museum documentation system (Adlib), which
allows the data to go on the Bowes website (collections side). All documentation is
also available in a paper version.
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Sixty one of all the small tapestries have now been fully documented. They have
been surface-cleaned (vacuumed) and placed in acid-free boxes or rerolled, with
new acid-free tissue.
Two of the large tapestries have been assessed and conserved. One of them: ‘Clubs
and Sceptres’, has been selected to go on display. The object has been wet cleaned
and had remedial work (i.e. conservation stitching) to make it safe for hanging
display in the textile gallery in April. Tapestry 55 was found folded in a box and, after
vacuuming, was rolled and stored in the rolled textiles store.
To increase the accessibility, conservation stitching, has taken place on a frame in
the gallery when possible. In this way, visitors were able to see ‘conservation in
action’ as well as having the opportunity to learn about tapestry conservation and
conservation requirements by asking questions of the conservator (see picture).
A first report on the tapestry project has been written and now appears on the
museum-blog. Thirteen high quality small tapestries have been assessed and are
stored in the gallery to go in the study collection.
Two volunteers have been trained in describing, vacuuming and re-boxing/ re-rolling
the small tapestries, which will now allow the conservator to concentrate on the
large, more time-consuming tapestries. An ‘object conservation student’ with special
interest in textiles was supervised for two months in summer 2011.
Training
To develop personal expertise, an experienced freelance textile conservator has
been regularly consulted for conservation proposals and problems. Under her
guidance a full day was spent on wet cleaning.
A one-day museum core skills training: ‘Working with volunteers’ was attended in
April 2010.
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3. Anticipated progress on the project over the next twelve months
Locating, documentation, vacuuming and storing the remaining fifty small tapestries,
will continue. This part of the project will be completed before 2012 with the help of
volunteers.
Fifty six large tapestries remain to be assessed and conserved. ‘Triumph of time’
was planned to go on display in the textile gallery and needs extensive conservation.
Half of the amount of large tapestries (28) will be assessed by the end of 2011.
Assessment and surface cleaning of the large tapestries will mainly take place in the
gallery. Photography will take place in the temporary exhibition gallery and
conservation stitching will continue to be performed in the gallery.
To increase accessibility to the public, talks in the gallery will be held.
Volunteers will continue working on the small tapestries and will be trained to help
assessing and treating the large tapestries.
Training
To develop personal expertise, £500 of the budget will be used for a weeks training
at the National Trust textile conservation workshop in April 2011, with the aim to
increase expertise in tapestry conservation, providing the opportunity to spend time
with other conservators to become aware of the various approaches to tapestry
conservation.
A freelance textile conservator will continue to be consulted by e-mail for specific
conservation questions.
The Burrell Collection in Glasgow has a similar tapestry-project going on. To learn
from their experience, the textile conservator will be visited if possible.
At this point, March 2011, assessment and conservation of one third of the total
amount of objects has been completed.
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