The first two weeks of the workshop involves making four facsimile of historical book binding types using original materials and tools. The purpose of this exercise is for students to understand the structure, materials and manufacturing process of each book type. The project starts by making the sections that will make up the book block for the facsimile; folding and preparing twenty sections made of four bifolia, each sewing typologies.

Note:

Some historic materials, such as parchment, are too expensive and will be substituted with modern imitations.

List of  binding facsimiles that will be made in the workshop:

1)   Unsupported sewing structure(Islamic style)Used typically from the Early Middle Ages to the 18th Century in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, commonly with book block in paper.Features: The text block will be sewn on 4 sewing stations. A spine lining of linen will be applied to secure and stabilize the book-block. Islamic end bands (primary and secondary sewing) will be executed at head and tail. The cover will be made in two halves with front flap.
2)   Western medieval style binding Europe from 14th to 19th Centuries with parchment and paper book blocksFeatures: The book block will be sewn on 3 double cord supports with packed sewing all along. A parchment or linen spine lining will be applied on the spine between the supports (panels). Western end bands with primary and secondary sewing around cord cores will be made at head and tail. The supports will be laced through the boards. Attaching the spine lining on the inside of the boards will reinforce the board attachment.
3) Limp parchment binding  Sewing structure commonly found in the South Western Europe from the 15th to 18th Centuries with book blocks in parchment and paperFeatures: The book block will be sewn on 3 single alum tawed supports with all along packed sewing. A spine lining of Japanese paper will be applied to the spine to secure the book block. End bands with primary sewing on alum tawed cores will be made. A soft laced cover will be applied to protect the book block.
4) Modern western case binding: Sewing on tapes used typically from the 18th and 19th centuries with paper media.Features: The book block will be sewn on 3 linen tapes with all along sewing. A linen cloth spine lining will be placed to secure the book block. Two false end bands will be applied to the spine at head and tail. A cloth case cover will be made to cover the book block.

The Role of Risk Assessment in Digitising Special Collections

As we go through the process of digitising  much the world’s written documentation particularly when dealing with rare books and unique archival documents one must consider carefully the impact of such process on the original documents. Flavio Marzo deals with this issue daily as manager of the project conservator in the Qatar British Library Digitisation Project.

Flavio Marzo will be the instructor for the bookbinding restoration course in San Gemini in the summer of 2013.

The creation of a custom-made cradle to minimise risk during the digitisation process 
Article by Flavio Marzo published in the website of bookandpapergathering.org .

The following article is very interesting and relevant to the San Gemini Historic Archive Digitisation Project being now carried on by the San Gemini Preservation Studies. A delicate aspect of digitization is being able to hold in position the frail books for scanning or photographing without damaging them. Flavio Marzo presently involved with the Qatar British Library Digitisation Project has been dealing in a very practical way with this issue.

Link to article

Flavio Marzo will be teaching this summer a course on the restoration and conservation of books and bookbinding at the San Gemini  Preservation Studies in San Gemini, Italy

By Flavio Marzo

The Qatar Foundation (QF) and the British Library (BL) have agreed to develop a long-term partnership (10 years) to provide online access to digital copies of geographically-scattered collections of archives and manuscripts relating to the Arabic world through a portal.

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development is a private, non-profit organisation that is helping transform a small but wealthy state from a carbon economy to knowledge-based economy by unlocking human potential in Qatar, the region and around the world. Founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Amir of Qatar, QF is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned. QF carries out its mission through three main pillars: Education, Science and Research, and Community Development.

The overall aim of the partnership is to work together to make relevant material available to promote worldwide understanding of Arabic cultural heritage and history through freely available content, discoverable in Arabic and English; and by providing rich interpretative, contextual and pedagogical resources that make the material accessible to scholars and to the general public.

There are many different areas working on the programme bother internally within the BL, and externally. The 10-year partnership agreement is between the British Library and Qatar Foundation. The current programme (Phase 1 of 2 years) is also principally between the BL and QF although other organisations (including contractors) will be involved in the programme.

One of the key benefits for staff working on the programme and for the project itself is that the majority of the staff (Curators and cataloguers from the different collections areas from which the material to be digitalised comes from, a conservation team and a team of photographers) are working in the same area on the 6^th floor of the main building of the British Library (London). This peculiar environment naturally promotes communication across the programme and provides for everyone working on the programme a good and very useful working knowledge of every other area of the programme. This aspect is actually a quite unique feature compared to most of the other digitisation projects within the British Library and in other institutions.

The conservation input is to support the digitisation process by enabling the safe and best access to the collection material.

I am in charge of a small team of 3 conservators, myself, a full time paper/book conservator called Anna Hoffmann and a part time one called Katherine Knowles.

Codicology: the History of the Structural Features of the Codex Sinaiticus -  an article by Flavio Marzo

The Codex Sinaiticus is perhaps the oldest copy of the New Testament written in Greek; it was written in the 4^th Century and was kept in the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Saint Catherine in the Sinai. This very interesting article describes the structural features and the state of conservation of the codex.

Flavio Marzo will be the instructor for the bookbinding restoration course in San Gemini this summer.

http://codexsinaiticus.org/en/project/conservation_codicology.aspx

One of projects of the San Gemini Preservation Studies Program is a collaboration with the archaeologists excavating the Roman Baths in Carsuale. Our main role will be the consolidation of the building structures that are being excavated. The first major challenge we have faced is that the structures emerging from the ground are very fragile: the old mortar, after being buried for thousands of years, has lost much of its strength and, when exposed to the surface weather, the old masonry walls and floor mosaics quickly deteriorate.

It has become evident that the excavation area needs to be well protected, in particular from the rain, at least during the excavation if not permanently. After taking into consideration various factors we came up with the solution of a large industrial galvanized steel roof covering the central building containing the tepidarium and various ancillary spaces.

After exploring various options we chose to build an industrial type structure: a light steel roof supported by long-span steel trusses. The whole structure is made of galvanized steel and has a light gray coloration. The advantages of this structure are the following:

• The roof provides very effective protection of the whole central bath structure from the rain and snow.
• This structure had the lowest per square meter cost of all the structures we considered. These types of structures are sold by the kilo.
• This type of structure is very efficient and allows long spans that can span clear across the main excavation site with no intermediate supports allowing the archaeologists to work without any obstruction for several years.
• The reduction in sunlight and water reduces the growth of vegetation in the offseason.
• The roof provides shelter for the archaeologists from rain and sun during the excavation season.
• The structure allows a clear view of the excavation site, allowing easy use of optical instruments for alignment dimensioning and imaging.
• It allows visitors to view the whole excavation site.
• The structure, though relatively large, has a profile that follows the hill side without impacting the landscape of the archaeological park in a substantial way.
• Reversibility: the structure is a permanent one that can last many years, however, it is easily disassembled and can be completely removed, including the foundations.

Now that the site is properly sheltered, excavation and consolidation can proceed at an appropriate pace without having to rush any of the steps. Once both these operations are completed, the Sovrintendeza Archeological will have to decide what will be the final arrangements and presentation of the site; whether to leave the site covered with the present roof, replace it with another more architectural solution, or remove the roof entirely and return to an open sky situation.

In general, the issue of sheltering archaeological structures from the weather is an important  one. As we can learn from what has happened in recent times in Pompei, leaving ancient structures exposed to the weather, without proper protection and maintenance, over time will simply lead to their collapse. Often inorganic archaeological material will last longer underground. Ironically, sometimes the best way to preserve a site is to bury it again once the excavation is finished and protect it from the weather. The decision to leave a site exposed should be considered very carefully. Some type of structures can withstand the elements reasonably well while others will deteriorate quickly. Various factors weigh on this decision:  the nature of the structure, costs of protecting, but also a certain cultural expectation of what is the proper appearance of archaeological sites. Protective structures can alter the appearance of a site drastically and can render a site much less legible to the visitor. All such factors must be carefully considered when deciding the final arrangement of a site after excavation is terminated.

The planning, design and fundraising for the roof commenced in 2011. The construction was done in the spring of 2012 by the steel fabricator Umbria Grigliati. The work was a joint effort by various groups:

Valorizazione  del Patrimonio Storico di San Gemini (Onlus)

San Gemini Preservation Studies

Valdosta State University – Carsulae  Archaeological  Team

Comune di San Gemini

The design was done By:

Marco Corradi and The Studio Corradi Civil Engineers

Max Cardillo, Architect

Stefano Mosca, Civil Engineer

Sponsors of the Project:

CARIT Foundation of Terni

Leda & Massimo Violati

Luigi and Isabella Corradi

Special mention goes to Mr. Piero Zannori and Stefano Di Gianpietro of the VPSSG for their special effort for making the whole project happen.

By Max Cardillo

As part of the survey of the church of San Giovanni Battista, in San Gemini, we are doing an art and iconographic study. The most important and complete pieces of art are two canvases painted at the beginning of the 17th Century: one By Giovan Battista Manna in 1618, the Madona della Cintola (Our Lady of Consolation);  and the other, probably done by Benedetto Bandiera shortly after 1622, is the Madonna del Rosario (Our lady of the Rosary). The study involves both the religious and secular iconography of these paintings.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this research has been understanding how history is woven into the artworks.  The paintings have two layers of imagery: one being religious, that broadly follows standard sacred iconography; and a second layer, depicts the patrons who commissioned the paintings. This layer presents a challenging historical puzzle that has taken us into an interesting exploration of San Gemini in the 16th and 17th Centuries.

We have just posted on line  a series of notes and observations  on the painting by Benedetto Bandiera of the Madonna del Rosario that have been made during the field school of 2011 and 2012 by the students and faculty involved in the project.

Notes and Observations:  the Madonna del Rosario by Benedetto Bandiera

Nikolas Vakalis

Dormitio Virginis

March 17, 2012

«Dormitio Virginis» is the Latin term for «Virgin Mary’s sleep», referring to the death of the Holy Virgin. It’s not a really common, yet very important, representation in Marian iconography: that of the Virgin Mary laying on her deathbed in the center of a composition depicting the Apostles all around her; as well as, angels in flight surrounding Jesus Christ enclosed in a characteristic «vesica piscis». This term literally means “bladder of a fish” in Latin, or otherwise called «mandorla» , “almond” in Italian.

One of the most important «Dormitio Virginis» in the art history of Central Italy, is a fresco in the church of San Pietro (built in 1267) in the town of Terni, Umbria. The fresco is enclosed in a niche, at the top of which is a half-dome in which there is the remnant of a representation of a “Coronation of the Virgin”. The author of the fresco is identified as «Maestro of the Dormitio of Terni», the execution of which dates back to the early 1400s.

San Pietro is one of Italy’s victimized churches -  firstly by air raids during WW2, and then by later restorations carried out during a period when so-called «purist» thinking set the trend in the field of historic building restoration.

A tragic event like bombing certainly cannot be compared with a restoration, but the latter can yield  (this being one case) disastrous consequences – the loss of important documents and information about our historic and artistic heritage.

The purist restoration removed all traces of whatever had been done after the first foundation of the church. The thinking was to bring it back to an assumed «original» medieval aspect. This has meant the removal and consequent dispersion of paintings, sculptures, altars, entire walls covered by frescoes, belonging to successive additions, etc.

If we had to find a positive outcome in this purist restoration, it’s the bringing to light of some wall paintings executed in the first 200 years after the foundation of the church.

In the early 90’s the «Dormitio Virginis» had been restored. It had been previously restored in the 50’s and the result, particularly after 40 years was a faded, altered, and confused painting.

As a matter of fact, the 90’s restoration included also part of the decorations of the straight wall, beside the niche, that after the previous restoration of the 50’s gave a false feeling as being executed at the same period, as being part of the «Dormitio».

Indeed, after a confusing first approach, it was possible to unravel and reconstruct an assumed development of the history of the fresco representing the «Dormitio Virginis» and nearby wall paintings:

• On the wall that was originally completely straight  are various paintings. The kneeled angel on the left is probably what remains of an «Annunciation».
• The niche is opened and has two perpendicular side walls that extend towards the center of the church. This is deduced by the incomplete number of Apostles. We assume that the missing ones were on side walls that no longer exist.  Also the half-dome had to be much wider than it is now.  This can be deduced from the size of what remains of the two figures of Christ and the Holy Virgin that cannot completely fit in the half-dome at its present size.
• The two side walls of the niche are torn down. A baroque altar is built in front of the niche. And, according to the extant documents, a second wall is built on the original one, covering the wall paintings.

During the restoration, all extraneous substances have been carefully and selectively removed from the surface. (The surface had been cleaned in the previous restoration(s), but in a very tough way, leaving an abraded pictorial layer.)  There has been a consolidation of both the pictorial layer and the ground layers –arriccio and intonaco – and then, after having filled the gaps of the plaster, the reintegration has been carried out with an eye toward helping the image be more readable, while refraining from any arbitrary reconstruction.

Nikolas Vakalis is a professional art restorer, during his long professional life he has done a great deal of work in Southern Umbria of which the “Dormitio Virginis” is a good example. Mr. Vakalis is an instructor and cofounder of the San Gemini Preservation Studies Program.

Max Cardillo

March 17, 2012

The San Gemini Preservation Studies Program, now in its 14th year, is dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage and offers students the opportunity to study and travel in Italy. The courses offered are listed below:

Building Restoration* (May 20th thru Jun 16^th, 2012)
• Introduction to Art and Building Restoration in Italy
• Surveying and Analyzing Historic Buildings

Ceramics Restoration (May 20th thru Jun 16^th, 2012)
• Introduction to Conservation of Archeological Ceramics
• Workshop on Ceramics and Ceramics Conservation in Italy

Traditional Painting Materials & Techniques (July 1^st thru July 28^th, 2012)
• Traditional Painting Methods and Techniques in Italy, including Issues of Weathering and Aging
• Restoration Issues and Theory in Italy

Paper Restoration (July 1^st thru July 28^th, 2012)
• Introduction to Paper Restoration
• Preservation Theory and Practice in Italy

Field Projects:
• Restoration of the Porta Burgi
• Surveying the 12^th Century San Giovanni Battista Church complex
• Archaeological survey of the public baths in Carsulae

Our courses are open to students from various disciplines, both undergraduate and graduate. All lessons are taught in English.

If you know any students, scholars, or others interested in this type of study, please inform them about our program. We would appreciate it if you could list our program on your organization’s website as an available educational resource.

To find out more about our program:
please visit our website: sangeministudies.org
review the syllabi
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