The Museum of Leathercraft, Northampton (UK)

The Museum of Leathercraft, Northampton

http://www.museumofleathercraft.org/ 

The Museum of Leathercraft is internationally acknowledged as having one of the finest collections of leather artifacts in the world. Founded in 1946 by John Waterer and Claude Spiers, the museum now has over 5000 leather objects, examples of ingenuity, creativity and superb craftsmanship that serve to show the importance of leather as a raw material across the centuries.

(Text from the website)

"La chasuble en cuir de Saint Bertrand de Comminges" par Aribaud (1997)

Aribaud, Christine; “La chasuble en cuir de Saint Bertrand de Comminges“, Mémoires de la Société Archéologique du Midi de la France, t. LVII (1997) 143-156

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Sommaire:

La chasuble en cuir doré de la cathédrale de Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges est, selon la tradition, héritée de Donadieu de Griet, évêque de Comminges de 1625 à 1635. Or son étude stylistique et technique démontre qu'elle se rattache à un ensemble peu connu de vêtements liturgiques en cuir, probablement produits en Allemagne du sud dans le premier tiers du XVIIIe siècle.

Head of Christ by Petrus Christus, ca.1445, The Met Museum of Art

"Petrus Christus: Head of Christ (60.71.1)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/60.71.1 (December 2008)

"A combined Raman microscopy, XRF and SEM–EDX study of three valuable objects..." by Chaplin et al (2010)

Chaplin, T. D.; Clark, R. J. H.; Martinón-Torres, M.; “A combined Raman microscopy, XRF and SEM–EDX study of three valuable objects – A large painted leather screen and two illuminated title pages in 17th century books of ordinances of the Worshipful Company of Barbers, London”, Journal of Molecular Structure 976 (1-3) (2010) 350-359 

doi:10.1016/j.molstruc.2010.03.042 (restricted access)
 

Abstract:

Raman microscopy has been used to identify the pigments decorating three valuable items owned by the Worshipful Company of Barbers (established in 1308 in London), one being a large leather screen dating to before 1712, the other two being illuminated title pages of books of ordinances of the Company dating to 1605 and 1658. Pigments which could not be fully characterised by this technique (particularly the green paints) have also been subject to XRF or SEM–EDX analysis. The combined analytical approach has shown that the pigments identified on all three items are typical of those in use as artists’ pigments in the 17th C and include azurite, indigo, vermilion, red lead, pink and yellow lakes, verdigris, lead white, calcite (and chalk), gypsum, carbon-based black, and gold and silver leaf. However in the case of the screen alone, restoration in the 1980s has been carried out with different pigments – haematite, phthalocyanine green, rutile, and a mixture of azurite, malachite and barium sulfate. This work constitutes the first in-depth study of painted leatherwork and demonstrates that the palette used for this purpose is similar to that used on other works of art of the same date. It has also allowed the original colour schemes of the decorations to be determined where pigment degradation has occurred. The combined analysis has also provided a more complete understanding of the materials used for, or on, objects to which access is limited.

"Artes do couro no Sul Peninsular" por Pereira (1994)

Pereira, Franklin; "Artes do couro no Sul Peninsular", A Cidade de Évora: Boletim de Cultura da Câmara Municipal 1, II Serie, (1994-1995) 371-395
URL

Resumo:

Franklin Pereira quer mostrar com este artigo os movimentos culturais e a versatilidade estética da arte do couro, hoje entendida como matéria para sapatos, blusões da moda e apetrechos utilitários, ao longo da história.

O uso do couro, tanto a nível popular como artístico, atingiu enorme fama e qualidade nos reinos do Al-Andalus. O autor inicia aqui a sua breve história da arte de trabalhar o couro no Sul Peninsular, terminando no século XVIII.

The Worshipful Company of Glovers of London - The Glove Collection and its Catalogue

The Worshipful Company of Glovers of London (http://www.gloveassociation.org/) one of the City’s ancient Livery Companies, was formed originally to upkeep the standards of glove-making in the City some 700 years ago. In common with other City Livery Companies, the Glovers have survived and flourished by adapting to modern times, maintaining strong links with their trade, supporting the City with many of its projects, educational bursaries and charitable programmes.

The Company has not forgotten its heritage nor its obligations to posterity and within the Glove Collection Charitable Trust, it maintains and preserves a magnificent collection of gloves since the 16th century to the present day, making it available to the public as far as possible. To this end the Collection has been digitally photographed and descriptive text prepared and the resulting comprehensive CATALOGUE forms part of this web site: http://www.glovecollectioncatalogue.org/

(Text from the website)

Recherches sur le cuir doré, anciennement appelé or basané, par La Quérière (1830)

La Quérière, Eustache de; Recherches sur le cuir doré, anciennement appelé or basané, et description de plusieurs peintures appropriées à ce genre de décor, F. Baudry, Rouen (1830)
URL (Gallica)

"I cuoi 'bulgari' a Venezia" di Stoyanova (2007)

Stoyanova, M.; "I cuoi 'bulgari' a Venezia" in, L’Europa Centro–Orientale e la Penisola italiana: quattro secoli di rapporti e influssi intercorsi tra Stati e civiltà (1300-1700), a cura di Cristian Luca e Gianluca Masi, Editura Istros, Braila-Venezia (2007) 309-322

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Estratto dalla introduzione:

L’attributo “bulgaro” è molto diffuso, nei documenti veneziani (in particolare in quelli risalenti ai sec. XVII-XVIII), per designare un tipo di cuoio impiegato nella fabbricazione di fodere da destinare alle poltrone, di tende per “armeri alla pretina” e di involucri in cui custodire oggetti trasportabili. Come vedremo in seguito, a parte gli usi suddetti, è possibile che il cuoio avesse, a Venezia e in terraferma, un uso assai più vasto, ad esempio nella marineria e in alcune manifatture speciali, come quelle militare e medica, oppure per rivestire carrozze e custodire strumenti musicali.

Il cuoio cosiddetto bulgaro non è mai stato oggetto di specifiche indagini storiche o tecniche in Bulgaria o in altri paesi balcanici, in quanto tale denominazione non era inclusa nel vocabolario mercantile relativo alla pelle e al cuoio; non trova, infatti, specifica menzione nei documenti d’archivio, nei quali tuttavia tali merci registrano una tipologia molto ampia. Secondo alcuni documenti dell’epoca, nel period compreso fra i sec. XV e XVIII, nell’intera area dei Balcani si acquistavano pelli ricavate dai seguenti animali: montone, bue, bufalo, capra, agnello, castoro, lupo, orso, volpe, coniglio, gatto e sciacallo, oltre ai cosiddetti castroni, corami (crudi, salati o pelosi), boldrini, cordovani e marocchini.

"A DSC study of deterioration caused by environmental chemical pollutants to parchment" by Budrugeac et al (2010)

Budrugeac, P.; Badea, E.; Della Gatta, G.; Miu, L.; Comanescu, A.; “A DSC study of deterioration caused by environmental chemical pollutants to parchment, a collagen-based material”, Thermochimica Acta 500 (1-2) (2010) 51-62
DOI:10.1016/j.tca.2009.12.010 (restricted access)

Abstract:  

A DSC study of new parchments exposed at 25 degrees C for 1-16 weeks to controlled atmospheres containing 50 ppm of gaseous chemical pollutants (NO₂, SO₂, NO₂ + SO₂) and 50% relative humidity (RH) was performed. Samples were exposed to chemical pollutants alone, as well as after previous heating at 100 C for 2-16 days and/or irradiating with visible light (1.7 x 10(5) lx) for 4-16 h. DSC measurements were performed in both sealed crucibles in static air atmosphere at 25-200 degrees C and open crucibles under gas flow (nitrogen, oxygen, synthetic air) at 25-280 degrees C. Analysis of DSC curves provided the variation induced by ageing on the thermodynamic parameters associated with both parchment denaturation and softening of collagen crystalline fraction. All the ageing procedures decreased both temperature and enthalpy of denaturation and increased broadness of DSC peak in function of ageing time. The occurrence of thermal oxidation peaks and/or lower temperature endothermic peaks was observed. The temperature of the first softening peak always indicated a general tendency to decrease as a function of ageing time. Shrinkage temperature of collagen fibres measured by thermomicroscopy also decreased as a result of accelerated ageing treatments.

Proceedings of the Joint ICOM-CC Interim Meeting - Multidisciplinary Conservation: A Holistic View for Historic Interiors, Rome 2010

The Proceedings of the Joint ICOM-CC Interim Meeting Multidisciplinary Conservation: A Holistic View for Historic Interiors held in Rome, 23-26 March 2010, are now available at the ICOM-CC website. The papers related to ICOM-CC Leather and related materials Working Group are as follows:

- Historical and methodological aspects of the 18th century French gilt leather tapestry restoration in a historic house: the Maison Mantin project (Moulins, France) by C. BONNOT-DICONNE, J.P. FOURNET, B.H. PAPOUNAUD
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- Cleaning of tanned leather: testing with Infra Red Spectroscopy and SEM-EDAX by K. MALEA, S.C. BOYATZIS, M. KEHAGIA
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- Analysis and preservation of an ancient alum tawed parchment by I. RABIN, R. SCHÜTZ, E. KINDZORRA, U. SCHADE, O. HAHN, G. WEINBERG, P. LASCH
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(Papers will be freely available just until July, 1)

DLM Ledermuseum, Offenbach (Deutschland)

DLM Deutsches Ledermuseum, Offenbach
http://www.ledermuseum.de/

Das DLM Ledermuseum Offenbach vereinigt drei Museen unter einem Dach: das Deutsche Schuhmuseum mit internationaler Fußbeklei-dung aus vier Jahrtausenden und einer Kunst-galerie, das Museum für angewandte Kunst mit Kunsthandwerk und Design vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart, Schwerpunkt Leder, und das Ethnologische Museum mit den Abteilungen Afrika, Amerika, Asien.

The DLM Leather Museum Offenbach combines three museums under one roof: the Shoe Museum with international footwear of four millennia and an art gallery, the Museum for Applied Art with crafts and design from the Middle Ages to the present, with the focus on leather, and the Ethnological Museum with the African, American and Asian Departments.

(Text from the website)

"John Waterer and the Cuir Bouilli confusion" by Rex Lingwood

Rex Lingwood, "John Waterer and the cuir bouilli confusion" 

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In this beautifully illustrated article, Lingwood takes a critical look at John Waterer's writing on 'Cuir Bouilli' and reviews what it can be said about such diverse historical objects as English blackjacks, bombards and bottles, Italian scroll cases, parade shields and powder flasks, as well as leather armour, based on his detailed examination of these objects and his experience with heat forming processes.

Pair of chopines, c.1600, Victoria & Albert Museum

Black jacks and leather bottells by Baker (1921)

Baker, Oliver; Black jacks and leather bottells: being some account of leather drinking vessels in England, London (1921)

URL

(To have a clear picture of what a leather bottel is, have a look at the leather jug webpage from the Museum of London here.)

"Le redoul, herbe des tanneurs et des teinturiers" par Cardon et Pinto (2007)

Dominique Cardon et Anthony Pinto, "Le redoul, herbe des tanneurs et des teinturiers. Collecte, commercialisation et utilisations d’une plante sauvage dans l’espace méridional (xiii^e-xv^e siècles)", Médiévales (en ligne) 53 (2007) (mis en ligne le 17 décembre 2009)
URL (OpenEdition)

Resumé:
Le redoul ou corroyère, Coriaria myrtifolia L., arbuste indigène des forêts du nord-ouest méditerranéen, très riche en tannins mais toxique, est pris comme exemple de gestion des ressources de l’environnement naturel au Moyen Âge. Ses particularités botaniques et chimiques, indiquées en première partie, expliquent ses applications, durant des siècles, en tannage et en teinture. Les zones et méthodes de récolte mentionnées dans les documents médiévaux – principalement catalans – sont mentionnées, ainsi que les circuits commerciaux à l’échelle régionale et internationale qui organisaient l’exploitation de cette matière première végétale. Enfin, les données techniques sur son emploi en tannage et teinture sont discutées.

Abstract:
Coriaria myrtifolia L. is a wild bush indigenous in the forests and scrublands of north-western Mediterranean countries that is very rich in tannins but toxic. It is here taken as an example of management of natural resources in the Middle Ages. Its botanical and chemical characteristics are described ; they explain its applications for tanning and dying during centuries in that part of the world. The mediaeval documents – mainly from Catalunya – mentioning the places where it was collected and the methods used are discussed, and so are the texts describing the trade at regional and even international scale that was gradually organised to fully exploit this vegetable resource. In a last part, we explain the technicalities of its use in tanning and dyeing processes as they can be inferred from the medieval and later documentation.

"Dating Danish textiles and skins from bog finds by means of 14C AMS" by Mannering et al (2010)

Mannering, U.; Possnert, G.; Heinemeier, J.; Gleba, M.; "Dating Danish textiles and skins from bog finds by means of ¹⁴C AMS", Journal of Archaeological Science 37(2) (2010) 261-268
DOI:10.1016/j.jas.2009.09.037 (restricted access)

Abstract:

This study presents the results of 44 new ¹⁴C analyses of Danish Early Iron Age textiles and skins. Of 52 Danish bog finds containing skin and textile items, 30 are associated with bog bodies. Until now, only 18 of these have been dated. In this paper we add dates to the remaining finds. The results demonstrate that the Danish custom of depositing clothed bodies in a bog is centred to the centuries immediately before and at the beginning of the Common Era. Most of these bodies are carefully placed in the bog – wrapped or dressed in various textile and/or skin garments. The care with which these people were placed in the bog indicates that they represent a hitherto unrecognised burial custom supplementing the more common burial practice for this period.

Reading chair, 1720-1730, Victoria & Albert Museum

"The suitability of the DMA method for the characterization of recent and historical parchments and leathers" by Cucos and Budrugeac (2010)

Cucos, A.; Budrugeac, P.; "The suitability of the DMA method for the characterization of recent and historical parchments and leathers", The International Journal of Conservation Science 1(1) (2010) 13-18

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Abstract:  

The dynamical mechanical analysis (DMA) technique was used for the characterization of some recently manufactured and historical parchments and leathers. The obtained results were correlated with the DSC measurements performed for these biomaterials. We point out the suitability of the DMA method for distinguishing qualitatively between a recently manufactured leather and a patrimonial one, as well as for assessing the deterioration of the parchments and leathers as a result of natural ageing.

Saddlery by Hasluck (1904)

Hasluck, Paul N.; Saddlery, D. McKay, Philadelphia (1904)

URL (Internet Archive)

Table of contents:

I. Gentleman's Riding Saddle

II. Panel for Gentleman's Saddle

III. Ladies' Side Saddles
IV. Children's Saddles or Pilches

V. Saddle Cruppers, Breastplates, and other Accessories

VI. Riding Bridles

VII. Breaking-down Tackle

VIII. Head Collars

IX. Horse Clothing

X. Knee-caps and Miscellaneous Articles

XI. Repairing Harness and Saddlery

Saddle, 15th century, The Met Museum of Art

"Saddle [Tibetan] (2002.225)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tbar/ho_2002.225.htm (August 2007)