History of Palimpsest Photography in the Vatican Library

Abstract

This paper focuses on the nearly 200-year history of reproduction and imaging of the famous correspondence of Fronto, transmitted in a palimpsest from the Abbey of Bobbio the pages of which are now kept in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana (Milan) and in the Vatican Library. In addition to the general difficulty in accessing an undertext, these pages present different problems that compromise the reading of Fronto. The application of chemical reagents and gelatin has left organic and inorganic material on the parchment. Together with the effects of humidity and changes in temperature, these make photographic recovery a special challenge. The ways and means for creating and processing reproductions and images of this palimpsest text, from the time of Angelo Mai to modern photography and digital images, will be illustrated.