Ashmolean Loan, Oxford (UK) – “Power and Protection: Art and the Supernatural in the Islamic World”

During my work at the Chester Beatty Library as the 2015-2016 Heritage Council Intern, I was able to work on the preparation of objects for loan to the exhibition Power and Protection: Art and the Supernatural in the Islamic World which opened in October 2016 at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford in the UK.

During my work at the Chester Beatty Library as the 2015-2016 Heritage Council Intern, I was able to work on the preparation of objects for loan to the exhibition Power and Protection: Art and the Supernatural in the Islamic World which opened in October 2016 at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford in the UK.

The Chester Beatty Library Collections are unique and internationally recognized, and the Library is regularly asked to lend its treasures for temporary exhibitions abroad. In preparation for this, the selected objects are taken to the Conservation Laboratory for assessment. I started this project by preparing condition reports for the nine selected objects. This was followed by any conservation treatments required. Treatments included paper consolidation with toned Japanese paper and wheat starch paste, and the assessment of painted layers under magnification. Consolidation of the pigments was carried out as necessary. Bermocoll – a non-ionic, water soluble cellulose ether – was applied with a nebuliser or a thin brush depending on the needs of each object.

Perspex cradle profiles were also prepared for the bound objects, and folios were mounted for display. Finally, I assisted with the packing of the objects for travel. This included the preparation of the crate and the proper wrapping of the objects and cradles for their safe transport.

Thanks to this project, I now have a much better understanding of the complete loan process in an institution.

The following images are reproduced by permission of © The Trustees of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin.