AboutJennifer Pierce Expertise I can answer any questions related to picture framing, art display, or art installation, including very large pieces, canvas stretching, shadow boxing, needlework mounting, and just about any type of dimensional or non-dimensional artwork display. The only questions I cannot answer pertain to fine artwork restoration (e.g. your Van Gogh oil painting is faded and you want it to be restored to the original brilliance--call a reputable museum for that).
Experience I have been in the picture framing business since 1987, with a specialization in hospitality (hotels) and commercial office installations. I have worked on artwork for nearly every major hotel and design firm in the world and have designed some pretty wild installations. Additionally, I have experience with almost every type of conservation technique
Education/Credentials All of my education was acquired in the field.
Question QUESTION: I have a large papyrus painting I purchased about 11 years ago in Egypt. Unfortunately, it has been rolled up in a cardboard poster container and stored in a closet ever since. Is it a lost cause? Now that I finally have a home to present it in, I'd like to frame it and hang it in my living room. Thank you for any suggestions.
ANSWER: First, congratulations on your new home!
Now to your papyrus. I'm assuming that you want to do this yourself (as opposed to handing it off to your framer and crossing your fingers, which of course is an option as well). It sounds like the problem is that it has been rolled for a long time--is that correct? If not, stop reading, come back to me with more info and I'll be able to dig deeper. If so, read on.
You have probably already figured out that it might crack or fall apart altogether if you try to force it out flat. Papyrus is pretty crackly stuff and it doesn't like to flatten back out once it's been curled. You'll have to be really careful to get it flexible enough to where it can be framed. (Prepare yourself to accept that not only may it not be totally flatflatflat, it is not even desirable that it be so. A little bit of waviness makes it look that much more authentic.)
If it's in good shape otherwise, the methods I recommend will be extremely cautious. However, there does sometimes come a point in the life of an artwork where you have nothing to lose, and you can get a little wilder with your solutions. What I mean is, if its condition is already classifiable as "shot", then you can probably take a chance and use a method that's a little bit more daring; there's no such thing as "more ruined." Ruination is absolute.
Assuming the papyrus is in good condition--not cracked, not peeling, not flaking apart--the safest way to flatten it is to relax it under weight.
The first thing I'd do in any case is get it out of that tube and let it hang out, al fresco, on an out-of-the-way table somewhere. Just leaving it out might help it unwind somewhat--at least it would get it started.
With something this delicate, what I might do is place a piece of waxed paper (in a frame shop, I'd use a product called "release paper," but no non-framer would have access to that) over the face, to keep it from sticking, then I'd slowly and carefully lower a piece of clear glass on top of the wax-paper-covered piece. The glass must be larger than the piece. You should be able to see the image pretty well through the glass and waxed paper--this will help you lower the glass on top of it without bending the corners accidentally, and you'll be able to see right away if what you're doing is hurting more than helping. A friend is helpful here; the friend can carefully spread the papyrus flat while you drop the glass on top. (Everybody should wear gloves and eye protection for this step.)
If the glass is too much at first--if the piece starts to make crackly sounds as soon as you try to unroll it flat, or if the glass makes the papyrus go "crunch" or anything like that, stop immediately.
If it were mine, I'd start by lightly unrolling it (letting it wave or curl as needed) and putting a few soft weights on top wherever the piece seems strong enough to take it. Clean bags of rice (or beans or BBs)are good weights. I'd leave it like that for awhile, maybe a week, and see what happens.
If it's still not relaxed I'd take it into the bathroom and leave it there (in a place far from water spray and splash) while I took a shower, or maybe several showers. I wouldn't recommend shooting steam straight on to the piece, such as steam from an iron--papyri from that place and time are typically painted in waterbased paints, of which steam is an enemy. The mild humidity in the bathroom, though, will restore some moisture to the fibers and help it be less prone to cracking.
If you do the moisture, don't do the glass at first. Just do the bags of rice, because they won't trap the moisture like the glass would and cause more trouble. Let the rice relax the piece for another week or however long it takes (it could take less, could take more time) and then, if you want to, you can use the glass to flatten it out even more, remembering that you don't really want it to be completely flat.
If the thing seems to just be beyond hope--it's cracking when you try to unroll it, no matter what you do--I have one glimmer of hope for you. It is called Lamin-All and it is a glue used to mount sheepskin diplomas. The framer paints the back of the diploma with Lamin-All in one direction, lets it dry, then paints it in a crosswise direction (still on the back), and lets it dry again. Then the diploma is mounted under heat in a vacuum press.
The glue is very flexible and soft and it will lend some of its moisture to the piece. It will hold your papyrus together well enough that it will stay together while you try to flatten it, and then you can adhere it to your backing. If you need to go this route, I recommend taking the piece to a VERY experienced framer, one that has done conservation work.
Good luck! And please come back with more info if needed--I'm happy to help.
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QUESTION: Hi Jennifer. Thank you for your advice. It was very helpful. I am now wondering, should I choose to have a professional tackle this, who/what should I look for in my framer? I assume I should not go to a cheapo type place (like in a shopping mall or arts and crafts store), but-are there specific questions I should ask? Can I go to a cheapo place? Thank you....
Answer This is a great question.
I don't want to imply that a chain frameshop wouldn't have any good framers; certainly there are good framers and bad ones in any kind of shop. Lots of great framers began their careers in a big chain or mall store. What I'm thinking of is more along the lines of the type of customers those stores serve, and the type of artwork those customers are likely to bring in to a chain to be framed--their niche.
Typically, the chains end up with artwork like limited-edition prints, cross-stitch and needlepoint, and family photos. Of course these are perfectly noble things to frame, and there are certain requirements that all these types of art have that must be met; some of these pieces may require quite a bit of knowledge or dexterity to handle well. But the big chains don't typically *specialize* in fine art OR damaged art, and that's what you need.
Just a disclaimer: When I worked at [a major framing chain], it was around the time papyri like yours were extremely popular; I framed about a zillion papyri there. So it's not that they don't ever get to see pieces like yours. Normally, though, they get art that isn't damaged. It's just not something they see every day. While I was at the chain, nobody ever brought me one that was rolled like yours is.
What you want is a framer who sees true fine and/or damaged art every day. This type of framer would handle clients such as art gallery owners, artists (in the commercial sense; artists who sell their work), and work farmed out from local museums.
I hate to stereotype or generalize, but framers on the whole are pretty honest. Nobody wants to take on a project that is beyond their scope; they'll tell you if their abilities are not sufficient to accomplish what you need. The one thing guaranteed to strike terror into the heart of a framer is the sight of a customer bringing the piece back because something had gone wrong.
I also need to add that cost really is the least of the determining factors when it comes to finding a really skilled framer. I've known some fantastic framers whose prices were way low; I've known some seriously heinous ones who charged an arm and a leg. The cost of framing has a LOT to do with overhead; if the framer you choose is on Hoity Toity Lane next to Tiffany, they're having to pay a lot more rent on their store space than Billy's Tinytown Frameshop will, so their prices will adjust accordingly. Also, the clients who shop on Hoity Toity Lane are expecting prices to be higher; a lot of times, the high-end luxury customer is made nervous by prices that are too low ("why is this so cheap? is the work you do cheap, too?"). Again, the prices adjust accordingly so their luxury customers are comfortable. But the framers inside the shop don't become more or less skilled simply by virtue of the fact that they are located in a high-end area.
Long story short (too late!), I recommend contact local art galleries and perhaps some local museums to see if they can give you a referral. Some of them might even do their own framing and can help you out right there.
You can check the PPFA (Professional Picture Framer's Association) website to see what they've got listed in your area. Being a member of the PPFA means absolutely zilch in terms of the framer's actual skill, but just the fact that they bothered to stamp an envelope and sign up to be a member is a good sign that the framer is serious about their craft, so it's worth looking into. At the very least, you can get a list of frame shops near you that you can start calling or going around to check out.
