Museum crate for artworks

Most fine art losses happen during handling, and the crate is the work's first defense against shock, vibration and climate swings. A museum crate is built to measure, in plywood, with a double wall: an inner case holding the work, floating inside an outer case on foam blocks sized for its weight, and insulating panels that slow changes in temperature and relative humidity during transit. Paintings often travel in a travel frame or tray, sculptures on a base bolted inside the crate. On arrival, nobody opens it right away: an acclimatization period, often 24 hours, lets the interior slowly reach the climate of the gallery; otherwise a cold canvas picks up condensation or tightens abruptly. Nail to nail policies and loan agreements require these crates, the specialist shipper and often the waiting period before opening; departing from those conditions can reduce or void the cover, depending on the wording. The claims adjuster relies on the recorders inside the crate: shock indicators that turn red above a threshold, electronic loggers that time-stamp each shock and record temperature and humidity. A shock time-stamped at the moment of a transshipment points to the phase of the damage and the handler involved, which opens the recovery action. The crate has its limits: it does little against a drop of several meters from a forklift, and a crate reused from loan to loan loses part of the cushioning in its foam. Not to be confused with inherent vice, deterioration that comes from the work itself, from unstable paint or a fragile support, which policies exclude even when the crate did its job.