The conservation treatment of a Dominican Miscellany, c. 1280-1340. Manuscript book on vellum.

This was a project meant to conserve a medieval manuscript in a period binding without actually repairing it. The client wished that the manuscript could be used as an exemplar in university-level courses in the history of the book. The volume was conserved without re-adhering the original spine, to avoid obscuring the original sewing, lacing and endbands.

Conservation Treatment:

The spine was removed from the binding. Some residue of the spine leather on the sewing supports was left in place.

The spine was lined between the sewing supports and endbands with heavyweight kozo paper using gelatin. These linings extend onto the spine edges of the boards.

The first and last sections were sewn back on the textblock with 35/3 linen thread (lightly waxed) using a link stitch. Very white thread was used to make it clear to reseachers that this sewing is not original to the binding.

The new extended linings were covered with layers of brown kozo paper to match the dark tone of the exposed wooden boards. They were adhered using dry wheat starch paste.

The leather and repair paper were lifted on the upper board adjacent to the original spine and the repair paper on the spine was inserted under the lifted material.

The remnant of the original spine was re-attached using a laminate of colored kozo paper using dry wheat starch paste. The original leather was re-adhered..

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