Contributions to the 6th AICCM Book, Paper & Photographic Materials Symposium. 17-19th November 2010, Melbourne. p34-39
Abstract
In 2009, The National Library of Australia received, on semi-permanent loan, four Dutch East India (VOC) charts from the Kerry Stokes Collection. The four navigational charts came to light in the 1980s, through the auction house of Nico Israel of Amsterdam. Three of the charts were drawn or directed to be drawn in the 1730s by Isaac de Graaf, the official cartographer of the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC). The other was believed to have been drawn at a similar time in the cartographic workshops in Batavia, the centre of Dutch trade and exploration in the East. Before commencing any treatment, photo microscopy was undertaken to help confirm the provenance of the charts. Each chart was examined under infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence light sources. Initial conclusions were made about the composition and date of pencil inscriptions and pigments. Further testing using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy was also performed. The second part of the project was to undertake tape removal, humidification, flattening and mounting for permanent display. After much discussion it was decided to tension thread mount the charts. The method used was a combination of the State Library of New South Wales’s mounting method for parchment maps, and Nicholas Pickwoad’s ‘reverse thread matt’ technique and a little trial and error.