Leather Work
Leather Reback
Project Overview
A casebound hollowback printing of the Plays of Aeschylus with recessed sewing supports and false raised bands Halfbound in red sheepskin and marbled papers Both boards were detached, and one corner was missing Used microscopy to identify the leather as at risk and in need of consolidation
Treatment
Consolidated the leather with a Klucel G/isopropanol mix, then mounted the spine piece onto s 5gsm tissue backing I reattached the boards using partial splits in the boards and small sutures at head and tail I added a spine lining in between the sutures and pasted it under the pastedown to keep with the original binding structure Dyed new leather to match the colour of the spine, created a new hollow and false bands, applied the leather and compensation over the top Rebuilt the board corner by layering acid-free paper and covering with toned tissue I also used a heat stylus to emboss the tissue to match the stamped grain of the original leather Used toned tissue to cover exposed corners and edges of the board where the paper was damaged and losses had occurred
