Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2019) 134: 267
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2019-12668-0

Regular Article

Scientific analysis underpinning the multidisciplinary project “The Leman Album: an Enhanced Facsimile”

¹ Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, SW7 2RL, London, UK
² Earth Sciences Department, University of Florence, Via La Pira 4, 50121, Florence, Italy
³ Istituto CNR di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari (CNR-ISTM), via Elce di Sotto 8, I-06123, Perugia, Italy
⁴ Centro di Eccellenza SMAArt, c/o Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Perugia, via Elce di Sotto 8, I-06123, Perugia, Italy
⁵ Dipartimento di Chimica Biologia e Biotecnologie dell’Università degli Studi di Perugia, via Elce di Sotto, 8, Perugia, Italy
⁶ Istituto Nazionale di Ottica - CNR, Largo Enrico Fermi 6, 50125, Firenze, Italy
⁷ Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation (CRC, USR 3224), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, CNRS; CP21, 36 rue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 75005, Paris, France

^* e-mail: rosarosa.manca@stud.unifi.it
^** e-mail: rosarosa.manca@unifi.it

Received: 10 October 2018
Accepted: 4 April 2019
Published online: 18 June 2019

Abstract

The Leman Album is Europe’s earliest group of dated designs for woven silk known to survive. For the past two years it has been studied by scientists, conservators, curators, archivists, makers and historians, using a truly interdisciplinary approach under the auspices of the V&A Research Institute (VARI), generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This paper focuses on the scientific analysis of the designs, which pursued multiple targets, such as investigating the nature of degradation processes, e.g., fading or darkening of the pigments and dyes; uncovering the underdrawing and any amendments; and identifying the artists’ materials, in order to inform conservation, storage and handling procedures. The analyses took place at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and involved V&A staff as well as researchers from other institutions through the EU-funded consortium IPERION-CH. Selected results will be made available to the wider public through a web-based platform: the “enhanced facsimile”.