be made thin and, therefore, more flexible, joint strength and durability
should be better.
However, if sufficient strength can still be achieved, it may be
preferable to leave the original wood intact at a disjoin or split to preserve
its established relationship with the painted side. Many breaks can be
rejoined adequately without removal of the original panel wood. If a
panel breaks again in the same area, the original wood can still be repaired
or even, as a last resort, replaced. Compromise may be required when
insect damage is a factor. In any case, it is probably better to avoid or
minimize the loss of original wood support.
Longer joints are difficult to rejoin in one procedure. Glues have
limited “open times,” during which they are sufficiently liquid to allow
effective manipulation. With a larger joint, a step-by-step closure may be
advised. The use ofinsert methods would allow this possibility. The choice
of a method, or a combination of methods, is a question of judgment.Access to both sides of a panel, especially the painted side, is desirable in
order to assess the effects of the procedure, promote easy glue applica-
tion and removal, judge the relative position and angle of the two parts
being joined, control the degree and direction of pressure for alignment
and rejoining, and allowthe placement of pressure where it will be
mosteffective.
There are disadvantages in having access to the back only—a limi-
tation that can occur, f or example, when the panel is treated facedown on
a table surface. The primary drawback is that it is impossible to judge the
alignment of the paint surface because it is not visible. This is especially
important if the painting has been previously misaligned and the panel
subsequently thinned, because the plane of the back surface cannot be
relied upon to ensure realignment of the plane of the painted side. The
original paint surface usually provides the best basis for alignment.
Access to the true, original paint surface is desirable so that the
painting’s integrity can be respected during the procedure. Old putties
may have been imperceptibly “ramped” to disguise previously misaligned
joints so that neither local alignment nor the general plane of the painting
surface can be judged with accuracy.^7 Judgment of the general plane is a
particularly subtle exercise that demands thorough familiarity with the
panel’s surface conformation.
In addition, overlying nonoriginal layers (i.e., putty fragments
falling into the joint) can obstruct closure. This usually occurs when all
other preparations have been made and the glue has been applied. If a par-
tial disjoin is bridged by such layers and disjoins further during treatment,
then original paint on either side of the joint may stick to the overlying
layers and be dislodged.This article describes three types of apparatus used by the author at
HKIto glue disjoined or split panel paintings. One is relatively simple in
construction and suited to smaller panels. The other two were built for
larger panels.
One advantage of the first type is its ease of quick assembly and
disassembly. The other two types are more elaborate structures, but theyApparatus for
Rejoining Panels
Access and Preparation
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