Microdome imaging workshop at the J.P. Getty Museum

Between January 27th and February 3th the RICH team has been working together with the scientists and conservators of the J.P. Getty Museum and Research Institute in Los Angeles. Various artifacts of the Museum collection have been monitored and studied with Photometric Stereo such as medieval manuscripts, master drawings, bookbindings and daguerreotypes.

A daguerreotype by Jacob Byerly (1807-1883); left full image made with the White Light Microdome; middle a detail with raking light; right same detail with shaded filter showing degradation. Click on the image to enlarge;  collection J. P. Getty Museum

Both White Light and Multi-Spectral Microdomes have been used. The RICH Project, the technical background and the research targets have been highlighted the on February 2nd during the lecture: Microdomes and Manuscripts: Multi-Spectral and Photometric Stereo Imaging for Illuminations, Drawings and Documentary Heritage. After the lecture, a hands-on workshop was given at the Imaging Studio of the Getty Center.

Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta (Georg Bocskay & Joris Hoefnaegel, 1561-62), folio 33; image with White Light Microdome, collection Getty Museum

Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta (Georg Bosky & Joris Hoefnaegel, 1561-62),  detail, folio 33; Multi-Spectral Microdome; top left shaded filter; top middle Infrared light (850 nm); top right Red light (623 nm); below left Green light (523 nm); below middle Blue light (460 nm), below right UV light (365 nm)

Imaging embroidered bookbindings at the Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam

In preparation of workshop on Historical Embroidered Bookbindings at the Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam this summer, the RICH team monitored 15 precious historic bookbindings (16^th – 19^th century) with delicate needlework on velvet, silk and satin last week. The imaging was done with the white led microdome and with the multispectral microdome. Weaving, stitching and embroidering techniques were revealed in great detail, taking the researchers view through the eye of the needle.

Results will be presented during the 3-Days Seminar on Embroidered Bindings, Wednesday 19 – Friday 21 August, Summer School History of the Book at the Special Collections of the University of Amsterdam, Oude Turfmarkt 129, 17-28 August 2015. See: http://bijzonderecollecties.uva.nl/en/what-s-on/events/content/events/2014/08/summer-school-history-of-the-book.html

Newest acquisition of the KU Leuven University Library monitored with the Multispectral Microdome

KU Leuven, MS1993, folio 008R with normal and IR light; folio 045R with visual and false color IR

In May 2015 the KU Leuven University Library acquired a unique illuminated manuscript from the Celestine monastery of Arenberg (Leuven, Belgium). The title “Preparationes ante missam” (“Preparations for the mass ‘) was written and illuminated in 1582 in the Celestine monastery in Heverlee, Leuven by the later prior Petrus Angeli. The manuscript is remarkably small in size (100 x 65 mm), and has 34 illuminations. At the beginning of the book Angeli painted eight heraldic weapons, held by female figures, angels, soldiers or ‘wildemannen ‘, followed with sixteen full-page miniatures. They are meticulously painted in warm and brilliant colors and finished with shell gold, depicting scenes of the Old and New Testament. The dedication miniature on folio 45 refers to the Croy’s family, members of the Knights of the Golden Fleece.

Last week the manuscript was examined in the Imaging Lab of the University Library with the new Multispectral Microdome developed in the framework of the RICH project. First conclusions are that the ‘cartouches’ and the coat of arms in the manuscript remained blank and were never overpainted. Moreover, the results showed with IR light that there was no underdrawing made with a carbon based medium, but probably some outline drawing of very small individual figures by a transfer technique. The false color imaging of folio 045r revealed a complex mixed color palette, characteristic for the late 16^th century illumination technique. The coming academic year, the newly arrived manuscript will be examined and analyzed to reveal it’s hidden features.

Workshop on multispectral imaging

The past days (May 11-13) the RICH team organized a workshop on multispectral imaging at the Imaging Lab of the University Library KU Leuven, which coincides with the implementation of the Multispectral Microdome. Mike Toth, Bill Christens-Barry and Alberto Campagnolo set up their imaging system for multispectral capture developed during the Archimedes Palimpsest project. Eric Joakim of Phase One kindly provided an IQ260 Achromatic digital back and IXR camera for capture.

Mike Toth, Lieve Watteeuw, Alberto Campagnolo, Bruno Vandermeulen, Bill Christens-Barry and Eric Joakim, photo Mike Toth

Western and eastern paper, parchment and papyrus documents and archaeological objects such as Egyptian execration statuettes were monitored. These objects were captured through 16 different spectral bands, ranging from UV to IR. We were specifically looking at censored, deleted and faded texts, pictorial layers and false color visualisation of polychrome layers of medieval illuminations.

The Timbuktu manuscripts, which are being researched and digitized at the moment at the Imaging Lab, were also the focus of attention.

Preparing Egyptian Execration Statuettes for capture

Focussing before multispectral capture

Lieve Watteeuw, Mike Toth, Bill Christens-Barry, Alberto Campagnolo and Eric Joakim at work in the Imaging Lab of the University Library

Lieve Watteeuw, Mike Toth, Alberto Campagnolo and Athena Van der Perre looking at a manuscript.

RICH presents the new Multispectral Microdome

Today the RICH team presented the first preliminary results of a Microdome with multispectral RTI capability at the Digital Humanities Spring Session (KU Leuven, April 28-29).

The new Multispectral Microdome is equipped with 228 different LED lamps. Five different spectra are evenly distributed over the dome: UV at 365 nm, Blue at 460 nm, Red at 523 nm, Green at 623 nm and IR at 850 nm. A black and white sensor of 28 Mp with extended sensitivity in UV and IR is mounted on top of the dome. After first analysis, the software will be fine-tuned and further enhanced.

Manuscript: KU Leuven, Tabularium, MS 1007, folio 41V

Scanning cuneiform @ Royal Museum Mariemont (Belgium)

From 9 to 17 February the Portable Light Dome has been scanning cuneiform tablets at the Royal Museum of Mariemont (Belgium). This work on some hundred tablets, cones, cylinders, barrels and seals was conducted by the IAP Greater Mesopotamia team, i.e. the UCLouvain and KU Leuven partners.

They thank the direction of the Mariemont museum for the permission and their cooperation, in particular Arnaud Quertinmont for his kind reception and guidance throughout our stay.

(Hendrik Hameeuw, Elynn Gorris and Etienne Van Quickelberghe)

Imaging the topography of illuminations and bookbindings

Poster presented at ICOM-CC’s 17th Triennial Conference, Melbourne, September 15-19

You can view the poster in a larger version here.

Detailed imaging with the Microdome of the Enclosed Gardens (16th century), Mechelen

Detailed imaging of the Enclosed Gardens (16th century), Mechelen

Detailed imaging with the Microdome of the Enclosed Gardens within the framework of documentation, conservation en preservation project of the 16th century retables (2014-2016)

The Municipal Museums of Mechelen (Belgium) take care of a remarkable collection of seven Horti Conclusi (Enclosed gardens) dated from the 16^th century. This collection belonged to the former convent of Mechelen’s Hospital Sisters. The Enclosed Gardens are rather unusual and extremely rare pieces of art that were mainly fabricated and conserved in the city of Mechelen. These Masterpieces are unique: few have survived and there is no comparable example of a similar well conserved coherent collection of Enclosed Gardens. It is therefore not a surprise that they are recognised as Flemish Masterpieces by the Flemish Government.

The Enclosed Gardens are testimonials of a high artistic quality and are the result of years of patient religious handycraft and an extraordinary tangible expression of a devotional tradition. Apart from the painted panels with saints and patrons and altarpieces with polychrome figures (well known poupées de Malines), the Enclosed Gardens contain textiles, metals, relics, glass, parchment and paper, wax and pipeclay, fragments of bone etc. For the Hospital Sisters these retables were a way to experience their devotion and spirituality.

video RICH: creating digital rubbings @ Folger Shakespeare Library

In August 2013 Lieve Watteeuw and our colleague Hendrik Hameeuw gave a lecture and workshop at the Folger Shakespeare Library. On this occasion the Folger produced a nice video.

New book conservation friendly microdome presented during the Conference Workshop of Inside Illuminations

Museum Plantin Moretus, The Bible of Conrad von Vechta, Bohemia, 1402

On Friday 6^th of June 2014, the RICH workshop was attended by the participants of the Brussels conference Inside Illuminations, Art Technical Research and the Medieval Manuscripts. The conference was organized by Illuminare (Centre for the Study of Medieval Art, KU Leuven), the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (Brussels), and UCL (Louvain-la-Neuve). http://org.kikirpa.be/illuminations/

A RICH project poster, illustrated the collaboration of the team with the Museum Plantin-Moretus, Antwerp ( Unesco World Heritage). De presentation illustrated the imaging of one of the masterpieces of the collection: Monitoring illuminations and gilding characteristics with the RICH Minidome, The Bible of Conrad von Vechta, Bohemia, 1402. 

InsideIlluminations2_small

The conference Inside Illuminations was a meeting intended to advance interdisciplinary research on technical art history and the medieval illuminated manuscript by providing a forum for scholars working on specific manuscripts, on illuminators’ practice and on recently developed research tools and databases. During the workshop, Marc Proesman (ESAT), Bruno Vandermeulen (Digital Imaging Lab) and Lieve Watteeuw (Arts & Illuminare) documented recent developments in hard- and software, followed with detailed case-studies in imaging of graphic materials.

On this occasion, the RICH presented the new prototype of the microdome, developed with a smaller cupola of 30 cm holding 220 white LEDs. For book conservation reasons, a slice of the microdome can be removed, allowing the tool to monitor into the gathering of a book (opening at 100°). The Microdome is mounted on a specially adapted conservation book cradle, designed by the university of Graz in Austria. Fragile books with delicate bindings can be monitored through RTI, without risk to stress or damage. Light suction on a bar is flattening gently the paper or parchment folios during the three minutes of imaging.