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Projeto de investigação
YES – Disclosing Lost yellows: Science and Art for a Sustainable Preservation of Natural Yellows in Cultural Heritage
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The Colors in Medieval Illuminations through the Magnificent Scriptorium of Alfonso X, the Learned
Publication . Vieira, Márcia; Melo, Maria João; Nabais, Paula; Lopes, João A.; Lopes, Graça Videira; Fernández, Laura Fernández; DCR - Departamento de Conservação e Restauro; LAQV@REQUIMTE; Instituto de Estudos Medievais (IEM); MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
This pioneering work studied the medieval color palette of four manuscripts produced in the scriptorium of Alfonso X, king of the Crown of Castile (r. 1252-84), including the Songs of Holy Mary (Cantigas de Santa Maria, in Rich Codex and Musicians’ Codex), Lapidary (Lapidario), and Book of Games (Libro de los juegos). Scientific analysis based on fiber-optics reflectance spectroscopy in the visible and Raman spectroscopy showed a color palette based on lapis lazuli, indigo, azurite, vermilion, red lead, orpiment, yellow ochre, two different greens (bottle green and vergaut), lead white, carbon-based black, and most importantly, brazilwood pinks, reds, and purples. So, it is now the first reported use of this lake pigment in European medieval manuscript illumination. The painting technique is also discussed. The diversity of colors and techniques, with the presence of lapis lazuli, brazilwood lake pigments, purple, and gold, demonstrates Alfonso X’s desire to produce sumptuous manuscripts.
Study of the Materials and Techniques of a Rare Papier-Mâché Mushroom Model Crafted in H. Arnoldi Factory
Publication . Melo, Maria J.; Freitas, Ana; Vieira, Cristiana; Vilarigues, Márcia; Vieira, Márcia; Nabais, Paula; Sequeira, Sílvia; Lourenço, Mónica; Oliveira, Gabriel; Correia, Ana Rita; DCR - Departamento de Conservação e Restauro; LAQV@REQUIMTE; VICARTE - Vidro e Cerâmica para as Artes; MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
The Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto houses a collection of 45 models of fungi in papier-mâché from the 19th-century, which were used at the university until 2015 as didactic models. For the first time, the materials and techniques used in the production of a Boletus edulis model were studied (vernacular name: cep, porcini). These sculptures, made to life-size scale, are painted in colors similar to those of the represented species (white, brown, and light brown). They are fixed to a rectangular base, which is painted black, and to which moss has been pasted. To fully characterize each color, at the molecular level, a multi-analytical approach was used, combining energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (micro-XRF) with fingerprinting techniques of Raman microscopy (microRaman and handheld Raman) spectroscopy and microFourier transform infrared spectroscopy (microFTIR). The papier-mâché was prepared with a groundwood paper to which kaolin and a quartz-based material have been added to reinforce the structure. Raman microscopy also identified carbon black in it, which is possibly responsible for its grey color. The white color was unequivocally identified as lithopone by microRaman. This white paint was prepared in a proteinaceous tempera, with calcium carbonate having been identified as filler (by microFTIR). In the brown color, iron was identified by microXRF, pointing to the use of ocher, which was not possible to identify by microRaman and microFTIR. Regarding the black rectangular base, the moss was fixed using a collagen-based glue. The binding medium in this black is possibly a mixture of drying oil and protein. Again, XRF detected iron as the main element, but it was not possible to acquire a Raman spectrum due to the high fluorescence of the binder/varnish. Others, such as the writing inks, will also be discussed. The colors identified are in line with the best materials available for use by artists of that time. This new knowledge is fundamental to informing the choice of the best conservation strategies for the preservation of these extraordinary models.
The only surviving Medieval codex of Galician-Portuguese secular poetry
Publication . Vieira, Márcia; Nabais, Paula; Hidalgo, Rafael Javier Díaz; Melo, Maria J.; Pozzi, Federica; DCR - Departamento de Conservação e Restauro; LAQV@REQUIMTE; SpringerOpen
The Ajuda Songbook is an exceptional illuminated manuscript being the only surviving codex of Galician-Portuguese secular poetry; it was produced in the end of the thirteenth century, beginning of the fourteenth century. The diversity of colors accentuated by the presence of lapis lazuli blue and brazilwood pink, demonstrates the desire to produce a sumptuous manuscript. Pink is, in this context, a luxury color and its identification attests to one of the earliest known occurrences of brazilwood in artworks. Scientific analysis showed, for the light pinks, a different formulation from that found in fifteenth-century books of hours and from all historical reconstructions of these colors prepared to date. This knowledge was used to further expand a database previously built in our laboratory and applied to the characterization of pink shades in the Ajuda Songbook. Thirteen brazilwood recipes were selected from seven Medieval treatises and reference materials were prepared based on such historical information. Three types of colors were achieved, defined as translucent rose, rose, and red. The translucent rose was obtained from recipes where egg white is used for extraction, and no other additives are present; rose from recipes with calcium carbonate; and red from a wider range of recipes, in which these ingredients are not mentioned. These colors were then prepared as paints, and analytical results were thus compared with data from the light pinks seen in the Ajuda Songbook’s architectural backgrounds. We were able to reproduce the pink very well using infrared spectroscopy, identifying its main ingredients: calcium carbonate as filler; lead white as the pigment that produces light pink; and the binder as a polysaccharide with a fingerprint similar to mesquite gum. For the chromophore color, the application of chemometrics approaches to molecular fluorescence spectra highlighted a high degree of similarity with the paint reconstructions.
Between past and future
Publication . Melo, Maria João; Nabais, Paula; Vieira, Márcia; Araújo, Rita; Otero, Vanessa; Lopes, João; Martín, Lourdes; LAQV@REQUIMTE; DCR - Departamento de Conservação e Restauro; Instituto de Estudos Medievais (IEM); VICARTE - Vidro e Cerâmica para as Artes; Elsevier
Heritage materials are highly complex systems of unknown and intrinsically heterogeneous compositions and unmonitored long-term modifications. In this microreview, we describe our interdisciplinary approach, its importance to new treatments tailored to prevent changes to historical colours, and innovative strategies for their identification in artworks. We illustrate our methodology through the study of medieval Islamic manuscripts from the Fondo Ka'ti. These advanced studies have shown the remarkable properties of ancient dyes, their resilience and durability, properties designed by our ancestors through sustainable materials processing. This lost knowledge can be shared with the community empowering them to create new sustainable applications, from unique art pieces to regional value-added products.
Exceptional Illuminated Manuscripts at the Gulbenkian Museum
Publication . Grigoryan, Hermine; Vieira, Márcia; Nabais, Paula; Araújo, Rita; Melo, Maria J.; Manso, Marta; Miranda, Maria Adelaide; Rodrigues, Jorge; DCR - Departamento de Conservação e Restauro; LAQV@REQUIMTE; Instituto de Estudos Medievais (IEM); DF – Departamento de Física; LIBPhys-UNL; VICARTE - Vidro e Cerâmica para as Artes; MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
The illuminated manuscripts at the Gulbenkian Museum were produced in the 17th century, in scriptoria of the Armenian diaspora. In this work, we selected analytical methods that can be used in situ to study the colors of the illuminations. Scientific analysis based on fiber-optics reflectance spectroscopy in the visible and Raman spectroscopy has shown the use of a medieval palette based on inorganic pigments such as lapis lazuli, minium, vermilion, orpiment, indigo, two different greens (vergaut and malachite), lead white and carbon black. More importantly, in this context, it showed that the very important reds and pinks are possibly based on carminic acid. The painting technique is, however, different, as are the ways of painting the faces, hands, and vestments. The range of colors in the Bible and the three Gospel Books, enhanced by lapis lazuli blue and organic reds and pinks, demonstrates a desire to create exceptional illuminated manuscripts.
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Entidade financiadora
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Programa de financiamento
CEEC IND4ed
Número da atribuição
2021.01344.CEECIND/CP1657/CT0028