Historical Type in the Collection of the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp from a Metal Conservator's Point of View

Historical lead-based type used in book printing from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries exhibits significant corrosion, particularly when composed of high antimony and low tin levels. This finding stems from a study comparing contemporary knowledge on type alloying with analytical research on a selection of historical type from the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp. The research reveals that such type compositions are highly susceptible to environmental degradation, necessitating careful preservation under controlled conditions to mitigate further corrosion.

Storme, P. (2016). Historical Type in the Collection of the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp from a Metal Conservator’s Point of View. TMG Journal for Media History, 19(2), 1. https://doi.org/10.18146/2213-7653.2016.265