LEATHER CONSERVATION FOR TODAY ICOM-
THIRTEENTH INTERIM MEETING OF THE LEATHER & RELATED MATERIALS WORKING GROUP 30 AND 31 OCTOBER 2025 DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY, LEICESTER, UK
ICOM- CC
This programme for the 13th ICOM-CC Leather and Related Materials Interim Meeting, 2025, was produced in partnership with ICOM-CC, DMU Museum and Leicester City Council.
Copyright © 2025 ICOM-CC.
All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced without the author’s permission.
The imagery for this publication was provided by Paul Read Photography and was designed by the DMU Museum. Printed and bound by DMU Print Services.
WELCOME
Welcome to the 13th Interim Meeting of the Leather and Related Materials Group of the International Council of Museums - Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC).
This group brings together an international cohort of conservation professionals from a wide range of disciplines, working with diverse collections that include fine and decorative arts, natural history, world cultures, fashion, books, and archives.
We meet every three years to share and disseminate research and developments that advance the conservation and care of objects made from leather, skin, and related materials.
This year, the interim meeting is being held in the United Kingdom for the first time in many decades, thanks to the generous offer of De Montfort University to host and assist in organising the conference. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the De Montfort University campus, as well as the many historic and cultural sites throughout Leicester.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Leather Conservation for Today” . We encouraged the submission of posters and papers focusing on modern leather objects and treatments that employ new materials or innovative techniques.
We are delighted to present a programme that includes case studies
on the conservation of 20th century leather objects, novel analytical approaches, newly developed repair materials, and inventive treatment methodologies - some specifically designed for modern, mineral-tanned leathers.
The programme also features compelling presentations on historic leathers and leather objects. We are thrilled to share this exciting range of research and practice with you.
ICOM-CC LEATHER & RELATED MATERIALS COMMITTEE
Rosie Bolton, Working Group Coordinator
Marina Kastan, Assistant Coordinator
Eloy Koldeweij, Assistant Coordinator
Daniëlle Stobbe, Assistant Coordinator
Theo Sturge, Assistant Coordinator
ICOM- CC
ICOM international council of museums – committee for conser vation
LEATHER AND RELATED MATERIALS 13TH INTERIM MEETING
Thursday 30 October
PRESENTATION SCHEDULE
The conference theme, “Leather Conservation for Today,” highlights current challenges and emerging directions in the conservation of leather and related materials.
This year’s presentations and posters showcase innovative treatments, analytical approaches, and new materials, alongside discussions on education, repair methodologies, and art historical perspectives.
09:30 - 12:00 REGISTRATION
Trinity House Chapel, The Newarke, LE2 7BY
10:30 - 11:45 POSTER SESSION
The Grand Jury Room, Leicester Castle Great Hall, Castle View, LE1 5WH
12:00 - 12:45 LUNCH
Trinity House Chapel, The Newarke, LE2 7BY
12:50 - 13:00 WELCOME MESSAGE
An address by Rosie Bolton in The Civil Court Room, Leicester Castle Great Hall, Castle View, LE1 5WH
13:00 - 13:30
OH BABY!: THE TREATMENT OF AN EARLY 20TH CENTURY AIRSHIP SKIN
Anna Robinson1, Geoffrey Major2
1. University of Lincoln, UK
2. Zenzie Tinker Conservation, UK
13:30 - 14:00 ON SKINS OF INSTRUMENTS: CONSERVATION OF OBJECTS FROM THE MUSIC NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PORTUGAL
Lina Falcão, Margarida Cavaco, Diogo Sanches, Ana Machado, Luís Piorro
José de Figueiredo Laboratory (LJF) of Museums and Monuments of Portugal (MMP),Portugal
14:00 - 14:30 THE USE OF CUTTING MACHINE AND SULFUR-FREE CONSERVATION LEATHER FOR THE RESTORATION OF LACUNAE ON GILT LEATHER
Céline Bonnot-Diconne1, Pablo Londero2, Jérôme Farigoule2, - Elsa Bourguignon2, Georgina Garrett2
1. 2CRC, France
2. Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, UAE
14:30 - 15:00 REMOVAL OF NITROCELLULOSE METALLIC COATING FROM GILT LEATHER: DEVELOPMENT OF A SEMISELECTIVE PICKERING EMULSION METHOD
Océane da Silva Henriques
Haute École Arc in conservation-restoration, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
15:00 - 15:30
REFRESHMENT BREAK
The Civil Court Room, Leicester Castle Great Hall, Castle View, LE1 5WH
Trinity Houses Chapel, The Newarke, LE2 7BY
15:30 - 16:00
16:00 - 16:30
THE INTERNATIONAL REVIVAL OF GILT LEATHER
Eloy Koldeweij
Cultural Heritage Agency, The Netherlands
REINVENTING GILT LEATHER IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY INTERIOR IN BRITAIN
Clare Taylor
The Open University, UK
16:30 - 17:00
‘GILT LEATHER, MADE IN THE OLD WAY’. THE WORK OF JAN MENSING, A TALENTED DUTCH 20TH CENTURY ARTISAN
Eloy Koldeweij1, Daniëlle Stobbe2
1. Cultural Heritage Agency, the Netherlands
2. Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg, The Netherlands
17:00 - 17:15 BREAK
17:15 - 17:45
MULTI-TECHNIQUE ANALYSIS OF THE GREEN PIGMENTCOATED LEATHER FROM ROYAL PEKING OPERA BOOTS OF THE QING DYNASTY IN THE PALACE MUSEUM
Li Zhao
Conservation Science Department, The Palace Museum, Beijing, China
17:45 - 18:15
RESEARCH ON THE PRESERVATION AND INNOVATION OF CHINESE LEATHER CRAFTSMANSHIP: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Miao Wang, Robert Chen, Carolyn Hardaker, Ruth Jindal
De Montfort University, Leicester, UK
19:00 - LATE
EVENING SOCIAL
Jewry Wall Museum, St Nicholas Circle, LE1 4LB
ICOM- CC
international council of museums – committee for conser vation
LEATHER AND RELATED MATERIALS
13TH INTERIM MEETING
Friday 31 October
12:00 - 12:45 LUNCH
Trinity House Chapel, The Newarke, LE2 7BY
13:00 - 13:30
EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ALUM-TAWED PARCHMENT AS A REPAIR MATERIAL FOR BINDINGS AND MANUSCRIPTS
Gwen dePolo1, Kathryn Kenney2, Jesse Meyer3, Kelli Stoneburner1, Eric Monroe1, Renate Mesmer2, Fenella France1
1. Preservation Research and Testing Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., USA
2. Conservation and Preservation Department, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C. USA
3. Pergamena, Montgomery, NY, USA
13:30 - 14:00
ANCIENT CRAFT MEETS CONSERVATION SCIENCE: DEVELOPING AN IMPROVED FISH PARCHMENT MAKING PROCESS FOR A NEW CONSERVATION REPAIR MATERIAL
Aurelia Sedlmair
West Dean College
14:00 - 14:30
14:30 - 15:00
FILLING THE GAP: NEW MATERIALS FOR LEATHER REPAIRS
Daniëlle Stobbe
Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg
REFRESHMENT BREAK
The Civil Court Room, Leicester Castle Great Hall, Castle View, LE1 5WH
15:00 - 15:30
THE GREENBOOK PROJECT: ECO-FRIENDLY BIOLEATHER FOR BOOK CONSERVATION
Elodie Lévêque1, Theanne Schiros2 ,Romare Antrobus2, Elias
Dolton-Thornton2, Simon Raffin1, Anne-Laurence Dupont3, Laurianne Robinet3, Sabrina Paris3
1. Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, France
2. Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC, USA,
3. CRC, MNHN, Paris, France
15:30 - 16:00
INTRODUCTION TO ANALYSIS OF DETERIORATED VEGETABLE TANNED LEATHER BASED ON CHANGES IN THE MORPHOLOGY OF FIBRES IN WET CONDITION
René Larsen1, Dorte V.P. Sommer1, Kathleen Mühlen Axelsson2
1. Conservation Zealand - Knowledge Center for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, Denmark
2. Lund University Library, Lund University, Sweden
16:00 - 16:30
CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHY OF VEGETABLE TANNED LEATHER TREATED WITH NANOBASED PREPARATIONS
M.Odlyha1, E.Badea2,3, C.Pearce1, G. Burca4, C. Carsote5, N.Proietti6 ,V. Di Tullio6 and L.Bozec7
1. School of Natural Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, United Kingdom
2. University of Craiova, Romania
3. The Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
4. Diamond Light Source Ltd, United Kingdom
5. National Museum of Romanian History, Romania
6. Institute of Heritage Science (ISPC), The National Research Council (CNR), Italy
7. University of Toronto, Canada
16:30 - 16:45 BREAK
16:45 - 17:15
STUDY ON COLLAGEN/EPICATECHIN COMPOSITES FOR REINFORCING AND PROTECTING LEATHER HERITAGE
Qijue Chen1,2, Fang Wang1, Jie Liua2, Yong Lei3, Jie Liu1,2, Keyong Tang1,2
1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, China
2. Archeology Innovation Center, Zhengzhou University, China
3. Palace Museum, Beijing China
17:15 - 17:45
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FILLERS FOR THE CONSERVATION TREATMENT OF CHROME-TANNED LEATHER
Minseo Kim
Department of Cultural Properties, The Graduate School of Chung-Ang University, South Korea
18:00 - 20:30 EVENING DRINKS RECEPTION
Leicester Castle Great Hall
LEATHER CONSERVATION CENTRE
Founded in 1978, the Leather Conservation Centre (LCC) is dedicated to preserving and understanding objects made from leather, skin, and other animal materials. The centre combines practical conservation with research and education, ensuring that both the artefacts and the expertise required to care for them endure for the future.
Now based in Leicester, the LCC operates from Canopy, a new creative and heritage workspace on King Street developed by LCB Depot. Its studio is equipped for the conservation of a wide range of historic
objects from fine bindings and garments to furniture and ceremonial artefacts, serving clients from museums, archives, and private collections across the UK and worldwide.
Alongside its conservation practice, the LCC undertakes teaching, consultancy, and collaborative research, contributing to the advancement of conservation methods and the safeguarding of traditional craft skills. Bridging the heritage and leather industries, the centre continues to play a vital role in preserving both the material record of the past and the knowledge that sustains it.
DMU HISTORIC CAMPUS
Situated within De Montfort University’s modern campus are two exceptional historic sites that once formed the heart of medieval Leicester - the Castle Grounds and the Newarke Precinct.
Leicester Castle, established shortly after the Norman Conquest around 1068, served as a significant defensive and administrative stronghold. It was home to the powerful Earls of Leicester and Dukes of Lancaster, whose influence was recognised throughout England.
The Great Hall was at the centre of the castle complex, hosting royal banquets, civic assemblies and many notable names over the centuries, including King
Richard III and Geoffry Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales. Known across Europe for its grandeur, it earned the title “The Palace of the Midlands”
The Great Hall hosted sessions of Parliament on three occasions during the 14th and 15th centuries and also functioned as a court of law for over 800 years. It remains one of the oldest surviving timber-framed halls in England and is believed to be among the longestserving courthouses in the country.
Adjoining the Castle Grounds lies the Newarke Precinct, established in 1330 century by Henry of Lancaster as a collegiate religious quarter.
Within its walls stood Trinity Hospital, established to provide care for the poor and infirm of Leicester, alongside a church and residences for canons and deans. It also became a notable site of pilgrimage, as it was reputed to house a relic believed to be part of the Crown of Thorns.
During the later medieval period, the Newarke also accommodated a farm, mill, workshops, and small trades such as a tannery, reflecting Leicester’s early association with leather production.
Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1547, the college was closed and its lands were sold, with fine residences replacing many of the
original structures. By the 19th century, industrial development throughout the city transformed the precinct.
In 1897, the Leicester School of Art, a predecessor of De Montfort University, acquired one of the historic properties within the precinct becoming the latest resident of the Newarke. The institution has remained on site ever since, continuing a legacy that aims to connect heritage with innovation.
Postcard reconstructing The Newarke and Castle precincts, with the Church of the Annunciation on the right | ©DMU Special Collections
Canopy
42 Duke Street
Leicester, LE1 6WA, UK
T: 07831022439
E: info@leatherconservation.org
W: leatherconservation.org
Hawthorn Building 00.34
The Gateway Leicester LE1 9BH, UK
T: +44 (0)116 207 8729
E: museum@dmu.ac.uk
W: dmu.ac.uk/museum