Characterisation of the different hands in the composition of a 14th century breviary by means of portable XRF analysis and complementary techniques

Aceto, Maurizio; Agostino, Angelo; Fenoglio, Gaia; Capra, Valerio; Demaria, Enrico; Cancian, Patrizia

doi:10.1002/xrs.2768

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…One might argue that the inks used in Northern Europe, here represented by Sweden and Germany, share a compositional tendency in the relatively low presence of copper and a slightly greater occurrence of zinc. However, the levels are not at such a significant level that was common in many Medieval inks of Northern Europe [ 15 , 18 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Multiple studies of iron gall inks have demonstrated that XRF analyses can be used to distinguish different hands or manuscripts according to the ink compositions [15][16][17][18][19][20]. This is Burn through 3 The document is in poor condition with mechanical damage through several cracks in inked areas.…”

Section: Xrf Analyses Of Iron Gall Inkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Multiple studies of iron gall inks have demonstrated that XRF analyses can be used to distinguish different hands or manuscripts according to the ink compositions [ 15 – 20 ]. This is mostly based on variations in the copper and zinc contents relative to iron, but other elements, such as manganese, potassium, aluminium, sulphur, silicon and lead may also be distinctive markers of separate inks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An ambition to not only identify components in iron gall ink, but to also quantify them with the help of XRF analysis, has played a part in several studies. In an investigation of a 14 th century breviary, Aceto et al used standardless quantification through a freeware software provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA [ 15 ]. Many inks in this study were rich in copper and zinc, with some copper and zinc weight percentage levels even exceeding those of iron.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A closer look at the Azzolino collection

Alidoost¹,

Hacke

Winther³

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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The state of preservation of documents from the historically significant Azzolino collection at the Swedish National Archives has been investigated and analyses carried out of the iron gall inks. The collection shows varied levels of iron gall ink corrosion. An initial visual condition survey was followed by characterisation of the writing ink with XRF spectrometry on a selection of documents. The aim was to investigate whether ink composition could be related to author or geography, and in turn to level of ink corrosion, which could then serve as a basis for decisions on treatment options. Results indicate a relative purity of the inks in this collection in terms of high iron content and low levels of other elements, entailing that elemental analysis is not a good tool to predict potential deterioration of ink in single documents from this historical context. XRF-mapping showed a possibility for discerning authors by ink composition, contributing meaningful information to questions of attribution and historical context for these documents. A tendency for the ink of Queen Christina to contain more copper than inks from the other authors, and the indication that some inks contain calcium, may be of note for further study.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Xrf Analyses Of Iron Gall Inkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A closer look at the Azzolino collection

Alidoost¹,

Hacke

Winther³

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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“…Indeed, it can be only concluded that all the charters of the Privilegium maius were written with a similar ink. Further investigation is ongoing within the frame of a larger analytical campaign, using elemental techniques [24] in order to compare compositions and to highlight significant patterns [25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

It’s Only a Part of the Story: Analytical Investigation of the Inks and Dyes Used in the Privilegium Maius

et al. 2019

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The Privilegium maius is one of the most famous and spectacular forgeries in medieval Europe. It is a set of charters made in the 14th century upon commitment by Duke Rudolf IV, a member of the Habsburg family, to elevate the rank and the prestige of his family. These five charters, now kept at the Österreichisches Staatsarchiv in Vienna, have been subjected to a thorough interdisciplinary study in order to shed light on its controversial story. The charters are composed of pergamenaceous documents bound to wax seals with coloured textile threads. The present contribution concerns the characterisation of the inks used for writing and of the dyes used to colour to the threads: Are they compatible with the presumed age of the charters? Though showing only a part of the whole story of the charters, dyes analysis could contribute in assessing their complex history from manufacturing to nowadays. The dyes were characterised with non-invasive in situ measurements by means of fibre optic (FORS) and with micro-invasive measurements by means of Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analysis. The results showed that the threads of four of the charters (three dyed with madder, one with orchil) were apparently coloured at different dyeing stages, then re-dyed in the 19–20th century.

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Portable Spectroscopy for On‐Site and In Situ Archaeology Studies

Donais

Vandenabeele

2021

Portable Spectroscopy and Spectrometry

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Characterisation of the different hands in the composition of a 14th century breviary by means of portable XRF analysis and complementary techniques

Cited by 14 publications

References 20 publications

A closer look at the Azzolino collection

A closer look at the Azzolino collection

It’s Only a Part of the Story: Analytical Investigation of the Inks and Dyes Used in the Privilegium Maius

Portable Spectroscopy for On‐Site and In Situ Archaeology Studies

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