Abstract
The aim of this research was to use non-invasive scientific analysis to uncover evidence of the planning process and relationship between pigments used in text copying and artwork production in the Oppenheimer Siddur (Oxford Bodleian Library MS Opp. 776), an illuminated 15th-century Hebrew prayer book. In many medieval Hebrew illuminated manuscripts, the authorship of the artwork is unknown. This manuscript’s colophon states that it was copied by its scribe-owner for personal family use but does not confirm who was responsible for the artwork. Prior deductive analysis suggested that the scribe-owner may also have been the manuscript’s artist, based on common motifs and an apparent shared colour palette appearing in both texts and artwork. Visual examination using high resolution digital images also identified points of contact between pigments used in the manuscript’s texts and artwork, raising questions about the pigment application sequence, and concurrent versus sequential text copying and artwork production. An in-house developed remote spectral imaging system (PRISMS) with 10 filters spanning the spectral range from 400 to 880 nm was modified for close-range application to image two of the folios to examine the sequence of production, identify the pigments and compare the materials used for the illumination and the text. Optical microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection mode (FTIR-ATR) were used directly on the folios to complement the spectral imaging data in binding media and pigment identification. The results revealed close matches in reflectance spectra for the colorants and inks used in both text copying and illuminations, suggesting that the same mixture of colorants and inks have been used. The spectral imaging in the near infrared bands revealed a hidden underdrawing, indicating a design change during production of the manuscript, and the outlining of letters prior to coloured pigment being applied. The pigment use, the variation in the binder for different pigments and some elements of its production were found to be consistent with those described in historical sources. The evidence from this study supports the hypothesis that the scribe applied pigments for the manuscript’s artwork at the same time he did some of the scribal work which has implications for understandings of Jewish medieval visual cultures.
Highlights
Extant medieval illuminated Hebrew manuscripts are complex material objects and a distinct group of heritage artefacts which contain some features that are uncharacteristic of Latin manuscripts produced in the same era
In the case of illuminated Hebrew manuscripts made in late medieval Europe, this challenge can be compounded by uncertainty surrounding the identities of the artists, and whether they were Jews or Christians [7,8,9,10,11]
Spectral imaging and FTIR-ATR were conducted in situ at the Bodleian library in 2009
Summary
Extant medieval illuminated Hebrew manuscripts are complex material objects and a distinct group of heritage artefacts which contain some features that are uncharacteristic of Latin manuscripts produced in the same era. In the case of illuminated Hebrew manuscripts made in late medieval Europe, this challenge can be compounded by uncertainty surrounding the identities of the artists, and whether they were Jews or Christians [7,8,9,10,11]. We know there were Christian secular workshops in the late Middle Ages who participated in creating the artwork for some illuminated Hebrew manuscripts4 [8, 11, 20, 21], and a wide range of motifs can be seen in both Hebrew and Latin manuscript illuminations, making it clear that they shared a common repertoire of artists’ models [7,8,9, 22,23,24,25]
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