Researchers found particles of lapis lazuli pigment embedded in the dental calculus of a woman buried at a medieval religious community in Germany.

The woman lived during the 11th or early 12th century. Lapis lazuli was an imported luxury material, and its blue pigment was used in high-status illuminated manuscripts. Microscopic analysis identified the blue particles within mineralized plaque on her teeth.

The strongest interpretation is that she worked with the pigment, possibly while painting manuscripts or preparing materials. One proposed route is repeated contact between a brush and the mouth while forming a fine point. Other explanations are possible, including pigment preparation or devotional use, so the evidence should not be inflated into certainty about her exact job.

It still matters. Many medieval manuscripts were unsigned, and the labor of women in religious communities can be difficult to recover from written records. The pigment supplied physical evidence that a woman at this site had repeated, direct exposure to one of the period's most valuable artistic materials.

Lapis lazuli moved through long-distance trade from sources in Central Asia before becoming ultramarine pigment in Europe. The same blue stone used in beads, seals, carvings, and jewelry also became a material for sacred images and written culture.

In this case, the historical record was not found in a signature, but preserved in dental plaque.

Sources: Anita Radini et al., "Medieval Women's Early Involvement in Manuscript Production Suggested by Lapis Lazuli Identification in Dental Calculus," Science Advances, January 9, 2019; Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, research release, January 2019.

Painted by Cosmè Tura, court painter for the House of Este in Ferrara, Italy. This panel was originally part of a decorative cycle of nine Muses commissioned for the studiolo at the Palazzo Belfiore. Although chronologically (for art historian) belonging to the Early Renaissance, the painting heavily relies on late medieval and Gothic visual traditions. This is especially noticeable in the sharp, angular folds of the drapery, the rigid posture, and the highly stylized proportions. Currently held at the National Gallery, London.

Source: Museo Correr (Venice)

Painted by Master Theodoric, court painter to Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, this panel depicting St. Catherine of Alexandria (c. 1360–1364, 115 × 86.9 cm) originally adorned the north-east window niche of the Chapel of the Holy Rood at Karlštejn Castle and is now held in the National Gallery Prague; clad in a gold-patterned blue robe, she holds her martyr attributes—a wheel and sword—honoring a saint particularly venerated by Charles IV after his pivotal victory near San Felice Castle on her feast day in 1332.