Page - 32 - in The Vienna Genesis - Material analysis and conservation of a Late Antique illuminated manuscript on purple parchment

32 The history of the Vienna Genesis and former interventions since 1664 damage to text and miniatures might have occured. The documented treatments were undertaken before facsimiles were produced in 1895, before 1931 and in 1975. Since 1895, the folios have been stored between glass or polyacrylate plates. During the treatments, the parchment was more or less flattened. Tears were mended with strips of paper and silk gauze, thinned paper, paper fibres and pressure sensitive tape. The miniatures were probably consolidated on several occasions, at last with parchment glue in 1975. Losses in the parchment were not infilled. Text, parchment and miniatures were not retouched. The curator Eduard Chmelarz, the bookbinder Alois Liška and the conservator Hilde Kuhn worked with the materials and the knowledge available at their respective time. Their treatments show respect for the original and a considered approach. Despite an eventful history marked by wars, the remaining folios of the Vienna Genesis are surprisingly well preserved. It is the aim of this project to continue with respectful treatment, safe storage conditions and responsible preservation of this unique artefact. Literature Aceto, M., A. Agostino, G. Fenoglio, P. Baraldi, P. Zannini, C. Hofmann, and E. Gamill- scheg. 2012. First analytical evidences of precious colourants on Mediterranean illumin- ated manuscripts. Spetrochimica Acta Part A: Molecularand Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 95 (2012): 235–245. Bauer, K. 2017. Die dunklen Jahre: Politik und Alltag im nationalsozialistischen Österreich 1938–1945. Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer Verlag. Beer, R. 1902. Die Miniaturenausstellung der k. k. Hofbibliothek (I). Kunst und Kunst- handwerk, Jhg. 5: 233–238. Böckh, F.H. 1823. Merkwürdigkeiten der Haupt- und Residenz-Stadt Wien und ihrer nächsten Umgebung. Wien: Bauer. Bacheracht, T. 1848. Eine Reise nach Wien von Therese. Leipzig: Brockhaus. Gerstinger, H. 1931. Die Wiener Genesis. Wien: Dr. Benno Filser Verlag. Göldlin von Tiefenau, A. 1893. Verzeichnis der im grossen Saale der k. k. Hofbibliothek zu Wien ausgestellten Schaustücke. Wien: k. k. Hofbibliothek, Selbstverlag. Hartel v., W., and F. Wickhoff. 1895. Die Wiener Genesis (Beilage zum 15. u. 16. Bd. des Jahrbuches d. Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen des allerh. Kaiserhauses). Wien: Tempsky. K. K. Hofbibliothek. 1916. Katalog der Buchkunstausstellung. Wien: Selbstverlag der Hof- bibliothek. Irblich, E. 1985. Die Konservierung von Handschriften unter Berücksichtigung der Res- Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0