Antique books, drawings and maps restoration workshop

The restoration of books, old maps and drawings is very important for the protection and preservation "of our memory" and of our artistic heritage.

Restoration certainly comes from the need to keep the great value of the contents of manuscripts, cards and drawings alive. Initially interventions were empirical and not very frequent, because the parchments were very strong and lasted a long time. Furthermore, if the piece was badly damaged, it was better to make a copy rather than restore the original one. The approach to this art began to change in the Renaissance, with the philological rediscovery of ancient texts.

From the eighteenth century onwards, with the development of chemistry and a large number of secret recipes, new intervention techniques were defined. Removing stains from the paper and brightening the inks was typical of that period. But for the concept of real restoration, we must wait for more modern times. Parts of missing text are no longer rewritten or ruined antique covers are not replaced by new ones. Antique books are no longer considered only as holders of written messages but also as artefacts, the product of an artisan culture, an industry that also includes book binding, filigree, engraving, print, papermaking, collating and the tools used.