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Material matters. A review of imaging and modelling techniques for fire-damaged parchment manuscripts

Alberto Campagnolo
p. 322-334

Abstract

Burnt parchment manuscripts pose unique challenges in the field of manuscript preservation. Manuscripts that survive fires present a series of typical characteristics that are linked to the nature and reactions of parchment, a highly hygroscopic material whose fibres react promptly to changes in temperature and humidity, resulting in surfaces with complex topographies, shrinkage, lacunae, and disassembled codex structure. Cleaning, flattening, and guarding were the preferred modus operandi until the 20th century to recover the usage and legibility of these items. However, the results were not always satisfactory, and the “restoration” process further degraded the stability and longevity of the writing substrate, leading to gelatinization and further alteration of the fibral network of parchment. Advanced imaging, digitization, and modelling techniques and tools can help recover and “restore” virtually what physically may be difficult, impossible, or detrimental to the object. This paper reviews techniques and tools that can or have been applied to burnt parchment manuscripts, such as spectral imaging for the recovery of faded or obscured textual features, three-dimensional modelling and virtual flattening to improve legibility, and collation modelling tools to help reconstruct gathering structures.

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Estratto del testo

Questo documento sarà pubblicato online con testo integrale in agosto 2026.

Piano

1. Introduction
2. Enhancing text readability on fire-damaged parchments through Advanced Imaging Technologies
3. Beyond textual features: gathering structures and dismembered codices
4. Collaboration and synergy

Anteprima del testo

1. Introduction

Parchment, manufactured from animal skins (most commonly calf, sheep, or goat skin), has been extensively used for writing and recording information throughout history. While the use of animal skins as writing supports dates back millennia, parchment is distinguished by a unique physicochemical process that sets it apart from other materials, like leather. Its production involves a series of steps that transform the skin into a durable material that lasts for centuries under optimal conditions. By leveraging the inherent properties of animal skin, this process gives parchment a unique combination of reactivity and resilience to environmental stressors.

Animal skin consists of three primary layers: the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutaneous tissue. The epidermis, rich in keratin and forming the outermost layer, is removed in parchment preparation. The dermis beneath the epidermis is densely packed with collagen fibres and is critical in parchment production. It com...

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Notizia bibliografica

Alberto Campagnolo, «Material matters. A review of imaging and modelling techniques for fire-damaged parchment manuscripts»Studi Francesi, 206 (LXIX | II) | 2025, 322-334.

Notizia bibliografica digitale

Alberto Campagnolo, «Material matters. A review of imaging and modelling techniques for fire-damaged parchment manuscripts»Studi Francesi [Online], 206 (LXIX | II) | 2025, online dal 01 agosto 2026, consultato il 15 marzo 2026. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/studifrancesi/65326; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/15gi4

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Autore

Alberto Campagnolo

Ku Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)

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Diritti d'autore

CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

The text only may be used under licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. All other elements (illustrations, imported files) may be subject to specific use terms.

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