The conservation of Flateyjarbók

Flateyjarbók (Codex Flateyensis) is the largest of all Icelandic medieval manuscripts, 225 leaves and richly illuminated. It contains a collection of texts relating to the Norwegian realm: Sagas of the kings of Norway, Orkneyinga saga, Færeyinga saga, Grænlendinga saga, Eiríks saga víðförla and other tales, as well as genealogies, annals and some poetry. In a preface on fol. 1v it says that its owner is Jón Hákonarson (who was a rich farmer, living in Víðidalstunga in Northern Iceland) and that the book was made by two scribes, both clerics, Jón Þórðarson and Magnús Þórhallsson. Magnús was also responsible for the illuminations. The manuscript was written in Northern Iceland, possibly at the monastery in Þingeyrar, in the years 1387–94, except for leaves 188–210 which were added later, probably in the fifteenth century.Little is known about the early history of the manuscript, but by the late fifteenth century it seems to have passed into the hands of Þorleifur Björnsson hirðstjóri in the northwest of Iceland. It is certain that Þorleifur’s grandson, Jón Björnsson of Flatey, owned the book, and that he passed it on to his own grandson, Jón Finnsson, also of Flatey — hence the manuscript’s nickname. In 1647 Jón Finnsson gave the book to Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson of Skálholt who nine years later sent the book as a gift to King Frederik III of Denmark. The manuscript remained in the Royal Library in Copenhagen until 1971 when it became one of the first two manuscripts to be restored to Iceland as a result of the bilateral agreement between Denmark and Iceland which put an end to the so-called ‘manuscript dispute’.Flateyjarbók was rebound in the second half of the eighteenth century in two full-leather bindings, making its appearance similar to other books in the Royal collection. As no physical description of the manuscript exists before that time, it is a pertinent question whether the division of the book was made at the time of the rebinding or whether the manuscript was already in two volumes when it came to Copenhagen.A facsimile edition of the manuscript was produced in 1930. In preparation for the edition the manuscript was disbound and photographed. It was then rebound, using the eighteenth century leather bindings. In the course of the rebinding, a thick layer of animal glue was applied to the spine of both volumes. Subsequently, the glue penetrated into the spine folds of the parchment bifolia and has even affected marginalia notes and decorated initials. The dried glue started to split, causing damage to adjacent parchment folia and resulting in a limited opening of the volumes. To make Flateyjarbók accessible for research and exhibition and to preserve it for future generations, conservation was unavoidable.In this paper, conservators Vasarė Rastonis and Jiři Vnouček will describe the challenges the conservation of Flateyjarbók poses and the ways in which they were met, as well as discussing the question of how the manuscript should be rebound.