Medical Bellows
(1950-313/18)
Project Duration: 26 Hours
Date: early 20th c.
Materials: Wood, Lacquer, Ink, Silk, Leather
Object Description:
The wooden bellows are composed of two wood panels with handles, each side with stencilled designs and varnish applied overtop. Side 1 has an image of a hot air balloon over a ravine. Side 2 has a floral wreath, caduceus symbol, and miniature landscape. The bellows have a leather lined air cavity and decorative woven leather above the brass nozzle on side 1. The handle of side 1 also has a silk ribbon tied around it.
Condition:
The object is in poor condition overall. It is composed of two pieces of varnished wood, with stencilled designs on each side. The aged varnish is yellow/orange in colour. The leather sections of the bellows have multiple losses and damage to them. The leather surrounding the air cavity has tears and losses. The leather is slightly brittle and unable to be safely reshaped to its original orientation. Edges of the leather finish have been abraded with the raw hide exposed. The curved wooden support on the inner edge is slightly warped and does not fit snugly inside the air cavity. The brass nozzle is patinated and tarnished.
Side 1: Hot Air Balloon Scene - The stencilled image is faded throughout with abrasions to the surface and wood. Details are difficult to make out, though the overall image is still visible. The woven leather portion just above the nozzle is damaged with losses to approximately 1/3 of the weaving. These losses expose the base textile on the body.
Side 2: Floral Wreath and Caduceus Symbol - Abrasions are present to the surfaces. A small landscape is present near the nozzle of the bellows, with the caduceus symbol above. A floral wreath surrounds the perimeter of the central valve hole. The handle has a silk ribbon tied to it. The ribbon is brittle and cannot be manipulated without damaging it or creating further tears. The caduceus symbol likely implies that the bellows were used for medical purposes. During the late 18th C, treatments such as tobacco enemas and resuscitation for the ‘apparently drowned’ were commonly administered using bellows.
Treatment Performed:
Cleaning was first performed on the surfaces of the object, using a brush and vacuum. A smoke sponge was used to treat leather and wood surfaces. Wood surfaces were first cleaned with deionised water and 3% Orvus WA paste using cotton swabs. White spirit was also used to cleaned surfaces with cotton swabs. Brass was cleaned using IMS, applied with cotton wool swabs. Leather portions were cleaned using 1:1 deionised water and white spirit.
Leather Loss Compensation:
Back tears of leather were reinforced with tinted Japanese tissue applied with Lascaux 1:1 (303 and 498). As a means of visually unifying the piece and creating a sound connecting structure to further mitigate the degradation of the woven leather, a new replacement patch was created. Using tinted strips of leather matching original thickness, a new woven section will be fashioned. The patch was backed with Japanese tissue and applied to the loss with Lascaux 1:1 (303 and 498).
