Identification of pigments and gemstones on the Tours Gospel: the early 9th century Carolingian palette
Robin J. H. Clark|Jaap van der Weerd
Twelve gemstones set into the cover of an elaborately decorated leather-bound manuscript, Tours Gospel, ‘Evangelia Quatuor’, held in British Library (Add. MS. 11848), were identified by Raman microscopy to be composed silica, amethyst, emerald (probable, 3), iron garnet (3) and sapphire (3), one not being identified. The brilliant illuminations within manuscript (ca 825 AD) established studies at 215 locations on 13 folios have been painted with a restricted palette, which included carbon black, indigo, lead white, minium, orpiment vermilion, together certain mixtures above pigments. Gold was also used but, notably, lazurite. palette compared those found for earlier Lindisfarne Gospels 715 AD), part later Anglo-Saxon 920 Paris Bible (1267 Gutenberg Bibles (1455 AD). Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Journal of Raman Spectroscopy