Page - 204 - in The Vienna Genesis - Material analysis and conservation of a Late Antique illuminated manuscript on purple parchment

204 The miniatures of the Vienna Genesis: colour identification and painters’ palettes Author, Date Painters Folios (f) and pages (p) F f 23–24 (p 45–48) Genesis-project, 2017 A f 1–8 (p 1–16) B f 9–10 (p 17–20) C f 11–14 (p 21–28) D f 15–16 (p 29–32) E f 17–18 (p 33–36) F f 19–22 (p 37–44) G f 23–24 (p 45–48) Methods for colour identification For the present study, Zimmermann’s theory on six painters served as benchmark for the selection of representative measurement points to define the palettes of painters. It is as- sumed that the miniatures of one bifolio were done by one painter, see scheme of bifolios in the chapter on parchment. Technological observations indicate that the folios 11–14 (pages 21–28) could have been executed by a seventh artist. Folios 11 and 14 formed a bifolio as well as folios 12 and 13. These two bifolios were part of one quire. The initial measurements by Maurizio Aceto in 2014 called for the necessity of opening the polyacry- late mounting sheets to obtain reliable results. As a pre-condition for further analysis the mounting was opened, see the chapter on conservation. First conservation treatments were done to make the investigations possible. In general, the condition of the paint layers was stable. Losses have occurred due to abrasion of colours, deformation of the parchment, possible high humidity and use. Most losses can be seen on areas painted in lead white or with mixtures of lead white. The points for the investigations with µ-XRF, FORS and vis- ual observation were marked on printouts and digital images of each miniature. The aim was to identify the pigments and dyes of the main palette for each painter. The different investigations were compared with one another. First, a survey was performed with FORS and µ-XRF on a large number of measurement points. Then a selection of points was chosen for spectrofluorimetric analysis, in order to gain complementary information on the organic dyes. All measurement points were investigated under a stereo microscope and compared with the other paint layers on the same miniatures. All techniques applied were performed non-invasively, without touching the surface of the manuscript. Finally, Raman spectroscopy, SERS and SEM/EDX analyses were carried out on loose micro-particles that could not be relocated. Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0