Page - 201 - in The Vienna Genesis - Material analysis and conservation of a Late Antique illuminated manuscript on purple parchment

The miniatures of the Vienna Genesis: colour identification and painters’ palettes Christa Hofmann, Sophie Rabitsch, Antonia Malissa, Maurizio Aceto, Katharina Uhlir, Mar- tina Griesser, Elisa Calà, Angelo Agostino, Gaia Fenoglio Introduction The Vienna Genesis is famous for the 48 miniatures, which illustrate the text of the book of Genesis. The paintings are considered the richest cycle of book illuminations from Late Antiquity. Various aspects of these miniatures have been the research focus of numerous scholars over centuries. One question that has been ardently debated for over 100 years is how many painters worked on the illustrations. It is obvious that not only one artist de- signed and painted the miniatures. So far, the painters have been differentiated by their style and their iconography. The colours used by the artists have not been investigated, therefore the aim of this project was to identify pigments and dyes as well as to differentiate palettes of individual painters. A combination of methods was employed to gain better understanding of the art technology. Based on the latest research and theory on painters by Barbara Zim- mermann1 and visual observation of the paintings, seven painters were identified (painters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G). Representative measurement points in the main colours were selected for each painter. The measurement points were analysed by micro-X-ray fluorescence spec- troscopy (µ-XRF) and by UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry with optic fibres (FORS). Spectrofluorimetry and optical microscopy were used to obtain additional information. Loose paint particles that could no longer be assigned to definite locations were used as micro-samples for further studies with Raman spectroscopy, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray detection (SEM/EDX). The analytical results were compared with microscopic examination of the measuring points using 6.3x–32x magnification. Observations of the miniatures under visible light and ultraviolet light (UV) as well as on infrared reflectography (IRR) images completed the interpretation of the painting techniques. In discussion with all partners, a suggestion for the colours used by seven different painters was formulated. Not all pigments and dyes could be clearly identified. Despite open questions it is possible to distinguish dif- ferences between painters namely in the use of blue, green and black colours. 1 Zimmermann, 2003. Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0