Journal of Paper Conservation

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Halos of Hollowness: How Air Pockets in Window

Mounts Can Cause Discolorations — and How to
Best Prevent Them

Gauthier Patin, Idelette van Leeuwen, Janien Kemp & Frank Ligterink

To cite this article: Gauthier Patin, Idelette van Leeuwen, Janien Kemp & Frank Ligterink
(2016) Halos of Hollowness: How Air Pockets in Window Mounts Can Cause Discolorations
— and How to Best Prevent Them, Journal of Paper Conservation, 17:1, 5-19, DOI:
10.1080/18680860.2016.1186965

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Published online: 12 Oct 2016.

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 Halos of Hollowness: How Air Pockets in
Window Mounts Can Cause Discolorations —
and How to Best Prevent Them
Gauthier Patin, Idelette van Leeuwen, Janien Kemp, Frank Ligterink

In 1988, brown discolorations in stacks of window mounts in print boxes were discovered by Dutch paper
conservators. For unknown reasons, air pockets from the window regions in the mounts had ‘radiated’
similarly shaped discolorations several layers deep into stacks of museum boards and sometimes in the
mounted prints and drawings. The resulting discoloration patterns consisting of combinations of partially
overlapping rectangles in different shades of brown are reminiscent of Mondriaan paintings. The
phenomenon was therefore coined the 'Mondriaan effect'. This study reports experimental evidence for
the occurrence of thermal gradient induced moisture flow, affected by the presence of air pockets in
stacks of museum board. It is concluded that these water flows can cause window-shaped distribution
patterns of water soluble coloured components generally present in paper based materials.
Recommendations for the storage of prints and drawings are given.
Keywords: Mondriaan effect, Museum board, Window mount, Air pocket, Thermal gradient, Discoloration, Moisture flow, Storage, Ultraviolet fluorescence
photography

The Mondriaan effect
In 1988, a disturbing phenomenon of multiple rec-
tangular partially overlapping brown discolorations
in stacks of museum board window mounts stored in
print boxes was discovered by paper conservators
working at the Amsterdam City Archives (ACA)
(Amsterdam, The Netherlands) (Lingbeek, 1995).
When viewed under ultraviolet radiation, the peculiar
patterns appeared more distinct and were found to
occur widespread in many different boxes of the
prints and drawings collection of the archives. For
some unknown reasons, the presence of individual
air pockets from the window areas of the mounts
had induced or ‘radiated’ homogeneous rectangular
discolorations up to several layers deep in the stack.
In typical stacks of mounts, these window areas are
of different dimensions, resulting in partially overlap-
ping areas when combined. The resulting patterns con-
sisting of combinations of partly overlapping
rectangles in different shades of brown are reminiscent
of Mondriaan paintings. The phenomenon was there-
fore coined the Mondriaan effect. Most disturbingly,
these discolorations did not confine themselves to the
museum board, but were found to be present, although
less pronounced, in some prints and drawings as well
(Figure 1).
Until 1988, the storage of prints and drawings in
stacks of museum board window mounts kept in
Solander boxes, had been considered the state-of-the-
art storage method for artworks on paper. But the dis-
covery of the Mondriaan effect in several Dutch cul-
tural institutions planted a concern in the
community of paper conservators.1 With time, would
all our mounted artworks show disfiguring brown
Mondriaan patterns? Should window mounts be aban-
doned for storage purposes altogether? In an attempt
to answer these major dilemmas several intrigued
investigators studied hard to find an explanation.
The results of their studies (van Broekhuizen, 1995;
Hofenk de Graaff, 1995; Lingbeek, 1995; Ligterink,
1995a; 1995b; Vlasveld, 1995; Schoute, 1995) were
presented at a special symposium held in 1995. In
short, no definite answers were given to the question
what was causing the Mondriaan effect. The techni-
cally complicated chemical analysis of emitted volatile
components that had been carried out by Cnubben
et al. (1993) did not provide further clues. Several
authors (Hofenk de Graaff, 1995; Ligterink, 1995a;
1995b) speculated that the discolorations somehow
were a result of moisture accumulation driven by
temperature gradients. However, the monitoring of
relative humidity within an experimental cardboard
stack exposed to a sudden change in temperature had
revealed only a small and counterintuitive change in
the readings of the sensors (Hofenk de Graaff, 1995).
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (van Leeuwen,
2003) and some Dutch museums and archives

© IADA / International Association of Book and Paper Conservators 2016

DOI 10.1080/18680860.2016.1186965 Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO. 1 5
G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness
FIGURE 1 Brown discoloration
pattern on a mounted watercolour (a) (b,
zoom) induced by the window of the
window mount below (c)
subsequently decided to change their storage mount-
ing strategies accordingly. The ACA stopped the
making of window mounts for storage of new acqui-
sitions and began gradually replacing historic
window mounts with folders. Exceptions to this rule
would be made in case of friable/sensitive media like
chalk drawings. Much effort was also done to mini-
mize climate fluctuations.
Only one international publication describes the
Mondriaan effect (van Leeuwen, 2008). Investigators
directed their efforts to other domains with easier
puzzles. The Mondriaan effect thus became a well-kept
secret within the Dutch paper conservation community.
What remained somewhere deep in the minds of Dutch
paper conservators was the intuition that hollow spaces
and variations of temperature and humidity can cause
damage and should be avoided as much as possible.
Now, more than two decades later, we ask if the
gradual abandonment of window mounts for storage
purposes and our efforts to maintain temperature
and relative humidity within rather narrow band-
widths is a decision we still believe to be best. Which
type of fluctuating conditions should be considered
dangerous? Is it safe to transport boxes with prints
and drawings through different climate zones within
the museum? Should we be more rigorous replacing
all window mounts even when used for fragile
media? Given our growing ambition to create low
energy storage rooms, is it reasonable to allow for
slow seasonal temperature variations?
A thermal view
The idea for temperature gradient driven moisture flow
causing the Mondriaan discoloration patterns came
6 Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17
from parallel research on foxing in books. Ligterink
et al. (1991) observed that the patterns of many different
brown paper discolorations found in books are corre-
lated both with the overall physical geometry of the
book, and with local physical irregularities. No
advanced models were available at that time to explain
these generally observed characteristics. It was under-
stood that the occurrence of wet-dry boundaries
somehow induced localized discolorations (Eusman,
1995). Later experimental research on partial wetting
of Whatman filter paper (Pedersoli & Ligterink, 2001)
made clear that the formation of tide-lines results from
simple depletion and subsequent accumulation of fluor-
escent water soluble paper components that are trans-
ported with water. These stains typically become more
intensely colored over time probably due to oxidation
and condensation reactions of the fluorescent com-
pounds accumulated at the tide-line area.
The interrelation of heat and moisture flow in
porous materials is relevant in many technical
domains. A thorough discussion of the physics of
transport phenomena in porous media can be found
in the book by Lykow (1958). Hazeu & Hueck
(1966) report experimental research on thermal gradi-
ent induced moisture flow to explain localized micro-
biological decay in cotton wool transported in sealed
packages. Padfield et al. (2002) measure the effects
of thermal fluctuations on the humidity distribution
inside glazed artworks on paper. A research project
on micro-climates within canvas paintings on cold
walls, resulted in a basic model to predict moisture
redistribution and local relative humidity values in
closed systems with spatially varying temperatures
(Ligterink & Di Pietro, 2007). The model predicts
how, across cavities, cold hygroscopic surfaces attract
moisture from warm hygroscopic surfaces.
NO. 1

FIGURE 2 Graphical representation
of the postulated thermally induced
moisture flow mechanism leading to the
Mondriaan effect
Most of previous researches have been focused on the
chemical characteristics of used museum boards to
develop an understanding of the Mondriaan effect. In
this research, we will alternatively focus on the hygro-
thermal behaviour of museum board stacks containing
air pockets. We assume that external thermal fluctu-
ations can induce differentiated moisture flows in
museum board stacks which ultimately lead to move-
ment and accumulation of water soluble coloured com-
ponents (Figure 2). Starting from this idea, we would
like to answer the following questions with our research.
Which were the historic environmental conditions
that might have caused the Mondriaan discoloration
patterns? Which are the 3D discoloration patterns
found in the historic stacks? Are these patterns consist-
ent with our hypothesis? Is it possible to confirm the
idea of thermally induced moisture redistribution? It
is unclear precisely how the presence of air pockets
could cause the observed discoloration patterns
across several adjacent cardboard layers (Figure 3).
Do air pockets in museum board stacks induce
thermal or moisture shadows? Is it possible to induce
FIGURE 3 Hypothesis leading
to the Mondriaan effect
G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness
Mondriaan like window-shaped discoloration patterns
in stacks of window mounts in an experiment? To what
extent are water soluble fluorescent components
present in historic and in currently used museum
boards?
After the second world war, it was decided to start
mounting the objects within window mounts inside
boxes (Figure 4). Conservators from that time therefore
started to search for a board manufacturer in the
Netherlands. Van Gelder was one of them and it
seems that a large stock of Van Gelder museum
boards was bought. It is not possible to precisely date
the introduction of Van Gelder museum boards intro-
duced at the archives, perhaps soon after 1950. The
quality of these museum boards, used at the archives
until 1980, were actually good, they were neutral,
though without calcium carbonate buffer and relatively
porous. Each box, horizontally stored could contain
between 25 and 35 window mounts. In order to save
space, thin and low grammage backing boards were
used (400 g m−²), whereas thicker window boards
were usually employed (Figure 4b).
Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO. 1 7
G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness
FIGURE 4 For illustration purposes of the Mondriaan effect,
the ACA made a diagonal cut through a complete box with
empty window mounts (a and b) (courtesy Peter Vlasveld,
former head of conservation at the ACA)
Experimental
In the experimental section below, four different exper-
iments are described that test different aspects of the
thermally induced moisture flow hypothesis. In
addition to the experiments, a survey has been made
to investigate the 3D geometry of the discoloration
patterns and to get an idea of the storage conditions
in historic stacks.
Surveying discoloration patterns and climate in
historic stacks
Although the Mondriaan effect has been observed
within the collections of several institutions in the
Netherlands, we decided to focus this observation
survey on the ACA collection. Two main reasons led
FIGURE 5
Boxes selected for
the survey
8 Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO.
us to this choice. First of all, unlike most of the collec-
tions in museums, the ACA collection of prints and
drawings represent a fairly static storage situation for
several decades. Though the boxes have been moved
several times from one storage area to another,
window mounts in each box are numbered and
stacked in a fixed order allowing a more straightfor-
ward interpretation of discoloration patterns.
Secondly, the large collection of the ACA contains
many clear examples of the Mondriaan effect.
The total collection of the ACA comprises boxes in
three standard sizes (small, medium, and large). Due
to time constraints, this survey exclusively describes
patterns found in the 464 small boxes, numbered K-
001 to K-464. The numbering of these boxes rep-
resents the chronological order across the decades in
which the mounting and boxing was done. The selec-
tion of the boxes was made in several steps. Firstly,
preliminary observation showed a stronger intensity
of the effect for most of the boxes below K-200. It
was therefore decided to randomly select 37 small
boxes (about 8% of all K numbered boxes),
between the interval K-000 and K-200 (Figure 5,
blue rectangles). These 37 boxes were inspected for
a quick visual survey under day light illumination
and UV radiation to note which window mounts
did show window-shaped discoloration patterns.
Three boxes showing clear multi-layer discoloration
patterns were chosen for a more exhaustive obser-
vation (K-14, K-94, and K-136). Boxes before and
after each of these three boxes were additionally
designated to be part of the more complete survey.
Three boxes were chosen due to the lack of relevant
discoloration patterns in each one of them (boxes
K-86, K-89, and K-162). In total, 13 boxes were
selected for a full and detailed investigation using
ultraviolet fluorescence photography (Figure 5, red
rectangles).2
Photographs of both front and back of each
unfolded window mount were made in a darkroom.
All photos were taken using a Nikon D800 digital
camera (aperture F11, shutter speed 2 seconds, ISO
100) equipped with a Sigma macrolens 50 mm and a
UV filter blocking all wavelengths above 400 nm (2E
filter: Kodak). The window mounts were irradiated
1

with a Phillips ‘black-lights’ (low-pressure mercury-
vapour fluorescent tubes, 365 nm: Phillips). An ultra-
violet fluorescence colour target (Target-UV™: UV
innovations) was included to ensure constant image
quality across different photography sessions. In
addition, specific details concerning mounting
materials and methods were noted.
Basic image processing (image cropping and histo-
gram equalization) of UV photos using open source
IPython Notebook (http://ipython.org/) with image
processing SciPy packages (http://scipy.org/) was done
to enhance relevant image features and allow image
registration. Further cross image comparison of discolor-
ation patterns and window positions was done by
importing processed images in Inkscape, an open
source vector based drawing programme (https
://inkscape.org/). Resulting shape information was
collected into stack cross-section drawings for each sur-
veyed box. For more clarity a distinction is made
between bright fluorescing patterns and dark fluorescing
patterns.
An estimation of historic storage conditions at the
ACA has been made. The demolition of the former
archival storage buildings and the lack of historic
environmental records restrained our means to recon-
struct past storage conditions of the ACA.
Alternatively, based on interviews with former ACA
staff, an approximate idea of the historic storage
environments was created.3
In the late 1920s, the ACA moved to a new location,
on Amsteldijk 67. They remained in this building for
about 80 years, until in 2007, the archives were trans-
ferred to the current building named De Bazel.
Between 1930 and 2007, several changes and exten-
sions have been realized to the archive buildings on
the Amsteldijk, especially new storage units have
been constructed over the time. As a result, the
boxes containing the prints and drawings collection
have been relocated several times, at least two or
three times, from a storage area to another. It has
also been confirmed that at least in one the past
storage rooms, glass windows were present through
which direct sunlight will have irradiated the boxes.
However, it has not been clarified how long this
room was used for storage purposes and no
records exist which document the precise climate
conditions.
Exp. 1. Thermally induced moisture flow
To verify the model for thermal gradient induced
moisture re-equilibration (Ligterink & Di Pietro,
2007), an experiment was carried out using an inverted
U-tube connecting two bottles each containing a piece
of cotton wool (Figure 6). After initial conditioning to
similar temperature and relative humidity conditions
G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness
FIGURE 6 Set up of the thermally induced moisture flow
experiment
of the two pieces of cotton in the bottles at both legs
of the sealed U-tube, one bottle is heated in a
thermal bath. Moisture transfer and new equilibrium
conditions resulting from the temperature
differences across the tube are monitored using two
mini data-loggers (iButton® data logger: Maxims
Integrated).
Exp. 2. Thermal and relative humidity profiles in
stacks
In order to characterize the thermal behaviour within
stacks of window mounts due to external temperature
variation, we tried to use infrared thermal imaging.
The resulting thermal images of subsequent layers of
museum board after exposure to a heat source
(Figure 7) somehow do show patterns of overlaying
rectangular shapes that correspond to the presence of
air pockets at different heights in the stack. However,
further analysis of these images made us realize that
the museum boards used are fairly translucent at the
infrared wavelengths captured by the thermal
camera. Because this translucency precludes a straight-
forward quantitative interpretation of the thermal
images, an alternative method to characterize the
thermal behaviour was used.
Round mini data-loggers recording temperature and
relative humidity (iButton® data logger: Maxims
Integrated) were fitted within a partly insulated stack
of contemporary museum boards (buffered and acid
free, 800 g m−2, CBVG passepartoutkarton: Larson-
Juhl) containing one window air pocket (Figure 8,
board 5). The insulated stack was then exposed to an
infrared lamp during 6 hours.
The distance between the lamp and the top of the
stack was chosen to induce a temperature difference of
12°C within the stack, in order to create a temperature
gradient similar to one that was observed in a museum
print box as a result of a direct sunlight exposure.
Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO. 1 9
G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness
FIGURE 7 Thermal patterns visible on
a stack of window mounts after heat
exposure
FIGURE 8 Geometry of the stack
Exp. 3. Long-term 24 hours cyclic exposure
In an attempt to recreate the Mondriaan effect, three
stacks (A, B, and C) of 13 window mounts each,
covered on top by an extra museum board, were
exposed to sudden and strong temperature fluctuations
by the use of a programmed oven (Binder) (Figure 9).
Because the results of several preliminary trials did not
show obvious differences between historical and
contemporary museum boards (Patin, 2014: 74–83),
we decided for this experiment to use readily
available contemporary museum boards only
FIGURE 9 Set up and
materials used in the long-term
cyclic exposure experiment
10 Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO.
(buffered and acid free, CBVG passepartoutkarton:
Larson-Juhl). Such an experiment with currently
used museum boards would also provide a direct
quality assessment.
Each window mount of stack A, considered to be the
reference stack, is empty and consists of a window
board of 800 g m−2 attached to a backing board of
400 g m−2. Stack B is similar to stack A, except that
eighteenth century papers have been mounted inside
the two first and two last window mounts of the
stack. Stack C only differs from stack A by the gram-
mage and thickness of the backing boards, 800 g m−2
1

instead of 400 g m−2 as in stack A. The appearance of
discoloration patterns was assessed both in daylight illu-
mination and under UV radiation.
Exp. 4. Moisture flow induced transport of
coloured components
The following experiment was implemented to investi-
gate the postulated link between moisture flow and
transport of water soluble components. A large
droplet of deionized water (about 2 cm diameter)
was deposited on each of four museum board
samples. Two samples consisted of different historic
Van Gelder museum boards (400 g m−2 and
800 g m−2) obtained from old window mounts at the
ACA and two samples consisted of contemporary
museum boards (buffered and acid free boards,
400 g m−2 and 800 g m−2, CBVG passepartoutkarton:
Larson-Juhl). Day light and UV fluorescence photo-
graphs before and 24 hours after the deposit of the
droplet enabled us to assess changes.
Results
Surveying discoloration patterns in historic
stacks
In an attempt to obtain an overall view of the effect for
each box selected, we firstly had to recognize each indi-
vidual rectangular feature and then relate them to their
corresponding windows. The following step was to
create a visual representation where the rectangular
features for all window mounts within a single box
could be recorded.
In order to enhance the visibility of the patterns on
the images, each one of them was processed using a
Ipython notebook. The contrasted images allowed us
to obtain a better identification of the patterns and to
generate a graphical representation of them (Figure 10).
Similarly, the dimensions of the windows were cap-
tured within a drawing representation (Figure 11).
A dimensional comparison between the patterns and
the windows enabled us to relate them one to
another (Figure 12).
FIGURE 10 Window mount K17-4,
image processing steps: documenting
the discoloration patterns
G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness
Finally, the obtained graphs needed to be com-
piled within a single graphical representation. We
have thus been experimenting different possibilities
of visualizations. A 2D cross-section representation
was chosen and made for each box where we could
record the information extracted from the UV photo-
graphs. Presented below are four of those 2D graphs
(Figures 13–16), that are representative of the thir-
teen 2D graphs that were made. The numbering of
window mounts within each box is usually descend-
ing from top to bottom but the opposite happens
sometimes; this does not have a strong influence on
the result of the graph. Some of the objects in the
boxes are now mounted within a folder. Indeed
after the discovery of the Mondriaan effect, the
ACA decided to avoid the presence of air pockets
in stacks and therefore abandon the use of window
mounts for storage purpose. That being so, in the
following graphs you will encounter the term ‘RW’
standing for ‘reconstructed window’. It means that
the object used to be mounted within a window
mount, but for interpretation purposes we have vir-
tually recreated the window on the graphs based on
the dimensions of the object and the discoloration
patterns.
The analysis of the resulting 2D graphs allowed us
to draw several conclusions. First of all, the observed
bright fluorescing patterns often relate to the mount-
ing adhesive papers or the object, such patterns do
not radiate through the stack, unlike the darker
brown patterns. The dimensions of those latter pat-
terns match those of the windows. In most cases, a
pattern relates to a single window but in a few
examples, a pattern has been induced by the intersec-
tion of two windows (Figure 13, window mounts 3
and 4). Furthermore, it has been noticed that the
absence of windows prevents the emergence of
additional brown discoloured patterns, but does not
block the diffusion of the patterns through the stack.
For example, looking at the box K-136 (Figure 15),
the window mount n°31 causes a pattern that diffuses
below through two objects mounted on backing
board.4 Moreover, a pattern can diffuse in both direc-
tions, upward and downward, up to six layers of card-
boards per direction but only a few windows per box
Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO. 1 11
G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness
FIGURE 11 Window mounts K17-3/
4/5, image processing steps:
documenting the dimensions of
windows to generate the windows
graph
are linked to this diffusion effect. And lastly, three
boxes (K86, K89, and K162) are barely affected by
the Mondriaan effect and very few relevant patterns
were seen. It seems that the distribution of the
phenomenon occurs in groups. Due to physical proxi-
mity between the boxes and therefore similar environ-
mental historic storage conditions, if a box is strongly
affected by the Mondriaan effect, it is likely that the
FIGURE 12 Comparing the windows and the patterns
graphs
12 Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO.
subsequent boxes before and after will also present dis-
coloured patterns.
Result of Exp. 1. Thermally induced moisture flow
The data recorded in the bottles A and B are presented
below (Figure 17). The immersion in warm water is
immediately followed by a sudden and strong rise of
the temperature and absolute humidity inside this
bottle. In the bottle B, the temperature remained con-
stant within a margin of 1–2°C, and the absolute
humidity increased by 5.66 g m−3 during the time of
bottle A’s immersion.
Result of Exp. 2. Thermal and relative humidity
profiles in stacks
The influence of a single air pocket on the heat and
moisture profiles in a stack has been studied and the
results are presented below (Figure 18).
As expected, due to the presence of the single
window region in the left (see Figure 18) half of
1
 G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness

FIGURE 13–16 2D graph of box K-17, K-94, K-136 and K-137

board no. 5, the transfer of both heat and moisture humidity and temperature, and the mathematically
into the stack shows different behaviours in the two derived absolute humidity, each show sensor values
vertical segments. The pairs of graphs for relative for two sensors located at the same height in the

Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO. 1 13

G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness
FIGURE 17 Temperature,
relative and absolute humidity in
bottles A and B. Note the
increase of absolute humidity in
bottle B and the opposite
behaviour in bottle A following
the immersion of the latter in
warm water
both the left and right stack segment. The vertical
ordering of the graphs is similar to the vertical order-
ing of the sensors in the stack.
During the heating phase of the experiment, the
temperature (T2) of the layers of board located in
the left segment above the window rises faster than
the temperature (T3) in the same layers in the right
non-window part of the stack. The opposite is seen
for the layers of board below the window level,
where during the heating phase the regions of
boards below the window area are cooler (T4 and
T6) then the regions of the same boards in the non-
window segment of the stack (T5 and T7).
Apparently the window cavity acts like a thermal
resistance. These observed temperature differences
attenuate soon after the heating of the stack with
the infrared lamp is stopped.
Relative humidity (RH) and absolute humidity
(AH) values measured at the different locations in
the stack generally show an increase during the
early heating phase, but show a decrease during
later stages of the heating. It is interesting to
observe that humidity differences in layers below
the window level (RH4–RH5 and RH6–RH7)
remain visible during the whole experiment, long
after heating with the IR lamp has been stopped.
14 Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO.
We call these differences persistent humidity
shadows of the window cavity.
Result of Exp. 3. Long-term 24 hours cycle
exposure
After 81 days of exposure to thermal cycles, we
observed limited formation of rectangular discolor-
ation patterns in the stacks. First of all, the patterns
only occurred on stacks A and B (Figure 19) whereas
stack C, the thickest, did not show any discoloured
patterns under daylight illumination and under UV
irradiation. Secondly, the presence of those brown rec-
tangular patterns is confined to the boards of the first
and last window mounts of the stacks A and B
(Figures 20 and 21). It should also be noted that the
paper objects inserted in the stack B did not induce
any discoloration patterns.
Result of Exp. 4. Moisture flow induced
transport of coloured components
For both museum boards, the applied water droplets
remained present on the surface between 1 and 2
hours before being completely absorbed by the
boards. The UV photographs show, for both types
1
 G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness

FIGURE 18 Climate differences inside the stack due to the presence of a window

of museum boards, fairly similar patterns consisting positions on the boards (Figure 22). This tide-line,
of a dark inner area surrounded by an outside located at the so-called ‘wet-dry interface’, represents
bright fluorescing tide-line, all matching the droplet the limit of the droplet. The results under day light

Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO. 1 15

G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness

illumination are not shown due to a lack of visibility

on the photographs.
Small differences between the visual characteristics
of the tide-lines on the historic and the contemporary
board are noted. Where the tide-line of the contempor-
ary museum board is more glossy, the tide-lines on the
historic museum board is slightly more yellow. The
increased gloss level can be understood to result
from the dissolution of a surface sizing, whereas the
increased yellowness of the tide-line on the historic
board is consistent with the likely accumulation of
yellow degradation compounds in the historic board.

FIGURE 19 Brown discoloration pattern visible on the

backing board of window mount n°1 of stack B after the
experiment Discussion

The results of the four experiments confirm different

FIGURE 20 2D graph of stack A, after the experiment
FIGURE 21 2D graph of stack B, after the experiment
FIGURE 22 Results of the droplet experiment on
contemporary museum boards (a); historical museum
board (b)
aspects of our thermally induced moisture flow
hypothesis. The two bottle experiment (Exp. 1) pro-
vides evidence for the basic idea that moisture inside
closed systems moves from warm to cold hygroscopic
materials. Measurements in the museum board stack
(Exp. 2) show that thermally induced moisture flows
are affected by the presence of air pockets. Although
the exact mechanism is not yet understood, we
observe that the air pockets within a thermally
induced moisture flow in such a system cause ‘humid-
ity shadows’ by amplifying downstream spatial humid-
ity variations. The relative humidity peak appearing
soon after the heating of the stack can be understood
to result from the release of moisture from the hygro-
scopic material into the surrounding air. Despite the
fact that the patterns in stacks of window mounts
obtained from our long-term simulations (Exp. 3) do
not extend more than two layers deep, the fact that
we were able to invoke patterns by thermal cycling
does provide further evidence in support of our
hypothesis. Finally, the droplet test results (Exp. 4)
on both historic Van Gelder board and contemporary
museum boards indicate the general presence of
mobile water soluble UV fluorescent components. It
is reasonable to assume that such components will be
redistributed in patterns within individual museum
boards mirroring the spatially differentiated moisture
flows. Such patterns are expected to occur both for
water soluble and volatile species.
Notwithstanding these consistent results, it must be
said that the observed discoloration patterns in historical
stacks of window mounts can only partly be explained
with our hypothesis. There is no problem in understand-
ing the development of discoloration patterns following
the shape of a window across several layers of card-
board. However, we are puzzled to find that only
some windows in the historic boxes invoke such multi-
layer patterns, while others do not. Furthermore, the

16 Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO. 1


cross-section patterns display a curious segmentation
indicating less overlapping than anticipated.
Taking all evidence into account we believe that the
observed Mondriaan discoloration patterns have been
caused by thermally induced moisture flow. This flow
is locally enhanced by air pockets and has led to the
differentiated transport and redistribution of generally
present mobile UV fluorescent components. Chemical
aging of these components in depleted and concen-
trated areas ultimately has caused these patterns to
become more visible over time. Although the phenom-
enon can occur in any stack of window mounts, we
have not found examples of similar intensity in other
institutions.
Conclusions and recommendations
On the whole, we evaluate the decision taken in 1995
of the gradual abandonment of window mounts in
the storage of prints and drawings, still to be valid.
When exposed to significant thermal fluctuations we
now understand that potentially any air pocket can
induce a discoloration pattern in adjacent layers. In
most situations however it is fairly easy to avoid
major fluctuations. Contrary to the fear of Dutch
paper conservators in 1995, the Mondriaan effect is
therefore unlikely to show up in all prints and draw-
ings collections and generally poses only a minimal
risk.
To our expectations, only prolonged exposure to fast
and strong thermal fluctuations of 10°C or more will
induce significant spatial thermal gradients within
window mount stacks potentially leading to the
Mondriaan effect. We are therefore confident that
slow seasonal changes in the storage environment are
safe in this respect. Transport of boxes with prints
and drawings through moderately different climate
zones within the museum represents a low risk. In
case of friable media, we advise to keep using
window mounts.
Acknowledgements
The authors sincerely wish to thank the Fonds de
Appel for their financial support, they made this
research possible. Secondly, we are grateful towards
the conservation team of the Amsterdam City
Archives: Jochem Kamps and Cristina Duran
Casablancas. They agreed that we took photographs
and samples of old window mounts and they also
devoted their time and enthusiasm to this research.
The estimation of the past storage conditions would
never have been possible without the help of Peter
Vlasveld, Nico Lingbeek, Peter Poldervaart, and
G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness
Paul Vermeulen. All along the research, the following
persons have taken of their time to express their sug-
gestions and encouragements — we would like to
show them our gratitude: Nadja Larba, Christel
Pesme, Aafke Weller, Antje Potthast as well as our col-
leagues from the Rijksmuseum paper conservation
studio.
Suppliers
The thermal camera was manufactured by FLIR®,
Commercial systems, 9 Townsend West, Nashua, NH
03063, USA. Tel: +1-866-3547-911.
The UV tubes (Philips. TL-D 36 W, BLB, low-
pressure mercury-vapour fluorescent lamps, 365 nm)
and the IR lamp (150 W, Infraphil PAR 38E, 230 V)
were made by Philips Lighting Nederland,
Boscchdijk 525 Postbus 900505600, PB Eindhoven,
The Netherlands. Tel: +31 40 278 7500.
The UV target was made and bought from UV
innovations™, info@uvinnovations.com.
The ConservaBarth Van Gelder (CBVG) passepar-
toutkarton ( pH = 7.5–8.5 and buffered with 4%
calcium carbonate) used for the experiments 1, 2,
and 4 were purchased from Larson-Juhl, 3900 Steve
Reynolds Boulevard, Norcross, GA 30093, USA.
Tel: +1-800-221-4123.
The iButton data-loggers were acquired from
Maxim Integrated, 160 Rio Rlobes, San Jose, CA
95134, USA. Tel: +1-888 629-4642.
The oven (Enclosure protection IP 20, 2.25 kW,
230 V, no ventilation) was built in 2009 by Binder,
545-3 Johnson Avenue, Bohemia, NY 11716, USA.
+1 (631) 224 4340, Email: us-sales@binder-world.com.
Notes
[1] The Mondriaan effect was also discovered in the
following Dutch institutions: The Rijksmuseum
and the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam), the
Teylers Museum (Haarlem) and the Boijmans
van Beuningen museum (Rotterdam) (Lingbeek,
1989).
[2] For practical and theoretical advices on the ultra-
violet fluorescence photography, the following
reference was followed (Warda et al., 2011).
[3] The following persons were interviewed: Peter
Vlasveld (former head of the Amsterdam
Stadsarchief conservation studio, Amsterdam,
The Netherlands, interviewed in July 2014);
Nico Lingbeek (Paper conservation intern at the
Amsterdam Stadsarchief in 1988, now private
conservator in Haarlem, The Netherlands, inter-
viewed in September 2013).
Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO. 1 17
G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness
[4] This fact is more visible on the Rijksmuseum’s
collections of prints and drawings. A box
(DUI.GR.17de eeuw, Hollar, P.67–441) contain-
ing 30 objects mounted on backing board and
only three window mounts reveals the presence
of patterns through the stack that only relate to
the windows. But as the order of the objects in
the box is not static, a 2D graph does not seem
relevant.
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Halos in Hohlräumen: Wie Luftzwischenräume
in Passepartouts Verfärbungen verursachen
können – und wie man dies am besten
verhindert
Niederländische Papierrestauratoren beobachteten im
Jahr 1988 ungewöhnliche braune Verfärbungen an
Passepartouts, die gestapelt in Kassetten gelagert
worden waren. Aus unbekannten Gründen hatten
sich -ausgehend von den Fensterausschnitten-
flächige Verfärbungen auf den Museumskartons und
teilweise auch auf den montierten graphischen
Blättern gebildet, die sich über mehrere Lagen in den
Stapeln erstreckten. Die resultierenden Verfärbungen
aus rechteckigen, sich teilweise überlappenden
Flächen in verschiedenen Braunabstufungen
erinnerten entfernt an Mondrian Gemälde. Aus
diesem Grund wurde für dieses Phänomen der
Begriff, Mondrian Effekt’ geprägt. Vorsorglich
vermieden die niederländischen Restauratoren
daraufhin eine Lagerung der Zeichnungen und
Drucke in Passepartoutstapeln und versuchten,
Klimaschwankungen weitgehend zu reduzieren. Die
vorliegenden Untersuchungen liefern einen
Erklärungsansatz zur Entstehung des Mondrian

Effekts. Detaillierte Beobachtungen der
Verfärbungsmuster in historischen Passepartoutstapeln
werden beschrieben. Es wird experimentell
nachgewiesen, dass dieses Phänomen durch thermisch
induzierte Feuchtigkeitstransporte ausgelöst wird,
gefördert durch Luftzwischenräume in den
Fensterausschnitten gestapelter Passepartouts. Dieser
Feuchtigkeitstransport führt zu einer fensterförmigen
Verteilung wasserlöslicher, farbiger Bestandteile in
papierbasierten Materialien. Aufgrund dieser
Ergebnisse werden aktuelle Lagerungsmethoden
bewertet und Empfehlungen für die Lagerung von
Druckgraphik und Zeichnungen gegeben. Werden
schnelle und signifikante Temperaturschwankungen
vermieden, wird das Risiko des geschilderten
Schadensphänomens als gering eingestuft.
Authors
Gauthier Patin graduated in June 2014 with a master
degree in paper conservation from the Paris 1
Sorbonne-Panthéon University. His master thesis
focused on the thematic of micro-environment and
micro-climate related to the storage of graphic col-
lections. Following on from his master thesis, the
Rijkjsmuseum has employed him until January
2016 as a junior paper conservator in order to
pursue the research started during his thesis.
Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat 1, Postbus 74888,
1070 DN, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Email:
gus_11@live.fr
Idelette van Leeuwen graduated as a book and paper
conservator at the State Training School of
Conservation in Amsterdam in 1989. After
working on some short conservation projects in the
Dutch Institute in Rome and the Municipal
Archives in Amsterdam she took a position as
senior book conservator at the Royal Library of
the Netherlands in The Hague in 1990. Since 2001,
she works as a senior paper conservator in the
Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, leading the paper con-
servation studio since 2008. Idelette van Leeuwen
G. Patin et al. Halos of Hollowness
also acts as coordinator of the disaster planning for
the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat 1, Postbus 74888,
1070 DN, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel. +31
30 67 47 113, i.v.leeuwen@rijksmuseum.nl
Janien Kemp graduated in 1995 from the Opleiding
voor Restauratoren at the Cultural Heritage
Agency of The Netherlands in Amsterdam and
worked as a book and paper conservator at the
Dutch National Archives in Haarlem. In 2001,
she became head of the conservation studio at
the ACA and expanded to head of collection
care. At the Amsterdam Archives she introduced
preservation standards for all kinds of archival
objects kept in repository, conducted research to
set a light policy for archival objects at exhibitions
and conceived measures for collection safety. In
recent years she develops preservation strategies
and policies for management in collection care.
Amsterdam Stadsarchief, Vijzelstraat 32, 1017 HL
Amsterdam, Pays-Bas, Janien.Kemp@amsterdam.nl
Frank Ligterink graduated as a book and paper conser-
vator at the State Training School of Conservation in
Amsterdam in 1989. He subsequently obtained a
master degree in physics at the Vrije Universiteit in
Amsterdam in 1996. Since then he worked in
Amsterdam as a conservation scientist at the
Cultural Heritage Agency for the Netherlands
(Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed) and its pre-
decessors Het Centraal Laboratorium and Instituut
Collectie Nederland, on a broad range of topics in
conservation. Favourite research topics include:
foxing of paper, prognosis of ink corrosion, micro-
climate modelling, risk management, cost-effective-
ness of chemical air filtration in archives and
libraries, conservation decision analysis, and digital
colour reconstruction of Van Gogh drawings.
Corresponding author: Frank Ligterink,
Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed,
Hobbemastraat 22, 1234 AB Amsterdam, The
Netherlands. Tel: +31.20.4217179, f.ligterink@cul-
tureelerfgoed.nl, www.cultureelerfgoed.nl
Journal of Paper Conservation 2016 VOL. 17 NO. 1 19