Illuminated manuscripts

Plenary 18. Robin J FI Clark, e-mail address r.i.h.clark ucl.ac.uk (RS). Reports on recent diagnostic probing of art works ranging from illuminated manuscripts, paintings and pottery to papyri and icons. Nondestructive NIR microscopic RS is now realistic using CCD detection. Optimistic about new developments. 

The polysaccharides in gum arabic formed a medium used for illuminated manuscripts and inks (qv) as well as for painting. Gum is also the binder in watercolors. 

This chapter is a progress report on the analysis of particles taken from Byzantine illuminated manuscripts from the University of Chicago Library Special Collections. Because Byzantine manuscripts have, heretofore, never been analyzed chemically (9), this report is the result of initial inquiry into a large and complex subject. 

Faithful copying is essential to the storage of genetic information. With the precision of a diligent monk copying an illuminated manuscript, a DNA polymerase (below) copies DNA strands, preserving the precise sequence of bases with very few errors. [(Left) The Pierpont Morgan Library/ Art Resource.]... 

Figure 12. Background spectrum from MS3-36 adjacent to illuminated manuscript area. x-Ray energy mode note that the attenuation is 8 X greater than that used with iron (i.e., Hg is 8 X more sensitive than Fe).

There are many unanswered questions surrounding the provenance and antecedents of the beautiful illuminated manuscript in the Harley Collection of the British Library. (The title page is shown in Figure 5.)... 

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE first painting of the Splendor Solis, which is the frontispiece of the illuminated manuscript, informs us that this work does not concern itself with methods for the practical, concrete transformation of base metals into gold. For the author of the Splendor Solis, alchemy was a practice for the healing and transformation of the human soul. 

Note The text of the Splendor Solis is in German. The Julius Kohn translation of the Splendor Solis in the British Library, Harley 3469, was published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner 8c Co., in 1920. We have also indicated where, in the original illuminated manuscript, the plates appear in relation to the text. We have edited the translation and translated some Latin titles into English.]... 

The Splendor Solis images shown in Dr. Henderson s 1987 lecture are from the illuminated manuscript, Harley 3469, in the British Library, London. 

Peter Murray Jones, Medieval Medicine in Illuminated Manuscripts, London, British Library, 1998, p. 

Artists, however, were interested in nature, as shown by their sketch illuminated manuscripts. See Robert Bartlett (ed), Medieval Panorama,... 

Trismosin, S. Splendor Solis, illuminated manuscript, MS Germ. Fol. 42, Berlin, Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz, c. 1532-5. 

Grim, D.M., Allison, J. (2004) Laser desorption mass spectrometry as a tool for the analysis of colorants the identification of pigments used in illuminated manuscripts. 

Wouters, J., Gancedo, G., Peckstadt, A. and Watteeuw, L. (1990). The Codex Eyckensis, an illuminated manuscript on parchment from the 8th century AD. Laboratory investigation and removal of a 30 year old PVC lamination. In K. Grimstadt (ed.), 9th Triennial Meeting, Dresden Preprints (Vol. 1, pp. 495 99), International Council of Museums - Conservation Committee. 

A species of Calliandra C. gracilis Klotsch.) is Ustedby Wallert (1995c) as forming the basis of an organic blue colourant used for illuminating manuscripts in Mesoamerica. 

Banik (1989) observed this mineral on a sixteenth century illuminated manuscript, in association with pseudomalachite q.v). Magaloni (1996) has also identified chalconatronite on a wall painting at two Mayan sites. The synthetic analogue of this mineral - copper sodium carbonate, chalconatronite type (. v.) -was found by Scott (2002) to he formed by a Chinese recipe cited by Needham (1974). 

---