Behind the light – specificities of the materialities of a sixteenth century illuminated antiphonary housed in the Biblioteca Pública de Évora

Abstract

This work focuses on the material characterization of a sixteenth century illuminated antiphonary housed in the Biblioteca Pública de Évora (BPE) – the Manizola 116c. Based on several optical and spectroscopic techniques, namely optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM- EDS), micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μ-FTIR), Fibre-Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) in the ultraviolet and visible range (UV-Vis) and handheld-energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (h-EDXRF), it was possible to identify the use of different azurite ground on different degrees of fineness to produce a range of blue hues throughout the manuscript as well as some differences in some of the paints’ compositions suggesting the presence of two different hands for producing the illuminations. Digital images of the illuminations acquired with different angles for the light source revealed very interesting features concerning the painting technique used to produce these illuminations and with what could have been the intention of the illuminator to influence the relation between the reader and the manuscript.