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Works on Paper Terminology [1]
Abrasions: Loss of media (and often the support) caused by rubbing or scraping.
Accretions: An accumulation of extraneous matter on the surface of the artwork that alters the artist’s design, i.e. dirt, dust, grime, etc.
Acidic Backboard: Rear board upon which paper art is mounted, made of wood, wood pulp or other acidic materials which will seriously damage art paper.
Acid Burn: Alteration to a work on paper (usually darkening – resembling burned paper) caused by lignin containing acidic materials in proximity to, or in contact with the art.
Acidic Mat: The border around a picture, between the picture and the frame made of wood pulp paper or other acidic material which will seriously damage the art paper.
Adhered to Backboard: Paper adhered to a stiff board behind it; usually with glue or self adhesive tape.
Adhesive and Tape Residue: Remains of adhesive left by previous application of paste, tape, glue, etc; generally occurs during inept mounting of the sheet.
Auxiliary Support: An attachment to the sheet to add strength and stability.
Backing Removal: Removal of a rear board (See Adhered to Back Board) to which a work on paper has been adhered. Removal can be wet, if the art can be immersed and the adhesive is water soluble, or dry with a scalpel if the work cannot be immersed in water.
Biological Degradation: (See "Mold/Mildew" and "Insect Damage")
Board: A thin firm board made of compressed paper pulp, used as a support for drawing or painting.
Cleaning: Removal of dirt, or other soiling; dry cleaning or wet cleaning (washing) are the two most common methods.
Cleavage: Separation and lifting of media (gouache, paint, etc.). From the support layer (paper, board, etc.).
Cockling and Buckling: A wrinkle on broad system of wrinkles without creasing.
Consolidation: Procedure to re-adhere delaminating media to its primary support sheet on board.
Crease: Line or mark made by folding or wrinkling.
Cut: Straight separation in support caused by sharp slicing action.
Deacidification: Mitigation or removal of conditions causing work to be or become acidic.
Delamination: Separation of the layer(s) of the support and/or media layer(s); often accompanied by flaking.
Dimple: Any small, hollow place.
Dirt/Grime: Dirt of any kind that has accumulated on the surface (accretion); may also be embedded into the support (soiling).
Discoloration: Changes of hues, often uneven and visually detrimental to the prevailing tones.
Dog-Ear: A folded down corner. Dog-ear Example
Draw: Stretch by tension.
Edge Damage: Any damage in and confined to the edge of a sheet of paper; usually small tears.
Embrittlement: Support has become perceptibly fragile to the point of snapping, crumbling or breaking.
Faded: Losses of brightness or brilliance of the color(s).
Fill: Material used to replace missing areas of loss.
Flaking: Media and/or support layers to dislodging from the support.
Flyspeck: Small dark spots of fly excretion.
Foxing: Reddish-brown stains believed to be caused by metal particles in the paper being attacked by micro-organisms; foxing previously thought to be a variety of mold or mildew.
Frass: Powdery residue left by insects after attacking a sheet of paper or board.
Friable: Insufficient binding to adhere the media to the sheet or board (support).
Fugitive: Unstable colors that have or will diminish or suffuse into adjacent areas when exposed to light, moisture or solvents.
Gouge: A groove, indentation or cavity resulting from an object pressing or cutting into the surface without completely penetrating the support.
Handling Dents: Shallow creases (usually in or near the edges) created by rough handling.
Hinge: A small folded rectangle of paper with adhesive (or tape) used to mount a sheet to a support. Usually part of a mounting or matting procedure.
Hinge Damage: Damage created by improper application of hinges to a sheet. Self adhesive tapes may bleed through creating a permanent stain; excessive mounting adhesives may also create permanent compression of paper fibers.
Hole: Open or hollow loss in the support.
Inclusion: A foreign body enclosed within the mass of the paper fibers.
Infestation: Over-run and invaded; usually associated with insects, bacteria or other microorganisms such as mold, although it can also pertain to other pests.
Inherent Vice: Existing condition that causes deterioration of an object as a result of its original construction.
Insect Damage: Numerous species of insects feed upon materials in paper borne works, inflicting damage which can be massive, resulting in partial or total destruction.
Insecure: A damaged work which maybe in the process of deterioration due to weakening of materials or due to weakness in structure or construction; work will probably sustain further damage if moved or handled without immediate attention.
Lignin: Lignin is found in wood pulp and is the substance that exacerbates acidity. Lignin can be removed in the pulping process. It is expensive, but the resulting paper will remain acid-free much longer than wood pulp paper in which lignin is present. When newspaper turns brown over time, this is due to the lignin causing acid to form within the paper fibers.
Liquid Stain: Stain created by an unidentified liquid.
Loss: Missing area in one or more layers of image; most frequently the result of flaking, abrasion, tearing, skinning, insect attack, etc.
Loss Compensation: Replacing loss areas (holes, etc.) with material not original to the work. Loss
Mat Stain or Matburn: Darkened area caused by acidic conditions related to the use of improper matting materials. (See "Acidic Mat")
Mend: Reattach or reinforce cuts, tears, etc.
Mold/Mildew: Any of various fungi growths that invade many organic surfaces provided sufficient moisture is present, producing enzymes that dissolve, stain, or degrade the host material
Offset: Planographic printing using indirect image through such as photomechanical plates.
Photo Oxidation: Degradation of paper and/or media by light. In media this results in fading; in paper it results in destruction of the molecular structure of the cellulose paper fiber and can result, in extreme cases, in the total collapse and loss of the sheet.
Physical Degradation: Degeneration of the overall structure.
Planar Deformation: Structural deformation of the support whereby it is no longer flat or in place. (See Cockling and Buckling)
Powdering: Insufficient binding media or failure of the binding media to adhere pigments to the support causing the media to become powdery, chalky or crumbly.
Previous Restoration: A restoration performed prior to the current examination.
Primary Support: Material providing the foundation for the image. i.e. paper, vellum, etc.; called the “primary support,” when a secondary support is present.
Puncture: Hole created by impact.
Scratch: Loss in the media, which may extend into the support caused by marking the surface with something sharp.
Secondary Support: Backing, backboard, mounting support or other material providing a foundation layer for the primary support.
Sheet: A broad, thin, usually rectangular piece of paper serving as a support for media; drawings, watercolors, etc. are referred to by collectors as “sheet(s)”.
Shellmark: Crease in the pattern of a half circle; generally the result of a blow or impact when the object is rolled.
Skinning: Excessive intervention resulting in losses of the original media; also called “over-cleaning”, or “excessive cleaning”.
Smudge: Smear or blur caused by dirt, soot or ink.
Soiling: Dirt driven deep into the surface.
Split: A rupture or tear running along the support, usually caused by stress.
Stain: A discoloration, usually darkening where the media and/or support layer has been penetrated.
Stain Reduction: Diminishing or removing discoloration.
Support: Material providing the foundation for the image. i.e. paper, vellum, etc.; also, called the “primary support,” when a secondary support is present.
Tape Stain: Staining caused by migration of the adhesive from self-adhesive tape into paper fibers.
Tear: A rupture in the support layer as a result of tension.
Tenting: Delaminating of paint or gouache along cracks where the delaminated media layers lift upward into a pattern resembling the peaked tops of tents.
Thinning: Abrasion of paper or board support creating areas which are thinner than the surrounding support.
Tideline: The dark line created by drying liquid, at the farthest point of liquid migration in the paper or board. The line itself is dirt transported by the liquid; the dirt embeds itself deeply into the paper fibers becoming tenacious and difficult to remove.
[1] Based largely on the Fine Arts Conservancy glossary, whose site also contains many visual examples of these terms.