Cheryl Porter
Cheryl Porter is Director of the Montefiascone Project Summer School in Italy.
She was Head of Conservation and Deputy Director of the Thesaurus Islamic Foundation and National Library of Egypt Islamic manuscript conservation project. Her speciality is the history of colours used to paint in manuscripts – Islamic, Western and Hebrew. She has taught workshops and lectured in the UK, throughout Europe, the Middle East, the USA, and Australia. She has published extensively on topics such as conservation science, manuscript conservation and the history of colour.
She is a Professional Associate in the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.
How did you first hear of the Society?
I knew of the Society for some time and had visited the previous premises, but didn’t join until its relocation to Stephenson Way in 2006.
What encouraged you to join?
I joined in order to have access to the library and its extraordinary manuscript collections.
What would you say are the benefits of being a fellow of the RAS?
The main benefits for me are access to the RAS library collections, but equally useful are the lectures, which are now much more accessible with digital facilities so I can listen to them from wherever I am, or find them on the Society’s website. The RAS has always been very generous in allowing me to use images from their collections for my lectures and publications.
What is your favourite item from the RAS collections?
The manuscripts, especially the Persian and South Asian.