Rescued from the flames: the Cotton Genesis restored to life
9 hours ago
- #Multispectral Imaging
- #Biblical Studies
- #Medieval Manuscripts
- New multispectral imaging at the British Library has enabled the reading of the badly damaged 5th-century Cotton Genesis, one of the earliest surviving illuminated Bibles.
- The manuscript, severely burned in the 1731 Ashburnham House fire, now consists of 129 fragments, with text and illustrations previously barely visible to the naked eye.
- Multispectral imaging, funded by the Goldhammer Foundation, revealed illegible text and uncovered previously unknown medieval Latin inscriptions, aiding in tracing the manuscript's European travel and connections to artworks like San Marco mosaics.
- The imaging allows users to view fragments under visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light via the British Library's Universal Viewer, with features to zoom, rotate, and adjust brightness.
- A conference on June 19, 2026, titled 'Multispectral Gaze: New Approaches to the Cotton Genesis,' celebrated the imaging completion, bringing together experts to discuss new insights, with proceedings to be published openly.