Posted on 12/21/2007 9:04:51 PM PST by Aristotelian
Leonardo Da Vinci's Codex Atlanticus, the largest collection of drawings and writings by the Renaissance master, is being destroyed by mould because of lack of restoration funds.
The mould has stained and damaged many of the 1,200 sheets in the codex, kept at the Ambrosian Library in Milan and bound in 12 volumes. The damage was discovered by Carmen Bambach, an American scholar from the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
She said that there were “a large number of stains” and “swellings” in the paper of the codex. She raised the alarm by informing Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi, then the head of the Ambrosian Library, now head of the pontifical Council for Culture at the Vatican.
Restorers were called in from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, the state conservation institute in Florence. However, since there was no funding available, four Florence restorers — Garbriele Coccolini, Cecilia Frosinini, Letizia Montalbano and Roberto Boddi — travelled to Milan at their own expense. Ms Frosinini said that they had carried out “minimum emergency restoration to try to limit the damage and prevent it getting worse”.
(Excerpt) Read more at entertainment.timesonline.co.uk ...
Wouldn’t simply controlling temperature and humidity where the item is stored prevent this?
That is what I was thinking....I guess they are too broke to pay for A/C?
Good Lord, this is why Britain will never give the Elgin marbles back to a third world backwater like Greece.
Italians should take note and be grateful that they've been left with sufficient stuff to keep their miserable little museum country open four days a week.
Hell I'm in a cranky mood...
Damn prostate must be acting up.
Damn prostate must be acting up.
No, it's the political season. It's got a lot of us a little testy.
General agreement with the rest of your point though.
With all the money floating around; I am sure they will some to restore these treasures.
How about mothballs?
Homeboy should comb them brows back it would look like a full head of hair.
Regards
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