Book conservation involves a tough decision making regarding usability and long term preservation handling.
Sometimes we are dealing with fragmentology, or disjecta membra (fragments of written supports are re-used as part of a binding, with a diverse purpose from the first use) whereas in other cases the purpose is the same, and the whole binding is being recycled to bind a different book.
Incunabula and manuscripts with laced-case and limp vellum bindings are studied. Continue reading →
Book conservation involves a tough decision making regarding usability and long term preservation handling.
Sometimes we are dealing with fragmentology, or disjecta membra (fragments of written supports are re-used as part of a binding, with a diverse purpose from the first use) whereas in other cases the purpose is the same, and the whole binding is being recycled to bind a different book.
Incunabula and manuscripts with laced-case and limp vellum bindings with rolled sewing on parchment are studied. Continue reading →
Conservation of a manuscript which was a recycled limp vellum binding with flap. The flap and other missing parts are reconstructed after conservation. Continue reading →
Owner: Historical Archive of Lleida (Catalonia), National Archive of Catalonia, Government of Catalonia. Object: Limp vellum binding mansucript. Rolled sewing on parchment. The covers are a re-used manuscript (disjecta membra). “Manual notarial d’Andreu Soler” (notes by notary Andreu Soler). Date: … Continue reading →
What does a paper conservator do? Whom does she work for? What skills and knowledge does she ought to have?
Preservation and conservation, a field linked to science, history and arts and crafts. A video explains what differenciates us from forgers and shows -among other- how we produce a hand-made suction table to restore paper artifacts, with loads of creativity, a feature most necessary to become book and paper conservator. Continue reading →
Not uncommon to find waste material as part of a binding (parchment manuscripts, for instance), but quite much rare when the previous and original binding is part of the boards layers of the current recycled binding!
The outer and visible binding belonged first to a former book, and the hidden binding, to the current, one… crazy! Continue reading →
Owner: Regional Archive of La Segarra (Cervera, Spain), Government of Catalonia. Object: Medieval manuscript on laid paper with limp vellum binding in reverse parchment, with flap and alum tawed leather tackets sealing the turnings. Sewing on two leather tackets. Date: … Continue reading →
Event: Conference Book Conservation: One Philosophy, Many Interpretations. Organization: ERC (European Research Centre for Book and Paper Conservation-Restoration) and the University for Continuing Education, Krems (Austria). Donau-Universität Krems, Die Universität für Weiterbildung. Lecture: Sew it, rather than paste it! Sew … Continue reading →
Event: INTACH lectures (#52). Organization: INTACH, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. Lecture: Reversibility in book and paper conservation. It is in fact a revisiting of the same lecture given at the Cores Symposium, organized by Syntrawest, Vlaanderen Departement … Continue reading →
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 →
Conservation of medieval manuscripts on rag paper and limp vellum binding. Sewing thread made of rolled parchment, with independent knots onto inner parchment stays. Outer leather tackets. Continue reading →
Owner: Regional Archive of Baix Empordà (La Bisbal, Girona, Spain), Government of Catalonia. Object: Two stationery manuscripts on laid paper. They have limp vellum bindings with tacketing onto exterior leather supports (see heading image). Both with flaps, are sewn on … Continue reading →
Event: Cores Symposium. Dilemmas: Between cherishing damage and cleaning up this mess. Restorers, collection managers and researchers on conservation and restoration. Lecture: Reversible vs Irreversible. Organization: Syntrawest, Vlaanderen Departement Cultuur, Jeugd en media Venue: State Archives, Brugge (Belgium). Audience: Paper conservators, curators, historians, librarians, archivists. … 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 →
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 →
