Seite - 126 - in The Vienna Genesis - Material analysis and conservation of a Late Antique illuminated manuscript on purple parchment

126 The silver inks of the Vienna Genesis vertical impressed lines between the pricking marks) are 297–300 mm in length (folio 4) and 209–210 mm in width (folio 5). The smallest measurements are 275–279 mm in length (folio 1) and 190–195 mm in width (folio 22). The actual size of the text block is often larger than marked before and can be up to 300 x 242 mm (folio 5). To determine the distance between the two text blocks of a bifolio, folio 20 and 21 were measured. The folios 20 and 21 originally formed a bifolio and still fit together on the inner margins. The distance between the two text blocks on the open bifolio (regarding the impressed vertical line) is 65 mm. The largest distances to the outer edges found are 48 mm (upper margin, folio 3, page 5), 50 mm (lower margin, folio 18, page 31) and 51 mm (outer margin, folio 14, page 27). Folio 2 seems to have an original edge on the upper right margin, the distance to the text is 42 mm (see Fig. 12 in the chapter on the parchment). The original size of the folios of the Vienna Genesis cannot be reconstructed with certainity. The size of the text block was not consistent through the whole manuscript and additionally, the parchment has changed its size due to reasons mentioned above. Regarding the largest measured distances between margin and text (about 50 mm on the upper, outer and lower edges) and assum- ing that they are the maximum, it is supposed that the folios had a size of 400 x 292.5 mm. On many folios dark, parallel, horizontal stripes can be seen, see chapter on the con- servation. As they only occur in and around the text areas, they could be burnishing marks from the process of smoothing the parchment before writing. Probably a reed pen known as calamus was used to write the text, as it matches the shape of the ink lines and was the major writing tool in Late Antiquity33. Sticks of reed were cut to a point, split and sharpened with a knife34. Nevertheless, copper pens are also mentioned at least in the context of chrysography in byzantine texts35, so this could as well be a possible writing tool. Metal inks are more difficult to write with than iron gall inks or finer pigment inks, as they are relatively coarse-grained and more viscous. According to Doris Oltrogge and Peter Schreiner, copper pens seem to be more suitable for writing with metallic inks36. The surface of the ink looks similar on all folios. The scribes probably prepared fresh ink which lasted for writing two pages of text37. The colour of the silver ink ranges from dark and medium grey to brownish and silvery grey (Fig. 7). Over time, the inks have darkened in comparison to new silver ink. The silver seems to be finely ground and the ink 33 Personal communication, Prof. Otto Kresten, Academy of Science, 22 February 2017; Sharpe, 2006, p. 165. 34 Diringer, 1982, p. 557. 35 Schreiner, 2001, p. 50. 36 Schreiner and Oltrogge, 2011, pp. 110–111. 37 Personal communication, Prof. Otto Kresten, Academy of Science, 15 March 2017. Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0