Paper Conservation: Decisions & Compromises

2. Methods
An interdisciplinary methodology is used in the
research. This combines a literature review and
interpretative analysis, the interrogation of primary
historic sources, the technical analysis of
artefacts and empirical scientific study.
2.1. Historic source
The original source of this research depends
mainly on gathering information from an original
treatise that has some paper dyeing recipes.
The manuscript consulted here is a nineteenth
century copy of a medieval manuscript (approximately
from 13 th century to 15 th century AD)
in the Egyptian National Library and Archives
– Dar al-Kutub – in Cairo having the title ‘Rsalh
Fá Sna’at al-’Hbar Wghyrha’ (an essay on making
inks and other materials). The manuscript
colophon states that it was copied on Thursday,
18 Muharram AH 1268 (1851 AD) By Mustafa al-
Safti (al-Safti 1851). It explains the materials and
the traditional techniques that had been used in
developing colouring and dyeing papers in the
Islamic mediaeval era.
2.2. Analysis of Historic Samples
Three historic samples were analysed by High
Performance Liquid Chromatography – Electrospray
Ionisation – Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-
MS) has been used be to identify the origin of the
dye by comparing retention times of compounds
to standards and those prepared from plant extracts
with the historic samples. The HPLC used
was Thermo Scientific, Hemel Hempstead, UK.
The parameters were tuned by previous similar
analysis, to the deprotonated quasi-molecular ions
of morin and quercetin (Perry, Brown et al. 2011).
The column used was a Gemini ODS, 5µm
particle size, 110Å, 150 mm x 2.0 mm I.D (Phenomenex
Inc., Torrance, CA, USA) thermostated
at 30 o C. The gradient elution programme was
performed using solvents: A: Acetonitrile + 1%
Acetic Acid and B: Water + 5% Acetonitrile + 1%
Acetic Acid. For reagents and dyes; the standard
flavonoids, isoflavonoids and anthroquinones
were of the best purity available obtained from
Sigma-Aldrich Inc. (Saint Louis, Missouri, USA)
for morin, quercetin, apigenin, kaempferol
and genistein, MP Biomedicals Europe (Illkirch,
France) for emodin and Carl Roth GmbH (Karlsruhe-Rheinhafen,
Germany) for rhamnetin, fisetin
and luteolin.
The extraction procedures for dyes in the
plant matter were carried out using 100-150 mg
of dried plant matter. The extraction procedure
of the historic samples differed as the minimum
amount of methanol was used (150 µl) and 5 –
8 Amberlyst 15 ion exchange resin beads. The
samples were then vortexed as before and heated
under reflux for 2 hrs. After allowing cooling 70
µl of the sample solution was added to 70 µl of
water and mixed well. 100 µl solutions were injected
directly into the instrument.
2.3. Microbial Study
The antibacterial properties of turmeric, weld,
safflower and saffron have been tested against
three strains of bacteria; Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus
luteus and Bacillus cereus by using the
Cork Borer technique which involves pouring the
dye solution into a hole in an agar plate spread
with a microbial suspension then measuring the
inhibited diameter zone.
3. Results
3.1. Investigation of the copied original manuscript
(al Safti 1851) indicates that a direct dyeing
process was used for paper. Dyeing was achieved
by dipping paper sheets directly into a dye bath
and this was a job carried out by scribes not
papermakers. Al Safti also gives fifteen historical
recipes for dyeing paper by using the following
plants and materials: henna (two recipes),
myrtle, weld, turmeric, white straw, garlic peelings,
green fenugreek, red onion skins, lac, sappanwood,
cinnabar, verdigris, the ring of pomegranate
and finally safflower. Findings from all
sources (al-Safti 1851; Baker 1995; Loveday 2001;
Graaff 2004; Cardon 2007; Cardon 2009), suggest
that turmeric, weld and saffron were the most
commonly used sources of yellow colour during
the medieval Islamic period in Egypt.
3.2. Three historic samples were taken from dyed
endpaper of a manuscript book, originally from
Mamluk period (13 th – 16 th century AD) that is located
at the faculty of medicine’s museum, Cairo
University, Egypt. An established method (Perry,
Brown et al. 2011) was used to investigate the existence
of yellow flavonoids in these three paper
samples. The components identified in the first
sample were apigenin or genistein at m/z 269,
retention time 6.90mins and luteolin at m/z 285,
retention time 5.93mins (Fig.2). The components
identified in the second sample were apigenin /
genistein at m/z 269, retention time 6.68mins.
ICOM-CC Graphic Documents Working Group Interim Meeting | Vienna 17 – 19 April 2013
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