Conserving Dürer's Triumphal Arch

Albrecht Dürer’s 1515-17 “Triumphal Arch” is one of the largest prints ever produced, made with 195 woodblocks on 36 sheets of paper that stretch four by three meters. The first edition at the British Museum is the institution’s biggest print, and was acquired in 1834. As curator Giulia Bartrum explains in this video recently shared by the museum, it was assembled in the 1890s, and was on permanent display ever since. So when they finally got the funds and opportunity for its conservation, the process of cleaning, mending, and assessing the condition of the paper was quite a colossal task.

Along with this video that chronicles the conservation up to its final stages, when the newly conserved pieces of the print are temporarily reassembled for a portrait, the museum has been sharing each delicate step of the project on their blog.