《BLOCK PRINT》.pdfVIP

TECHNOLOGY, TREATMENT, AND CARE OF A CHINESE WOOD BLOCK PRINT * By Fei Wen Tsai and Dianne van der Reyden Revised from a publication by the authors, prepared at the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education - formerly the Conservation Analytical Laboratory,entitled Analysis of modern Chinese paper and treatment of a Chinese woodblock print, In: The Paper Conservator, 1997, pp. 48-62) For use of this material, contact F.W. Tsai or D. van der Reyden * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Fig. 1: The Victory of General Lius Army, colored Chinese wood block print; before treatment. From the Anthropology Department, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution ABSTRACT This article • summarizes literature on Chinese papermaking technology and Chinese paper fibers; • characterizes the properties of modern handmade Chinese Hsuan (Xuan) and Pi papers (used in Asian Painting Conservation Labs), through an analytical study utilizing o EDS/SEM imaging (for morphology of fibers such as straw containing phytoliths), o colorimetry (for discoloration before-and after aging), o zero-span tensile testing (for physical strength), and o pH (for chemical quality); and • relates the findings to the development of a conservation treatment for a Chinese wood block print. INTRODUCTION Although numerous articles about the technology and treatments of Japanese wood block prints and papers have been published in Englishi, little has been published about the technology and treatments of Chinese wood block prints and papers, although a few related references existii. A Chinese wood block print (See fig. 1),