It is already possible to detect partial traces of paint or tiny particles of pigment with the naked eye or under a microscope on two medieval reliquaries in the MKG. This “finding”, which was up to now only optical, but was not analyzed, has now for the first time been more closely examined and documented as part of the interdisciplinary project.
Under investigation were eight silver gilt relief plaques illustrating scenes from the life of St. Servatius. These reliefs originally adorned the polygonal plinth of a reliquary bust of St. Servatius which was donated to the Church of St. Servatius in Maastricht in 1403. The reliquary contains the skull of the saint. Maastricht was already a prominent place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. On special occasions the reliquary bust was placed in the Choir for veneration and carried in processions. The Servatius bust was also shown to the people during the showing of the relics at the pilgrimage which took place every seven years. The reliquary bust was lost sometime around 1579 and was replaced by a new one in 1585. The relief plaques on the plinth found their way to Belgium, where they were acquired for the MKG in 1885. The silver gilt reliefs are a masterpiece of the international goldsmiths’ art around 1400. In their quality and subtle detail they anticipate the narrative style of Jan van Eyck.
The second object examined is the book cover of an evangeliary from the former Cistercian nunnery of Hewardeshude produced around 1510 in Hamburg, which has been on permanent loan to the MKG since 1879. The silver lid of the bookcase is decorated with an almost completely free-standing silver figurine of John the Evangelist, which is at the same time the receptacle for relics. The partial painting of the flesh parts, which can unambiguously be regarded as original, is very well preserved, so that the piece is an excellent reference object.
As part of a technological study using mobile and non-invasive methods, for the first time, the colorants could be identified on both of these objects. X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) is capable of detecting even the tiniest residues of possible colouring. The qualitative elemental analysis here showed clear traces of mercury and lead indicating that cinnabar/ vermillion and lead white were used for the polychrome areas. Finally it was possible to confirm these results using Raman spectroscopy, thus verifying our assumption that both the book cover and the Servatius plaques were coloured with these classical pigments. Traces of cinnabar/vermilion can be found on the lips and cheeks of human figures and the muzzles of animals; white lead is detectable above all on faces, eyes, hands and gloves.
And in conclusion, the findings regarding the coloration of the goldsmiths’ works have been examined again from the perspective of art history, posing the following key questions: What is the effect on the observer of a partial coloration? What might have been the role of the »incarnation«, i.e. the flesh colouring of the faces and other visible areas of skin, with regard to achieving an effect of the »real presence« of the saints? To what extent are the findings on the coloration supported by historical sources and by comparison of other roughly contemporary examples, also from other media?
The research for this article was carried out in the context of the SFB 950 'Manuskriptkulturen in Asien, Afrika und Europa' funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) and within the scope of the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (CSMC).
