Title: Institutiones imperiales…
Author: N/A
Published/Created: A Ponset Le Preux in vico sancti Iacobi sub intersignio lupi ante Mathurinos, [1512]
Owner: A Ponset Le Preux in vico sancti Iacobi sub intersignio lupi ante Mathurinos
Dimensions: H 19.10cm x W 13.00cm x T 5.20cm
This book is bound in full calf leather with decorative blind tooling on both the covers and spine. It is in a laced-boards structure with a tight back and tight joints. The spine was originally lined with printer’s waste. The endbands at the head and tail are sewn with undyed threads over rolled alum-tawed cores, which are laced onto the boards. The textblock is sewn all-along over three double alum-tawed strap sewing supports, which are also laced onto the boards.
Both covers are firmly attached to the textblock, but the top half of the spine is partially detached along the front joint and exhibits a loss at the top section. The lower half of the spine appears to have been previously rebacked. The boards are heavily worn, with significant exposure along the edges and corners. The headband at the head is broken in half, with loose threads. The inner hinge of the front board is deformed, with the textblock conforming around the distortion. Both the front and back inner hinges are split.
As the third of three leather treatments, leather was chosen for the reback to provide additional structural support for the thick book. The previously rebacked leather was lifted as the outer joints began to crack during the treatment process. The deformed inner hinge was gently flattened and reinforced with Asian paper. The broken top sewing support and damaged endbands were repaired by anchoring them with linen threads and wrapping them with thin Japanese paper. New archival calf leather was dyed using SELLA® DERM leather dyes and pared around the edges for a seamless fit. The prepared leather was then attached to the spine and tucked beneath the original leather cover. This treatment was completed in consultation with Katherine Beaty.
