Conservation of an Oriental Binding : (Removal of an Old Repair from the Book Spine and Filling of the Uncovered Loss)

The object of the bachelor thesis in the year 2022 was an Ottoman manuscript with full leather binding from the 18th century. The focus was on elaborating and implementing a concept for the conservation of the manuscript, for which reason a codicological examination and a damage assessment of the object were conducted. Two main types of damage became evident: Firstly, large parts of the inner book ornamented with illuminations containing copper were affected by copper corrosion, which manifested in a general brittleness, numerous breakages and losses. Secondly, an old repair in the form of a rigid adhesive layer and heavily degraded goatskin which had been pasted over the book spine and partly onto the front and back cover. This repair caused the book significant stiffness and deformation. Regarding both types of damage, urgent need for action was determined, as both seriously restricted the manuscript’s usability and also posed the risk of further breakages and losses particularly within the inner book. Apart from securing and stabilising the copper corrosion, the thesis’ goal was to identify an appropriate method for removing the old repair from the binding.