Question handling papyrus

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JBergelin

JBergelin

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
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Big Rapids, Michigan
A customer visited Egypt and returned with two pieces of art on papyrus. The paper has definite lines of grass in it - It sorta looks like a bamboo place mat but thin. The customer brought it in while I was at lunch. My assistant told the customer she did not know enough about the paper but would ask. I am in the same boat so I thought I would post the question. We are supposed to call the customer on Monday with answers.

First what is the best way to unroll it - it is not tightly rolled but is fragile - it appears to be unrolling itself now that it has been loosed from the cord that held it - should we just wait?

If and when it becomes flat(er) hinges with wheat paste? sink mat?

Anyone have one of these?

Thanks
 
These look nice floated against a darkish color to show the papayrus texture. They can be hinged as you would other art on paper, but try to locate your hinges behind thicker, more opaque parts of the "grass" so that they do not show through. Of course, you want to space the glazing away from the surface, possibly by using another mat surrounding the piece and some of the backing mat's border, lifting the outer (window) mat with hidden FC strips. Gold frames are appropriate since the Egyptians were heavily "into" gold.
:cool: Rick
 
Rick's right about using gold frames. I just framed a smaller papyrus in Nurre Caxton #21601 and it turned out great. I don't know how to post a picture here, but you can see it on their website. It's nice because it's all gold from the side, but the front has a rich burgundy sort of color that's scratched through to show the gold. It softens the gold enough so that it doesn't upstage the colors in a faded papyrus, but still shows enough to bring them out.
 
Rick's idea about hinge placement is a good one. It is safest if the papyrus is slowly unrolled and stored in a folder to flatten, for however long that takes. Papyrus in not paper, but is really "ply grass" or plant stem, and it will not react to changes in relative humidity as paper would, since its fibers run in two directions, but when it is flat, it can be hinged.



Hugh
 
I just did one like you described today, Framecrazy. Papyrus floated over a black suede mat, then used that new Neilsen Gilded that's just flat across the top and gold with red brush scratched through. It looks really good. To keep the dark backing from affecting the appearance, I cut a backing of 1/8 inch alpharag artcare that was smaller than the papyrus, and cut the edges of it to match the wavery, crooked edges of the piece. Hinged the piece to that, and even though the backing shows through somewhat, the wavery edges make it so you don't really notice it. If I do it again, I might use a matboard instead that is exactly the color of the papyrus.

You're right that the backing is important with anything transparent. If someone brings in art on thin paper, the first thing I do is get a piece of what's going to go behind it and have that behind it from the beginning of the design process. I'm not writing this in the assumption that you don't do these things, as you probably do them and more. I'm just chatting about what your comment brings to mind.
 
I love hearing different ways of doing things. You guys have the experience. That's why I come to this forum. I've never framed papyrus but I have framed certificates that were pretty thin.
 
Framecrazy said:
The dark matting sounds nice unless the papyrus is transluscent.
Click to expand...
Actually, I use the dark backings BECAUSE they emphasize the translucency of the material. The greater contrast shows off the overlapping layers and makes the interesting outer edge easier to see.
:cool: Rick
 
This one was done many years ago and was over seven feet long. Black silk background, mat walls to form shadowbox.
 

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That looks great, Kirstie.
 
Wow. I've never seen one that large. Nice job!
:cool: Rick
Of course the great majority of the papayrus paintings we see are tourist items. Some of my customers say the text spells out their name in heiroglyphics. I'm not sure the identities or "accuracy" of the figures depicted in most of these. They are fun to frame, but I can't help wondering if someone from ancient Egypt showed up and saw these, would he or she have roughly the same reaction that you and I feel when seeing a print of dogs playing poker? ;)
 
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