Contemporary textual evidence for the use of pigments in Anglo-Saxon England in the absence of technical descriptions

Archaeological and analytical evidence for art and craft practices may often usefully be supplemented by reference to contemporary craft treatises and recipes. However such texts are not always available for a given region and period. This paper examines alternative textual sources that may shed light on material availability and use, using the example of Anglo-Saxon England (c.600-1100 CE). The range of relevant text types is described, with example quotations. Their reliability and limitations as evidence are discussed. The colouring materials that are suggested by these sources to be possibly present in Anglo-Saxon artefacts are summarised and compared with results of chemical analyses and archaeological findings