Writing the Biography of a Notebook Interpreting a richly decorated baroque notebook from the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam MA thesis Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage: Technical Art History Student: Anneke Hoekstra Student number: 10454780 Thesis supervisor: prof. dr. H.H.M. (Erma) Hermens Second reader: dr. H. (Herman) den Otter Word count: 17992 University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam July 2020 Writing the Biography of a Notebook Abstract Juli 2020, Anneke Hoekstra (10454780) In het interdisciplinaire MA-scriptieonderzoek aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam ‘Writing the Biography of a Notebook: interpreting a richly decorated baroque notebook from the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam’, fungeert het object BK-17172 als primaire bron. De ‘levensloop’ van het object wordt onderzocht, om te achterhalen hoe, waar en wanneer het is vervaardigd en op welke wijze en door wie het is gebruikt. July 2020, Anneke Hoekstra (10454780) In the interdisciplinary MA thesis project at the University of Amsterdam ‘Writing the Biography of a Notebook: interpreting a richly decorated baroque notebook from the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam’, the object BK-17172 is the primary source. The object’s ‘life cycle’ is investigated, to determine how, where and when it was manufactured and in what manner and by whom it was used. 2 Hoekstra, UvA, 2020 Writing the Biography of a Notebook Figure 1a, b, c. From left to right: front, inside, and back of the notebook. Anonymous, Notebook of tortoise, with decorations of gold, enamel and gemstones. In the closing a pencil, decorated with an enamelled bust, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam (BK-17172), ca. 1710-1730, Dresden, Tortoise, gold, enamel and gemstones, h. 10.8cm x w. 6.4cm x d. 1.5cm. Credit: photography by Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. 3 Hoekstra, UvA, 2020 Writing the Biography of a Notebook Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 Glossary .................................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Object description ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Aim and Research question .................................................................................................................................... 10 Structure and Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 10 Relevance for Technical Art History ................................................................................................................... 11 1. Previous research ....................................................................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Provenance, function, date, and attribution ............................................................................................ 12 1.2 Technical examination ...................................................................................................................................... 15 2. The Making: manufacture, materials, and techniques ................................................................................ 17 2.1 Tortoiseshell ......................................................................................................................................................... 18 2.1.1 Tortoiseshell as an artist’s material ................................................................................................... 19 2.1.2 Harvesting, properties, and workability ........................................................................................... 21 2.1.3 Tortoiseshell as bookbinding material .............................................................................................. 21 2.2 Metal ......................................................................................................................................................................... 23 2.2.1 Book fittings .................................................................................................................................................. 23 2.2.2 Stylus ............................................................................................................................................................... 31 2.2.3 Settings ........................................................................................................................................................... 33 2.2.4 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 34 2.3 Enamel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 2.3.1 Technique: basse-taille ............................................................................................................................. 36 2.3.2 Enamel composition .................................................................................................................................. 37 2.3.3 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 41 2.4 Gemstones .............................................................................................................................................................. 43 2.4.1 Preliminary characterisation................................................................................................................. 44 2.4.2 Enhancements ............................................................................................................................................. 49 2.4.3 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 50 2.5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................................. 52 3. Style and Iconography .............................................................................................................................................. 53 3.1 Book fittings .......................................................................................................................................................... 53 3.2 Iconography .......................................................................................................................................................... 54 3.3 Re-attribution to the workshop of Köhler? .............................................................................................. 56 4 Hoekstra, UvA, 2020 Writing the Biography of a Notebook 3.4 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................................. 58 4. The content: owner, function, and use .............................................................................................................. 61 4.1 Content .................................................................................................................................................................... 61 4.1.1 Content description ................................................................................................................................... 61 4.1.2 Languages and scripts .............................................................................................................................. 61 4.1.3 Names .............................................................................................................................................................. 62 4.2 The owner .............................................................................................................................................................. 63 4.2.1 Upbringing and education of Anna Petrovna.................................................................................. 63 4.2.2 Anna Petrovna and Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp.............................................................. 64 4.3 Function and use ................................................................................................................................................. 66 4.3.1 Souvenir d’amitie? Carnet de bal? Album amicorum? ................................................................... 66 4.3.2 When was it used? ....................................................................................................................................