Ukiyo: Art of Japan and the Floating World
Care and Display of Japanese Woodblock Prints
The appropriate care and display of Japanese
woodblock prints depends in part on the rarity and value (monetary,
artistic, and cultural) of the print, and also on the collector's
motivation and taste. Many serious collectors keep their prints
in individual acid-free, 100% cotton rag folders, stored in acid-free
board boxes meant especially for art. This avoids the serious
risk of fading from exposure to light, and also avoids the risk of
damaging the print by adhering it to a mat for framing, as well as the
less serious risk of tearing the print through breakage of the glazing.
As one's interest in the art grows, the value of having the print
available for careful study and enjoyment when desired becomes the main
motivation, and making it a permanent part of one's decor becomes less
important. Nevertheless, semipermanent display in a
not-too-brightly lit area, or rotating display of framed prints, can
make a wonderful addition to the living environment, and a wonderful
way to share the prints with guests, and make them a part of each day.
And even prints carefully kept in folders may one day be loaned
to a museum for exhibition, and proper framing is essential in this
context. So, both options will be discussed here.
Displaying Prints
Unfortunately, Japanese prints, especially those of
the Edo period (ending in 1868) and earlier, are very susceptible to
fading from exposure to light. This usually means that rare,
valuable, or unique prints should not be exposed to light for long
periods of time. Ten years of even indirect, but not dim, light,
can be expected to have noticeable effects on Edo period prints.
This will likely not be a total loss of color, but will first be
seen in a change of color balance as the more fugitive pigments fade
first. Even lesser prints should be protected from fading, and
Meiji and later prints, although more robust, also need protection.
Light can also damage and brown certain papers. If framed
and exhibited, using ultraviolet-reducing glazing, such as film-coated
"conservation glass", or "OP3" or "UV3" acrylic (Plexiglas make a
version) helps some, but is far from a panacea as visible light fades
prints too. Never let direct sunlight fall on prints, and try to place
them in relatively dim areas, or at least not directly facing a wide
expanse of windows. Avoid "non-glare" glass, which makes the
prints look slightly blurry. There is also very expensive
so-called "museum" non-glare glass (though I am not sure museums
actually use it), which looks better than ordinary non-glare, but
I still prefer plain conservation glass. Although perhaps a
somewhat inelegant venue,
I display some of my framed prints in a windowless powder room, and
keep its door closed. Never store or display them in a bathroom
with shower, or other location with extremely high or variable humidity
or condensation.
Materials for storing or matting prints
Storage in the dark in folders of 100% cotton
rag, kept in acid-free boxes is the best way of protecting prints.
For folders, I use "student Hosho", a pure white, 100% cotton rag
Japanese-style paper that comes in large sheets. For locals,
Artisan Santa Fe stocks an acid-free student Hosho at 80 cents a (32" x
40") sheet; similar products should be readily available on the
net. Make sure that it is explicitly stated to be acid-free, and
that this is, for example, down in writing on the pricelist or assured
by a proprietor knowledgeable about conservation (and not just stated
by a nonexpert clerk). You can check acid-freedom with the
manufacturer, if you can establish the manufacturer and get in contact
with them. Other acid-free rag papers could also be good.
For Edo and earlier prints, try to use unbuffered materials when
possible. It is thought that the alkaline buffers recommended for
matting many types of art may damage the vegetable pigments of
Edo and earlier prints, though it is not clear this has been
clearly established experimentally. This is most important for
materials that will come directly in contact with the artwork, such as
folders, mats, and coversheets. Local frameshops may be unsure if
their materials are unbuffered; ask them to check with the
manufacturer, or get the product number and check yourself.
This is probably most important for high-value prints, less so
for prints that are already faded, or protected somewhat from the
matting by backing. Similarly, buffered boxes are probably a
minor issue, though unbuffered should be used if easily available.
Art supply shops are probably the best place to obtain papers,
matting, and boxes; there are also good sources on the internet.
Museum-Style Matting
Museums whose prints are occasionally exhibited, and
examined by scholars, have developed a system of matting prints that
can be recommended to collectors who plan on framing or lending their
prints as well. It is appropriate for valuable prints that must
be matted, or any print you think looks good this way. It is
important to realize that frameshops claiming to do "archival" or
"conservation" matting do not necessarily mat to these "curatorial"
standards---good ones can, but you must make sure, and if necessary
specify what you want. Less careful matting may suffice for
prints already in lesser condition. Museum standard matting
often involves using eight-ply, rather than the standard four-ply,
matboard
for both backmat and windowat. It should be 100% cotton rag acid
free board (often called "Museum Board"), preferably unbuffered
although this can be hard to find and Archivart's "Photorag" is
the only one I know of. Even if you
are used to cutting your own four-ply mat, cutting windows in eight-ply
mat poses some
challenges, although an adequate job can be done even with a hand-held
cutter (like the Logan) and straightedge, if you're not too picky.
You may prefer to have the mats cut professionally. Redimat
(http://www.redimat.com) sells precut mats in convenient sizes at good
prices, and has 8-ply museum grade, and unbuffered 4-ply; they
will also cut
custom sizes. Unfortunately they do not have 8-ply
unbuffered. My preferred matting style is to cut the windowmat
1/4" larger than the print on each side, and hinge the print to the
backmat so that the entire print shows with
1/4" space between it and the bevel of the windowmat. It looks
great with Japanese or European prints--- the National
Gallery (U.S.) matted an exhibition of recently acquired works on paper
this
way, with 8-ply mat. (4-ply mat, either overlapping the print
edges, or not, is also common, though if not overlapping the edges
there is more risk of the print contacting the glass and being damaged
by condensation.) Museums store and ship their works on paper in
these mats,
and try to avoid changing them. They are handled with white
cotton gloves to avoid soiling that leads to the need for replacement.
Scholars examining prints in these mats run much less risk of
creasing, tearing, or soiling the print than they do with prints
stored in folders. Standard mat sizes are chosen to fit in
pre-made standard frame sizes. For the most common size of
Japanese print, the Oban, 16 x 20 frames are the appropriate standard
size; this might be slightly wider than you'd think optimal, but
it looks good. If you are using custom frames, around 2 1/2 or
3" borders is nice; make them slightly wider at top and bottom.
If you don't like the edges of the paper showing,
you can also make the windowmat overlap them by 1/8" or so on each
side. I find this works best with prints having little design at
the edges. Also, it can be appropriate for lesser, but
still enjoyable prints, for which exhibition of the whole sheet like a
precious artifact might seem excessive, especially if the edges are
ragged. A windowmat overlapping a design is a potential source of
abrasion though---again, not much of an issue except with high-end
prints. For museum-grade matting, you need to specify that
hinging be done with acid-free Japanese paper or tissue, and paste made
from precipitated wheat-starch or rice-starch paste. It is best
for the hinging paper or tissue to be somewhat lighter weight than the
print itself, and to match the print's paper in color.
Frame Styles
A satin finish (semigloss) black wood frame is classic, at least in the
West. 3/4" wide framestock, with a frame about 1 1/4 or 1 1/2"
deep, works well. A J-profile (semicircular in front, then
straight back) looks nice. A square-fronted profile can look OK,
too. Black sectional metal frames can also look good; they
are available cheap in some crafts stores and art supply stores.
Woodworkers can make some nice frames using hardwoods that
complement the print, with finishes bringing out the natural beauty of
the wood. Walnut, oak, cherry are good---but careful matching
with the colors of the print is important, as is compatibility of color
and design with frames used for other prints in the room. I have
not yet found a good source of pre-milled, unfinished hardwood
framestock in tasteful design at a reasonable price. Making your
own can be very time-consuming, though enjoyable. The
insides of wood frames should be painted or finished with shellac, or
possibly polyurethane, to help seal the wood's acids from the print.
Wood frames not so sealed can be sealed with "frame-sealing tape"
available at most art-supply stores that have framing supplies.
Ask your framer about this if you are having frames done
professionally. Sealing the frame is far less important than
using acid-free matting, but a good idea nonetheless. Buying
cheap frames at stores like Target or big-box craft stores can be
surprisingly cost-effective...black frames can be OK, and sometimes
decent oak ones can be had. Don't waste your hand matting job, or a
nice print, on tacky fake woodgrain, though, and as a rule simple
moldings will be much more appropriate than fancy ones (even in black).
Do-it-yourself museum grade matting.
To do a museum style mat job yourself, calculate the size and location
of the windowmat opening. Double-check this, as it is easy to
make a
mistake and waste a lot of matboard. About 2.5 to 3 inches of mat
on each side looks good for an oban print (you may be constrained by
your frame size, of course). Smaller prints often look good with
a wider space of mat around them. The window should be slightly
higher than centered, vertically. Some think art looks best if
the visible mat margin is a little wider at the bottom. In any
case you need it about 1/2" higher than centered just to have it look
centered, because gravity will press the mat/print/glazing package
against the bottom of the frame, leaving all space at the top. I
cut mats 1/8 to 3/16 inches smaller than the frame opening, and I
carefully measure the latter. This space is necessary to make
sure the package fits in the frame, and also to give room for expansion
or contraction of frame relative to mats with changing weather.
Once the window is cut, and the windowmat and backmat are of the
correct dimensions, hinge the windowmat to the backmat at the top by
placing backmat top-to-top next to the reversed windowmat, laying a
strip of wetted water-activated linen conservation tape (acid-free,
available at good art-supply stores) over the joint, overlapping both,
smoothing it out, and then folding the windowmat back over the backmat
so the tape, now hidden between the mats, acts as a hinge.
Carefully position the print in the windomat opening, so the
space between print and windowmat is the same on each side. Very
lightly mark, with a sharp pencil, the position of the print's corners
on the backmat.
Fold
back the backmat, and make the hinges (two, for an oban or smaller
print). For an oban, these should
be about 3/4" wide and 1.5" long. To make them, tear Japanese
paper or tissue along lines wetted with an eyedropper or cotton swab
("Q-tip"). (Tearing is better than cutting because the ragged
fibrous edges of a torn hinge are less likely to make an impression in
the print than the sharp edges of a cut hinge.) Using a clean
Q-tip (or miniature brush), put a modest amount of your prepared
conservation adhesive on the lower 1/3, or a bit more, of the hinge.
Don't put too much adhesive, because you don't want the print to
absorb moisture from it and pucker. I usually dip the Q-tip in
adhesive and roll the side of the cotton swab around, flattening out
the small globs of wheatstarch into a thin, but fairly uniform layer.
Adhere them to the top edge of the back of the print, about 1/2"
in from the side ( or maybe 1 inch in on a horizontal oban), and so
that the end of the adhesive patch is level with, or the tiniest bit
below, the top of the print. Put adhesive on the front part of
the hinges, that project beyond the print. Turn the print upside
down, and line up the top corners of the back of the print with the
corresponding pencil marks you made earlier on the backmat. Place
some thin waterproof material, such as mylar or a piece of a priority
mail envelope, over the hinges, below the print but with its edge right
next to the print's edge. Then CAREFULLY turn the print
right-side up, "swinging" it down on its hinges, which you should
lightly fold so the fold is just hidden behind the top of the print,
being careful not to fold the print itself. (Some people prefer
to fold the hinges first, then carefully put adhesive on the remaining
part of them; or put adhesive on the projecting part of the hinges and
then fold; and then to put the print with folded, adhesived
hinges, down on the mat with its corners by the pencil marks, allowing
the hinges to contact the backmat and adhere; the disadvantage to
this is that the hinges can swing down and stick to the backmat
at the wrong place or angle. It's the only way, though, if you've
attached the hinges too low on the print to swing it on them, which may
occasionally be desirable or necessary.) After the adhesive has
dried, remove the waterproof insert (whose purpose was to prevent
adhesive from seeping through the hinge and sticking the two parts of
the hinge together). Then carefully swing the windowmat down, and
you're done.
General considerations for performing the above safely include:
have a clean, smooth surface, like a piece of matboard, available
to place the print on for performing operations like attaching the
hinges. Beware of puffs of air from letting pieces of mat flop
down on the table, or the windowmat dropping down onto the
backmat; they could lift your print up and let it slip off the
table. Wash and dry your hands prior to the operation.
When handling prints, if they must flex let them "roll" a little (as
little as possible!) in one direction (as if around a large
cylinder, and in the direction they naturally tend to curl if there is
one), by picking them up on one side only, so that when they unroll no
permanent creasing has been done, rather than letting them flex
several ways at once, the flexes meeting in a point and creasing the
paper there.
Copyright 2006, Howard N. Barnum III. All rights reserved.