The Book of Uí Mhaine: An interdisciplinary analysis of the materiality of the Gaelic manuscript tradition

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dc.contributor.authorBiolcati, Veronicaen
dc.contributor.authorWilson, Meghanen
dc.contributor.authorFiddyment, Sarahen
dc.contributor.authorUnitt, Richarden
dc.contributor.authorConnelly Ryan, Cynthiaen
dc.contributor.authorHoffmann, Anna Graceen
dc.contributor.authorGillis, Johnen
dc.contributor.authorFrance, Fenellaen
dc.contributor.authorÓ Macháin, Pádraigen
dc.contributor.authorIacopino, Daniela
dc.contributor.funderIrish Research Council
dc.date.accessioned2023-07-25T08:44:26Z
dc.date.available2023-07-25T09:32:44Zen
dc.date.available2023-07-25T08:44:26Z
dc.date.issued2023-07-15
dc.date.updated2023-07-25T08:32:47Zen
dc.description.abstractThis paper presents the findings of the first multi-analytical investigation of the Book of Uí Mhaine, one of the largest Gaelic Books surviving from the medieval vernacular period. A combination of protein analysis, point X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), multispectral imaging (MSI), point Fiber-Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) and point Raman spectroscopy was used to perform a systematic investigation of the Book of Uí Mhaine’s constituent materials, including parchment, inks and pigments. The analysis revealed that the parchment was made of calfskin, both blunt tools and Pb-containing materials were used for ruling the pages throughout the manuscript, and iron-based inks were used to write the content of the book. The decoration was restricted to the initial letters and rubrication across the body text. The decoration color palette was limited to yellow and red, comprising arsenic-, mercury- and lead-based pigments. A copper-based green pigment was found only on one folio. The scientific knowledge acquired through this multi-analytical approach complemented a substantial corpus of knowledge already built by Gaelic scholars, paleographers, codicologists and conservators. This work not only allowed for the consolidation of existing information on methods and materials used for the production of medieval Gaelic manuscripts but also laid the basis for future comparative work with other contemporary traditions in Ireland and Europe.
dc.description.sponsorshipIrish Research Council (Advanced Laureate Research award IRCLA/2019/151)
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionPublished Version
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationBiolcati, V., Wilson, M., Fiddyment, S., Unitt, R., Ryan, C. C., Hoffmann, A. G., Gillis, J., France, F., Ó Macháin, P. and Iacopino, D. (2023) 'The Book of Uí Mhaine: An interdisciplinary analysis of the materiality of the Gaelic manuscript tradition', Heritage, 6(7), pp. 5393-5409. doi: 10.3390/heritage6070284
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/heritage6070284en
dc.identifier.eissn2571-9408
dc.identifier.endpage5409
dc.identifier.issued7
dc.identifier.journaltitleHeritage
dc.identifier.startpage5393
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/14772
dc.identifier.volume6
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.rights© 2023, the Authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/)
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectProteomic analysis
dc.subjectInks
dc.subjectPigments
dc.subjectX-ray fluorescence
dc.subjectMultispectral imaging
dc.subjectFiber-optic reflectance spectroscopy
dc.titleThe Book of Uí Mhaine: An interdisciplinary analysis of the materiality of the Gaelic manuscript traditionen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)
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