TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF WATERCOLOURS AND IRON GALL INK DRAWINGS BY C. S. GRAFFMAN A Case Study

Sammanfattning

Six drawings by the Swedish 19th century painter C. S. Graffman were analyzed, with a focus on iron gall ink and mixed media, with the purpose to highlight the different problems that exist within conservation treatments of historical artwork on paper, as compared to archival historical material.All artworks showed high grade iron gall ink corrosion with transversal migration to the verso, and two drawings were performed with both iron gall ink and watercolour.The methodology included examination of the selected drawings in visual light, UV-light, IR-light, transmitted light and raking light, and a literature search to establish what treatments of iron gall ink are applicable to the selected artworks and what problems that may be the result of conservation treatments in this mixed media setting. Taken together, some possible conservation treatment methods for these and other similar works of art are suggested.