Abstract: For the first time, the palaeographic/codicological analysis of three manuscripts of "Der Welsche Gast" were scientifically confirmed by non-invasive methods. While nIR microscopy is able to discriminate between possible ink types, e.g. carbon, plant, and iron-gall ink, XRF spectroscopy further provides the analysis of the elemental composition of the later, and therefore can be used for a correlation between the scribal hands and inks used by the scribes.
The underlying dataset can be viewed here:
Scientific analysis of three manuscripts of "Der Welsche Gast", Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg, Cod. Pal. germ. 330 and Cod. Pal. germ. 389, and Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart, Cod.poet.et.phil.fol.1
This paper was presented at the International Medieval Congress 2022 in Leeds (IMC 2022) within the session 'Bridging Borders, I: Natural Sciences and Humanities' (Session Number: 1511) on 7 July 2022.
Session Abstract: The Cluster of Excellence 'Understanding Written Artefacts' follows a comparative approach to studying how the production of written artefacts has shaped human societies and cultures, and how these in turn have adapted written artefacts to their needs. This session presents recent collaborative research by scientists from STEM subjects and scholars of the humanities that bridges the gap between these fields and sheds new light on medieval material culture, both within and beyond Europe. The focus will be on how scientific analysis of paper or ink can widen our perspective on different medieval cultures. Sponsor: Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) / Exzellenzcluster 'Understanding Written Artefacts', Universität Hamburg
Session Organiser: Andreas Janke Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC), Exzellenzcluster 'Understanding Written Artefacts', Universität Hamburg
Moderator: Stefano Valente, Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC), Exzellenzcluster 'Understanding Written Artefacts', Universität Hamburg
Paper -a Title: Early Paper Production in the Himalayas Language: English Speaker(s): Agnieszka Helman-Wazny, Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC), Exzellenzcluster 'Understanding Written Artefacts', Universität Hamburg;
Paper -b Title: Revealing More than Text: New Insights to Imaging Techniques for the Classification of Ink Types in Medieval Manuscripts Language: English Speaker(s): Ivan Shevchuk, Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC), Exzellenzcluster 'Understanding Written Artefacts', Universität Hamburg;
Paper -c Title: The Inks of 'Der Welsche Gast': Non-Invasive Analysis by XRF Spectroscopy and nIR Microscopy Language: English Speaker(s): Sebastian Bosch, Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC), Exzellenzcluster 'Understanding Written Artefacts', Universität Hamburg;
This research was funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG), first as part of Sonderforschungsbereich 950 (SFB 950) and then under Germany's Excellence Strategy programme (EXC 2176 "Understanding Written Artefacts: Material, Interaction and Transmission in Manuscript Cultures", project no. 390893796). The research was conducted within the scope of the work conducted at the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC) at Hamburg University.
