Re: Crating a painting with 3D elements

["Ashley McGrew" <AMcGrew@getty.edu>]

Poisson,
Based on your description you could make a wood collar that fits snugly around the frame with a non abrasive material attached to prevent abrasion. The collar should be several inches deep (like a travel frame with no extra room around the sides). The back edge of the painting should line up with one edge of the collar. Assure this by laying the painting down face up on an even surface then place the collar around it. At this point attach blocks to the collar that will hold the frame in that location later when you move it.
 
Next, tip the painting into its display orientation. Have a couple of battens to attach to the back of the collar to lock the frame in place while you work and also later while in transit.

While upright with whatever degree of sag the piece finds on its own, run one-by braces between the projecting part of the collar. 
Use these braces to support the outer part of the bricks (avoiding the paint surface). These braces, along with additional blocks should be placed to restrict movement vertically and side to side. Other blocks or strips should be attached to prevent forward movement of the bricks.

For the sake of accuracy rather than try to measure the placement of your braces hold them up in the exact position required to contact the bricks and mark the precise location on the collar.
Similarly for placement of the blocks  you can attach a bit of chemically stable double-stick tape to the part of the block that contacts the braces (obviously keeping clear of the Art). 
The tape is just to hold the blocks in the exact position required long enough to remove the frame and then use screws to secure it permanently.

All this done you should have a support that allows you ride the painting face down with the brick fully supported or possibly upright in an end loading crate. The later option allows you to keep the piece in a consistent orientation and might be beneficial.
 
Before you ship the piece place heavy twill tape or thin soft webbing around the back of the painting (underneath the battens) so that when it is time for installation you can remove the battens and still keep the frame in the collar while you carry the piece to the wall. Once secured to the wall this strap or straps can be slid out from behind the object and the frame removed.

One downside is that the back must be condition reported in the collar and then the front condition reported on the wall

On the other hand a potential advantage is that if you have your conservators approve the materials used, same basic design could be used for storage as well.
This could help slow down at least sounds as though will be the inevitable deterioration of the piece.

It is rare that you get to make you get to achieve the ideal of having a all purpose mount - one that is suitable for transit, handling and storage but in this case it might be worth the effort.
It is kind of neat that notion that if done well the piece need never be handled directly again (unless for treatment purposes)!

Ok disclaimer time - I have never seen the piece. I don't know scale or any number of other things that would effect the design but I thought I would respond with a general idea anyway.
It could be a very dopey one.
Please feel free to call if I have been totally unclear also.
Good luck with your project.
Have a good weekend!




T. Ashley McGrew
Lead Preparator
J. Paul Getty Museum
1200 Getty Center Drive 
Los Angeles, CA  90049-1687
Phone 310-440-6424
Fax 310-440-7741
amcgrew@getty.edu

>>> "Poisson, Marie-Chantale" <mpoisson@SFMOMA.org> 3/23/2007 9:55 AM >>>
Hi,

 

We are currently trying to make a new crate for a painting by Georg
Herold, which consists of stretched linen on a strainer, onto which he
glued 9 bricks (red bricks used in construction), with a thick rubber
cement.  The bricks simply follow gravity, pulling the fabric tight
downward, and they tend to giggle a lot when the piece is moved.  They
are aligned vertically at about 3-4 inches apart, some are closer due to
the gravity pull.  Does anybody have suggestions on a packing solution
that would facilitate the move to and from the crate and the wall?
Ideally we would want the bricks to be braced somehow so that the piece
can travel safely without the risk of ripping the canvas if the bricks
move too much...

 

Thank you for your help!

 

Marie-Chantale Poisson

Conservation Fellow

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

mpoisson@sfmoma.org 

 

 


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