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Calà E, Gosetti F, Gulmini M, Serafini I, Ciccola A, Curini R, Salis A, Damonte G, Kininger K, Just T, Aceto M. It's Only a Part of the Story: Analytical Investigation of the Inks and Dyes Used in the Privilegium Maius. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24122197. [PMID: 31212774 PMCID: PMC6630338 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24122197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Privilegium maius is one of the most famous and spectacular forgeries in medieval Europe. It is a set of charters made in the 14th century upon commitment by Duke Rudolf IV, a member of the Habsburg family, to elevate the rank and the prestige of his family. These five charters, now kept at the Österreichisches Staatsarchiv in Vienna, have been subjected to a thorough interdisciplinary study in order to shed light on its controversial story. The charters are composed of pergamenaceous documents bound to wax seals with coloured textile threads. The present contribution concerns the characterisation of the inks used for writing and of the dyes used to colour to the threads: Are they compatible with the presumed age of the charters? Though showing only a part of the whole story of the charters, dyes analysis could contribute in assessing their complex history from manufacturing to nowadays. The dyes were characterised with non-invasive in situ measurements by means of fibre optic (FORS) and with micro-invasive measurements by means of Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analysis. The results showed that the threads of four of the charters (three dyed with madder, one with orchil) were apparently coloured at different dyeing stages, then re-dyed in the 19–20th century.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Calà
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale, viale T. Michel, 11-15121 Alessandria, Italy.
| | - Fabio Gosetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale, viale T. Michel, 11-15121 Alessandria, Italy.
| | - Monica Gulmini
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Torino, via P. Giuria, 7-10125 Torino, Italy.
| | - Ilaria Serafini
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
| | - Alessandro Ciccola
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
| | - Roberta Curini
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
| | - Annalisa Salis
- Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research (CEBR), Università degli Studi di Genova, viale Benedetto XV, 5-16132 Genova, Italy.
| | - Gianluca Damonte
- Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research (CEBR), Università degli Studi di Genova, viale Benedetto XV, 5-16132 Genova, Italy.
| | - Kathrin Kininger
- Österreichisches Staatsarchiv, Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv, Minoritenplatz, 1-1010 Wien, Austria.
| | - Thomas Just
- Österreichisches Staatsarchiv, Haus-, Hof- und Staatsarchiv, Minoritenplatz, 1-1010 Wien, Austria.
| | - Maurizio Aceto
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale, viale T. Michel, 11-15121 Alessandria, Italy.
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