Probabilistic image-based characterization of manuscript inks

Inks constitute the main element in Medieval manuscripts and their examination and analysis provides an invaluable source of information on the authenticity of the manuscripts, the number of authors involved and dating of the manuscripts. Most existing methods for the analysis of ink materials are based on destructive testing techniques that require the physicochemical sampling of data. Such methods cannot be widely used because of the historical and cultural value of manuscripts. In this paper we present a novel approach for discriminating and identifying inks based on the correlations of image variations under visible and infrared illumination. Such variations are studied using co-occurrence matrices and detect the behavior of the inks during the scripting process.