Paper Conservation: Decisions & Compromises

The Conservation of the Hussite Codex (Mus.Hs.15492)
Considerations on Minimal Intervention
Birgit Speta
Austrian National Library, Conservation Departement, Vienna, Austria
Miniature painting
The gradual is extensively illuminated. A large
part of the first page is gilded. Beneath a picture
of the Madonna, the Smisek family is portrayed.
All initials are decorated, either with ornamental
patterns or in figurative paintings.
The first page of each choral is lavishly illuminated
as well, for example with scenes of the
life of Jesus Christ or motives including vines,
angels, birds or fruits.
Fig. 1: before conservation
This paper discusses considerations on minimal
conservation intervention, using the example of
the Hussite Codex, which is in the collection of
the Department of Music at the Austrian National
Library in Vienna.
History 1
The Hussite Codex is one of the most famous
graduals (books containing antiphons and choral
music) of Kutna Hora (Czech Republik). Known
as Hussite Codex or Smisek Gradual, this gradual
is called the Hussite Codex because it contains
illuminations showing scenes of the life of the
reformer John Hus 2 , while its other name, the
Smisek Gradual, reflects its original ownership
by Michal Smísek of Vrchoviste, who commissioned
it from Matthew´s workshop in Prague. A
note on the last page of the manuscript records
1491 as the year of completion.
Technical description
The object is very large and heavy, measuring 63
cm in height, 42 cm in width and 21cm thick.
All together it comprises 491 parchment leaves .
Because of its size and the substantial metal fittings
the Hussite Codex weighs 42 kg (Fig. 1).
The textblock is sewn on 6 double cords made
of leather plus two cords for the endbands. The
leather of the cover is blind-tooled. The arms
of the commissioning client is situated in the
middle of the board. There are two huge clasps at
the front, one of which is engraved with the year
‘1562’.
Another important detail: the headbands were
plaited, which means that the strips of leather
are sewn around the primary headbands as well
as through the leather of the cover. As the primary
headbands are part of the sewing, the cover
of the spine is fixed to the textblock on head and
tail.
This detail will play a significant role in our
considerations on conservation treatments.
Damage
The parchment of the textblock was in good condition,
though there were minor losses or abrasions
on the illuminations.
The greatest damage and at the same time the
greatest challenge was the fragile connection between
textblock and the upper board.
The upper board was connected with the
textblock by just two strips of parchment backing
and two weak and deteriorated double-cords
as the leather of the cover, most of the backing
and the flyleaves were broken in the upper joint.
Due to this damage in combination with the
weight of the front board every opening of the
manuscript could have led to a total separation
of board and textblock.
The leather of the spine is very brittle and
was also already broken at the joint to the lower
ICOM-CC Graphic Documents Working Group Interim Meeting | Vienna 17 – 19 April 2013
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