Before and after: woodcut 1950 – Hulstein Antiques

Cleaning a big panoramic wood cut print by Han Krug

This was a fun job but at times also a challenging task. I peeled the paper inch by inch from the board on which it was glued. The wet paper was brittle and had to be handled with the necessary care. I used denatured water to relax the paper as fast as possible, using a sharp scalpel knife to remove the backboard. As expected, some pieces came off easily and some pieces were nerve wracking to remove.

After this the print was washed and pressed. This print had some thicker layers of ink, almost latex like, that had a different elasticity then the paper. This resulted in waving so I had to repeat the wetting and pressing of the paper until the final result was achieved. A new fresh looking wooden frame was used to protect the cheerful piece as well as a new piece of glass and a protective matte