On the Importance of the Pre-Restoration Study of the Late 17th—18th Century Illustrated Collection of Stories from the Russian State Library Collection

Abstract

The article presents the results of a comprehensive study of the illustrated collection of stories of the late 17th—18th century, which was conducted in 2018 and is a substantial part of the process of scientific restoration, one of the priority areas of the Russian State Library’s (RSL) activity. Library collections restoration pays special attention to manuscript sources. The document arrived from the Department of Manuscripts (coll. 178.1, no. 315) to the Department of Restoration of Library Collection for the planned restoration activities connected with the poor preservation status. The study of archival and literature sources was complemented by the application of modern methods for analyzing the composition of the document’s materials (the paper, ink, adhesives, and the paint layer of the miniatures). This technique allowed to settle a range of tasks necessary for developing a plan for further scientific restoration of the document: to characterize the materials of the manuscript and the paint layer of the miniatures and to analyse the existing losses and their causes. The manuscript contains 212 pages. Its artistic decoration includes illustrations to the stories (165 miniatures); headings written by ligature; red initials with ornamental appendices. The original text is written with black ink made on the basis of amorphous carbon and red ink on the basis of cinnabar (HgS). The last (binding) page has an owner’s entry, which is made with ink of iron gall nature likewise some marginalia in the margins. The paint layer of the miniatures contains protein as a binder; the pigments are ochre, azurite and cinnabar in a mixture with red lead. Several types of adhesives, used in previous (probably even pre-revolutionary) interventions, indicate the time diversity of their use. Based on the results of the study, methods have been selected and a plan of scientific restoration of the monument has been developed. It includes necessary interventions (taking into account their remote effects) that preserve as much as possible the manuscript’s features, which contain valuable information for researchers about the environment of its existence (notes, marginalia, etc.); its manufacturing techniques; processes occurring during its storage.