ABSTRACT The Evangeliarium of Millingen (late tenth century) has been rebound, adjusted, and mutilated throughout its history. Today, the manuscript is missing some folios, while others have been damaged by cuts. This study, conducted from September 2023 to May 2024 as part of a master’ degree in conservation–restoration, focuses on testing conservation materials for the manuscript’s damaged parchment. The research encompasses a historical overview, codicology of the manuscript, and an evaluation of various adhesives and mending materials. Some of the adhesives tested include sturgeon glue, gelatine, fish glue, wheat starch paste, funori, and Klucel G. Results from tests on mock-ups identify Japanese paper and goldbeaters’ skin as promising materials for parchment repair. This preliminary work lays the foundation for further conservation efforts, aiming to preserve the manuscript’s historical and material integrity for study and access.

ABSTRACT This study investigates the colour changes achieved by toasting cellulose powder Arbocel B00 at different temperatures and durations of thermal exposure, aiming to establish a reliable palette of brown tones adaptable to diverse conservation needs. To evaluate the applicability of this method, two case studies were conducted, each addressing specific conservation challenges. The first case study, conducted as part of Lilian Samland´s master´s thesis, involved a Berât issued under Sultan Mustafa III, an Ottoman manuscript historically used to confer prestigious positions and privileges. A manual infilling technique with cellulose powder was adapted for water-sensitive documents: toasted cellulose powder was mixed with Tylose MH50 (2%), sprayed with an airbrush onto plastic foils and dried to form colour-matched infill sheets. These sheets were glued with hydroxypropycellulose Klucel G in ethanol, following stabilization of losses with remoistenable tissues. Additionally, a suspension made of cellulose powder and Klucel G in ethanol was used for colour reintegration with a brush. The second case study, undertaken in Mairid Schleinschock's bachelor's thesis, addressed visual stain reduction on a contemporary painting by Mimmo Paladino. Toasted Arbocel B00 was mixed with Klucel G in n-butanol (1%) and applied directly onto the object with an airbrush. Comparative testing demonstrated that n-butanol yielded the most aesthetically integrated result while maintaining the artwork´s material integrity.

ABSTRACT The Book of Hours of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, V. Duke of Milan (Vienna, Austrian National Library, Codex 1856), the so-called Black Hours, is a Flemish illuminated manuscript with silver and gold ink on black coloured parchment from the third quarter of the fifteenth century. The severe deterioration of the parchment by the black colourant resulted in brittleness and numerous losses. This paper describes the history of the manuscript and previous interventions. The condition of the various materials was assessed and put in context with the other six black manuscripts that have been preserved worldwide. The fibre morphology, the hydrothermal stability and the investigation of the fibre structure in the Scanning electron microscope confirmed the degradation of the parchment fibres. The black colourant was identified as iron gall ink by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and Raman spectroscopy. The elemental composition of silver and gold was analysed with XRF. Based on these results, a model conservation treatment and a new preservation solution were developed.

ABSTRACT This work aims to describe and analyse the impact of the 1966 Florence flood on the preservation and conservation of flood-damaged books, as well as the treatments commonly used today to address such damage. The study is based on a bibliographical review as part of coursework for a degree in Book and paper Conservation.

ABSTRACT This research explores the viability of using diatomaceous earth stone mats, a commercially manufactured, rigid, absorbent board marketed for home use (aka DE stones) as a sustainable tool in paper conservation. Analytical studies, including X-ray fluorescence, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, gravimetry, colorimetry, accelerated aging, pH, solvent reactivity, and absorbency testing, were conducted at the National Archives and Records Administration on the DE stones and on Whatman® filter paper samples. The experiments with samples dried in direct contact with DE stones showed no undesirable transfer to the filter paper. Gravimetric analysis showed the drying rate of samples placed between DE stones was much more rapid than for samples placed between blotter or wool felt. Colorimetry before and after accelerated aging of samples dried in direct contact with DE stones showed no undesirable aging patterns. Successful case studies illustrate high potential for the use of DE stones in paper conservation treatments.

ABSTRACT In 1872 the most lauded invention promoted at the International Exhibition in London, was felted paper. The firm, tough material, remaining ‘soft enough to fall readily into graceful folds’ was invented by Pavy, Pretto and Co. as a cheap alternative to cretonnes or chintz fabrics for curtains, roller-blinds and bed-hangings. One hundred and fifty years later a rare example of a paper curtain ensemble was examined at Mount Stewart, a National Trust property in Northern Ireland, and prioritized for conservation treatment. Research unearthed samples of felted paper in the UK and US, and increased our understanding of their manufacture, distribution, and consumption. The multi-disciplinary project involving textile and paper conservators in decision making and carrying out complex treatments is described, including discoveries made about the curtains’ construction, and previous use. Innovative textile printing onto new fabric was used to support the fragile paper, replicating the reverse pattern of the original paper curtains.

ABSTRACT The oldest known fragment of a codex was discovered at Graz University Library and made public in June 2023. The so-called ‘Mummy Book’ shows features – a central fold, text layout, ink transfer and holes – that distinctly identify it as a bifolio from a codex-like structure. These characteristics are described here and their significance is summarized from our longer research article. By examining these features, we were able to reconstruct the history and use of the fragment. The results are significant because they identify the fragment as the oldest known bifolio, predating similar examples by 400 years. Although no comparable material from this period is known, the Mummy Book is evidence for the existence of pre-Christian codices, substantially changing the history of the book. We hope that collections will be systematically examined under this lens to unearth further examples providing a clearer chronology of book history before Christ.

ABSTRACT The father of Op Art, Victor Vasarely, is the author of a paper collage called Barson, owned by the Museum of Contemporary Art, in Zagreb, which is the only such example in Croatian public cultural institutions. The collage was created in 1967 using the screen printing technique on paper glued to a paper support and then onto large-sized hardboard, and its creation was influenced by the leading objectivist artistic and philosophical trends and knowledge of the time, under the influence of which Vasarely created his art. The collage was found very dusty and with many damages on the entire surface of the paper support, such as cracks, dried and detached parts and traces of activities of insects. Works of Op Art imply an undisturbed perception of the artwork, which in the case of the Barson collage, due to caused damage, was impossible. Therefore, conservation and restoration work was carried out that included extensive research and numerous tests, followed by dry cleaning, gluing both layers of the paper carrier, removing traces of insects and the necessary, minimal retouching. The corresponding wooden frame was cleaned of a layer of dust, and the smaller, missing part was reconstructed with the same type of wood and finally retouched.