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Conservation treatment is often extremely intricate and can require incredibly specialized equipment. Sometimes the needs are so precise that a suitable device is not commercially available. In such instances it becomes necessary to design and fabricate the required item from scratch. This was the case when CCI created a combination easel/table to lessen the need for frequent handling of a large fragile painting that was undergoing treatment. The benefits of this new apparatus will extend well beyond one treatment. In fact, the use of this design in future treatments, at CCI and elsewhere, may prevent accidental damage to numerous large paintings.
When treating paintings, conservators must frequently handle and manipulate them to gain access to both the front and back surfaces, or to change their position between horizontal and vertical. For normal-sized paintings this is not usually a problem. However, the size and weight of oversized paintings make handling hazardous, and the danger becomes even more acute if a painting is in fragile condition. It was the need to avoid this risk of damage during handling that led to the development of the combination easel/table.
Paul Heinrichs and I designed the apparatus, and Paul built it at CCI using materials purchased locally. It consists of two sections:
- The base is made from 2-in. (approx. 5-cm) diameter square steel tube, welded to form individual sections that are bolted together.
- The carriage, which actually holds the painting, is formed by welding pieces of 2-in. (approx. 5-cm) square aluminum tube.
The two sections are attached along one of the top edges of the base with a long piano hinge.
The easel/table is currently being used in the treatment of a large 16th-century panel painting. This painting had suffered extensive damage during its lifetime, and undergone numerous restoration campaigns. Structural damage includes loss of sections of the original panel as well as numerous splits through the remaining original wood. At some point the panel had been thinned to about one-half its original thickness, and a heavy pine cradle secured to its reverse. Over the years the cradle had ceased to function as intended, and numerous new splits formed through the panel. These run vertically, following the grain of the wood. To make matters worse, much of the original wood is riddled with insect tunnels, rendering the panel weak and subject to further damage. The weight, size, and fragility of the painting make handling it difficult and hazardous.
The treatment of this painting has now spanned several years, and the painting has been secured to the carriage with aluminum supports along its top and bottom edges the entire time. The carriage can be locked in place in either the horizontal or vertical position with metal pins. Rubber bumpers absorb shock where the carriage contacts the base, and hydraulic pistons, one on each side, dampen the fall of the carriage as it is moved from vertical to horizontal. Locking casters on the bottom of the base allow for easy movement of the painting from one location to another.
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The easel/table has proved extremely versatile and useful. By allowing us to move the painting between horizontal and vertical without touching it, we have been able to access all areas of the paint surface without putting the painting at risk. This has facilitated many treatment procedures. The apparatus was also useful when renovations at CCI made it necessary to move the painting to an alternate conservation facility (Parks Canada laboratories in Ottawa) to continue treatment. Supported on the easel/table in the horizontal position, the painting was easily rolled into a truck at CCI and off of the truck at its destination. We did not have to handle it at all.
Conservation is an ever changing and evolving science. The development of this combination easel/table is but one example of how the treatment needs of an artifact can lead to the design and fabrication of new equipment and improved procedures within the conservation profession.
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