Saint Jerome in the Desert, 1565, by Cornelis Cort (1553 - before 1578); engraving on handmade laid rag paper. Georgetown University Art Collection; Booth Family Center for Special Collections.
Displayed is a detail of the top center of the engraving, depicting severe matburn (or degradation and discoloration due to contact with acidic paper) in the before image. Unfortunately, the engraving had been trimmed at some point in the past to just inside the plate mark, resulting in a loss of the border outline in many areas of the image. In addition, the work retained adhesive residue from a previous mount and had surface grime and soil on both sides. Conservators cleaned the engraving using open-cell latex sponges and also by immersing it into filtered water; both to reduce soluble degradation due to materials inherently within the paper itself as well as to remove the adhesive residues. To reduce the discoloration, the print was exposed to a controlled amount of UV filtered sunlight while submerged in an alkaline water bath; and with local applications of hydrogen peroxide in the matburned areas. Conservators followed the stain reduction treatments with filtered water baths. Edge tears were repaired and stabilized using Japanese tissue supports on the verso (back) of the engraving and adhered with wheat starch paste. Lastly, the artwork was carefully humidified and flattened between wool felts under light pressure and then housed in a new mount for safe display and handling.