Reagents used to read underlying text in palimpsests

Alberto Campagnolo <a.campagnolo1 [at] camberwell__arts__ac__uk>
writes

>I have been looking for bibliographical references on the kind of
>reagents that were used in the past to read the underlying text in
>palimpsest manuscripts.

One of the earliest mentions of different reagents used for this
purpose is the report of the St Gallen Conference on the
Conservation of Manuscripts in 1898, which was reprinted as a
supplement to Restaurator in 1969.  It includes gallic acid,
thiocyanate, ammonium sulphide, sodium sulphide, potassium
ferrocyanide and tannin solution.  By the end of the 19th century it
was known that these reagents were harmful to manuscripts; the
author (Dr Posse) remarks on the barbaric manner in which priceless
manuscripts in various libraries had been ruined by the use of these
materials.

Similar information is given by Robert Fuchs in "The history of
chemical reinforcement of texts in manuscripts: what should we do
now?" in Care and Conservation of Manuscripts 7, 2003 pp159-170 and
plates XXVI - XXX.

Dr Barry Knight
Head of Conservation Research
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
+44 20 7412 7229
Fax: +44 20 7412 7658


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 26:18
                Distributed: Sunday, September 23, 2012
                       Message Id: cdl-26-18-003
                                  ***