Wheaton's Japanese prints
highlighted on WGBH
By Anna Wistran
Wheaton's Japanese woodblock prints were featured on WGBH's Greater Boston on May 23. The show highlighted Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in Andover, Mass., where 49 of Wheaton's 100 Asian prints are undergoing conservation.
Image to right: Suzuki Harunobu, "Standing and Seated Woman Looking at a Picture of the Tama River," 18th century, woodcut. Gift of Eleanor Norcross.
Susanne Gramly of NEDCC is working on preserving the Wheaton prints, which she called impressive. "There are many well-known Japanese artists in this collection with many wonderful colors," she said. "They are quite attractive."
The prints are an indispensable teaching tool in Professor Sean McPherson's art history classes, "Print Cultures of Early Modern Japan" and "Art in East Asia." McPherson emphasizes the importance of using tangible art in his classes.
"Students almost always find actual objects more engaging than slide or digital images," he said. "Examination of actual works of art allows students to understand much more clearly how the objects are made, what materials are used and specific physical characteristics."
Image to left: Katsushika Hokusai, "Red Fuji," 19th century, woodcut. Gift of Eleanor Norcross.
The condition of the prints varied and some of the older prints were in need of conservation. "Some of the prints are torn and have ragged borders, worm holes and water damage," said McPherson. "Regular student use created the possibility for further damage. Conservation is vital to my teaching, because in their current state they cannot be used regularly by students without suffering further damage."
Amy Friend, collections curator/registrar, manages Wheaton's art collection. "We needed to stabilize the prints," she said. "With proper preservation, we can continue using them."
Depending on a print's condition, conserving could take one to two days, making this a project of several months' duration. The process begins with cleaning. Prints are separated from their original backing and cleaned with soft brushes and erasers, and in some cases, washed in water. Each print will have a new "hinge," which is a backing of Japanese paper that is adhered with a wheat starch paste. Tears and thinning pieces are filled with Japanese Kozo paper.
The Asian prints, donated to Wheaton by Holcolmbe and Ethelind Austin, Eleanor Norcross and Madeline Farnsworth, date from the 18th and 19th centuries and include artists Hiroshiage, Hokusai and Kiyonaga. The conservation project is being funded by a $25,000 grant from the E. Rhodes & Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.
Image above right: Ando Hiroshige, "Bridge and Boaters," 19th century, woodcut. Gift of Holcolmbe and Ethelind Austin.
In addition to the Asian prints, Wheaton's permanent art collection contains hundreds of paintings, sculptures, glass, textiles and artifacts that go on display in the Beard Gallery every year. "Most of our pieces are donated to us from alums or friends of Wheaton," said Friend. The collection is housed in the Watson Fine Arts building in a humidity-controlled room. Friend said such conservation projects are essential to preserving Wheaton's collection, and more funds and grants are needed.
The project is expected to be completed by September, just in time for Professor McPherson's class.
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