Special Exhibitions
Conserving the Past for the Future
|
|
Special Exhibitions |
|
Conserving the Past for the Future |
|
|
The Making of Queen Isabella of Spain's Book of Hours The lavishly decorated Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain is in exceptionally fine condition. Because it contains more than 100 paintings on vellum that can be used for display, the frequency and duration of exhibition for any one image in this book is very low, and from a conservation point of view, the manuscript may be comfortably kept on permanent display.Over the centuries the individual paintings (or illuminations as they are called) have retained beautifully intact surfaces. Many of the illuminations currently on view in the surrounding galleries have surfaces that are in very good condition. You might see surface loss that has occurred due to flaking or abrasion, where ink, pigment, or gilding has been rubbed away. Parchment (or vellum) was used as early as the 2nd century as a writing support, material, and by the 4th century it had become the most popular writing support material, supplanting papyrus. During medieval times parchment was the ubiquitous support material for the illuminated manuscript. During the 16th century, parchment was largely replaced by paper. This was due to the popularity of printing as well as to innovations and growth in the papermaking industry. Parchment and vellum are writing or drawing support materials made from untanned animal skin. The term vellum is often used interchangeably with parchment. However, where parchment can refer specifically to a sheet prepared from a sheep or goat, vellum is often used to refer to the skin of a calf or of an unborn or stillborn animal. In general, vellum produced a thinner, finer support and was used for leaves in smaller manuscripts like books of hours, psalters (psalm books), and small Bibles. The skin was prepared by dehairing, washing, stretching, and scraping. A final step to prepare the surface involved rubbing the skin with an abrasive material such as powdered pumice. The method of preparation as well as the type of skin could affect the final appearance of the sheet. Page 1 of 5 | On the next page: How a painting on parchment or vellum is made |
|||||||||||||||||||
