Abstract
The British Library conducted a Fragmentarium case study in 2017 to explore the possibilities for improving access to burnt fragments of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts from the Cotton Collection. Multispectral imaging and analysis undertaken by Dr Christina Duffy at the British Library Conservation Centre has revealed more details from the surviving fragments than are otherwise visible. The complexity of multispectral imaging presents challenges for online display and long-term storage that need to be addressed in future manuscript digitisation initiatives.
Highlights
Multispectral imaging and analysis undertaken by Dr Christina Duffy at the British Library Conservation Centre has revealed more details from the surviving fragments than are otherwise visible
Most of the Cotton manuscripts are held at the British Library, including famous literary and historical treasures such as the Lindisfarne Gospels, the only surviving copies of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and autograph papers from monarchs and other prominent figures
The Cotton library was famously organised in shelves headed by the busts of Roman emperors
Summary
The library assembled by Sir Robert Cotton (1571–1631) originally included manuscripts, state papers, printed books, coins and inscriptions. Occasional experiments have been made of using transmitted light photography.[7] More recently, the British Library Conservation Centre created a dedicated laboratory for imaging science, after the applicability of multispectral imaging to detecting modifications to handwritten objects and restoring damaged texts became apparent. This approach is non-invasive.[8].
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