Plantas de papier-mâché. Estudios técnicos y conservación de la colección Brendel del Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires. Argentina

Abstract

Durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX en Europa fueron realizados en papel mache, modelos para la enseñanza de la anatomía humana, la zoología y la botánica con gran demanda en universidades y escuelas de diferentes partes del mundo. El Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires, fundado en 1863, adquirió para sus gabinetes de ciencias modelos procedentes de Francia y Alemania que fueron recuperados, durante el periodo 2007-2012, a través de un proyecto integral de documentación, conservación y restauración. Se expondrán aquí los resultados del trabajo realizado sobre la colección alemana Brendel, dedicada a la fabricación de modelos para la enseñanza de la botánica. Los estudios técnicos y de laboratorio, los documentos históricos y las referencias tomadas de otras colecciones, permitieron construir la base de información sobre las que se apoyaron los criterios y la toma de decisiones en relación a su conservación y restauración.

Study of the Materials and Techniques of a Rare Papier-Mâché Mushroom Model Crafted in H. Arnoldi Factory

“…A few individual chemical pulp fibers were also observed in the papier-mâché sample collected from the hat of the largest mushroom, Table S1 . Wood pulps have also been previously identified in papier-mâché scientific models dating from the 19th century [ 10 ]. In ground wood pulps, all the wood components are retained, including lignin, which is responsible for the strong discoloration of this type of paper upon exposure to air and light [ 14 ].…”

“…In the case of molds, one could also create hollow objects [ 9 ]. Papier-mâché proved to be an alternative to wax, wood and porcelain, and quick large-scale production was possible, achieving objects resistant to the daily handling of teachers and students, to different climates and to transportation [ 10 ].…”

“…However, no publications on the analysis of the color of Arnoldi didactic models of fungi are known. There is a recent publication on papier-mâché models for plants by Mayoni [ 10 ]. In this research, some samples were analyzed by SEM-EDS and the following stratigraphy was proposed for color construction: a first ground layer based on calcium carbonate (although SEM-EDS analyses identifies also the element Al and Si); a second white layer in which Zn was detected as “very pure”; a third layer in which both Zn and Pb were identified [ 10 ].…”

“…There is a recent publication on papier-mâché models for plants by Mayoni [ 10 ]. In this research, some samples were analyzed by SEM-EDS and the following stratigraphy was proposed for color construction: a first ground layer based on calcium carbonate (although SEM-EDS analyses identifies also the element Al and Si); a second white layer in which Zn was detected as “very pure”; a third layer in which both Zn and Pb were identified [ 10 ]. Complex infrared spectra of the binding media are also depicted in Figures 6 and 8 in this article; a protein is present in one of the samples and for the others, a resin of vegetal origin is proposed [ 11 ].…”

Estudiar la cultura material de la educación científica en la Argentina: mercado de consumo, circulación transnacional, prácticas educativas y apropiación local

“…El papel maché de los modelos botánicos de la firma Brendel fue un material ampliamente distribuido en el territorio argentino (cf. Mayoni, 2016a).…”