La fabrication et le commerce des cuirs et des peaux par Vincent (1872)

Vincent, Charles; La fabrication et le commerce des cuirs et des peaux, Paris, Bureaux au Journal la Halle aux cuirs (1872).

URL (Gallica)

"The repair of an Alaskan Inupiaq sealskin mat with Lascaux 360 HV and 498 HV" by Lukezic (2014)

Francis Lukezic, "The repair of an Alaskan Inupiaq sealskin mat with Lascaux 360 HV and 498 HV", in Current Solutions for Mutual Issues: postprints from the Book and Paper Group’s sessions at the Icon Positive Futures conference, 10-12 April 2013, Glasgow (2014) pp. 53-55.
PDF (The Book & Paper Gathering)

The tanner’s key to a new system of tanning sole leather by Burridge (1824)

John Burridge, The tanner’s key to a new system of tanning sole leather, or, The right use of oak bark, London (1824).
URL (InternetArchive)

"Russian Yufte as ‘Russia Leather’ in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Western Bookbinding" by Tsygankova (2012)

Valeria Tsygankova, "Russian Yufte as ‘Russia Leather’ in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Western Bookbinding" (2012)

URL / PDF

“Cluster TOF-SIMS imaging of human skin remains: analysis of a South-Andean mummy sample” by Cersoy et al (2012)

Cersoy, Sophie; Richardin, Pascale; Walter, Philippe; Brunelle, Alain; “Cluster TOF-SIMS imaging of human skin remains: analysis of a South-Andean mummy sample”, Journal of Mass Spectrometry 47(3) (2012) 338–346.
DOI: 10.1002/jms.2979 (restricted access)

Abstract:

A skin sample from a South-Andean mummy dating back from the XIth century was analyzed using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging using cluster primary ion beams (cluster-TOF-SIMS). For the first time on a mummy, skin dermis and epidermis could be chemically differentiated using mass spectrometry imaging. Differences in amino-acid composition between keratin and collagen, the two major proteins of skin tissue, could indeed be exploited. A surprising lipid composition of hypodermis was also revealed and seems to result from fatty acids damage by bacteria. Using cluster-TOF-SIMS imaging skills, traces of bio-mineralization could be identified at the micrometer scale, especially formation of calcium phosphate at the skin surface. Mineral deposits at the surface were characterized using both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and mass spectrometry imaging. The stratigraphy of such a sample was revealed for the first time using this technique. More precise molecular maps were also recorded at higher spatial resolution, below 1 µm. This was achieved using a non-bunched mode of the primary ion source, while keeping intact the mass resolution thanks to a delayed extraction of the secondary ions. Details from biological structure as can be seen on SEM images are observable on chemical maps at this sub-micrometer scale. Thus, this work illustrates the interesting possibilities of chemical imaging by cluster-TOF-SIMS concerning ancient biological tissues.

"Application of ATR–FTIR spectroscopy to the analysis of tannins in historic leathers..." by Falcão & Araújo (2014)

Falcão, Lina; Araújo, Maria Eduarda M.;“Application of ATR–FTIR spectroscopy to the analysis of tannins in historic leathers: The case study of the upholstery from the 19th century Portuguese Royal Train”, Vibrational Spectroscopy 74 (2014) 98–103.

DOI:10.1016/j.vibspec.2014.08.001 (restricted access)

Abstract:

Tanning materials of historic leather samples collected from the 19th century Portuguese Royal train were analyzed by attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FTIR) spectroscopy. Studied leathers were visually identified as morocco leathers, one of the most valued types of vegetable tanned leathers. In technical and historic literature, morocco leathers are described as a distinctive type of vegetable tanned leather, with a typical grain surface pattern, made from goat skins and sumac (Rhus coriaria) leaves.

ATR–FTIR spectra of the Royal train leathers were investigated and compared with 10 reference tanning materials obtained from different plants in use in the 19th century, here described. Two different types of vegetable tanned leathers were identified. The obtained spectra allowed to confirm the presence of morocco leathers as well as to detect a different type of vegetable tanned leather, probably applied as a restoration material in a past intervention. This study shows the usefulness of ATR–FTIR to distinguish different types of historic leathers based in the spectroscopic characteristic IR bands of vegetable tannins used for leather production, which can be of great assistance for conservation condition assessments.

“Pieles, zapateros, curtidurías...del Reino de Valencia (ss. XIV-XV)" per Aparici Martí (2012)

Aparici Martí, Joaquín, “Pieles, zapateros, curtidurías. El trabajo del cuero en la zona septentrional del Reino de Valencia (ss. XIV-XV)”, Millars: espai i història 35 (2012) pp. 49–68.

URL / PDF (Raco)

Resum:

Hemos tratado de reunir en este trabajo las referencias bibliográficas y los datos archivísticos dispersos existentes sobre la producción de cueros de los siglos XIV a XV en una geografía determinada como es el norte del Reino de Valencia, adjuntándose un mapa para una rápida visualización de los resultados obtenidos.

Piel sobre tabla. Encuadernaciones mudéjares en la BNE (2013)

Exposición organizada por la Biblioteca Nacional de España en 2013 (12/03/2013 al 19/05/2013).

El arte mudéjar se desarrolla en los reinos cristianos de la Península Ibérica, iniciado por artesanos musulmanes y judíos en un momento muy especial en la historia del libro – a caballo entre el manuscrito y el impreso - y de la Historia de España – el paso de una sociedad islamizada a una cristiana. Este estilo, que tendrá enormes repercusiones en la arquitectura y las artes decorativas, tiene un excelente campo de creación en el mundo del libro y, muy especialmente, en el arte de la encuadernación.

Exposición virtual 

Catálogo (PDF interactivo)

Why Leather? The Material and Cultural Dimensions of Leather by AA.VV. (2014)

Veldmeijer, A. J.; Harris, S. (eds.), Why Leather? The Material and Cultural Dimensions of Leather, Proceedings of the Archaeological Leather Group conference held in 2011, Leiden, Sidestone Press (2014).

URL

“Les adoberies d’època feudal a la ciutat de Lleida” per Payà (2010)

Payà, Xavier; “Les adoberies d’època feudal a la ciutat de Lleida”, Revista d’arqueologia de Ponent 20 (2010) pp. 27–92.

PDF 1 / PDF 2 / PDF 3 (Raco)

Resum:

En aquest article intentarem esbrinar l’organització, el funcionament i l’evolució de les adoberies d’època feudal documentades a la ciutat de Lleida. Des de començament del segle xiii formaven un veritable complex de petites indústries dedicades a la transformació de la pell en cuir pertanyents a quatre propietaris, segurament blanquers. Els clots, dipòsits i estructures de producció localitzats en cadascuna de les sis adoberies indica un alt grau tecnològic que finalitzava amb el tintat dels cuirs. Les adoberies es construïren a l’interior de la vila, als peus del vessant sud del turó de la Seu Vella, on hi ha abundants fonts d’aigua fàcils de foradar per obtenir aigua i, darrere del mur de tancament fluvial, des d’on les aigües residuals eren abocades a la sèquia d’Alcarràs o a l’areny del riu Segre i Noguerola. La unitat, la qualitat i les implicacions urbanístiques de la seva construcció apunten vers l’existència d’acords privats, gremials o decrets reials que n’estimularen la implantació. Són un excellent testimoni d’aquella societat de menestrals que féu possible projectes com la construcció de la Seu Vella i convertí Lleida en un dels motors econòmics de la corona durant els segles xiii-xiv. Dues d’aquestes adoberies s’han restaurat i integrat a la planta baixa del número 9 de la ramba Ferran i podran ser visitades properament. 

Abstract:

In this article we will attempt to investigate the organization, operation and evolution of the tanneries from the feudal period documented in the city of Lleida. From the beginning of the 13^th century they formed a true group of small industries dedicated to the transformation of leather belonging to four owners, probably tanners. The production pits, deposits and structures located in each of the six tanneries indicate a high technological level that ended with the leather being stained. The tanneries were set up inside the town, at the base of the south slope of the Seu Vella, with abundant sources of water that were easily obtained, and behind the river dam, from where the wastewater was poured into the Alcarràs irrigation ditch or the sandy area of the Segre and Noguerola rivers.The unity, quality and the urbanistic implications of their construction point towards the existence of private agreements, trade agreements or royal decrees that stimulated their implantation. They are an excellent testimony to a society of workmen that made projects like the construction of the Seu Vella possible and they converted Lleida into one of the economic engines of the crown between the 13th to 14th centuries. Two of these tanneries have been restored and have been integrated in the ground floor of number 9, Rambla Ferran and they will be able to be visited soon.

"...The Conservation of Over a Hundred Leather Shoes and Fragments" by Lafrance (2012)

Lafrance, Jessica; "Efficiency and Quality in a Batch Treatment: The Conservation of Over a Hundred Leather Shoes and Fragments", in K. Straetkvern and E. Williams, eds., Proceedings of the 11th ICOM Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials Conference: Greenville, 2010. ICOM-CC Working Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials (2012) pp. 611–621.

PDF

Abstract:

In late 2008 nearly 400 organic objects from the Old Songhees Reserve site in Victoria, British Columbia, arrived at the Canadian Conservation Institute for treatment. Over half of these objects were leather shoes and fragments covered with corrosion and heavily iron stained. The treatment of 112 of these objects is the topic of this paper. Treatment included individual mechanical cleaning of each shoe, followed by mass chloride removal, iron corrosion stain removal, impregnation with polyethelyne glycol, reshaping, freeze drying, and final consolidation and repair. Employing batch treatment methods for many of the conservation steps reduced time and material costs while careful planning, balanced decision making and monitoring meant that the quality of treatment was not reduced.

Experiments in Cuir Bouilli by Levin (2014)

Samuel James Levin, Experiments in Cuir Bouilli: Practical Trials of Medieval Leathercraft,  BA Thesis on Archaeology, Wesleyan University, 2014.

URL / PDF

Abstract:

This thesis pursues an experimental investigation of cuir bouilli, a particular form of hardened leather used as armor in medieval Europe. In this exploration, I have produced a sample group of 30 distinct varieties of cuir bouilli. These samples represent the most commonly theorized and scientifically grounded production methods of this historic medium. Using a series of armor specific tests, broadly encapsulating the abuse of arrow fire, blunt force trauma, and slashing, I have measured the performance of each cuir bouilli sample. The data gathered from these tests can be used to infer physical properties about each sample, revealing the essential effects of each hardening method. Moreover, these tests indicate how cuir bouilli might have functioned in actual armor use. They demonstrate strengths and weaknesses of each variety, offering reasons for their eventual abandonment in certain contexts and the roles they might have continued to play in others.

Cordobanes y guadamecies por Ferrandis Torres (1955)

José Ferrandis Torres, Cordobanes y guadamecies: catálogo ilustrado de la exposición, Madrid, Palacio de la Biblioteca y Museos Nacionales (1955).

URL  / PDF

Curtidores e surradores de S. Sebastião–Guimarães (1865-1923) por Pinto (2012)

Elisabete Pinto, Curtidores e surradores de S. Sebastião–Guimarães (1865-1923): a difícil sobrevivência de uma indústria insalubre no meio urbano. Ed. do autor (2012). 

PDF

Arte della legatura a Brera. Storie di libri e biblioteche. Il periodo Barocco (2012)

Arte della legatura a Brera. Storie di libri e biblioteche. Il periodo Barocco. Catalogo della mostra a cura di Federico Macchi, Milano, Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense (2012).

PDF

“L’activité des tanneries et des mégisseries du Vivarais vers la fin du XVIIIe siècle” par Bertrand (1938)

Bertrand, A.-J.-C.; “L’activité des tanneries et des mégisseries du Vivarais vers la fin du XVIIIe siècle”, Revue de géographie alpine 26(2) (1938) 401–416.

Doi:10.3406/rga.1938.4022 (Persée)

"Identification of collagen-based materials in cultural heritage" by Kirby et al (2013)

Kirby, D. P.; Buckley, M.; Promise, E.; Trauger, S. A.; Holdcraft, T. R.; “Identification of collagen-based materials in cultural heritage”, Analyst 138(17) (2013) 4849–4858.

DOI:10.1039/C3AN00925D (restricted access)

Abstract:

All stakeholders in cultural heritage share an interest in fabrication methods and material technology. Until now methods for analysis of organic materials, particularly proteins, have not been widely available to researchers at cultural institutions. This paper will describe an analytical method for the identification of collagen-based materials from soft tissue sources and show examples of its application to diverse museum objects. The method, peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF), uses enzymatic digestion of extracted proteins to produce a mixture of peptides. The mass spectrum of the mixture contains characteristic marker ions—a peptide mass fingerprint—which are compared to species-specific markers from references as the basis of identification. Preliminary results indicate that analysis of materials from aged samples, several different tissue types, and tanned or untanned materials yields comparable PMF results. Significantly, PMF is simple, rapid, sensitive and specific, has been implemented in a museum laboratory, and is being practiced successfully by non-specialists.

"The secrets in skin: species identification of treated skins through proteomic analysis" by van Doorn & Fiddyment (2014)

Nienke van Doorn & Sarah Fiddyment, "The secrets in skin: species identification of treated skins through proteomic analysis", 117th SLTC Conference 2014, 26th April 2014, University of Northampton, Northampton.

URL (Video and PowerPoint presentation)

“Anthropodermic bibliopegy..." by Nambudiri & Nambudiri (2014)

Nambudiri, N.S., Nambudiri, V.E.; “Anthropodermic bibliopegy: Lessons from a different sort of dermatologic text”, JAMA Dermatology 150(1) (2014) 41–41. 

Doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2013.7473

From the text:

The practice of anthropodermic bibliopegy—the use of human skin for the binding of printed books and manuscripts—dates back several centuries, with examples reported from nations in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Individuals whose skin has been used for anthropodermic bindings range from authors and scientists who willingly donated their bodies upon their deaths to criminals and the infirm whose corpses were used for binding of texts on law and medicine.

Also about anthropodermic bibliopegy a very recent post at the Houghton Library Blog:
"The science of anthropodermic binding"
URL

Bibliographies sur conservation du parchemin: médiathèque numérique de l’Institut National du Patrimoine, France

- Altération des parchemins (2012)
PDF

- Technique de montage de conservation des parchemins (2009)
PDF