Leather and Related Materials Working Group
Triennial Programme 2008-2011
The programme for the triennial period 2008-2011 deals with the following main subjects:
Techniques of execution
Investigation into the history and original technologies of leather artefacts of historic and artistic value, based both on scientific investigation and analysis of archival documents, technical sources and literature. Today the enormous production of leather artefacts has been almost totally lost, together with the knowledge of ancient production technologies. The survey of what exists, systematic archival research and the publication of findings emerge as the only way to write a history of the technique in the different countries and to contribute to defining a global history.
Preventive conservation
Examination of the optimum environmental conditions for leather and related materials and the practical realisation of such conditions in historic buildings, museums and so on.
There are several guidelines about environmental conditions for leather and related materials, but some of the recommended values are given more for modern museum buildings or seem to comply more with the needs of the visitors and the staff than with the real needs of the artefacts (for instance concerning the room temperature). In many cases it is impossible to realise the recommended values in historic buildings like castles and churches or in the case of mixed collections like those found in historic interiors. On the other hand often leather artefacts in historic monuments are in better conditions than artefacts kept in a museum environment.
Materials and methodologies of intervention
Development, improvement, and verification of good quality conservation leather, especially vegetable tanned leather. Research on this topic should be based on the very important working results of the last years concerning the degradation process of vegetable tanned leather (ENVIRONMENT Leather Project, STEP Leather Project). The knowledge acquired makes it possible to define much better than before the parameters for the manufacturing of vegetable tanned leathers for conservation use. An additional step was also done in the EU Craft Programme BRST-CT98-5535 with the development of an archival grade of bookbinding leather. But in practice most leathers found on
the market are not useful for conservation purposes because of low quality, caused by industrial mass production for commercial needs.
Research about the positive and negative influences of different conservation treatments on the ageing process of historic leather and related materials. In the literature we can find a lot of recommendations for numerous treatments and materials used for the conservation and restoration of leather, skin, feathers or fur artefacts. In practice a lot of damages have been caused by unsuitable methods, but little is found about experiences on long term results of these treatments or substances. Another question is the different regional traditions concerning the favoured use of natural or synthetic products, affected also by different ethical opinions. An open discussion and an exchange of information on these aspects would be helpful for a better preservation of our cultural heritages.
Updating and scientific events
Organisation of a joint interim-meeting able to bring about interdisciplinary interests. There is an agreement with four other Working Groups: Wood, Furniture, and Lacquer; Textiles; Sculpture, Polychromy and Architectural Decoration; and Mural Paintings, Stone and Rock Art; about the possible organisation of a joint conference on the hypothetical theme Multidisciplinary
conservation: holistic view for historic interior.