TY - CONF A1 - Colini, Claudia T1 - Fifty shades of black: Typologies and terminology of black inks in the light of new discoveries N2 - The identification of the materials constituting an artefact is the basis of any correct conservation project. For this reason (among others) in the last 50 years analytical techniques have been applied to the study of manuscripts. Unfortunately, the scientific investigation of Arabic books is still uncommon, focusing mainly on single case studies of illuminated manuscripts where the black media used to write the text is largely overlooked. This lack of knowledge prompted a recent research in which black ink recipes have been collected from written Arabic sources, their feasibility has been assessed, and some of them have been reproduced. These samples were artificially aged and analysed through an array of analytical techniques, mostly non-invasive and non-destructive, in order to build a database of Arabic inks and their ingredients and to verify the detection limits of the equipment employed. Finally, the results were compared to the data collected from historical manuscripts. In this talk I will focus on the ink typologies and the terminology (ancient and modern) used to describe them. In particular I will highlight how even the modern classification fails to capture the variety encountered in both recipes and manuscripts, particularly in the light of recent discoveries. I will address especially the terminological and conceptual issues of mixed inks – in the form of carbon inks and tannins, of carbon and iron gall inks, and of carbon and metallic salts –, iron gall inks made without vitriol and iron gall inks made with sources of tannins different from gall nuts. T2 - First International Conference Oriental Manuscripts: Codicology and Conservation issues CY - Saint Petersburg, Russia DA - 04.12.2019 KW - Ink terminology KW - Codicology KW - Non destructive analytical techniques PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-50159 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Colini, Claudia T1 - Ink recipes from the islamic era: Texts, manuscripts, ink reproductions and scientific analyses N2 - Ink recipes can often be found in Arabic manuscripts. They may be included in treatises of diverse subjects – from handbooks for secretaries or calligraphers to books on arts and crafts, to alchemical and astrological essays. Recipes can also appear, with or without relation to the main text in the manuscript, in the form of lists or collections or even added in empty spaces as single entries. Why were these recipes written down? Were they used by the many professionals dealing with inks in their every-day work? Or were they part of the literary genre of adab with little or no practical application? To answer these questions a research project was set up: ink recipes have been collected from written Arabic sources, their feasibility has been assessed and some of them have been reproduced. These samples were artificially aged and analysed through an array of analytical techniques, most non-invasive and non-destructive, and the results compared to the data obtained by the application of the same analyses on concrete manuscripts. The codicological characteristics of the manuscripts have also been studied. My aim in this talk is to show how such an interdisciplinary approach could be beneficial for the study of material culture. T2 - Broadening Horizons 6 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 24.06.2019 KW - Inks KW - Arabic Recipes KW - Non destructive analytical techniques PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-50160 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Colini, Claudia A1 - Sturkenboom, I. T1 - Analyses of paper, tinting and illumination in persian manuscripts held in the Golestan Palace library N2 - In the 15th century, Persian manuscripts underwent significant and lasting changes. Possibly as a response to the import of tinted and gold-decorated paper from China, which was used for manuscript production in Greater Iran, Persian papers were also tinted and embellished with gold-decorated and marbled margins or frames. In a joint project between CSMC and the University of St Andrews, and in co-operation with the Golestan Palace Museum, we aim to analyse papers and their decorations in manuscripts in the holdings of the Golestan Palace Library. The analyses aim to determine the consistencies of papers, pigments and metals and the techniques used for their production and application. The support will be first described in its codicological characteristics such as dimensions, thickness, colour (expressed in colour coordinates), pattern left from the sieve (observed in transmitted light). The plant used as raw material in paper production will be studied by fibres analysis, while the sizing agents, the pigments, dyes and metals will be analysed by the application of several methods: in particular Reflectography, X-Ray Fluorescence and InfraRed, Raman and Visible Reflectance Spectroscopy. The results of the analyses will be published in an online database that will form an important resource for the material aspects of Persian manuscripts and be a starting point for establishing a first chronology of the materials and techniques used in Persian manuscript production. T2 - DFG workshop at Golestan Palace CY - Tehran, Iran DA - 07.04.2019 KW - Persian manuscripts KW - Chinese paper KW - Non destructive analytical techniques KW - Tinting KW - Gold PY - 2019 AN - OPUS4-50164 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -