Stacked Storage System for Large Works on Paper

About 1400 works on paper in the collection of the Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin were analysed for sheet dimensions and their aspect ratios and considered for storage-and handling-related damages. A new stacked enclosure system was developed for objects measuring up to 1350 x 950 mm to upgrade flat file storage, to reduce the risk of mechanical damage and improve the ease of handling in the museum study room and for exhibition preparation. Five defined standard dimensions for oversized art-works on paper and for enclosures and frames were introduced at the museum. They reflect the most common aspect ratios of 1:1.4 followed by 1:1.3. The new enclosure system consists of an outer shallow cardboard tray that holds up to five artworks enclosed in a folder. The folders are made either of cardboard, of a corrugated backboard and a cardboard cover, or of a corrugated backboard faced with museum board to which the object can be hinged; the latter serves as a mounting board for framing when the front cardboard cover is folded back. The trays are stackable. The corrugated cardboard walls of the tray retard the transfer of external relative humidity fluctuations into the stacked storage system.