Investigating the Properties of Folded Parchment – A Preliminary Study

Abstract Parchment manuscripts form an important part of many historic collections. They are often found folded, with some displaying multiple fold patterns resulting from changing uses over their history. Parchment is a potentially fragile medium and folding can increase its susceptibility to damage, as well as hampering access and display. Treatment to address these issues may involve the relaxation of the folded structure, using humidification or a solvent such as propanol, and gentle pressing or stretching. However, this presents a dilemma – an inappropriately folded manuscript may be more prone to damage, but treatments require invasive interventions. This preliminary study has employed infrared spectroscopy and shrinkage temperature measurements to better understand the properties of folded parchment. It demonstrates that physicochemical changes can be detected at the fold and, to a lesser extent, in adjacent areas, compared to the bulk material, and that monitoring these changes allows the impact of different treatment methods to be assessed. This provides a basis for further research into the effect of both the original folding and of potential treatment methods, to inform conservation decisions and help ensure appropriate, effective, and sympathetic outcomes.