RAMAN MICROSCOPY STUDY OF THE PIGMENTS ON 3 ILLUMINATED MEDIEVAL LATIN MANUSCRIPTS

The palettes of three Latin manuscripts (MS Let 8, MS Let 14 and MS La t 17) from the collection in the D. M. S. Watson Library at University College London were analysed by Raman microscopy. Tbe pigments vermil ion (HgS), kermes (kermesic acid), azurite [2CuCO(3) . Cu(OH)(2)], mal achite [CuCO3 . Cu(OH)(2)], ivory black (a pigment based on amorphous carbon), white lead [2PbCO(3) . Pb(OH)(2)] and lead tin yellow type I (Pb2SnO4) were identified by Raman microscopy. The Raman spectra of tw o types of 'mosaic gold,' synthetic tin sulphide (SnS2), are also give n, but were shown not to be present; the illuminations were obtained w ith gold itself. A second black pigment could not be identified. (C) 1 997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.