Pigment analysis of the Glajor Gospel book of V.C.L.A

Abstract

The unpublished Gospel book from the Armenian school of Glajor and now held by V.C.L.A. contains numerous miniatures depicting scenes from the life of Christ. On the basis of stylistic analysis, five distinct painters of these miniatures, working in two different ateliers, have been identified. Seventy-six samples, selected to yield the spectrum of hues from each artist, were abstracted from the MS. and analyzed by standard methods. The resulting palette was compared with pigments known to be in use at the same time in Byzantium and western Europe.