Investigating the condition of iron gall ink drawings: developing an assessment survey

Abstract

It is well established that iron gall ink causes deterioration and embrittlement of paper in the presence of one or more risk factors, such as unstable ink components, high humidity and unsafe handling, with the ink changing colour from black to shades of brown. As iron gall ink has been the prevailing drawing medium in the West from medieval times to the eighteenth century, with its use declining into the twentieth century, monitoring the condition of iron gall ink drawings is of great concern to all custodians of graphic art collections. Selected iron gall ink drawings have been examined using visual methods in the British Museum Prints and Drawing collection to identify, assess and describe condition issues specific to the medium. This has led to the production of a reference catalogue of damage, which has underpinned this draft-design for a condition survey tool. This survey has then been developed with input from conservators at the Albertina, Vienna, Kupferstichkabinett Staatliche Museum zu Berlin, Musée du Louvre, Paris, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam and the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, based on the material from their collections. This article presents the pilot project used to test the survey alongside its initial validation and outcomes.