Brian Davies (20 Nov 2014)
Making and Colouring the Medieval Book...
is an illustrated talk about the materials and methods used in the production of medieval books. Parchment and paper are both considered, as is the development of inks used for writing the text. The talk describes the richly coloured decoration of many of these books; evidence is presented, both from medieval writings and from modern chemical analysis, of the pigments and techniques that were used, and some of the problems facing the conservator are considered.
Dr Brian H. Davies, BSc PhD CChem FRSC
Brian Davies, a retired senior lecturer in biochemistry from Aberystwyth University, spent 35 years teaching biochemistry and analytical chemistry and researching pigments in plants, animals and microorganisms. After retirement, he established the Science for Archivists component of the postgraduate Archive Administration course at Aberystwyth, and became an assessor for the conservator and conservation instructor accreditations of the Archives and Records Association. He lectures widely, in the UK and abroad, on the historical and chemical aspects of the uses of dyes and pigments. The medieval illuminated manuscript is of particular interest.
(Details extracted from a previous talk given by Dr Davies)