TY - CHAP A1 - Colini, Claudia A1 - Shevchuk, I. A1 - Huskin, K. A. A1 - Rabin, Ira A1 - Hahn, Oliver ED - Quenzer, J. B. T1 - A New Standard Protocol for Identification of Writing Media N2 - Our standard protocol for the characterisation of writing materials within advanced manuscript studies has been successfully used to investigate manuscripts written with a pure ink on a homogeneous writing surface. However, this protocol is inadequate for analysing documents penned in mixed inks. We present here the advantages and limitations of the improved version of the protocol, which now includes imaging further into the infrared region (1100−1700 nm). KW - Archaeometry KW - Manuscripts KW - Non-destructive testing PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-543454 SN - 978-3-11-074545-0 DO - https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110753301-009 VL - 25 SP - 161 EP - 182 PB - Walter de Gruyter GmbH CY - Berlin/Boston AN - OPUS4-54345 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Ghigo, Tea A1 - Torallas, S. T1 - Between Literary and Documentary Practices: The Montserrat Codex Miscellaneus (Inv. Nos. 126‐178, 292, 338) and the Material Investigation of Its Inks N2 - The Montserrat Codex Miscellaneus (TM 59453/LDAB 552) has been the subject of numerous studies since the publication of ist first text by its owner, father Ramon Roca-Puig. Scholars have dealt with the content of its texts, as well as interrogated its origin and materiality. It is a fourth-century papyrus single quire codex, which contains texts in both Latin and Greek. It has been argued that it belonged to the Bodmer library, connected to a Pachomian library in the Thebaid. In this paper we want to contribute to the material study of the codex by presenting the first results of an archaeometric analysis performed upon the inks. The Analysis was carried out within the framework of the ‘PAThs’ project based at Sapienza University of Rome, and executed with the close cooperation of DVCTVS, a team of scholars who curate the Roca-Puig collection. The results obtained have not only cast light on the history of production of the codex, but also, and perhaps most importantly, point out that a meaningful interpretation of the analytical data is only possible through an interdisciplinary collaboration between the humanities and the natural sciences. KW - Interdisciplinary approach KW - Codex Miscellaneus KW - Palaeography KW - Book production KW - Archaeometry KW - Ink analysis PY - 2020 SP - 101 EP - 114 AN - OPUS4-51004 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ghigo, Tea A1 - Rabin, Ira A1 - Buzi, P. T1 - Black Egyptian inks in Late Antiquity: new insights on their manufacture and use N2 - We present here our methodological approach applied to the study of Egyptian inks in Late Antiquity. It is based on an interdisciplinary strategy, bringing together a variety of disciplines from humanities and natural sciences, and it aims at systematically collecting a statistically relevant amount of data regarding the composition of the inks. The application of a wellestablished, non-invasive protocol that includes near-infrared imaging and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy for in situ measurements enables the identification and characterisation of inks dating from the end of Late Antiquity onwards. However, sometimes this method limits our understanding when characterising more ancient inks. Trying to overcome these limitations, the potential of a new device for the characterisation of organic compounds is here explored by conducting preliminary tests on mock samples. In this work, we present the results from 77 codicological units that include some of the earliest manuscripts of our corpus that presently lists 159 units. KW - Ink KW - Archaeometry KW - Manuscripts KW - Coptic KW - Egypt PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-503893 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-019-00977-3 VL - 12 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-50389 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cohen, Zina A1 - Hahn, Oliver A1 - Rabin, Ira A1 - Ward, Aengus T1 - Centenary Paper: Of Inks and Scribes: The Composition of a Thirteenth-Century Castilian Manuscript – British Library Res 20787 N2 - This article presents the results of the first scientific analysis of the inks of a thirteenth-century Castilian manuscript – British Library Res 20787, a copy of the Fuero de las leyes. The analysis reveals the fingerprint of the inks used in the codex and points the way to future cross-disciplinary research based on a wider corpus of evidence. KW - Archaeometry KW - Manuscript KW - Colorant KW - Cinnabar PY - 2024 DO - https://doi.org/10.3828/bhs.2024.56 SN - 1475-3839 VL - 101 SP - 703 EP - 720 PB - Liverpool University Press AN - OPUS4-61435 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Lange, Diana A1 - Hahn, Oliver T1 - Colours on Maps - Purpose and Materiality N2 - Colours are an inseparable attribute of most maps. While colouring seems at first glance simply superficial ‘prettifying’ of maps, most maps were given colours for other reasons: colour is an important key to understanding the function and use of maps. The use of colours, the choice of where to assign them and the meaning given to them has accordingly never been static but has changed over time. In this context, the three aspects: colour system, colour scheme, and colour code are of particular importance. Material scientific analysis makes it possible to find out more about the material composition of colourants (pigments and dyes) on maps. The study of colourants provides insights into the production conditions and use of maps. Furthermore, it offers clues about colour changes and forms the basis for appropriate restoration concepts. T2 - Maps. Digital. Analogue CY - Oxford, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland DA - 26.02.2026 KW - Maps KW - Colours KW - Archaeometry KW - Aging PY - 2026 AN - OPUS4-65599 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ketelsen, T. A1 - Wintermann, Carsten A1 - Melzer, C. A1 - Dietz, Georg A1 - Golle, U. A1 - Hahn, Oliver ED - Cole, M. ED - Dogramaci, B. ED - Lehmann, A.-S. ED - Sölch, B. ED - Wedekind, G. T1 - Connoisseurship and the Investigation of Materiality: Four “Rembrandt” Drawings in Weimar N2 - The aim of this paper is to present the productive interplay of connoisseurship and material analysis when dealing with drawings by Rembrandt – or previously attributed to him – in the collection of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar. This concerns the more precise determination of the drawing materials used and the reconstruction of the genesis of the drawings discussed. The material analysis allows us to decide whether and how Rembrandt’s inks can be used to determine authorship at all. The “material turn” in drawing studies thus intervenes in the discussion about authorship and opens up a broader production aesthetic perspective. No longer the “style” but rather the handeling becomes the decisive criterion for answering the question “Rembrandt, or not?” KW - Archaeometry KW - History of Art KW - Drawings KW - Rembrandt PY - 2021 SN - 0044-2992 VL - 84 IS - 4 SP - 483 EP - 518 PB - Deutscher Kunstverlag CY - Berlin/München AN - OPUS4-54342 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Steger, Simon A1 - Stege, H. A1 - Bretz, S. A1 - Hahn, Oliver ED - Tomasin, P. T1 - Disclosing glittering and sparkling effects in 20th-century reverse glass paintings: a study of metallic pigments and metal foils by means of in situ XRF and DRIFTS analysis N2 - This work presents a spectroscopic study of metallic pigments and metal foils used in reverse glass paintings that were created between 1912 and 1954. Metallic pigments induce a notable sparkling effect by means of the lateral incidence of light, whereas metal foils enhance the gloss and create a glittering effect when the painting is viewed in reflected light. Both effects were desired features especially in modern reverse paintings on glass and applied by artists in manifold creative manner. The paper gives an overview on the composition of the metalfoils and metal pigments in 14 works as determined in situ by X-ray spectrometry. Metal foils made of tin, brass, aluminium and silver were found in nine paintings. Gold imitating Cu-Zn pigments in different hues and with various Cu/Zn net intensity ratios were recorded for six paintings. Silvery pigments were identified mainly as Al pigments, but also as Cu-Zn-Ni alloy in one case. Other uncommon metallic pigments were detected in Arlequin vindicatif (c. 1925) by Floris Jespers, who used not only Cu-Zn and Al pigments, but also brownish Cu and Cu-Zn-Sn pigments. Non-invasive diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) was used to classify the binding media of the metallic pigments. Drying oil and natural resin probably mixed with oil were the most common binding media. A polysaccharide-based binder was found in the silvery Cu-Zn-Ni pigment of Ohne Titel (1954) by Marianne Uhlenhuth. KW - Archaeometry KW - Non-invasive analysis KW - Reverse paintings on glass PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2020.11.008 SN - 1296-2074 VL - 48 SP - 196 EP - 204 PB - Elsevier Masson SAS CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-54428 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Ghigo, Tea A1 - Rabin, Ira T1 - Gaining Perspective into the Materiality of Manuscripts: The Contribution of Archaeometry to the Study of the Inks of the White Monastery Codices N2 - An interdisciplinary approach to the study of manuscript traditions is here applied to the analysis of the leaves from the White Monastery, one of the greatest centres of literary production in Late Antique Egypt. In the framework of the ‘PAThs’ project, archaeometric analyses complement the information pieced together by a range of disciplines in the field of humanities. The use of different complementary analytical techniques provides information on the type of ink used and its elemental composition, unveiling interesting details regarding the materials and methodology of manufacturing of writing media. Moreover, this contribution takes a step forward and discusses the possible existence of a regional arrangement in the elemental composition revealed in the inks studied. KW - Manuscript making KW - Archaeometry KW - Ink analysis KW - Interdisciplinary approach KW - Coptic studies PY - 2020 SP - 273 EP - 282 AN - OPUS4-51003 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN ED - Hahn, Oliver ED - Danielewski, A. ED - Nöller, Renate ED - Doil, Thorsten T1 - Manuscripta americana - Fragments of the Aztec legacy - An exhibition at Kulturwerk in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - December 07, 2022 until February 26, 2023 N2 - This publication, which accompanies the exhibition Manuscripta americana - On the traces of the Aztecs, concerns a unique collection of Mexican and South American manuscripts. The collection was established at the beginning of the 19th century, when Alexander von Humboldt donated fragments of 16th century indigenous Mexican pictorial manuscripts to the Royal Library in Berlin. Today these are also known as the Humboldt fragments and represent the most significant part of a collection that was augmented over the years by the purchase of various types of Mesoamerican manuscripts, mainly in indigenous languages with Latin script. During the two year period from April 2017 to March 2019, the Berlin State Library (SBB - SPK) and the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) carried out a joint scientific project funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) entitled "Material-analytical and cultural-historical examinations of colonial-period manuscripts from Mexico in Berlin and Cracow." The main objectives of the project were to determine the provenance of the Manuscripta americana and, since they exhibit a high degree of fragmentation, to examine how they are related to each other and to objects outside the collection. The investigation combined ethnocultural-historical and materials science methods of analysis. Thanks to the constructive partnership with the Jagiellonian Library, we were able to see and study the Manuscripta americana in both Kraków and Berlin and to carry out scientific measurements on them. T2 - Manuscripta Americana - Fragments of the Aztec Legacy - An Exhibition at Kulturwerk in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 07.12.2022 KW - Amate KW - Archaeometry KW - Manuscripts KW - Nondestructive testing PY - 2022 SN - 2567-1251 N1 - Es gibt parallele Sprachausgaben (deutsch und spanisch), Links befinden sich im Feld zugehöriger Identifikator - There are parallel language editions (German and Spanish), links are in the field related identifier VL - 4 SP - 1 EP - 120 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-62419 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Lange, D. A1 - Hahn, Oliver ED - Martin, E. ED - Brox, T. ED - Lange, D. T1 - Materials and materiality as keys to understanding a map of Mount Kailash N2 - While graphic and linguistic content is central to the identification of maps and can provide insights into the concepts and systems of rules, ideas and beliefs that led to their production, the materials that constitute maps may speak about manufacturing processes, the provenance of raw materials, the practical and technical knowledge of the mapmakers, and the use of the maps. This contribution underscores how the materials employed in Tibetan maps reveal aspects of their context and trajectory. Furthermore, materiality, conceptualized as a convergence of matter and imagination, can yield even more profound insights into artefacts like maps. Through a detailed case study of a map of Mount Kailash in the tangkha format and a specialized material-scientific analysis of the colourants employed in its creation, this contribution explores how a map can ‘talk’ through its materiality. With this case study it will show how Tibetan Studies can benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration. Crossing the field’s traditional boundaries and working with other disciplines, we argue, is absolutely essential for serious research. KW - Archaeometry KW - Non-destructive analysis KW - Cultural heritage PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-648625 SN - 978-3-98887-016-2 DO - https://doi.org/10.11588/hasp.1522 SP - 147 EP - 176 PB - Heidelberg Asian Studies Publishing (HASP) CY - Heidelberg AN - OPUS4-64862 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hahn, Oliver T1 - More than 25 years of ink analysis non-destructive testing of black writing materials N2 - Writing inks can be divided into soluble inks and dispersion inks. Soluble inks are based on plant or insect dyes forming a water solution. In the early European Middle Ages brown plant inks were usually produced from the blackthorn bark and wine. In contrast to these soluble brown inks, one of the oldest black writing materials was produced by mixing soot with gum arabic or animal glue dissolved in a small amount of water. From Pliny’s detailed account of the manufacture of various black carbon inks, we learn that producing pure soot of high quality was not an easy task in Antiquity. Iron gall inks are a borderline case between these two groups. They are produced from four basic ingredients: gallic acid, an iron-containing component, gum arabic as a binding media, and an aqueous medium such as wine, beer, or vinegar. By mixing gallic acid with soluble iron ions, a water-soluble ferrous gallate complex is formed. Exposure to oxygen leads to the formation of insoluble black ferric gallate pigment. Due to the variety of recipes and the natural origin of raw materials, there is a wide range of different components and impurities in writing inks. The Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) together with the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures in Hamburg (CSMC) has developed a protocol for ink analysis. It consists of a primary screening to determine the type of the ink and a subsequent in-depth analysis using several spectroscopic techniques (X-ray fluorescence analysis and vibrational spectroscopy). This contribution presents a qualitative and quantitative analysis of historical writing inks to characterize distinguishable inks in manuscripts, to determine the origin of manuscripts, and to assign unknown fragments to time and place. T2 - Beyond the reconstruction of an Urtext: “About the history of the early Qurʾānic text with regard to digital research tools” CY - Hesse, Germany DA - 07.07.2025 KW - Archaeometry KW - Non-destructive testing KW - Material analysis KW - Cultural heritage PY - 2025 AN - OPUS4-63906 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Hahn, Oliver A1 - Golle, U. A1 - Wintermann, Carsten A1 - Laurenza, D. ED - Quenzer, J. B. T1 - Scientific Analysis of Leonardo’s Manuscript with Anatomic Drawings and Notes N2 - In this paper, we discuss the importance of scientifically investigating cultural artefacts in a non-invasive way. Taking as test case Leonardo da Vinci’s Manuscript with anatomic drawings and notes, which is stored in Weimar, we clarify fundamental steps in the chronology of this folio. By means of microscopy, infrared reflectography, UV photography, and X-ray fluorescence analysis, we were able to identify various types of sketching material and several varieties of iron gall ink. For his sketches, Leonardo used two different sketching tools, a lead pencil and a graphite pencil, as well as several types of ink for developing these sketches into drawings. With regard to ink, it is important to observe that there is no difference between the ink Leonardo used for drawing and the ink he used for writing text. Based on the materials analysed, we suggest a chronology for the creation of this unique folio. KW - Archaeometry KW - Non-invasive analysis KW - Drawings KW - Leonardo da Vinci PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-543460 SN - 978-3-11-074545-0 DO - https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110753301-011 VL - 25 SP - 213 EP - 228 PB - Walter de Gruyter GmbH CY - Berlin/Boston AN - OPUS4-54346 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Dietz, G. A1 - Eggert, Claudia A1 - Golle, U. A1 - Hahn, Oliver A1 - Ketelsen, T. A1 - Ludwig, A. A1 - Melzer, C. A1 - Rabin, Ira A1 - Wintermann, C. ED - Hahn, Oliver ED - Doil, Thorsten ED - Wintermann, C. T1 - The materiality of drawings - A scientific approach N2 - Volume 5 of the N.i.Ke. series presents the current state of materials science and imaging techniques used in the examination of drawings. The first part of the publication introduces the classic drawing substrates and materials. The middle part of the publication describes the relevant materials science and imaging techniques. The final part discusses the possibilities and limitations of these methods using several case studies. KW - Archaeometry KW - Paper KW - Parchment KW - Drawing materials KW - Drawings KW - Nondestructive testing PY - 2024 SN - 2567-1251 N1 - Es gibt eine parallele Sprachausgabe (deutsch), ein Link befindet sich im Feld zugehöriger Identifikator - There is a parallel language edition (German), a link is in the field related identifier VL - 5 SP - VII EP - 110 PB - Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-63672 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -