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Wood Relief Storage

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    • #134587
      Lexi Guillory
      Participant

      Hello,

      I am looking for advice on storing a wooden cross relief with several areas of checking. The piece is made of two individual sections of wood that overlap at the center. Long checks run the length of each of the four arms of the cross.

      This work is meant to be hung for display and the museum had a special wall mount built when the cross was accessioned.

      My question is about the best way to store this relief when it is not on display. Should I keep it flat or hang it on the specially designed mount, which would stress the wood less?

      Thank you,
      Lexi

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    • #134589
      Susan-1
      Member

      Lexi,

      Your second photo was too large – try making it smaller and re-posting the image. Is the cross painted or inset with something?

      Susan

    • #134590
      Lexi Guillory
      Participant

      Susan,

      The cross is painted and has two ceramic accents affixed to the surface. See if this image is large enough to view.

      Lexi

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    • #134592
      Mary Ann Gabriel
      Participant

      Hi Lexi,

      You are wise to research the best manner in which to store the wooden cross relief in order to reduce stress on it and ensure its long-term preservation. There are several potential stressors which could affect the cross, whether in storage or hanging on display, including the physical effects of gravity, and environmental risks of humidity, temperature, light, dust, pests, and possible risks from other materials with which the cross is in contact or with which it is in proximity.

      My recommendation would be to store the wood cross relief flat, rather than hanging it in a vertical position. A custom fitted inert foam bed with an unbleached muslin liner in an archival storage box would allow the wood cross relief to be fully supported and eliminate the adverse effects of gravity. The joint between the two arms of the cross is at particular risk for damage if unsupported, and the ceramic accents attached to the cross may be at increased risk of the adhesive failing over time when it is hanging. Additionally, an archival storage box would protect the cross from light, dust, and pests. It may be best to store the cross and the mount separately, as each may have specific preventive conservation needs.

      Regardless of how you choose to store the wood cross, ensuring against fluctuating humidity will reduce the primary environmental stressor for wood objects. A consistent relative humidity of 50-55 percent is ideal, but since few institutions can maintain this, sustaining as consistent humidity and temperature as possible will greatly increase the longevity of the wood cross relief.

      Best,
      Mary Ann

    • #134593
      Lexi Guillory
      Participant

      Mary Ann,

      Thank you so much for your thorough answer! We do closely monitor our RH levels and thankfully they don’t fluctuate too much beyond the recommended numbers. I am excited to move forward with storing this cross safely.

      Best,
      Lexi

    • #134594
      Mary Ann Gabriel
      Participant

      Lexi,

      It’s my pleasure! How fortunate that the artifacts in your care have such a well monitored and consistent environment.

      Mary Ann

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