Page - 19 - in The Vienna Genesis - Material analysis and conservation of a Late Antique illuminated manuscript on purple parchment

Christa Hofmann, Sophie Rabitsch 19 stinger writes that the book conservator Alois Liška thought that the parchment was made from calfskin28. The bookbinder and book conservator Alois Liška worked for the Manu- script Collection from 1906 until 193929. He presumably treated the folios of the Vienna Genesis when they were re-housed between new glass plates or before new images were taken for the second facsimile edition. Bridges made from small silk strips on tears can be seen on some folios (Fig. 3) and are visible on the reproductions in the facsimile from 1931. Silk gauze was used for repairs in manuscripts in the early 20th century at the library30. Fig- ure 4 shows folio 1, page 1 in the facsimile from 1895 and figure 5 for comparison the same folio in the facsimile from 1931. Some more flattening of the parchment seems to have been carried out. Small bridges of silk gauze have been used to mend the large tear without obscuring text or miniature. Again, losses remain without infills. 28 Gerstinger, 1931, p. 185. 29 Austrian National Library Archive, record 1059/1928; Stummvoll, 1973, p. 119. 30 Smith, 1938, p. 68. Fig. 5: Folio 1, page 1, in the fac- simile edition from 1931. Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0