Montefiascone Project

Montefiascone: Summer 2001

Montefiascone is a medieval walled city on Lake Bolsena, about half
way between Rome and Siena. Each summer conservators, librarians,
art historians, archivist and others interested in the structure and
history of the book, meet to participate in classes, which are held
within the walls of the city.

The summer 2001 programme is as follows:

Week 1 (23 - 27 July)

Making and painting out the medieval palette.

    The course will examine the inks and colours used in medieval
    manuscript painting. Participants will make and paint out the
    mineral, plant and animal derived colours using original
    recipes. We will examine the physical and chemical
    characteristics as well as problems of longevity and related
    conservation issues. Identification and consolidation issues
    will be addressed. The course assumes no previous expertise in
    the area.

    Course Tutor: Cheryl Porter

Week 2 ( 30 July - 3 August)

Bookbinding--From Manuscripts to Printed Book.

    The course will be largely, though not exclusively, a practical
    course. Participants will construct a model of a late 15th
    century book structure in the style of a pre-1500 printed book.
    The work will involve sewing the text block, fashioning boards
    in wood and board attachment. Using off-cuts of leather or tawed
    skin, the spine of the book will be covered in such a way as to
    leave revealed the structure beneath. The course will discuss
    the techniques of bookbinding decoration and historical examples
    will be shown in 35mm slide format. The course is designed to
    appeal to practising conservators and librarians. Whilst some
    practical skills would be an advantage, those with no practical
    experience should not be dissuaded from participating.

    Course Tutors: Dr Nicholas Hadgraft and Jim Bloxam

Week 3 (6 - 10 August)

Atlas Structure

    The atlas is a special binding challenge since the text block is
    not uniform in make-up from gutter to fore-edge. The course will
    focus on what factors and stresses one needs to consider and how
    to build special features to control large folded sheets.
    Participants will study the history of atlas development. They
    will construct samples with attention to distribution of folds
    in maps, strategies to attach guards to push maps away from
    tight gutters, and to add thickness in the spine to compensate
    for the extra bulk a folded item produces. We will also focus on
    selection of proper materials and address repair of folded maps.

    Course Tutor: Pamela Spitzmueller

Tutors: Cheryl Porter studied conservation at the Camberwell College
of Arts and worked at the University College London Paintings
Analysis Unit. She was a research Fellow at the UCL History of Art
Department, working on medieval pigments and the technique of their
application to manuscripts. She is a practising conservator who
lectures and teaches widely. She has been director of the
Montefiascone Project since 1988.

Dr Nicholas Hadgraft has a Ph.D. from the University of London on
the subject of 15th century book structures. He is a qualified
librarian with an MA in Historical Bibliography. After working at
the British Library, he worked for college libraries with in the
University of Cambridge for fifteen years. He trained as a
manuscript and rare book conservator with Christopher Clarkson and
is currently working in private practice and a Research Fellow of
the London Institute, working to preserve the collections at St
Catherine 's Monastery at Mount Sinai.

Jim Bloxam is a Senior Book Conservator in the Conservation
Department at Cambridge University Library, working on early printed
books, manuscripts and archives. He is an Accredited
Conservator/Restorer of the Institute of Paper Conservation and has
an Honours Degree in Art History (First Class). His particular
research interests lies mainly in the history of books; their
structural qualities and their cultural context. He has taught for
the past three years at the Montefiascone Summer School Library
Project.

Pamela Spitzmueller is Chief Conservator for Special Collections in
the Harvard University Libraries. She has previously headed the
Conservation Department at the University of Iowa Libraries and
worked as a rare book conservator at the Library of Congress and the
Newberry Library. She lectures and teaches book structures and their
history, as well as binding one of a kind books focussed on
structure complimenting text.

The cost of the course is UKP245.00 ($350.0) per week. This includes
all materials and tuition, which is in English. Participants may
stay in a house within the city walls, close to the main square at
the centre of the town. Bedrooms are shared and the accommodation
cost is UKP7.00 per person per night ($10.0). If
preferred,accommodation can be arranged at a local hotel. Classes
run from 9am until 1-1:30, with opportunity to return for private
work and study later in the day. Afternoons are free for private
work or study, though many take advantage of the spectacular setting
to swim in the local huge, clean volcanic lake, or to explore the
town (with Romanesque architecture and friendly inhabitants). We are
close to Florence, Siena, Rome, Orvieto and other areas of historic
interest.

For further information contact:

    Cheryl Porter
    7 Venice Lodge
    55 Maida Vale
    London W9 1SD
    +44 20 7266 0505
    Fax: +44 20 7266 0697
    chezza.p [at] virgin__net


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 14:51
                  Distributed: Tuesday, April 3, 2001
                       Message Id: cdl-14-51-030
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