Scientists at the museum collaborated with university staff to analyse the pigments used in the illuminated manuscripts, with techniques such as fibre optic and X-ray technology. The team working on the project have said that their work will provide an insight into the manuscripts’ production. They believe it could help conservators to repair valuable art, including African and Asian pieces dating from 1350 BC to the 19thcentury.

The project forms part of an initiative called Miniare - Manuscript illumination: non-invasive analysis, research and expertise. This is a collaboration between the museum, the Hamilton Kerr Institute, the university’s chemistry, physics and history of art departments, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Dr Spike Bucklow, one of the team members, said: "Artists had a fantastic knowledge of how to get the effect they wanted from the pigments they used. How much they knew about why the materials worked is of great interest.

Dr. Paola Ricciardi, a research associate at the Fitzwilliam Museum, added that the work “may also yield a substantial comprehensive data set in a short period of time. This allows us to carry out large-scale surveys, which can be used to both answer some questions about the history of art and to inform subsequent the project’s subsequent phases, which will help to unpick the art of manuscript illumination."

The team hope that the current project, funded by the Isaac Newton Trust and a private sponsor, can be expanded to analyse all 2,000 manuscripts in the Fitzwilliam Museum, as well as others held at Cambridge University's libraries and colleges.