40517
Accession Number
38916
Author
Ledoux, Nicole
Editor
Davis, Suzanne;Hamilton, Emily;Dodson, Kari
Title Of Article Chaper
Conserving Stringed Sculpture: The Treatment of Henry Moore’s Mother and Child, 1939
Title Of Journal Book
Objects Specialty Group Postprints: Proceedings of the Objects Specialty Group Session, May 29 – June 1, 2014, American Institute for Conservation 42nd Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California
Volume
21
Pages
103-122
Collation
20 p. : ills.
Reference Bibliography
Includes bibliographic references
Publisher
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
Language Of Text
English
Literature Type
Monograph
Literature Level
Analytic
Abstract
Objects with tensioned string elements are found in many types of collections, ranging from fi ne arts sculpture to scientific and historic models. Deterioration and damage to these vulnerable elements in the form of fraying, breakage, and loss of tension can render these pieces undisplayable. This article presents the treatment of Henry Moore’s stringed sculpture Mother and Child in the collection of the Harvard Art Museums. Upon entering the collection, the string elements of Mother and Child were in very poor condition, with 11 of the 12 strings broken and one missing. This article discusses aspects of the sculpture’s fabrication and outlines the various considerations involved in deciding whether to replace or repair the damaged strings. It also describes in detail the development and execution of a treatment technique for repairing the original strings using wheat starch paste and Japanese tissue paper.
Keywords
sculpture;conservation;string
pub_id
40517