Spectroscopic study of an Armenian manuscript from Biblioteca Universitaria di Bologna

The manuscript of Edessa or ms. 3290, a XVIII century Armenian manuscript kept at Biblioteca Universitaria di Bologna, has been thoroughly studied from the religious, artistic, historical and diagnostic point of view. Non-invasive measurements on the miniatures have been carried out in situ with portable instruments in order to evaluate the pictorial materials used to decorate this beautiful codex, lavishly illuminated with full-page miniatures. The results of the diagnostic study suggested that at least three different painters, each one with its own characteristic palette, contributed to the illumination of the manuscript. Precious colorants were employed for painting, among which of particular interest is the combined use of ultramarine blue and gold, considered the most valuable pictorial materials available to painters. Such a study could be a starting point for a larger research on the heritage of Armenian manuscripts held in Italian institutions.