". Pour les deux derniers siecles du Moyen Age, ou lapalette s'elargit de maniere consequente, on releveradeux evolutions notables qui livrent un eclairage surles pratiques artistiques : d'une part, les enlumineursjouent sur les proprietes semantiques des substancesmaterielles dont ils font un element signifiant desimages en differenciant, voire hierarchisant au sein de celles-ci des pigments d'une meme couleur ; d'autrepart, ils affirment leur individualite stylistique a traversla palette qu'ils utilisent, ou la variete des pigments ledispute a la subtilite des melanges. Cette personnalisationde plus en plus marquee de la palette rappelle, si besoinetait, tout l'apport des analyses physico-chimiques ala connaissance des oeuvres d'art et a l'identificationdes mains qui ont participe a leur elaboration. Cetteetude montre aussi tout le benefice des collaborationsinterdisciplinaires entre scientifiques du patrimoine,conservateurs et historiens, sans lesquellescet ouvragefondamental n'aurait pu voir le jour." Charlotte Denoel in Art de l'enluminure, Mars 2024 p. 62/63 ". This unprecedented publication explores the richness of manuscripts and their pigments in medieval Britain and what they can tell us about the culture and historical context that produced them besides the type of text or commission, the available materials, the style of artwork, the preferences of the illuminators, and the scriptorium. (.
) These insights are masterfully assembled into a publication that will have an impact on the way we assess and study our collections. Its abundance of considerations and findings will altogether inspire further research. Moreover, it will be an invaluable source for a broad spectrum of readers engaged in book history, heritage science and conservation, and will also guide students entering these fields." Marinita Stiglitz in Journal of the Institute of Conservation, 47:2, p. 183-184 "Readers will be impressed by the number of manuscripts studied (p. 455 Index of Manuscripts), the extensive collection of images and data tables that support each chapter, and the thorough summaries of pigment-identification information (Chapter I) and details on analytical instruments (Chapter I and Appendix III), as well as the supplemental notes, references, and invaluable 'meta' resources such as historical recipes (Appendix I) and illuminators' accounts (Appendix II). Additionally, the collaboration with numerous UK institutions and individuals, highlighted in the Preface and Acknowledgements, demonstrates the breadth of effort behind this publication. (.
) In summary, this is a must-have reference for any professional working on the materiality of medieval manuscripts. It is also a scholarly achievement of the highest standard, truly illuminating the past for the present. But beyond that it is an engaging and captivating read bringing to life the production of illuminations throughout medieval Britain." Mito Matsumaru in Newsletter of the Association for Manuscripts and Archives in Research Collections (AMARC) Issue 83 October 2024, p.31/32.