Page - 49 - in The Vienna Genesis - Material analysis and conservation of a Late Antique illuminated manuscript on purple parchment
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Jiří Vnouček, Sarah Fiddyment, Abigail Quandt, Sophie Rabitsch, Matthew Collins, Christa Hofmann 49
Another problem is the uneven transparency of some of the folios of the Vienna Gen-
esis. In the course of ageing the surface of thin sheep parchment, as well as other types of
parchment, has a tendency to become gelatinized and transparent, especially when it is
exposed to liquid water or high humidity. An initial change must have happened when the
dry parchment was dyed with the liquid purple solution. A certain amount of transpar-
ency occurs even if the sheet is immediately re-stretched after colouring. This is one of the
typical characteristics of purple parchment31. Nevertheless, the degree of transparency and
gelatinization of the parchment bifolios of the Vienna Genesis was made worse by later
alterations, which occurred during the long history of the manuscript. The manuscript was
probably exposed to high humidity or even liquid water as well as to chloride compounds.
X-ray diffraction analysis (XRF) detected chloride in the parchment, see chapter on silver
inks.
Fibres that are raised during the cleaning of the flesh side of the parchment create a
specific texture, which is more visible on the coloured parchment (Fig. 10). The flesh side
of sheep parchment dyed purple can have this appearance. The gradual gelatinization and
increase in transparency of the parchment, either through natural ageing or restoration
treatments, make it difficult to determine whether the fibrous texture is located on the
flesh or the hair side. Evidence of the re-stretching of the parchment after the application
of the purple dye is found on certain folios of the Vienna Genesis. The margins of some
of the formerly conjoint bifolios show traces of tension lines created during the process
of secondary stretching and drying of the parchment sheet after application of the purple
dye. These tension lines have a U-shaped appearance similar to the edges of fabric curtains
when they are hung (Fig. 11). There are variations in the intensity of the purple colour on
the margins, with repeating U-shaped patterns close to the edges. Stretching after dyeing
31 This effect is especially noticeable in the case of purple-dyed calf parchment, which is much thi-
cker.
Fig. 9: Comparison of the current condition of the original hole in the parchment (folio 11, page 22;
left) with the 1895 facsimile (right).
Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0
The Vienna Genesis
Material analysis and conservation of a Late Antique illuminated manuscript on purple parchment
- Title
- The Vienna Genesis
- Subtitle
- Material analysis and conservation of a Late Antique illuminated manuscript on purple parchment
- Editor
- Christa Hofmann
- Publisher
- Böhlau Verlag
- Location
- Wien
- Date
- 2020
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-3-205-21058-0
- Size
- 17.3 x 24.5 cm
- Pages
- 348