J.IIC-CG VOLUME 20 (1995)
The Use of Enzymes in the Conservation Treatment of a Seventeenth-century Wall Map of America
A rare wall map of North and South America, published by the French mapmaker Nicholas de Fer in 1698, required restoration before being photographed for publication. The map had paper strips glued to the recto of its four borders. These paper strips had to be removed as they covered the original printed title across the top and panels of text describing the geography of America pasted along the bottom and side margins. The paper supports for both the printed text and the strips were extremely fragile and disintegrated easily when moistened. Whole areas of text were still attached to the verso of the paper strips after they were removed from the map. This paper outlines the problems encountered during the 1991-1992 conservation treatment of the map and describes the role of an amylase (isolated from Bacillus species) in the intricate task of returning the missing areas of text to their original positions. The enzyme poultice treatment was found to be an effective method for separating the two layers of extremely fragile and closely bound paper supports.
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