Macroscopic reflectance spectral imaging to reveal multiple and complementary types of information for the non-invasive study of an entire polychromatic manuscript

Abstract In the last decade, Mesoamerican codices have been the subjects of numerous characterization studies. Due to their large sizes, a limited number of areas were effectively analyzed, but considered representative of the manuscripts material constituents. In order to overcome this necessary assumption, a complementary approach is presented here, with the use of macroscopic diffuse reflectance spectral imaging (also known as “hyperspectral” imaging), in the visible to short wave infrared range (400–2500 nm). It allowed to study the entire surface of the Codex Borbonicus, a 16th century Aztec manuscript, used as an example of application for our innovative methodology. Numerous types of information (colorimetric data, visualization of underdrawings, spectral segmentation and chemical mappings) were obtained, and the entire document material composition was examined. These new data enrich the current knowledge on traditional Mesoamerican manuscript manufacturing techniques. More importantly, this demonstrates the great potential of this approach for the non-invasive study of large polychromatic surfaces. For the first time, an entire manuscript is analyzed using this approach providing several types of information on the same document with a single analytical technique.

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