23-04-2026, 04:04 PM
Do you have source for those UV images of f17r? Are the full pages, or other pages, available somewhere? I would really appreciate them if possible!
I posted something similar on the thread for the zoom conference where the ink was discussed. At that time it was about the term "period appropriate", while you use "original from the 1400s", but they are effectively the same mistaken interpretation. I repeat it here, as I believe that it continues to be important:
Now, about the reflectivity/absorption of iron-gall inks, I do wonder if this is influenced by the thickness of the ink, the composition of the ink, and the amount of time the ink has been exposed to the elements. The paper you linked appears to be discussing iron-gall ink that is hidden under paint, and is thus not exposed to the atmosphere. Ink that may have oxidised/reacted over centuries may have different absorptive properties to "fresh" iron-gall ink.
(copied my response from previous thread)
(23-04-2026, 03:53 PM)Jorge_Stolfi wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Another common mis-interpretation of that report is the claim that they determined that all inks and pigments were original from the 1400s.
First, as the report admits, they failed to identify many of the pigments, including the text ink and the green paint that is used on the leaves of most of the plants. (They only determined that it contained copper but was not crystalline, and guessed that it could be some unidentified organic salt of copper.) And they mis-identified others, like a red pigment as "palmierite" (which is an extremely rare colorless mineral, found only around fumaroles in volcanic areas.)
And, for those paints that they did identify, they did not not determine any dates.
I posted something similar on the thread for the zoom conference where the ink was discussed. At that time it was about the term "period appropriate", while you use "original from the 1400s", but they are effectively the same mistaken interpretation. I repeat it here, as I believe that it continues to be important:
(14-03-2026, 12:44 AM)eggyk wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Except when people claim that the VMS has "period appropriate" ink, which is technically true, it can end up being slightly misleading.
As a non-expert, hearing that term makes me think "appropriate to the 15th century specifically", not "appropriate to every century" or "appropriate to every century before the 20th". Maybe experts in this field have always known this, but I definitely didn't, and i'm sure many others don't either.
Now, about the reflectivity/absorption of iron-gall inks, I do wonder if this is influenced by the thickness of the ink, the composition of the ink, and the amount of time the ink has been exposed to the elements. The paper you linked appears to be discussing iron-gall ink that is hidden under paint, and is thus not exposed to the atmosphere. Ink that may have oxidised/reacted over centuries may have different absorptive properties to "fresh" iron-gall ink.
(copied my response from previous thread)