The Naples Bed Hangings are 19th century printed paper curtains repurposed as bed hangings. The conservation of the curtains was first proposed in 2019 and began in August 2021 when they were taken down, packed up and delivered to freelance paper conservator Emily O'Reilly in South Wales. Extremely fragile, the curtains had been treated in the past as if they were textile curtains. Treatment began by removing repairs and reinforcements revealing a past life and reasons for the rare survival of these paper curtains. Extensive treatment firstly involved repairing of the fractured paper and stabilising it. The second stage involved a trip to the Textile Conservation Centre at Blickling, where linings and stabilising net were applied and sewn in position, and the hanging system improved.
This talk will describe how paper and textile conservators worked together to enable the curtains to be safely reinstated, improving the condition and the appearance and using innovative digitally printed linings.
