The Foundation’s Book and Archival Materials Conservation Laboratory took part, for the seventh consecutive time, in the celebration of the European Day of Cultural Heritage Conservation. On Sunday, 19 October 2025, visitors had the opportunity to meet with our conservator and discuss best practices in the care and management of an eighteenth-century manuscript: an anonymous Greek translation of the medical lexicon by the Italian pharmacist Giovanni Battista Capello, from the collection of Spyridon Loverdos.
What methodology does a paper conservator follow in order to conserve a manuscript? What information is recorded, and in what manner?
What criteria are used to form the most appropriate conservation treatment plan? What are the stages of its implementation?
The public had the unique opportunity to observe how all the technical information of an item is documented (construction materials, binding structure, condition, and damage), how a conservation treatment plan is drawn up, and ultimately the decisions a conservator is required to make in order to restore the material integrity of an item while respecting its core values (aesthetic, historical, artistic, etc.).
The event included a guided tour in the temporary book exhibition “30 years, 30 books. Tiny, mighty, precious, rare”, featuring selected rare editions from our collections.