Search

Abstract The Transfiguration by Giovanni Bellini in the Museo di Capodimonte (Naples) is an iconic image of a transcendental event at the heart of the Christian religion. Using non-destructive chemical imaging, and focusing on the central image of the transfigured Christ we have studied by what means and with what materials the artist represented this divine event. The results showed what is to date the earliest use of the pigment stibnite. The techniques employed demonstrate both continuity with Bellini’s earliest works (such as the combination of the use of shell-gold and organic, tinted layers), but also his knowledge of Netherlandish painting. This research has furthered our understanding of how he achieved the luminosity so characteristic of his translation of the divine into the materiality of paint.

Abstract We present here the combination of in situ non invasive techniques to investigate a precious 15th century illuminated manuscript of Petrarch’s work, De remediis utriusque fortunae held in the Méjanes library in Aix-en-Provence (France). X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy, mapping and point analysis, and visible reflectance hyperspectral imaging allow an unprecedented analysis of this manuscript. They provide new clues for its attribution by revealing a partly hidden coat of arms and describing the illuminator’s palette and techniques in detail. We reveal the identity of the first possessor of this manuscript, Tanguy IV du Châtel, known as a 15th century bibliophile close to Louis XI. This information is a further element contributing to the attribution of the richly illuminated folio 6 of this manuscript to François Le Barbier. Pigments and dyes used for this folio have been investigated with particular emphasis on the study of the superimposed colours thus providing a better understanding of the artist’s technique and know-how.