ABSTRACT
A systematic research into sources and regularly enriched by new finds has enabled to discover some texts that are particularly significant to the history of techniques. Painting and the arts of the book are moreover just one example of the analyses that can be carried out on the basis of the texts. Familiarization with a technical vocabulary has brought about the identification of numerous elements, the clarification of expressions and the establishment of an important lexical corpus, which should be of interest to linguists as well as to art historians. Devising a module for the composition of a manuscript involves collective work. The different stages in the preparation of a manuscript of this kind correspond to the hierarchical structure of the work done in the studio. In order to understand the place of the artist in society, an attempt can be made to bring out the social implications of the painters within the studio.
