A codicological study on the L'Isle Adam illuminated graduals: manufacture, condition and proposals for conservation treatment

The subject of this research is on a collection of ten illuminated graduals that were commissioned by Grand Master L'Isle Adam (1421-1534) for the Order of the Knights of St John in Malta. The manuscripts which date from 1533 are housed in the Museum of St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta. Due to liturgical reforms which followed the Council of Trent (1545-63), the manuscripts were revised, amended and in some cases even rebound. The objective of this thesis is to carry out a codicological study and condition assessment of this collection of manuscripts. It focuses on the 'archaeological' nature of the books and looks into the technical and historical data of the collection such as the manufacture of the leaves, the sewing structures, the construction of the boards and covers, and the decorative schemes involved in the illumination of the leaves. This research exercise also aims to look at the present condition of the manuscripts and proposes methods for their conservation treatment, preservation, display and storage. For the purpose of this study a specially designed database together with a survey methodology was created. Scientific analyses for identification of some of the materials have been carried out and pre-treatment testing on materials such as iron gall inks, pigments and paper, among others, have also been conducted. Historical observations and parallels with other contemporary manuscripts were also made. Photographs, drawings and measurements of features of interest to this study were taken. Since the information on the codicological nature of these choral books is rather scant, the thesis aims to make a contribution to the knowledge of this collection of manuscripts and instigate further similar study on the history of liturgical manuscripts in Malta. By the end of this research project it is hoped that a clearer picture of the structure of the mass and the changes that took place with the Tridentine Reforms will be identified and better understood. Moreover this study aims to create more awareness of the relevance that this collection has to St John's Co-Cathedral, to its preservation, and that of similar manuscript collections in Malta