The lecture will focus on manuscripts from Mamluk Egypt, from North Africa and from al-Andalus, and will examine the metals and pigments and dyes used to paint their images and to write on the page. A selection of these materials will be on display to be examined by those attending the lecture.
Islamic manuscripts have been studied by scholars and art lovers, to know what is written and to appreciate the paintings.  A relatively new way of studying these books examines how they were actually constructed: what they were made from and what technical knowledge was involved in their making. A study of these aspects of books tells us about technological developments in medieval times, about contemporary chemistry as well as trade patterns and intellectual exchange over great distances.
Cheryl Porter is the director of the Montefiascone Conservation Programme in Italy. This is an international summer school, where masters in the field teach the conservation and history of manuscripts and rare books. Collections Management Consultant for a number of collections of manuscripts and rare books in Egypt, Libya and Europe. She is also a researcher and lecturer in the history of colour and artists' techniques. Currently she is writing a handbook on the history of colour and the technique of its application in manuscript painting. Cheryl has lectured widely in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, and throughout Europe.