The results achieved by the research of the pioneering MINIARE research project based at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge led to the ground-breaking and acclaimed 2016 exhibition « COLOUR: The Art and Science of Illuminated Manuscripts. » This was followed by an international Conference, in which art historians, paper and book conservators, and cultural heritage scientists were brought together to share new recent research not only on manuscripts but also on painting in other media. The Conference proceedings were published in the first two volumes of the HMMIMA series (2017-2018). The present publication includes 6 Essays by way of introducing and explaining the major topics being investigated, including the range of inks, pigments and paint binders used by illuminators; parchment-making; pigment recipes; and model books. The many analytical instruments and techniques that are used to investigate manuscripts are also discussed. Then follow 58 Case Studies of manuscripts from as early as the year 700 up to c.1600. All these are fully illustrated in colour and in great detail, and should act as examples to inform scholars in libraries, museums and other cultural institutions of the benefits of adding scientific tools to the range of methods used to investigate manuscripts.

Programme :

Preface and Acknowledgements
Contributors
Analytical teams

Essay 1. Introduction: The Integrated Analyses of Illuminated Manuscripts – Stella Panayotova
Essay 2. Pigment Recipes and Model Books. Mechanisms for Knowledge Transmission and the Training of Manuscript Illuminators — Nancy K. Turner and Doris Oltrogge
Essay 3. Science of the Book. Analytical Methods for the Study of Illuminated Manuscripts – Paola Ricciardi and Catherine Schmidt Patterson
Essay 4. From Pelt to Painted Page. Western Medieval Manuscript Parchments – Edward Cheese
Essay 5. Painting Materials and Techniques in Byzantine and Slavonic Illuminated Manuscripts, c.800 – Elina Dobrynina
Essay 6. Painting Materials and Techniques in Western Illuminated Manuscripts c.600 – Stella Panayotova

Case Studies
58 highly detailed case studies of manuscripts from as early as the year 700 up to c.1600.

All these are fully illustrated in colour and provide stimulating examples to guide conservation departments in collections, museums and other laboratories in applying scientific investigation into works of art.

Index of Works of Art Cited
Bibliography

Informations pratiques :

Stella Panayotova, The Art & Science of Illuminated Manuscripts: A Handbook, Turnhout, Brepols, 2020. 528 p., 830 colour ill., 190 x 255 mm, 2020 (Manuscripts in the Making, 3). ISBN: 978-1-912554-59-1. Prix : 30 euros.

Source : Brepols