An Invisible Archive: Multi-Analytical Investigation of Medieval Manuscript Production in Benevento

The twelfth-century Beneventan manuscripts of the Cathedral Chapter Library of Benevento constitute a largely understudied corpus of medieval illumination, whose material composition has not yet been investigated. This paper presents an in situ non-invasive multi-analytical investigation of three of these codices: Ms. 7 and Ms. 17 (Sanctorale), and Ms. 19 (Missal–Breviary) assigned to two different production environments, through a workflow combining elemental/molecular spectroscopy with point-based and Vis-NIR hyperspectral imaging and high-resolution microscopy. The study examines pigments, binders, and inks, across the three manuscripts, with the aim of establishing an exploratory research protocol that combines autoptic observations and diagnostic analyses to characterising and comparing manuscript production environments. The principal pigments identified across the three manuscripts are cinnabar, natural ultramarine (lapis lazuli), a copper-based green, and lead white, with iron-gall ink consistently present for text writing. Notable differences between the two production environments include the use of orpiment versus an unidentified organic lake for yellow, and the presence of minium, a red–purple lake, and gold exclusively in Ms. 19. A particularly significant finding is the use of iron gall ink, employed across all three manuscripts as a writing medium and as a pigment for modulating tonal values. Moreover, a brown ink was identified in preparatory underdrawings and decorative details, but its composition remains undetermined.