The historical and scientific research generated during Advanced Analytical Techniques I and II (ARTC672-673) on my 2nd-Year of graduate studies under Conservation Scientist Jocelyn Alcántara García was selected by the WUDPAC - ANAGPIC committee to be presented as a paper presentation at the 2022 Association of North American Graduate Programs in Conservation Conference.

Recording Coming Soon

[ Abstract ]

The limited publications in Spanish and English dedicated to the conservation survey and material analysis of Spanish Patents of Nobility constrict understanding their structural characteristics and preservation needs, leaving collections ignored. Aiming to alleviate the knowledge gap, an 18th-century velvet-bound illuminated Spanish Patent of Nobility was studied. Bilingual historical research and a combination of non-to-minimally-destructive instrumental analysis included: Ultraviolet and Infrared photography; X-ray fluorescence, Raman, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopies; Fiber optics reflectance stereoscopy; Polarized light microscopy; quantitative analysis; and Peptide mass fingerprinting. Results suggest the presence of a silk velvet “bookcloth," metalogallic writing inks, smalt-containing Dutch and non-smalt-containing Spanish paper, sheep, or calf parchment, and illuminations of a limited pigment palette including vermilion, lead white, azurite, ultramarine, verdigris, and amalgams of semi-precious metals. This work provides the groundwork for the materiality of similar Iberian legal manuscripts, thus supporting their preservation while hinting at the hierarchical use of pigments, writing supports, and gilding techniques. The subsequent steps of this ongoing project include crafting preservation, handling, and housing guidelines, emphasizing user safety (as toxic metal salts are present on the velvet fabric and paper) while deepening worldwide understanding of analogous Spanish manuscripts, promoting their access within and outside American libraries.

[ Object Photography ]