May I draw the attention of librarians to this programme, especially the
session 14-19 August on disaster planning.

______________________________ Forward Header __________________________________
Subject: Montefiascone
Author: "Cheryl Porter" <[log in to unmask]> at Internet
Date: 30/05/2000 16:29


Montefiascone 2000
     
     
Montefiascone is a medieval walled city on Lake Bolsena, about 100
kilometers north of Rome. The medieval library of the Seminario Barbarigo
houses about 5,000 volumes, including manuscripts and early printed books.
The Montefiascone Project takes place every summer during the wine festival,
with pageants, street fairs, exhibitions of art and music concerts.
Participants attend workshops / lectures every morning, leaving the
afternoons and weekends free to explore (we are close to Rome, Siena,
Florence), to swim in the lake, or to pursue private study. Participants may
stay for a minimum of one week. They will be part of a team helping with the
conservation of this important collection. There will also be opportunity
to spend part of each day in the library cataloguing early printed books
(supervised by Charlotte Miller, British Institute Florence) and helping
with the refurbishment of the collection. Nicolas Barker (Libraries Advisor
to the National Trust and editor of The Book Collector) will give lectures
on the history of the collection and advise on bibliographical issues.
     
Cost of courses: £295.00 per week (US$ 470.00)
Accommodation is available in a house in the middle of the medieval town.
Shared bedrooms (up to 4 to a room), 2 bathrooms and a kitchen.
Cost of accommodation £7.00 per person per night. (£50.00 Sterling / $80 US$
per week).
     
Programme:
     
31 July - 4 August
Tutor: Cheryl Porter.
Methods and materials of painting in the medieval age.
     
This course, of interest to painters, calligraphers, manuscript scholars and
the book world in general, includes a large practical component.
Participants will recreate the medieval palette using original recipes and
historic materials. The formal academic component consists of illustrated
seminars on such topics as the history of inks and media - gum and egg, as
well as the pigments and organics available to the medieval artist. In
addition, the course will inform students of analytical techniques - both
destructive and non-destructive, which has direct relevance to the
conservation and preservation of medieval pigments.
     
4-11 August
Tutor: Tony Cains.
Pasteboard, pulpboard and 16th century bookbindings.
     
The course will cover a history of book structures of the period. The
development of a number of intriguing techniques as a direct response to the
pressures of large print runs and the shortcuts used to cope with the
increased production will be revealed and examined. Participants will study
many different types of bindings from those for the humble scholar to the
grand Grolier-style gold tooled volumes. There will also be an opportunity
to examine books in the library of the Seminar Barbarigo to help identify
different types of these materials and techniques.
     
     
14-19 August
Tutor: Stewart Welch
Disaster Planning: Vacuum Packing and the Oxygen-free environment.
     
This course has been formulated with curators, librarians and conservators
in mind and will describe and demonstrate how vacuum packing can be used in
the recovery of flood-damaged materials. The use of the machine to provide
an oxygen-free environment will be demonstrated and discussed, as will the
use of oxygen scavengers within sealed environments. Participants will
address such issues as safe storage methods for wet and dry materials and
the advantages and disadvantages of various grades of materials available
for short and long-term storage. Related practical demonstrations and
discussions will deal with mould and insect problems, the removal of
backings, safe storage for protection from light damage, and humidification
of paper.
Participants will have opportunities to use the machinery.
     
22-26 August
Tutors: Dr Nicholas Hadgraft and Jim Bloxham
Unsupported sewing structures - Byzantine/Islamic.
     
Students with experience of bookbinding will be given an opportunity to
enhance their skills and expand their repertoire. Every participant will
make at least one model of this type of structure. However, the course will
be open to the lay person and it is hoped that those with Islamic or
Byzantine structures in their care (such as curators) will be attracted to
the course. The course will also include seminars devoted to tracing the
development, construction and survival of these books from the earliest
times through to the modern period.
     
Class sizes are limited to no more than 10 participants.
     
For further details, or to enroll (cheques made payable to "The
Montefiascone Project") contact Cheryl Porter, 7 Venice Lodge
                                                   55 Maida Vale
                                                   London. W9 1SD
                                                   England
Tel: (020) 7266 0505
Fax: (020) 7266 0697
email: [log in to unmask]
     
     



%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%