Hide

Cowhide chair
MFA Acc. #: 1990.497

Description

The raw or dressed skin of a large animal such as an adult cow, horse, or Buffalo. A freshly slaughtered hide contains about 65% Water and 33% Protein (Kuhn 1986). Small amounts of other materials, such as fats, carbohydrates, and minerals, are also present. Tanning chemically changes the skin and makes it resistant to putrefaction. Hides are used for Leather and Glue production.

Oxskin drum
MFA Acc. #: 17.2196

Synonyms and Related Terms

skin; rawhide; piel (Esp.); couro (Port.); (dieren)huid, vel (Ned);

Resources and Citations

• Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hide (Accessed Nov. 9, 2005)