In the Central Museum Laboratory, Amsterdam, decisions on the restoration reconstruction of leather items are made collectively by an ethnographer/anthropologist, a chemist and restorers, on the basis of work proposals put forward by the restorers. Before this, the item has been fumigated (ethylene oxide/autoclave), photographed (b/w, colour, infrared, ultraviolet, and/or x-ray), drawing, description and measurement of object then follow, together with basic chemical tests: pH, fat content, moisture retention, possibly also sulphate determination. Case histories of restoration treatment of the following items are provided: tellem leather of 14th and 15th centuries from Mali in Central Africa; Dutch (?) leather casket of c. 1500; portfolio stand, designed by C.H. Lion Cachet in 1895 (a composite item); Ethiopian 15th century parchment prayer rolls; Venetian 16th century leather parade shield; chinoiserie screen of 1900. An appendix contains recipes/addresses for the materials used during restoration.