Some projects are extremely complex regarding the ethical professional decision making, and this is certainly one of the toughests!
Rather than trimming the original beautiful bindings with marbled edges, some facsimile dust-jackets were made to protect the books, that were also restored preserving all their features. Continue reading
Owner: Private collection. Artefact: Semi limp vellum binding (semi because the cardboards inside the covers provide it a certain body, even if they are not pasted onto the parchment). 17th-18th century. Printed book. Damages: Parchment loss on the spine, locks … Continue reading
Owner: Museum of History of Barcelona (MUHBA). Object: Romantic album (reference MHCB 42054 from the Museum), from the 3rd quarter of 19th century. It contains drawings, paintings (among which some attributed to Fortuny, one by Pérez Villaamil, one Gustave Doré, … Continue reading
Owner: Sant Martí Sarroca council (Barcelona, Spain). Object: Manuscripted codex, with parchment sheets and wooden boards covered with leather. 16th century score with gregorian songs from the chapel Sant Pere ad Vincula of the Vernet tower. Damages: Mold, woodworm and rat losses, mutilation, … Continue reading
Owner: Diputació de Barcelona. Object: Archive holdings and stationery bindings damaged by mould. Damages: Losses and stains due to mold and insects. Cockling, stains, dirt. Conservation treatment: Mold treatment, cleaning, consolidation of damaged areas. New binding of the damaged books.
Limp vellum binding with flap. 18th century. Manuscript with cook recipes.
Damages: Parchment loss on the spine and front cover. Broken lock and borken spine reinforcing made of leather which hold the sewing. the locks were lost too. The parchment had been soaked in oil in former interventions to “protect” it. Continue reading
Owner: Youth Documentary Center – Direcció General de Joventut. Generalitat de Catalunya (catalan government). Artefact: Joan Ballester Collection, paperback books (or perfect bound books) about boy-scouts movement (s.XIX-XX).
Owner: Documentation Centre of the Orfeó Català – Palau de la Música (Barcelona). Artefact: Manuscripted score on iron-gall ink and laid paper. Renaissance binding on reversed leather and cotton locks. 1643.
Owner: Military History and Culture Center (Barcelona). Artefact: “Atlas histórico y topográfico de la guerra de África, sostenida por la nación española contra el imperio marroquí en 1859 y 1860” (Historical and topographical atlas of the african war, sustained by the spanish nation against … Continue reading
(Translation pending) Owner: Public Library Carles Rahola (Girona, Spain), Catalonia Government. Object: 23 Incunabula books, with limp and semi-limp vellum bindings, as well as some full leather on board bindings. There a re examples of fragmentology and disjecta membra, as … Continue reading