Artomics: A holistic approach to the study of artworks integrating their compositional and formal characteristics. Application on the Liber Feudorum Maior

Abstract

A novel analytical approach which combines the compositional and formal characteristics describing groups of artworks and their analysis using multivariate techniques is presented, under the title of Artomics. This approach aims to identify characteristics transferred, both voluntarily and involuntarily, to the objects due to the cultural, social and economic context of the time period they were created in. These characteristics are expressed through the material and iconographical choices made by the artists or artisans involved, and may include the materials used, the creative processes or techniques applied, decorative styles and calligraphy types amongst others. The suggested methodology has been applied to the study of the Liber Feudorum Maior, a medieval illuminated cartulary, extensively decorated with miniatures painted in two distinct styles and possibly created by more than two artisans. Data from X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis is combined with the formal characteristics of the miniatures, previously parametrised using descriptive variables, in an effort to conjunctively classify the illustrations, study the possible participation of multiple artisans in the elaboration of the manuscript and observe how cultural criteria are projected on the objects. The combined analysis of the formal and compositional data revealed a classification which could be related to differences in the miniature execution. The joint classification prioritised stylistic variables over compositional ones, most likely because of the limited variety in the materials used for painting and the conventions for these representations during the Middle Ages. Nonetheless, compositional data provided interesting insights regarding execution, such as differences in the gilding techniques used.