May 2013 – Hamilton Kerr Institute student and intern blog

For more stories from the other conservation departments at the Fitzwilliam Museum, visit the Conservation and Collections Care blog!

Makiko Tsunoda was Icon intern in Manuscript and Rare Book Conservation, sponsored by the Sumitomo Foundation, until April 2013.

Welcome to the conservation students’ and interns’ blog! The primary aim of my internship is to conserve rare books and manuscripts held in the Founder’s Library of the Fitzwilliam Museum. This is taking up the majority of my time, and allows me to expand my skills and knowledge regarding condition assessment, planning, and book conservation treatments.

The Founder's Library in the Fitzwilliam Museum (left); and some of the rare books I have been conserving (right) — The Founder’s Library in the Fitzwilliam Museum (left); and some of the rare books I have been conserving (right)

Continue reading “Conservation of rare books”

In the previous post, I shared my experiences of making a reconstruction from a detail of Virgin Adoring the Child by Jacopo del Sellaio (dated c. 1473). While creating the copy, I learned about the materials and methods utilized for painting with egg tempera. The use of egg tempera is characteristic of early Italian paintings. Similarly, decorative gilding goes hand-in-hand with early Italian artworks. Halos of saints, fabrics, and even entire backgrounds can all be depicted in gold. A range of gilding techniques could be employed, depending on the visual effect the artist wanted to achieve.

Virgin and Child by Niccola di Pietro Gerini – Fitzwilliam Museum

Continue reading “More painting reconstructions: gilding and punching”