Illuminating the craft of a facsimilist: Caleb Wing and the nineteenth-century art of manuscript illumination
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Abstract
Abstract In the second half of the nineteenth century, the revival of medieval illumination became a widespread phenomenon, with handcrafted replicas of illuminated leaves produced by amateurs and professionals alike. This practice, supported by numerous instructional handbooks, has long remained under-examined, only recently attracting scholarly interest, particularly among curators. Yet, the material and technical procedures behind these replicas have never been systematically investigated. This preliminary study examines a small selection of works by Caleb Wing, a professional facsimilist active in southern England. Combining archival research on contemporary manuals with material analysis using XRF, infrared reflectography, Raman spectroscopy and UV microscopy, this research investigates Wing’s production methods. The findings indicate that no standardised approach to medieval illumination existed at the time; instead, facsimilists made individual choices. Wing’s replicas demonstrate a flexible adaptation of materials and techniques in response to the aesthetic and technical characteristics of the original he sought to reproduce.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · Digital Humanities and Scholarship · Historical Architecture and Urbanism
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