The Conservator in His Laboratory
The Conservator in His Laboratory
The Conservator in His Laboratory
ArtistFranz Jantzen

The Conservator in His Laboratory

Date2005
MediumDigital chromogenic print
Dimensions43 × 54 in. (109.2 × 137.2 cm) Framed Size: 45 × 56 in. (114.3 × 142.2 cm)
Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Collection
Object numberDCCAH2008.018
ClassificationsPhotographs
Locations
  • Office of Zoning (441 4th Street NW, STE 200S)
DescriptionWhile the model is a real paper conservator—Frank Mowery, in his lab at the Folger Shakespeare Library—this piece represents a fictional conservator built around the idea of St. Jerome in his study. He is a bit of a mad scientist, toiling away in his studio in isolation, yet connected to the universe’s grand design via the accumulated wisdom of the ages in the books around him, his experiments, and his observations. For him, the molecular structure of the books and prints he cares for and the constellations in the night sky have become the same thing; he may not even leave his laboratory anymore. This piece incorporates nearly 1,000 individual images put together over the course of 121 hours. The celestial wheel is composed from tools found in the lab, and the stars are the business end of a leather punch that is several hundred years old. The skull was copied from a medical website, and the two lions are my son Isaac’s toys. The miniature Washington Monument and Capitol are in the same relationship as when they are seen from the Folger.