Category Archives: Parchments

Otto Ege: Villain or Hero?

Introduction

Otto Ege (1888-1951) was a real-life figure known for his involvement in the dispersal of medieval manuscripts. Whether he is considered a villain or a hero depends on the perspective and context in which his actions are viewed.

Ege was a book dealer and collector who gained notoriety for breaking apart medieval manuscripts and selling individual leaves or pages to collectors and institutions. He would disassemble bound illuminated manuscripts and sell them as separate pieces or as a collection of works, thereby dispersing the original works.

This is one of four Otto F. Ege collections owned by the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library before treatment. It is titled Original Leaves from Famous Bibles, Nine Centuries 1121-1935 AD (call number R090 ffB582). It came to the lab for better long term storage.

Villain

From the perspective of some scholars and conservators, Ege’s actions are viewed as unethical today. By breaking up unique historic manuscripts, he caused irreparable damage to the cultural, historical, and scholarly heritage they represented. The dispersal of these manuscripts makes it challenging for researchers to study them as cohesive and complete works, leading to a loss of valuable historical information and artistic context.

Hero

On the other hand, some might argue that Ege’s actions had positive effects. By selling individual leaves, he made rare and exquisite artworks more accessible to a broader audience, including institutions and collectors who might not have been able to afford an entire manuscript. This enabled more people to appreciate the beauty and artistry of these ancient texts.

Conclusion

Otto Ege’s legacy is a complex one, and opinions about him vary widely. However, it is essential to note that Ege’s actions occurred in a different time when the appreciation for medieval manuscripts as complete works of art was not as prevalent as it is today. Modern views on preservation and the importance of maintaining cultural heritage have evolved significantly. Ultimately, his actions highlight the ethical and moral dilemmas surrounding cultural heritage and the need for responsible stewardship of historically significant artifacts.

Treatment and Storage of the Public Library’s Collections

The Public Library owns four collections by Ege. Each have been receiving treatment to better improve their long-term storage. After the smaller collections received successful treatment, this larger collection followed suite.

Treatment

In their original format, the manuscript leaves were hinged to floppy paper folders with windows cut out for viewing. The original hinges were thick cloth, and in many cases, no longer functioning as the hinges became stuck in place. This prevented viewing the backs of the materials. The flexible folders overtime became U-shaped and were in need of supports to keep materials planar, especially during handling.

Individual leaves were unmounted from the original paper folders and re-hinged with kozo tissue and wheat starch paste onto archival 2 ply mat board supports. The mat board supports were then placed within the paper folders. Unbuffered interleaving tissue was then added between the manuscript and the folder window for long term storage to prevent the edges of the window from catching or rubbing onto the objects.

Armenian manuscript hinged to 2ply mat board support, stored within the original paper folder

Interleaving tissue protects the face of the manuscripts from rubbing along the edges of the windows

Storage

While other collections were retained within their original enclosures with a protective chemise, this portfolio was acidic and deformed with broken ties, so two new corrugated banker’s boxes were created to retain the original enclosure and store the manuscripts separately.

Additional Resources

The Public Library also owns Ege collections titled Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscript Western Europe: XII‐XVI century (call number R096.1 ffF469), Fifteen original oriental manuscript leaves of six centuries (call number 096.1 ffF469f), and Original Leaves from Famous Books, Eight Centuries 1240 A.D. – 1923 A.D. (call number R094 ff069).

The collection Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts is digitized and is available online in the digital library.

There are also multiple copies of the printed pamphlet by Otto Ege titled Pre‐Alphabet days. Interestingly, Genealogy and Local History own two copies in different formats. One copy is a cased‐in hardback with a single sewn gathering while the other copy is a single gathering pamphlet sewn into a paper case. Both pamphlets are original formats that would have been offered to buyers at different price points!

If you’re interested in further treatment details, check out our treatment reports on the Digital Resource Commons by searching for Otto Ege.

Ashleigh Ferguson Schieszer [CHPL] – Special Collections Conservator, Lab Manager

Preservation and Exhibition: DAAP Library’s Teaching Collection & Upcoming Gallery Talk (12/5)

For the past six months, Jessica and Catarina have been working with the DAAP Library on housing their Teaching art collection, including prior acquisition and newly acquired items. This collection consists of different art prints on paper, print plates and manuscript parchment leaves in need of long-term housing. In addition to housing, this collection is used for teaching in a classroom setting and for exhibition.

Most of the collection only requires simple matting systems, but some require more intricate matting systems such as the copper plate along with its print, a project mentioned in a previous blog post entitled How many magnets is too many magnets!?.

As some of the items of this collection were being prepared to go on exhibit, we had the opportunity to create mounts for other items, such as two parchment scrolls that were included in the exhibit. This was a fun project to work on, as it required us to create a support that would secure both scrolls, while providing an elegant solution for display.

To start, Jessica created a very rough small model with mat board, polyethylene strapping, and paper (as we always do with anything new in the lab, we do love model making!!). The model provided us the visual example that we needed to create the mount for the two scrolls.

Scroll mock-up — Small rough model created by Jessica

With the model in mind, we were able to engineer a good system that would provide support for the scrolls and could be used for display. The scrolls were supported with foam rolls on the inside for the rolled ends, and secured with polyethylene strapping that only touched the foam. The sections of the scrolls that were going to be displayed were also secured with polyethylene strapping that wrapped around the mat board support through slits in the board. At the bottom, the mat board extended outwards creating a small shelf to support the end of the scroll.

Two scrolls mounted to mat board with strapping — Scrolls mounted and ready for exhibition.

A small “shelf” of mat board supports the bottom of the scrolls.

Catarina adjusting the strapping on the mount.
A small “shelf” of mat board supports the bottom of the scrolls.
A small “shelf” of mat board supports the bottom of the scrolls.
The foam rolls support the inside of the scrolls and are secured with polyethylene strapping.
Jessica securing the foam roll that supports the scroll.

As a result of all the mounting and matting we did for the Teaching Art collection and for the scrolls, each item is currently on display at the DAAP Library entrance case:

Image of the exhibit — Current display at the DAAP Library featuring the Teaching Art Collection.

Close up of the scroll mounted on exhibit — A close-up of the scroll mounted on exhibition.

If you are interested in learning more about our preservation considerations for exhibition of this collection, Catarina and Jessica will be giving a short gallery talk on Tuesday, December 5th at 1pm, at the DAAP Library entrance on the 5th floor.

Catarina Figueirinhas [UCL] – Assistant Conservator

A librarian’s new favorite teaching tool? A historical book model!

A before image of the original Book of Hours, open to the center. The image shows that the sewing is broken and leaves are detaching.

In February 2019, the Lab received a unique item at the special collections’ meetings for the UC Libraries, a Book of Hours (ms.37) from 1475 from the Archives and Rare Books Library. I was so excited when this book came into the Lab.

This 15^th century Book of Hours was in poor condition and in need of conservation treatment. Not only was the binding structure failing and the text block broken in half, but this book was also heavily used as a teaching tool at the ARB library, and in its current condition it could not be safely handled. This was the perfect project for Ashleigh and I to collaborate.

From the beginning, it was decided that in conjunction with the conservation treatment of the Book of Hours, I would create a book model like the original Book of Hours, to be used as a teaching tool in the ARB library collection. In addition, the model would have a leather chemise, a common feature in some Book of Hours of the time.

Image of the book of hours model closed. The chemise is attached to the lower board, but not the upper board. — The Book of Hours MODEL with a removable chemise.

Now here is where this story begins with the model of the Book of Hours. Often, here in the lab, we all create book models for various reasons: to learn about a new treatment, test different treatment options, to understand how some materials work together, and as teaching tools.

As a teaching tool in the ARB library collection, this model needed to resemble the original Book of Hours in its structure and materials used.

The primary goal for this model was to show how a Book of Hours was historically built, its sewing structure, the materials used, and also to provide the ARB library with a book that could be easily handled by students and scholars.

Once the treatment for the Book of Hours was fully established and confirmed with the ARB curator, I was able to start working on the book model. I will save you form reading about all the different steps of making the model, but here are the main features of model:

Text block

Primary support – Khadi paper white cotton rag
Endsheets with leather hinge – Two bifolios of calligraphy goat parchment skin wrapped along the spine edge with a hinge of Allum tawed leather (later would be used as pastedowns)
Sewing – Sewn on three double raised cords with a linen 18/3 thread. The dimensions of the text block and sewing holes, were guided from the original sewing holes of the Book of Hours.
Endbands – Primary conservation endband with the bead on the spine, and secondary endband with the bead on the text block.
Spine linings:
- Reversible layer of Usu Gami thin and Zen Shofu wheat starch paste.
- Slotted Airplane cotton cloth with flanges to be used as board attachments.

Cover

Boards – Oak wood
Board attachment – Boards were laced with the sewing supports through carved channels
Covering material – Full alum tawed leather binding with removable chemise
Clasps – Brass tension clasps (these were created in-house by Chris Voynovich, and he did an amazing job).

Overall image of the model — Upper cover.

There was no evidence that the original Book of Hours had clasps, but the curator requested tension clasps for the book model. Clasps were common in the 15^th century bookbinding, and this would provide the students with the experience of handling a book with clasps and allow them to understand their function.

Image of the spine of the model — pine with three raised bands, bottom weighted.

Image of the fore edge of the model — pine with three raised bands, bottom weighted.

The curator also requested that one of the pastedowns be kept unattached, so the students could see how the boards were attached to the text block and that they were wooden boards.

In addition, I created a removable chemise, also requested by the curator of the ARB library. In some Books of Hours, it was common to have a leather chemise, but most often they were not removable. The chemise was created from a vegetable tanned goat split skin.

Image of just the chemise — Removable suede chemise

Gif of the chemise on and off the model. — The chemise in action.

Video tutorial of how to put on and remove the chemise from the model.

Stay tuned for a future blog post where we will dive into the conservation treatment and research we did on the Book of Hours (ms.37).

Catarina Figueirinhas (UCL) —- Assistant Conservator

Photographic Documentation by Catarina Figueirinhas and Jessica Ebert

Our New Website is LIVE!

Check it out: www.thepreservationlab.org

Fun with PhotoDoc: Multispectral Imaging with MISHA (Edition 13)

As mentioned in a previous blog post, Andrew and Naomi from Case Western Reserve came to the lab in late February to demo the MISHA portable multispectral imaging system, made possible by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Research Grant awarded to the Rochester Institute of Technology. In total, Naomi and Andrew imaged five objects from the Public Library, UC Libraries, and one of our third-party institutional clients. Imaged books included, one Otto Ege item, two Book of Hours, one undated Latin music manuscript, and a Pentateuch volume from Hebrew Union College. In all, thirteen separate capture sessions were carried out for the five objects. Afterwards, the raw data from the capture sessions was shared with the Lab via OSF (Open Science Framework) so that I could process the data in the NEH grant supported open access RCHIVE (Rochester Cultural Heritage Image processing and Visualization Environment) software.

The image gallery above shows the recto of leaf 32 from the Public Library’s copy of Fifty Original Leaves from Medieval Manuscripts, Western Europe, XII-XVI century, by Otto Ege.

While each of the capture sessions took only two minutes to complete, I found that processing the raw data took me a bit longer to figure out. Processing the data felt very similar to using CHI’s RTI Builder and Viewer software. However, in this situation I did not have a week-long training opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the software and its functions. For the Spectral Analysis App, I had only a couple of brief documents to refer to, so the learning curve was a little steeper. I also experienced some issues with the software while processing the data with the flatfield files provided from the capture session. But in the end, the processed files seemed fine without the flatfield data, so it all worked out.

RGB image of a parchment page from a Pentateuch volume belonging to Hebrew Union College — RGB representation

Multispectral image of a parchment page from a Pentateuch volume belonging to Hebrew Union College — RGB representation

The above image gallery depicts a leaf from Hebrew Union College’s Pentateuch Ms. 1 with adhesive staining, tape, and prior repairs.

What I discovered through processing all the MISHA data and then comparing it to the existing specialized imaging done in the Lab was that the suite of imaging we do in the Lab is very well rounded and, in general, suits our needs and our clientele quite well. In many cases, our results were at least comparable, if not better (specifically within the UV wavelengths) than the results accomplished using the MISHA. And, especially with our UV workflow, though our current capture time might be slightly longer than that of MISHA, the data processing time is significantly shorter and, in the case of UV especially, the side-by-side results of the accurate normal illumination next to the full color UV image(s) is ideal for our purposes.

RGB image of an opening of a Book of Hours with scraped parchment and illegible text — RGB representation

Multispectral image of an opening of a Book of Hours with scraped parchment and illegible text — RGB representation

The images above show an example of scraped text on parchment from UC Libraries Hours of the Virgin from 1475, currently in the Lab for treatment. Compare these MISHA generated images to the documentation performed by Catarina Figueirinhas and myself using the Lab’s equipment and processes below.

Normal illumination image of the same illegible text — Normal illumination

UV image of the same illegible text — Normal illumination

That said, I am fully aware that not everyone has access to the equipment/training that I have been fortunate to curate/experience over the last five plus years. Also, not everyone uses their finished data exactly how we do. For instance, the needs and expectations of a conservation lab and cultural heritage institutions can be very different. Even within the conservation field, how we use the data provided by specialized imaging in our hybrid book and paper lab is quite different from the kind of data needed by a fine arts conservation lab. Ultimately, I think the core audience for a system like the MISHA system is an organization looking to expand their suite of imaging services, or an institution with no multispectral imaging infrastructure interested in imaging collections in a quick and easy manner. Though for the latter, I would say that there is a big learning curve in manipulating and processing the data, but if greater focus is put into making the software and processing steps user-friendly, especially to novice users, it is completely manageable. And if this step is taken, I think the system could help a lot of institutions dive deeper into the materiality and history of their collections.

The images above depict another example of faded, scraped text. This flyleaf is from an undated Latin music manuscript that is part of the Public Library’s collection. The images below represent imaging done by the Lab, both normal illumination and UV radiation, with the goal to increase the legibility of the inscription.

Normal illumination image of faded text from a parchment manuscript — Normal illumination

UV image of faded text from a parchment manuscript — Normal illumination

In the end, multispectral imaging is just plain FUN! So, the idea of making it more accessible to a wider audience is extremely exciting and I think the work that NEH, RIT, and colleagues like Andrew and Naomi are doing to share the power and wonder of multispectral imaging is amazing. The idea of a portable multispectral imaging system with free processing software that does not take a PhD to use is boundary-breaking, and it gives us a glimpse into a future of accessible and exciting imaging, which thus allows us to see and understand more of the past. I will always be an advocate for that kind of imaging!

Jessica Ebert [UCL] – Sr. Conservation & Photographic Documentation Specialist

Partners in Crime: Digitization Meets Preservation

Book & paper preservation and digitization seem antithetical in many ways; the former focuses on the physical and the hands-on, while the latter hones in on the digital and the technical. Even though there are differences between the fields, I like to think of them as partners in crime. Both preservation and digitization work to ensure that books filled with precious knowledge are around for learning well into the future; they just take different (often intersecting) paths to get there.

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to digitize a beautiful choir psalter from the UC Classics Library. This large book is theorized to have been used as a choir book in 15th century Italy, possibly the north-eastern area of Veneto. Its knowledge laden parchment pages and mysterious past rendered it the perfect candidate for both preservation and digitization. After it received treatment from the Lab’s conservator, I whisked it away to be digitized.

A book this distinguished required the care and attention of more than one person (it had nothing to do with how heavy it was… really). I was joined by the Lab’s photographic documentation extraordinaire Jessica, and that’s when the collaborative magic between preservation and digitization happened. Jessica and I sprinkled in some preservation-oriented photographic documentation as we digitized, allowing us to get a closer look at the materiality of the book while we had it on the copy stand. One of the most impactful imaging techniques we used on the antiphoner was that of raking light.

Raking light involves the use of one lighting source to illuminate an object from a low angle, highlighting texture and depth. Using this technique on the choir book allowed us to see and feel the true age and history of a book that survived centuries of use; the mountains and valleys of each aged page suddenly revealed themselves in the same places they hid in normal illumination.

The normal illumination used to digitize allows us to read the book as it was meant to be read, and preservation-focused raking light allows us to experience the materiality of the object. The combination of both techniques allows for those who cannot physically interact with the book to experience (almost) all it has to offer. While there’s really no substitute for seeing the antiphoner in person, we’d like to think we can replicate the experience a little better by utilizing tools provided by our partners in crime: preservation and digitization.

You can read more about the research done on this choir psalter in the Classics Library’s blog post, “Mystery at the Library”.

Also, make sure to check out of our Instragram (@thepreservationlab) where Jessica will be sharing some conservation photography of this beauty.

Sidney Gao [UCL] – Digital Imaging Coordinator