Vienna Genesis: Material analysis and conservation

The Vienna Genesis is a fragmentary Greek manuscript of the Book of Genesis written on purple dyed parchment with silver ink. Dated to the 6th century, the 24 preserved folios are assumed to have been made in Antioch in todays Syria. The Vienna Genesis is famous for its illuminations, the richest preserved biblical cycle from the transition period between antiquity and the Middle Ages. The silver inks corrosion, which has resulted in extensive damage to the parchment, was observed as early as 1664 when the manuscript was incorporated into the court library. From 1895 to 1975 the 24 sheets with text and miniatures on both sides were stored between glass plates. In 1975 they were conserved with parchment glue containing acetic acid and since then they have been stored between acrylic sheets at the Austrian National Library. The aim of the project is to determine whether or not the current storage system poses a risk and if procedures to stabilise losses in the parchment and the development of a new mounting system can improve the preservation of the manuscript. The optimal storage conditions have to be found which prevent further corrosion of the silver ink and deterioration of the parchment. A thorough analysis of the parchment, the purple dye, silver inks and pigments of the miniatures is necessary in order to decide how to best conserve the Vienna Genesis. Urgently needed stabilization of losses in the unusually thin parchment will capitalize on methods recently developed at the Austrian National Library. Whether the parchment was dyed with shellfish purple or other organic colorants will influence decisions regarding the future storage of the manuscript. There is no surviving written record describing the production of parchment and how it was dyed purple in late antiquity. An investigation of the parchment and purple dye of the Vienna Genesis will provide insight into these early practices and help understand how knowledge and technology were transferred in the transition period between antiquity and the Middle Ages. A detailed analysis of the pigments in the miniatures will help to clarify questions concerning how many artists were involved in painting the illuminations and if any alterations were made at a later date. As one of the best preserved examples of late antique book art the investigation of the Vienna Genesis will greatly expand present knowledge about late antique, Jewish and early Christian cultures.

The Vienna Genesis is a fragmentary Greek manuscript of the Book of Genesis written on purple dyed parchment with silver ink. Dated to the 6th century, the 24 preserved folios are assumed to have been made in the Near East. The Vienna Genesis is famous for its illuminations from the transition period between Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The silver inks corrosion, which has resulted in extensive damage to the parchment, was observed as early as 1664 when the manuscript was incorporated into the court library. From 1895 to 1975 the 24 sheets with text and miniatures on both sides were stored between glass plates. In 1975 they were conserved with parchment glue containing acetic acid and since then they have been stored between acrylic sheets at the Austrian National Library. Before a new conservation of the manuscript, the materials and the technology were investigated. The manufacture of parchment in Late Antiquity could be reconstructed. The purple dye of the parchment, a highly light sensitive lichen dye, was identified. Shellfish purple could be unequivocally excluded. The silver ink consists of silver and contains copper as minor component. The addition of salt during manufacture and external sources of salt, like a humid sea environment, resulted in the corrosion of silver to silverchloride and in degradation of the thin parchment. The identification of the pigments made it possible to differentiate seven painters for the 48 miniatures. Based on the materials analysis a new concept for conservation and storage could be developed. The fragile ink areas were locally stabilised with coated Japanese tissue papers. The paint layers of the miniatures had to be partially consolidated. The storage in folders of Japanese papers in sink mats under controlled climate guarantees the long term preservation of the Vienna Genesis. Materialanalyis and the reconstruction of manufacture enlarged the knowledge on book art in Late Antiquity.