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Conservation of the Vienna Genesis and
the new storage system
Sophie Rabitsch, Christa Hofmann, Junko Sonderegger
Introduction
Since 1895, the folios of the Vienna Genesis have been stored between sheets, first glass and
since 1975 polyacrylate sheets. Concerns about this storage initiated the research project.
Within the closed mounting high levels of acetic acid, originating from the treatment with
parchment glue in 1975, could have developed. Furthermore, the rigid sheets did not allow
any movement of the parchment and the electrostatic forces of the polyacrylate might
attract loose particles from ink and paint layers. Curators and conservators were concerned
whether the conditions of the parchment, the ink and the miniatures were stable. A new
conservation treatment and a new storage system should be based on the analysis of the
materials and better knowledge of their degradation phenomena. All the studies described
so far in this book had the ultimate goal to serve the conservation and preservation of the
Vienna Genesis. The conclusions of the different investigations formed the base to decide
the treatment and the storage system for the precious folios. Further tests were conducted
to evaluate conservation materials like adhesives and papers. During an expert meeting
and in consultation with several colleagues the options for conservation and preservation
were discussed1.
Condition of parchment, inks and miniatures
In order to determine if the condition of the Vienna Genesis had changed between the end
of the 19th century and today, its current condition was compared with the three existing
facsimile editions from 1895, 1931 and 1980, see figures 4, 5 and 7 in the chapter on the his-
tory. Today and in the facsimile edition of 1980 the folios of the Vienna Genesis appear a
lot flatter and evener than in the reproductions from 1895 and 1930, as they were flattened
during the conservation treatment in 1975, see the chapter on the history. No major fur-
ther losses in the text and in the miniatures could be observed on the original in compari-
1 An expert meeting on the Vienna Genesis project was held from 16 to 17 November 2017 at the
Austrian National Library.
Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0
The Vienna Genesis
Material analysis and conservation of a Late Antique illuminated manuscript on purple parchment
- Title
- The Vienna Genesis
- Subtitle
- Material analysis and conservation of a Late Antique illuminated manuscript on purple parchment
- Editor
- Christa Hofmann
- Publisher
- Böhlau Verlag
- Location
- Wien
- Date
- 2020
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-3-205-21058-0
- Size
- 17.3 x 24.5 cm
- Pages
- 348