Products & Services
Conservation matting is the only matting available at CDM. We exclusively use
Crescent’s premium museum 4 ply RagMat solids in white, antique white and cream.
These mats are 100% cotton, acid free and lignin free. It is the only board
guaranteed safe next to any art work and is unsurpassed in choosing the highest
levels of protection for your art work.
To house the art work properly, the mat must be larger than the art work.
There should be at least a half an inch border on all four sides of the mat so
the paper can breathe. It must be able to expand and contract freely. Fine art
should never be cut to fit a mat or frame.
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Once the front and back boards have been cut, linen tape is
adhered to the inside of both boards to be able to open it like a book, from
right to left. The horizontal mats should open from the bottom. All the mats
should have a back board to protect the art work. CDM uses acid free foam core. |
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Why is cotton rag so special?
For over 1500 years cotton has been used to make papers. Its natural fibers
weave into each other to make a tight bond and have served the public well in
documenting history. Priceless artifacts such as the Gutenberg Bible,
Shakespeare’s first folio, and the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights were all
penned on cotton paper and exist today for that reason. With the advent of the
Industrial Revolution, the process of making paper changed so that the fibers
were cut and a substance called alum was added to bind the papers together. As
time went by, it was clear that the alum was highly acidic and eventually made
the paper discolor and brittle. These poor quality
papers were used which caused the acid burn seen in the photo on the right. This watercolor was also glued to the back board and will
require a paper conservator to remove it safely. The framing industry is well
aware of these early hazards and has a vast array of high quality rag boards to
protect art work today. The Library of Congress has been addressing this dire
situation for years with thousands of books and papers on hand which are
deteriorating at a rapid rate because of the alum. They have been recording the
information technologically to save these invaluable treasures. CDM uses Matting and Hinging of Works of Art on
Paper closely as a reference guide to its services. It is a “step by step
instruction manual for artists, collectors, dealers and framers.” As quoted from
its foreword, “…it is a comprehensive review of some conservation techniques
used at the Library of Congress and elsewhere and is intended to serve as a
standard reference tool in the fields. It is directed to practicing paper
conservators, custodians, and curators in libraries and archives who wish to
utilize the latest methods for matting and hinging important works of art on
paper.”
CDM is proud to utilize this manual which is, “A
National Preservation Program Publication.”
The American Institute For Conservation of Historic & Artistic Work (AIC) |
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