Ashburnham Pentateuch

The Ashburnham Pentateuch (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, MS nouv.

It is richly decorated with 18 full-page miniatures (remains of the original 69) illustrating scenes from the Genesis and Exodus biblical books.

Its production has been assigned on stylistic base to Spain, Northern Africa or Italy.

The miniatures of the Pentateuch have been analysed in non-invasive way in order to characterise its palette and to compare it with those of other early medieval manuscripts.

The results of this investigation highlighted the wide use of the pigment Egyptian blue, an unusual feature in miniature painting.

Ashburnham Pentateuch, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Ms. Nouv. Acq. Lat. 2334, fol. 6r. This splendid miniature represents the story of Cain and Abel, but at the heading of the miniatures we can see Adam and Eve dressed with some animal skins, and the next scene is Eve breastfeeding one of their sons.