Title: Book of Hours
Author: Catholic Church
Published/Created: Naples, Italy, 1483
Owner: Morgan Library & Museum, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts
Dimensions: H 17.5cm x W 13.0cm x D 4.6cm
The manuscript is a late 15th-century Neapolitan Book of Hours, previously rebound in the 19th century in brown sheepskin with gilt fillets and false raised cords. The parchment textblock comprises 24 gatherings, each with generally five folios. The spine shows two campaigns of sewing holes: the original three deep channels and four shallower holes from the later rebinding, both with two kettle stations at each end. The textblock edges are trimmed and gilt. The manuscript is written in black and red ink with blue, red, and gold initials, including seven full-page illuminations.
When the manuscript arrived for treatment, the previous rebinding had failed, leaving it completely disbound with separated gatherings. No information about the original binding was available. The parchment textblock was in good condition aside from surface grime and staining. The spine retained some yellowed adhesive, which had stiffened the folds. While the pigments in the illuminations were mostly stable, the writing inks were unstable, with smudging, flaking, and significant losses. Black ink debris had accumulated in the gutters.
The primary goal of the treatment was to stabilize the writing inks and rebind the textblock for safer handling and easier access. Upon closer examination, additional issues surfaced, including unstable writing inks, out-of-order folios, and the lack of information about the manuscript’s original binding style. The treatment involved five major steps:
Pre-treatment 1—Survey and research of 15th-century Italian bindings
Pre-treatment 2—Model-making to experiment with different sewing and binding styles
Pre-treatment 3—Drawing collation diagram and reordering the gatherings
Treatment 1—Full consolidation of the writing inks using a nebulizer
Treatment 2—Rebinding in full leather
Two considerations guided the new binding design. First, it needed to reflect a sympathetic style characteristic of 15th-century Italian bindings. In the absence of information about the original binding, I researched relevant literature and examined about 50 Italian bindings in the Morgan’s collection to understand their features. Second, the binding required a wide opening and flexible spine. The illuminations were positioned close to the gutter, and the writing inks remained fragile, even after consolidation. The new binding needed to allow full access to the illuminations while minimizing stress on the parchment leaves to preserve the media. I tested several sewing structure options by creating four book models in the same format, using paper textblocks. The models were the key to determining the final structure for the rebinding.
The treatment was completed in consultation with Frank Trujillo and Maria Fredericks.
