Preparing JRR Tolkien’s drawings for display

Marina V. Casagrande
MA Conservation of Fine Art Student
Northumbria University

 

The options to secure works of art on paper into a mount are diverse. They include straps, hinges, tabs and polyester windows to name a few. Mounting corners are also  frequently used and are a very efficient choice.

During a summer placement at the Bodleian Libraries, I mounted and framed some pieces of the JRR Tolkien collection in preparation for their display. The collection contains items in various shapes. Thus, different techniques were adopted to mount them.

Items with irregular edges were mounted with T-hinges and V-hinges using  Hasegawa Usumino Japanese paper, 1.6 monme, and wheat starch paste. The thickness and strength of the Japanese paper were carefully examined, it should be strong enough to hold the artwork but not so thick as to emboss/mark the item. Bifolia or heavier items were mounted with polyester strips. Double-sided works were secured to double-sided window mounts either in a floating style using T-hinges or clamped with mounting corners.

Squared or rectangular pieces, with details close to the edges were secured with T-hinges, and if necessary, V-hinges for extra support, in floating style mounts. In some cases, when extra support was not necessary, the tabs on the bottom were left loose.

If there was no relevant information on the edges, the items were secured in a clamp style with mounting corners. To develop an efficient corner, some practice attempts were carefully executed. Different artworks require different folds and after testing, four main styles were chosen.

This case study contains a step-by-step set of instructions to make and use the selected range of corners.

Style 1: Fixed mounting corners

Corner with a simple triangular shape that can be trimmed to better fit the items. (Kosek, 2004)

Specifications: Hasegawa Usumino Japanese paper, 3.4 monme, and gummed Japanese hinging paper (for quicker mounting, as this was for temporary display).

 

1 1 style 1 fixed mounting corners

1. Start with a square piece of paper – 55x55mm

1 2 style 1 fixed mounting corners

2. Fold along the diagonal to form a triangle

1 3 style 1 fixed mounting corners

3. Open and fold again along the opposite diagonal

 

1 4 style 1 fixed mounting corners

4. Unfold back to the original position

A square piece of paper cut with a ruler and scalpel

5. Using a scalpel, cut out one of the triangles

A square piece of paper missing one triangular quarter

6. Final open format

 

1 7 style 1 fixed mounting corners

7. Fold in the sides to form a triangular pocket. Place it on the corner of the object to make sure it fits.

Two triangles of paper back-to-back

8. The corner can be left as an entire triangle or it can be cut out, leaving an edge (3mm)

1 10 style 1 fixed mounting corners

9. Final folded format

 

1 10 style 1 fixed mounting corners

10. Final format with the artwork

A piece of paper folded diagonally into a triangle, with a flap on the bottom and the left hand side

11. Fix the sides with gummed Japanese hinging paper

1 12 style 1 fixed mounting corners

12. Final format fixed in the mount with the artwork in place

 

Style 2: Fixed mini-mounting corners

Smaller version of Style 1, a simple and practical way to secure smaller and lighter items.

Specifications: Hosokawa thin-medium Japanese paper and gummed Japanese hinging paper.

 

A long strip of paper positioned horizontally

1. Start with a strip of paper – 150x20mm

A strip of paper folded over itself in the middle to form a triangular corner

2. Near the middle, fold 90° downward

A strip of paper folded at a right angle

3. Fold back the horizontal tab

 

A strip of paper folded at the middle to form a 'L' shape

4. Fold the vertical tab upwards

A piece of paper folded at a right-angle

5. Flip to see the final folded format

A mini-mounting corner on a grey frame

6. Final format with the artwork

 

A piece of paper folded into a 'L' shape with another piece of paper covering it diagonally

7. Fix the corner with gummed Japanese hinging paper

A mini-mounting corner covered with a rectangular strip of paper

8. Final format fixed in the mount with the artwork

 

 

Style 3: Loose mounting corners – “Frog legs”

The corner can be stretched open and closed again to properly insert and remove the artwork with a motion resembling the legs of a frog.

Specifications: Hasegawa Usumino Japanese paper, 3.4 monme and gummed Japanese hinging paper

 

A rectangular piece of paper against a grey background

1. Start with a strip of paper – 85x25mm

A piece of paper folded downward at the middle

2. From the middle, fold 90° downward

3 3 style 3 loose mounting corners frog legs

3. Repeat the fold with the other half

 

A piece of paper with tabs folded outward leaving a margin to hold the item

4. Fold the tabs outward, leaving a margin to hold the item

Cut the excess of paper on top

5. Cut the excess of paper on top

A piece of paper folded into a right angle

6. Also cut the excess of paper on the bottom

 

A piece of paper folded into a right angle

7. Final folded format

A piece of paper folded into a right angle around a gray piece of card

8. Final format with the artwork

A piece of paper folded into a right angle and fixed with gummed Japanese hinging paper

9. Fix the sides with gummed Japanese hinging paper

 

A piece of paper folded into a right angle and fixed with gummed Japanese hinging paper

10. Final format fixed in the mount with the artwork

 

 

 

Style 4: Loose mini-mounting corners

The mini corners provide an overall effective hold and facilitate movement for adjustment, if necessary. Like the frog legs, they are ideal for fixing the top of artworks or to secure fragile objects.

Specifications: Hosokawa thin-medium Japanese paper and gummed Japanese hinging paper

 

4 1 style 4 loose mini mounting corners

1. Start with a strip of paper – 200x200mm

4 2 style 4 loose mini mounting corners

2. From the middle, fold 90° downward

4 3 style 4 loose mini mounting corners

3. Repeat the fold with the other half

 

4 4 style 4 loose mini mounting corners

4. Fold the tabs outward, aligning them with the base of the triangle

4 5 style 4 loose mini mounting corners

5. Repeat the fold with the other tab

A corner of paper mounted on the edge of a grey piece of card, with a long rectangular paper strip under the grey

6. Final folded format, leaving the entire triangle

 

The corner of a piece of grey card with a rectangular strip of paper spread underneath

7. Final format trimmed down, leaving thin edges to hold the artwork

A piece of paper folded at two right angles in the middle

8. Fix on the sides with gummed Japanese hinging paper

4 9 style 4 loose mini mounting corners

9. Final format fixed in the mount with the artwork – one side is kept loose

 

Notes

The size of the windows for clamping mounts are standardised to cover a 3mm margin on all sides of the object. The trimmed corners follow this template.

Styles 1 and 2 are completely fixed to the mount. Following the examination made, they provide better stability and are ideal to secure the bottom of items. Styles 3 and 4 have only half of the structure fixed to the mount. They are excellent for the top corners, which can be moved to facilitate the insertion and removal of the artwork.

In conclusion, there are many solutions for mounting a work of art on paper. Careful examination and mock ups are vital to define the best method, and the materials (type of paper and adhesive) are as imperative as the type of mounting.

This paper is intended to aid the development of simple folded corners and presents the ones we used to prepare the J.R.R. Tolkien collection for display.

List of materials

Gummed Japanese hinging paper – Hayaku Instant Japanese Hinges
Hasegawa Usumino 1.6 & 3.4 monme
Hosokawa thin-medium
Mounting board
Polyester strips
Wheat starch paste

Bibliography

Kosek, Joanna M., Conservation Mounting for Prints and Drawings: A Manual Based on Current Practice at the British Museum (Archetype Publications: London, 2004)