Page - 243 - in The Vienna Genesis - Material analysis and conservation of a Late Antique illuminated manuscript on purple parchment

Hofmann, Rabitsch, Malissa, Aceto, Uhlir, Griesser, Calà, Agostino, Fenoglio 243 Violet Red lead with ultramarine blue; Elderberry lake with ultramarine blue Ultramarine blue, azurite, ultramarine/ Egyptian blue or ultramarine blue/azurite with madder and lead white Purple Orchil Orchil Orchil Yellow Yellow ochre (Goethite); orpiment Yellow ochre Yellow ochre, orpiment Brown Yellow ochre with ultra- marine blue and carbon black Yellow ochre Ochres Black Carbon black Carbon black Carbon black, iron gall ink White Lead white Lead white Lead white Gold Gold Gold Gold The pigments, dyes and inks on the Codex Rossanensis were analysed by Raman spec- troscopy, XRF and Micro-FTIR. The results are summarised in Table 3. The inks were identified as metallic silver inks. The colours were directly painted onto the parchment, no preparatory layers were found. The white pigment was identified as lead white. As in the Vienna Genesis lead white was used in mixtures with other colours. Carbon black was used as black pigment and to obtain darker hues of brown, violet and grey colours. Green colours are a mixture of yellow ochre (goethite) with either ultramarine blue or indigo. On pages 3 and 241, a particular green was identified as a mixture of orpiment and indigo. The presence of gold was confirmed by XRF. Red lead was used as red pigment. On page 241, cinnabar was employed to write the name of the evangelist Mark. Orange tones are a mixture of red lead and yellow ochre (goethite). Pink colours consist of red lead and lead white. Violet parts were painted with red lead, ultramarine blue and sometimes carbon black. A brown-violet tone was obtained by mixing yellow ochre (goethite) with carbon black und ultramarine blue. The Raman spectra of red-mauve areas corresponded well with the spectra of elderberry lake prepared in the laboratory. The investigation showed that the same palette was used throughout the entire codex33. The Codex Sinopensis has been preserved at the French National Library since 1901. The sheep parchment is very smooth and thin, similar to that of the Vienna Genesis. The Greek text was written with gold inks on purple parchment. The miniatures seem to be painted directly on the parchment. The five folios with miniatures are stored in window 33 Bicchieri, 2014. Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0