Printing and imprinting the Missale Nidrosiense: a multidisciplinary investigation of the first printed book of Norway

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In our study, we employed an interdisciplinary approach to study the diverse parts of the Missale Nidrosiense, published in 1519. Our aim was a thorough investigation of the materials used and the manufacturing methods that may give indications on dating and provenance of the components of the book and where the book was bound. Initially, visual and multispectral methods were employed to investigate the books’ components, printing technology and bookbinding structure. Subsequently, other methods were applied: the composition of metallic components was determined by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF). Pigments, printing inks and binders were characterised by using a combination of XRF and synchrotron-based infrared microscopy. Non-invasive dendrochronology based on X-ray tomography was utilised, to indicate date and provenance of the wooden boards of the book. Additionally, we used a biocodicological approach to identify the species of animal used in the parchment. This resulted in a complete biography of the book. We were able to acquire new information about the materials used and their provenance. This provides new information about craft, economy, trade and commercial exchange in the beginning of the sixteenth century in North-west Scandinavia, despite the lack of written documentation from this period.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer158
TidsskriftHeritage Science
Vol/bind12
Antal sider18
ISSN2050-7445
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2024

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
We wish to thank Beasts2Craft member Matthew Teasdale for his input and comments on the study during its exploratory phase. We also thank the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin f\u00FCr Materialien und Energie for the allocation of synchrotron radiation beamtime. We would like to thank Espen Karlsen, researcher at the National Library of Norway, for his contribution regarding the history, production and use, of books in early modern Norway. Also, thanks to Book and Paper Conservator Valeria Pesce for creating the drawings of the Missales' bindings, which have facilitated our comparison of blind tools. The comments of four anonymous reviewers have greatly contributed to the improvement of the paper.

Funding Information:
A section of this study has also been conducted as a part of the ArcHives project, funded by Carlsbergfondet Semper Ardens No CF18-1110. One of the authors, HK, received funding from the CALIPSOplus project under the Grant Agreement 730872 from the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020. The dendrochronological research has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 677152).

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

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