Book and Paper Conservation-Restoration: Understanding of the Parchment in the Medieval Manuscripts

Book and Paper Conservation-Restoration: Understanding of the Parchment in the Medieval Manuscripts: Understanding of the Parchment in the Medieval Manuscripts
Practical parchment making workshop
21st – 26th May 2012, Horn, Austria

Further education course held by Jiří Vnouček, conservator, The Royal Library Copenhagen.
Workshop

Parchment is one of the oldest and also most durable writing materials. To be able to secure its proper preservation or eventual conservation it is very important to understand its complicated structure and way of the behavior. Experiments with practical parchment making can help to learn more about parchment in medieval manuscripts and even more to recognize different types of imperfection and defects coming already from its production so they are misunderstood with damage coming from later use and way of storage of the manuscripts.
Structure of the course

Practical parchment making workshop which will cover all basic steps in the parchment making: dehairing, cleaning of the flesh side, stretching on the frames, dry shaving and pouncing, final surface treatment, preparation for writing of the manuscript.
Theoretical lectures about the history of the parchment-making and different types of the parchments for writing purposes and the way of their preparation.
Lectures about the visual examination of the parchment in the medieval manuscripts and interpretation of their damage and imperfection coming from the manufacture of the parchment (based on personal experience of this parchment-making course)
Practical visual examinationtion and identification of different damage in real historical manuscripts. Duration of course 5 days of theoretical lectures (morning) and practical parchment making (afternoon) will include at least half day of excursion to nearby archive or library where would be possible to study historical parchment material.



Course is designed for the conservators of parchment who have already some knowledge about parchment and good practical experience with its conservation and want to learn more about writing parchment made for medieval manuscripts. But the course could be also found interesting for codicologists or curators of manuscript collection. The course main target is to understand the parchment and not parchment conservation. On another hand certain discussion about conservation of parchment will be raised by understanding of its special characteristics and behavior which come from the way in which is produced.



The course language will be English. The deadline for application is one mounth before the course starts. The course fee plus accommodation (4 nights) is 700.00 € plus 10% VAT. The number of participants is restricted to 7. »»» Registration


The venue is the Renaissance castle housing the European Research Centre for Book and Paper Conservation-Restoration.

Accommodation during the course is within the building and is included in the price.

After application you will be provided with further information.

Participant also can bring own samples if they wish to.

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