NEWSLETTER of THE LEVANTINE FOUNDATION No. 4 July, 2011 Major Conservation Success TLF completes preservation of two major treasures Four Gospels’ in 5th Century Syriac. Manuscript before..... after conservation Four Gospels’ in 13th century Coptic. Manuscript before.... after conservation Chief Executive Elizabeth Sobczynski - the conservation task… It is with great satisfaction that the Foundation announces the completion of the preservation these two major treasures for world heritage. Following two substantial private donations we were able to employ a highly skilled international team from all over Europe. Here is the story of the meticulous conservation work undertaken: patience and perseverance are the essential qualities of a conservator! MS. Deir al-Surian, Syr. 10 [MK6]; Four century when Syrian monks established their 5th or 6th century hand. It is on fine parchment Gospels, 5th century, fls. 104, parchment, community there or in the tenth century when support consisting of 104 folios. Just three Dimensions: 28,2 cm x 23,5 cm Moses of Nisbis, Abbot of the Monastery, brought quarters of the original book survived. Matthew’s an accession of two hundred volumes from his Gospel has been lost. The 5th century Four Gospels is the earliest trip to Baghdad. bound manuscript in the collection and “possibly The text is written in two columns in a mixture the earliest existing gospel manuscript in the The Four Gospels is part of a composite of the carbon black and iron gall ink favoured by world” ((Dr Sebastian Brock, Deir al-Surian, manuscript which had been bound together scribes for its blackness and lustre. One column 2005). It was written in Syria or Mesopotamia probably in the 13th-14th centuries out of seven of the text on the last page has been written in and reached the Deir al Surian either in the ninth different manuscripts, the oldest of which is in a continued on page 2 1 Portrait of a Patron: John Julius Norwich £100K Training Grant from Sawiris Foundation books on Mount Athos, The History of Venice, - during which I got shot in the head - but peace Deswqy abd el Aziz; and “Conservation: Past and Byzantium and most recently The Papacy. He is was eventually restored and we travelled widely Present” by Elizabeth Sobczynski. also Co-Chairman of the World Monuments Fund. through the Middle East, much of which I got It was very encouraging to see the positive way “Since I was a very young man I have always to know reasonably well. It was from Beirut, in in which relationships with our partners have had a fascination with the Eastern Mediterranean January 1960, that we got a wonderful invitation developed. The level of cooperation and support and the Orthodox world. It all began, I suppose, to travel as guests of the Egyptian government up was commendable. Partners hosted courses when I joined the Foreign Service and in January the Nile as far as Wadi Halfa, to look at the dozen- in their venues, provided access to necessary 1955 was sent to my first post, Belgrade. We odd temples that were due to be flooded by the equipment and materials, offered assistants, were, it is true, a long way from the sea; but new Aswan High Dam. translators, security and day-to-day advice. Orthodoxy was all around us, and we used to visit Two years after my return to London in 1960, I Consequently, relationships between TLF and the glorious painted churches of South Serbia left the Foreign Service in order to write history, its partners deepened substantially. As a result and Macedonia - Peć, Dečani, Ohrid, Nerezi, which is what I have been doing for the past half- of the study visits new contacts have also been Sopočani and many others. That summer we century. My first book was on Mount Athos; six made between museum authorities, restoration spent a fortnight in a caique, cruising the Aegean years later, after a long east-west desert crossing, departments and representatives from public and with (among others) Paddy Leigh Fermor, who has I wrote another on the Sahara. Most of the rest private (monastic and church) institutions. In always been one of my oldest friends. He taught have been straight history, first that of the Norman particular, contact and dialogue has been opened me more than anyone and effectively introduced Kingdom in South Italy and Sicily, then of the between TLF and Cairo University which we hope me to Byzantine history (of which I was later to Venetian Republic, then of the Byzantine Empire, will lead to a working relationship and educational write three volumes of my own). It was he who and more recently of the Mediterranean and the exchange. Furthermore, as a result of publicity introduced me to Robert Byron’s The Byzantine Papacy. (This last is published this year) generated by the course in the UK, TLF has been Achievement, which had a huge influence. I think all this should explain why I was so approached by the University of the Arts, Book From Belgrade I was sent to Beirut, another great delighted to be a Patron of the Levantine and Art Conservation Department in London, crossroads of north and south, east and west, Foundation. I love Egypt, I love the Eastern to consider a formal collaboration which would John Julius, 2nd Viscount Norwich, recently Christian and Muslim. For six months we went religions (though I know relatively little about the lead to the exchange of knowledge, placement of joined our group of esteemed patrons. Now a through a sort of dress rehearsal for the dreadful Copts) and I love the idea of monasticism.” postgraduate students and other mutual benefits. full time writer, his many published works include civil war which was to rage through the seventies The main outcomes of the first programme make interesting reading. 106 participants enrolled on continued from page 1 the course and attendance was consistently high. Practical workshops were able to accommodate and vegetation are present throughout the book. The Trustees are delighted to report that TLF Foundation as well as assisting with our primary between 50-55 people successfully with The text has been written in one column in a has been awarded a grant of LE1,000,000 goal of preserving cultural heritage on paper in appropriate Arabic language support. Feedback mixture of carbon and iron-gall ink which was (approximately GB£100,000) for training by the the region. The Board of TLF recognises there has been excellent with strong demand for a also used to outline most of the decorations. Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and is a global shortage of skilled conservators with second programme. This will be for the same With the exception of the first section where Al Ahram Beverages Company. This follows a the expertise to preserve paper-based heritage of participants and will deepen their understanding Western paper was used the book was executed highly successful pilot programme run by TLF in the age found in Egypt. Training such as this will and build on their initial practical skills. Although on a beautifully burnished Eastern paper. March 2009 which was reported in our previous provide the infrastructure of preservation for the attendance of monks and nuns from church The overriding damage to this object was newsletter. region in the future. collections could be subject to other constraints chemical caused by ink and corrosive copper a special outcome of the course was the joint The purpose of the grant was to deliver two The main partners in the programme, which was green pigment resulting in cracks and heavy participation of Muslim and Christian participants training courses in 2010-2011 to staff in the managed and designed by TLF Chief Executive losses to the paper. In addition adhesive used for working together for the first time. Interest has leading museums in Cairo, monastic and Elizabeth Sobczynski, are the National Museum the old repairs caused heavy discolouration and been expressed from similar institutions in Syria church collections, postgraduate students and and Archives, the Coptic Museum, the Supreme planar distortions to the substrate. The book was to transfer the courses to their own region. This caption caption xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx jobseekers in the relevant professions. The Council of Antiquities, who provided logistics unskilfully restored and rebound in the 1940s will be considered by the Board when the Cairo objective is to establish a better understanding and venues, and Leiden University which led an during which the right margin has been severely project is completed. the manuscript has been placed in a temporary of the practices of conservation, protection and international team of tutors expert in their various vermillion, usually used for titles, headings and trimmed, disfiguring border decorations. The The training team is currently at an advanced custom made conservation box. Ultimately the maintenance of collections, the development of fields. TLF is advised by an international Board of important parts of the text. leather cover used for binding was too small stage in planning the second programme to be manuscript will be stored in a stainless steel box skills and the creation of a safer environment Advisers from major museums . One of the most alarming aspects before exposing the text block to mechanical damage. held in Cairo in 2012. All enquiries should be that is immune to environmental conditions and for both employees and museum collections Despite the impact of the volcanic dust cloud conservation was the lack of any protection to the A team of four to five book conservators from directed to Elizabeth Sobczynski at offers protection against fire and water. alike. The aim is to increase the number of preventing leading contributors Dr Mat Immerzeel text block exposing the delicate ancient substrate Italy, Poland and Spain worked tirelessly for over [email protected] or 106 St George’s Square, qualified museum and collection personnel and and Professor Bas ter Haar Romeny from to mechanical damage.