Fifty Years of Codicology

Gumbert, Jean-Pierre

doi:10.7788/afd.2004.50.jg.505

Cited by 9 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The knowledge of the animal origin of parchment folios is a question of great interest in codicology: a discipline that, traditionally, studies the materiality of manuscript books, i.e. codices 1 . In a broader context, the identification of the origin species of parchments allows historians to confirm theories about medieval manuscript production, as well as parchment production and trade.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal species identification in parchments by light

Alvarez

Bouhy

Dieu

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Recently, historical and conservation studies have attached an increasing importance to investigating the materials used in historic documents. In particular, the identification of the animal species from which parchments are made is of high importance and is currently performed by either genetic or proteomic methods. Here, we introduce an innovative, non-invasive optical method for identifying animal species based on light-parchment interaction. The method relies on conservation of light energy through reflection, transmission and absorption from the sample, as well as on statistical processing of the collected optical data. Measurements are performed from ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR) spectral ranges by a standard spectrophotometer and data are processed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). PCA data from modern parchments, made of sheep, calf and goat skins, are used as a database for PCA analysis of historical parchments. Using only the first two principal components (PCs), the method confirmed visual diagnostics about parchment appearance and aging, and was able to recognise the origin species of historical parchment of among database clusters. Furthermore, taking into account the whole set of PCs, species identification was achieved, with all results matching perfectly their proteomic counterparts used for method assessment. The validated method compares favourably with genetic and proteomic methods used for the same purpose. In addition to animals’ proteomic and genetic signatures, a unique “optical fingerprint” of the parchments’ origin species is revealed here. This new method is non-invasive, straightforward to implement, potentially cheap and accessible to scholars and conservators, with minimal training. In the context of cultural heritage, the method could help solving questions related to parchment production and, more generally, medieval writing production.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal species identification in parchments by light

Alvarez

Bouhy

Dieu

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Codicological Features of a Late-Eleventh-Century Manuscript of the Lombard Laws

Gobbitt

2014

Studia Neophilologica

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Image, Knife, and Gluepot

Rudy

2019

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In this ingenious study, Kathryn Rudy takes the reader on a journey to trace the birth, life and afterlife of a Netherlandish book of hours made in 1500. Image, Knife, and Gluepot painstakingly reconstructs the process by which this manuscript was created and discusses its significance as a text at the forefront of fifteenth-century book production, when the invention of mechanically-produced images led to the creation of new multimedia objects. Rudy then travels to the nineteenth century to examine the phenomenon of manuscript books being pillaged for their prints and drawings: she has diligently tracked down the dismembered parts of this book of hours for the first time. Image, Knife, and Gluepot also documents Rudy’s twenty-first-century research process, as she hunts through archives while grappling with the logistics and occasionally the limits of academic research. This is a timely volume, focusing on questions of materiality at the forefront of medieval and literary studies. Beautifully illustrated throughout, its use of original material and its striking interdisciplinary approach, combining book and art history, make it a significant academic achievement. Image, Knife, and Gluepot is a valuable text for any scholar in the fields of medieval studies, the history of early books and publishing, cultural history or material culture. Written in Rudy’s inimitable style, it will also be rewarding for any student enrolled in a course on manuscript production, as well as non-specialists interested in the afterlives of manuscripts and prints.

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Fifty Years of Codicology

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Animal species identification in parchments by light

Animal species identification in parchments by light

Codicological Features of a Late-Eleventh-Century Manuscript of the Lombard Laws

Image, Knife, and Gluepot

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