Safavid
Book Cover
The British Museum, London, UK
This iron object (1883,1108.001) is either a 17th century Armenian cover for a Gospel book or a plaque, hereafter referred to as the "book cover." The decorative elements were chased into the surface of the book cover and gold and silver wires were hammered into place to create contrasting decorations. The iron may originally have been patinated to provide contrast with the silver wire. The book cover depicts the crucifixion, with apostles, cypress trees, the sun, and the moon surrounding Jesus.
Because so little is known about this book cover and its iconography, we decided not to clean the surface. Instead, I undertook a "digital conservation project" to restore the object's original appearance using Adobe Photoshop.
Scientific Analysis
British Museum scientist, Dr Harriet White, who specializes in metallurgy analyzed the book cover with X-ray Fluorescence (XRF). White found very pure amounts of silver and gold in the wire inlays. The pins around the edge of the book cover turned out to be brass.
Dr Joanne Dyer analyzed a sample from the surface of the book with Fourier-transfer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to determine if it had been coated with a resin. None was detected. Instead, the surface was covered with amorphous carbon, possibly from being in a fire.
Condition Issues
The iron had warped overall and cracked in an area in the center of the proper right edge. This was repaired historically with a tin-lead solder, which had failed (identified by Dr. Harriet White, XRF).
Areas of iron are rusted or abraded and have been lost. Paper fibres are adhered to the surface in various areas, pointing to its use as a book cover.
Much of the gold and silver wire has been lost, leaving chased lines in the iron to show the original decoration.
Mapping Missing Areas (red)
Digital reconstruction
