St Christopher Woodcut undergoes the National Gallery’s Infrared Imaging

St. Christopher Woodcut being imaged using Osiris camera

    On Tuesday 15th January 2013 the Rylands were very pleased to welcome Rachel Billinge, from the National Gallery, and Ed Potten, Head of Rare Books at the University of Cambridge for some very exciting imaging.

Rachel brought with her an Osiris camera for high-resolution infrared reflectography. The camera was developed by Opus Instruments based on a prototype that was designed and built by the National Gallery‘s Science and Conservation departments. The Osiris camera records infrared light wavelengths from 900-1700 nanometres, reaching further in to the infrared light spectrum than a standard CCD sensor could. The camera takes many images of an item and automatically stiches each ’tile’ together, saving hours of post-processing time.

St. Christopher Woodcut being imaged using Osiris camera

View of Osiris capture as it happens, the camera automatically stitched together each ’tile’ to create a full high-resolution image of the page

Rachel Billinge from the National Gallery working on a capture of the St. Christopher Woodcut using an Osiris camera

Rachel produced images of the St. Christopher Woodcut, in a bid to produce a legible image of the watermark to confirm, or otherwise, the dating of the Woodcut. The St Christopher woodcut, 1423, is the earliest dated example of European printing. It is preserved as an endpaper in a manuscript dated 1417 from Bohemia, the ‘Laus Virginis’. Rachel also imaged the Annunciation Woodcut, although no watermark is believed to be present in this print.

Members of staff from across the Library were on hand to support and analyse the images as they were produced. We await the results with bated breath… we will share the findings with you in a follow up post as soon as we possibly can.

Analysing the results… watch this space!

Seasons Greetings!

Marley’s Ghost, from Alan Tabor’s beautifully illuminated manuscript of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Click to buy the eBook for only £1.99!

It hardly seems a year ago that CHICC were wishing everyone the best over the holiday season, but here we are again!

What a fantastic and eventful year it has been! We have seen some extremely exciting projects take place over the last 12 months, Historic Maps of Manchester going online, our initial experiments with Spectral Imaging, working with more amazing partners, including Blackpool Illuminations and the National Trust. There have been many books and manuscripts digitised from our own collections too of course, all freely available on LUNA.

We already have some fantastic projects coming in the New Year, so make sure you keep an eye on the blog for the latest news!

So, From all at CHICC, have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Spectral Imaging @CHICC

CLICK for animated gif showing the sequence of the light panels across the spectrum. from UV, through visible to infrared.

Recently at CHICC we have finally begun our tests with our new MegaVision spectral lighting panels. Micheal Toth who has worked on the spectral imaging of the Archimedes palimpsest and other cultural imaging projects joined us for a 2 day workshop. Michael also gave a great presentation to staff about his recent work on the Galen Palimpsest digitisation project, and the importance of creating an online repository for the data. Michael has also been working on an incredible spectral project within St Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai desert, a wonderful in depth article can be found here.

The light panels work through the electromagnetic spectrum, emitting light from 12 different wavelengths, starting off in UV and working through visible into infrared. We removed the IR filter from our Phase One P45+ back to be able to pick up the invisible light. By photographing objects under this lighting system, we are able to see what is essentially hidden, either text under text, water marks, text on pasted down pages and text obscured by damage.

The 12 wavelengths captured; 365nm UV, 455nm Royal Blue, 470nm, Long Blue, 505nm Cyan,535nm Green, 570nm Amber, 625nm Red700nm IR,735nm IR, 780nm IR, 870nm IR, 940nm IR. This is a Coptic palimpsest fragment, which also has burn damage. Even without processing with ImageJ, we are getting visible results.

The 12 images captured  are then processed through open source software ImageJ. This is the more difficult part of the process. The software is incredibly powerful, but it takes time to process the images and create results. We are currently working with image scientist Bill Christens-Barry in the US who will guide us through imageJ, and work on the images we have collected so far.

We tested the system on a variety of different objects from our collections, to test how the lights can help us with different problems. The famous St. Christopher woodcut, to try and bring out the watermark on the pasted down page. The above Coptic Palimpsest fragment, inscriptions in the Gutenberg Bible that have faded, and most effective without processing, carbonised Greek papyrus fragments, that are barely legible, completely when photographed under normal conditions. The below image shows the difference between normal and infrared. Even without processing the images through ImageJ, you can see the text is now clear.

Carbonised Greek Fragment 222 folio 2.

We will be sending our captured images over to Bill who will guide us through the processing. We will have some more conclusive results soon.

Blesseth the sicke. Hail Herman Inclusus!

“From straunge and dampe woodlands is borne Herman Inclusus, a plagve ridden scholar, chronicler and adept of an unheralded preisthood whoth sanctifies the Despondent. He has brought fourthe his collections of unholy relics and exhvmed icons to illuminate your pervertd souls. Blesseth the sicke. Hail Herman Inclusus. ”

Herman Inclusus is the pseudonym of Stuart Kolakovich. Here he will present new works “IN GREAT DECREPITUDE” inside a shed that has been converted to an Orthodox style church.

Stuart Kolakovic was born in the Midlands, UK – home to Black Sabbath and industrial pollution. Graduating from the Illustration course at Kingston University in 2007, his final major project, Milorad, an 80 page comic about his Serbian Grandfather, won a D&AD New Blood Award and came runner up in The Observer / Jonathan Cape, Graphic Short Story Prize.

Since graduating Stuart has worked consistently, consolidating his drawing, inspired and influenced by his Eastern European heritage and it’s folk art aesthetic. Whilst the visual impetus behind his work may be apparent, for Stuart, the need to communicate and to tell a story, is the most important aspect of folk art.

IN GREAT DECREPITUDE draws on inspiration from mythical and occult themes, illuminated manuscripts, orthodox iconography and Gothic literature. To see more of Herman Inclusus’ offerings, view his sacred vault online.

IN GREAT DECREPITUDE runs from 15th October 2012 until 27 January 2013 in the Historic Entrance.

New Rylands Special Collections Blog is now Live….

A brand new blog for the John Rylands Special Collections is now live. Expect some great insights into some of the incredible items from the collections. Don’t forget to follow the blog for regular updates.

CHICC goes to Blackpool!

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On Thursday 12th April, Carol and the CHICC photographers headed to Blackpool Illuminations to photograph some plans from their archive. It was a very successful trip and we were even treated to a personal tour of the Illuminations Factory. We were digitising a range of Illuminations plans which dated from the 1930s right up til the present day. All of the plans are stunning and we are looking forward to seeing them in Professor Vanessa‘s new book. So, watch this space! We will add some images of the plans themselves when the book is launched, but for now, heres some photos from our Illuminations tour.

Japan, Described and Illustrated by the Japanese. Out Now!

Before Christmas, we were working again very closely with The Folio Society, to create a facsimile of the fabulous 10 volume copy of  Japan, Described and Illustrated by the Japanese we have in our collections. See this past post. Well, we are delighted to announce that the Folio Society edition is now available for pre-order!

“One of the most opulent pictorial books ever published, Japan captures a vanished world in 259 hand-coloured photographs. Now, for the first time, this landmark work is reproduced in its entirety in two luxurious volumes“

If it’s anything like our previous collaboration on Sharpe’s Birds of Paradise, it is guaranteed to be something special.

Rylands Gothic Ivories Join Worldwide Online Collection

Rear of Latin MS 51.

Some of the most beautiful items from the Rylands collections are the wonderful gothic ivories. The library holds a small, but impressive collection of carved and often jewelled bindings and book covers, dating from around the 14th century.

Recently, a number of the ivories have joined an online collection of images from institutions around the world, set up by the Courtauld institute of art in London.

“I am pleased to announce that over 2050 pieces are now on the Gothic Ivories website: discover them now on www.gothicivories.courtauld.ac.uk! You will find that we have added pieces from the Victoria and Albert Museum, got started on the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and turned our attention to smaller but important collections including the Museum Mayer van den Bergh in Antwerp, the Museo Nazionale di Ravenna, the Musée Grobet-Labadié in Marseille, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, The Princeton University Art Museum, the Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe,and many more…” DR. Catherine Yvard, Project Manager of the Gothic Ivories Project.

Search Tips:  

-       typing “Unknown location” (quotation marks matter) in the Current location field will bring up all pieces whose whereabouts are unknown.

-       typing “Private collection” in the Current location field will show you sculptures in private hands

Happy Browsing!

 

‘Trusty and well beloved, we greet you well’ The digitised letters of Henry VIII

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The digitisation of the King Henry VIII letters at Dunham Massey went very well indeed. It was such a privilege to be able to see the letters first hand and create high resolution images of them to help protect and preserve the letters for the future. We set up our kit in the ‘Faithful and Obedient’ exhibition gallery which was the ideal space for us as we were right next to the exhibition case which houses the letters. We digitised the letters using the IQ 180 our portable copystand and Profoto lights.

On hand there is even a transcription of the letters so visitors can read exactly what they say. We include the transcriptions here below each letter:

By the King

By the King

Trusty and well-beloved we greet you well, letting you know that forasmuch as by the manifold injuries, wrongs and displeasures done unto us, our realm and our subjects by the Scots, we have been forced lately to enter into open war and hostility with the same, which we intend and purpose, god willing (unless the nobles of Scotland conform themselves to reason), to prosecute with such force as shall redound to our honour and to the commonwealth of our realm and subjects. To the intent that we may better know the forces of our said realm and thereby put the same in such order and readiness as they may serve us in this enterprise as the case shall require, we have thought meet and necessary to have special musters taken of all our people and thereupon to have all such plan and perfect certificate made as shall declare what be trusted to in that behalf. Wherefore our pleasure and commandment is that you, by the virtue and authority hereof, shall with all convenient diligence take the musters of all the able men, both horsemen and footmen, which you can make and furnish, both of our tenants inhabiting upon farms, holdings and tenancies within any office under us of which you have the stewardship, if you have any such, and also of your own servants and tenants dwelling upon you own tenancies. And the same so taken, to certify in writing to our right trusty and right entirely beloved cousin and counselor the Duke of Sussex, lieutenant general in northern areas, with all possible diligence, with a special note and declaration to be expressed in the said certificate, how many of the said persons are furnished with horses able to occupy [carry] a spear or javelin, how many are archers and how may billmen, and how many principal men may be picked out of every sort of the whole number. Forcing [taking care] that in these musters and certificate you do not meddle in any way with any mariners, forasmuch as we intend to reserve the same for our furniture by sea [i.e. navy], and that you put all the same in readiness as they [to] set forth in one hour’s warning, whenever you receive commandment from our said cousin in that behalf. And these our letters shall be your sufficient warrant and discharge herein accordingly. Given under our signet at our Palace of Westminster the 10^th day of February, the 34^th year of our reign.

By the Queene

By the Queene

Trusty and well beloved, we greet you well. And forasmuch as by the inestimable goodness and grace of Almighty God, we have been delivered and brought to child-bed of a Prince conceived in most lawful matrimony between my lord, the King’s Majesty, and us, doubting not but that for the love and affection which you bear unto us and the commonwealth of this realm the knowledge of which should be joyous and glad tidings unto you, we have thought good to certify you of the same, to the intent that you might not only render unto God condign thanks and praise for so great benefit, but also pray for the long continuance and preservation of the same here in this life to the honour of God, joy and pleasure of my lord the King and us, and the universal peace, quiet and tranquility of this whole realm. Given under our Signet [seal] at my lord’s manor of Hampton Court, the 12^th day of October

The letters will be on public view at Dunham Massey throughout the ‘Faithful and Obedient’ exhibition, and its really worth a visit. The ‘Faithful & Obedient’ exhibition is open at Dunham Massey Hall on Sat – Weds, 11am – 5pm. Dunham’s Winter Garden, restaurant and shop are open daily. For details, visit Dunham Massey’s website.

Rehousing Greek Papyri

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Greek 19 & 20 are 2^nd and 1^st century respectively papyri fragments which had been rendered illegible by surface salt ‘bloom’. The items were required for study by Dr Roberta Mazza, Lecturer in Ancient History in The School of Arts Histories and Cultures. Roberta asked us what could be done to enable study of the pieces (Greek 20 is in 3 parts).

Advice about the reasons behind the salt bloom and apparent high moisture content (moisture droplets were visible on the inside of the glass) was sought from Bridget Leach papyrus conservator at the British Museum.

After consultation a treatment plan was proposed by Collection Care to re-house the fragments.

Prior to the re-housing work taking place, the Imaging Team were approached to see if they could capture images of the moisture and also to see if there was any way the text could be made more legible using digital technology.

The papyri fragments were digitised using the IQ180 and 120mm macro lens to obtain the highest quality images. Using careful focus control, it was possible to clearly see the water droplets as soon as the images appeared on the computer screen. We experimented with the levels and contrast settings and were able to very quickly render the text legible (however it must be noted that these adjustments produce inaccurate colour information).

The papyri were successfully re-housed using techniques used during a separate Arabic papyrus re-housing project.

When the two sheets of old glass were carefully separated the salt bloom remained on the surface of the glass. Samples of the bloom have been taken which will be sent for scientific analysis. We expect it to be sodium chloride. We suspect the high moisture content in the original glazing was probably due to ”wet” paste used to adhere the leather strips which were used to seal the edges of the glass.

The fragments were then placed onto a sheet of UV filtered conservation grade glass, the edges of which are lined with 10mm wide acid-free paper of similar thickness to the fragments. This will ensure the glass is not pressing directly onto the fragments.

2mm wide strips of Japanese tissue are used to ‘tag’ the fragments onto the glass using a reversible adhesive.

The sandwich is then sealed around the edges using Tyvek tape and new identifying labels are adhered to the outside of the glass.