Technical analysis of illuminated manuscripts from the Library at the University of Valencia, spain

Viñas, Salvador Muñoz; Farrell, Eugene

doi:10.1179/sic.1992.37.1.99

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Fortunately, many of these manuscripts have reached us in excellent conditions, and more importantly, most probably almost without restorations. Therefore, they constitute a unique opportunity to unveil the materials and techniques used in the past for colour production [2,3]. Furthermore, the knowledge gained may be used in the future to a better conservation of this illuminated heritage.…”

Section: Research Aimmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study on Portuguese manuscript illumination: The Charter of Vila Flor (Flower town), 1512

Moura¹,

Melo²,

Casanova³

et al. 2007

Journal of Cultural Heritage

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Section: Research Aimmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study on Portuguese manuscript illumination: The Charter of Vila Flor (Flower town), 1512

Moura¹,

Melo²,

Casanova³

et al. 2007

Journal of Cultural Heritage

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“…The palette of the Book of Hours Cofre n.º 31 is in accordance with the studies carried out on illuminated manuscripts of the period [18,23,29]. Figure 13 shows a chart of the pigments and additives identified, along with examples of their application.…”

Section: Additivesmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Three measures were taken in each colour area to assure a representative result, and ten to seventy points were analysed in each illumination, according to their size. For most of the pigments, the μ-EDXRF, μ-Raman and FORS allowed an unequivocal characterization and, when necessary, FORS and µ-FTIR were used, as in the case of lakes, its organic additives and binders [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Equipment details can be found at the Methods section.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It occurs also in some small orange and pink flowers (constructed with minium and organic lakes, respectively). This is a continual problem in illuminated manuscripts [18,[33][34][35][36][37], and it is likely due to the poor adhesion of the paint layer to the support and loss of cohesion among its particles, as already indicated in studies of three other Books of Hours of [22,23]. It is pointed out by some authors that the grain size of the pigments and the low proportion of binder are the main causes for this phenomenon, especially in azurite, whose larger size is caused by the different methods of grinding the mineral [38].…”

Section: Detachmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Its oxidation lead to the transformation of metallic shine into a dark and dull colour, changing considerably its original appearance and the reading that is made out of the image [18,23], namely the windows of The Annunciation (f.25r, Fig. 2a).…”

Section: Oxidationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Colour identification, degradation processes and findings in a fifteenth-century Book of Hours: the case study of Cofre n.º 31 from Mafra National Palace

et al. 2018

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This paper presents the work done as part of a master dissertation on Conservation and Restoration at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Nova University of Lisbon. The "Cofre n.º 31" is a French fifteenth century Book of Hours from the Library of the National Palace of Mafra, Portugal. This prayer book, composed by illuminations and devotional texts, was in bad condition due mainly to the rebinding done between eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. According to the assessment of the state of conservation, the main damages observed in the text block and binding were: volume distortion, loose and deformed gatherings, distortion and cockling of folios, and damages in the illuminations. The pigments palette was identified by µ-EDXRF, FORS, µ-Raman and µ-FTIR, which is consistent with the materials used in the fifteenth century. Nevertheless, some particular application techniques such as mixtures and overlays were found, namely in the red colours and specifically in the metallic leaves. Some of these colours also show specific degradation: darkening of the mixture of minium and vermillion; silver tarnishing with strong migration into the parchment support, especially when associated with minium; detachment of azurite, lead white and its mixtures, such as flesh tones and light colours. The main deterioration processes associated to silver and pigments can be assigned to their reactions with humidity and air pollutants, to the grain size of the pigments and to mechanical factors related to the book binding and its use. The presence of different pigments application techniques in different groups of folios lead us to conclude for the existence of a pigments palette with variations, and finally, three different illuminators and two different techniques, confirming the proposals of art history studies.

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Between past and future: Advanced studies of ancient colours to safeguard cultural heritage and new sustainable applications

et al. 2023

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Technical analysis of illuminated manuscripts from the Library at the University of Valencia, spain

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

A study on Portuguese manuscript illumination: The Charter of Vila Flor (Flower town), 1512

A study on Portuguese manuscript illumination: The Charter of Vila Flor (Flower town), 1512

Colour identification, degradation processes and findings in a fifteenth-century Book of Hours: the case study of Cofre n.º 31 from Mafra National Palace

Between past and future: Advanced studies of ancient colours to safeguard cultural heritage and new sustainable applications

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