Techniques for Filling Losses in Palm Leaf Manuscripts

Abstract Palm leaf manuscripts may suffer from various types of damage, one of the most common types being areas of loss caused by insects or mechanical force. The conservation community has not yet found convincing methods and materials for filling areas of loss in palm leaves, and there is a lack of research on the long-term behaviour of such infills. With this publication we would like to contribute to the understanding of infill materials and their effects on palm leaf objects. Pulp made from mulberry bark paper, from palm leaf, and mixed pulp were used to fill small holes, and pieces of palm leaves were used to repair large missing parts. Our results indicate that the best way to repair small holes is to use mixed pulp. Both overlapping and insert repair techniques could be used for large missing areas. With these conservation techniques, the mechanical strength of the samples could be improved while obtaining a satisfactory visual appearance. The infills exhibited varying levels of stability during artificial aging tests. This study was the first attempt to get an overview over the properties of above-mentioned materials and conservation techniques which are in accordance with the principles of reversibility and minimal intervention. A better understanding of the applicability and behaviour of loss repair techniques and materials is essential for the long-term preservation of palm leaf manuscripts and will assist collections in preservation efforts.