The Museum of Leathercraft houses a large selection of leather objects, which provides a significant, but currently under-exploited, resource relating the manufacture of the leather to the craftsmanship and use of objects framed in an historical context. We are seeking a self-funded PhD student to undertake a multidisciplinary project combining scientific analysis and the leathermaking craftsmanship of the Museum’s collections, co-supervised by Dr Fiona Brock (Reader in Analytical & Archaeological Science, Cranfield Forensic Institute) and Dr Graham Lampard (Curatorial Assistant, Museum of Leathercraft). This PhD project aims to combine scientific analysis and the leathermaking craftsmanship of the Museum’s collections through the prism of 40 caskets. These come from different countries (including the UK, the Low Countries and Italy), span the 12th to the 19th centuries, and are of varying sizes, designs and construction. The project will investigate: how the caskets were constructed (including materials, construction techniques and repair);how the caskets were decorated, and what the decoration symbolised or recorded; the intended purpose of the caskets. Was their design and/or construction influenced by their function or vice versa?
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