ConservatioonftheChinese wallpaperat WoburnAbbey In March 1997, a conservation project on the Chinese wallpaper in the Ballroom at Woburn Abbey was planned by Lord and Lady Tavistock. Meryl Huxtable of the Paper Conservation Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum was contacted for advice and she recommended two British conservators, Mark Sandiford and Philippa Mapes, who were greatly experienced in this particular field and who were working at that time on a project in Ireland. They visited the House and made their report on the condition and proposed method of conservation which was accepted and they agreed to start work in April this year when they had finished working on other Chinese wallpaper at Ightham Mote for the National Trust. The project is now complete and the wallpaper is now back in position in the Ballroom. Further research is being done into the age of the wallpaper and when it was acquired by the family, but indications at the moment show that it dates from the last quarter of the 18th century and into the first decade of the 19th century. This charming wallpaper is a nonrepeating panorama of Chinese bamboo trees, pretty trailing flowers and exotic birds. Its scenic panorama, extending around the room, portrays typical examples of Chinese flora and fauna, each element chosen for its symbolic meaning and relationship between the concepts of Harmony and Nature. The wallpaper is painted entirely by hand in water-colours onto extremely thin, hand made sheets of Chinese paper, which were first pasted together to give a 'length' of wallpaper. This type of wallpaper was particularly fashionable in the grand rooms of stately homes in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Along with the general fascination at the time for all things Oriental, wallpaper such as this one formed part of the Chinese export trade to Britain. They were carried, most famously, by the ships of the East India Company, thus earning themselves the misnomer of "India Papers". Inked inscriptions found during conservation on the reverse side of the Woburn wallpaper refer to "LotNo.25" and the name 'Royal George' which may shed light on its original transport and sale. Condition The wallpaper itself had suffered much damage from the fluctuations in temperature and humidity over the decades: the drying effect of the atmosphere had caused the wallpaper to become desiccated and brittle, splitting and cracking and in some cases resulting i;; loss of the image area. Similarly, the canvas supporting the wallpaper, which had originally been stretched taut over the bare wooden walls had also degraded, turning damagingly acidic, sagging and offering little support to the wallpaper. At one time, the Ballroom had also been used as a smoking room. This use, and years of airborne dust had created a layer of nicotine and dirt on the surface of the paper giving the whole pictorial scene a dark yellow-brown hue. Conservation A large conservation project was planned and put into action to remove Left: area of wallpaper after conservation: a new wall lining has been attached to the wall and the repaired wallpaper rehung. Right: before and after cleaning. Context 60 December 1998 33
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