The most important written technical sources

A.              The first publications of technical treatises

B.              Classification according to thematic content :

1.     Generic instructions

2.   Dyes, pigments,

3.   Inks

4.   Paints

5.   Oil extraction

6.   Manufacture of lacquers

7.   Metalworking, gold plating, silver plating

8.     Glass staining and stained glass

9.     Marble processing

10.  Enamels for mosaic

11.  Colours and glazes for ceramics

12.  Leather and gilt leather processing

13.  The art of perfumery

14.  Dyeing and printing of fabrics

15.   Book illumination

16.   Tempera painting on wooden support or canvas; Traditional plastic construction, stages, incarnato, figures, ornaments

17.  Mixed tempera

18.  Oil painting

19.   Fresco painting (fresco buono e secco)

20.  Perspective

21.  Measurements and proportions

22.   Drawings, copies

C.     The Western treatises: Compositiones ad tingenda musiva, the ms of Luca, of Montpelier, the Bern, Erfurt, Bologna manuscripts, the "secrets" of Venice (ms. Sloan and NBM), of Alessio Piemontese, of Fioravanti, of Singularia, the technical treatises of Biringuccio, of Le Begue, Cenini, Peder Månsson, Aldani, Giovan Battista Porta, Rosselli and “Plicto”  of Rossetti, of De Mayerne, Valentin Boltz;  the three treatises on the art of glass for mosaics (ed. Milanesi), by Neri, the mss of the Paladino collection, the ms of Strasbourg, of Tegersee, of Munich, the Dutch book of wonders (T Bouck vå Wondre, ed. Frencken), the German domestic encyclopedia (Hausbuch, ed. Bossert and Storck), etc..

D. The Greek-Byzantine treatises: The Leyden Papyrus, the Stockholm Papyrus, the Marcian Treaty of the XI century, of the Vatican (XV century), Anonymous I and II (after 1566) in the First Jerusalem Manuscript of the XVII century, the Herminia of Dionysius of Furna (1730-33), of Georghi Damianov (1832), of Panajotis Doxaras (1726), of Hristofor Zhefarovic (before 1740), of Zaharij Petrovich (1834-38),  by Hristo Jovevic (1836-8), cod. D slavic 39 (1836-8), by Dicio Zograf (1* of 1835-9; 2* of 1851), of Zahari Zograf (1830-1950).

E. Sources in the Coptic language: the Berlin papyrus (Pap. Berol. Kopt. 8316), The Scala Magna by Athanasius Kircher

F. Ethiopian sources: the Ethiopian Kings' Chronicle

G. Jewish sources (the Portuguese ms in Hebrew letters of Parma, bibl. Palatine Hill)

H.     Latin translations of Arabic sources (Geber, Al-Razi, Ibn Sina, Liber sacerdotum, etc.)

I. Treatises in Slavic languages: Bishop Nektarij's Typicon (in Serbian, before 1584), treatises in Russian.

J.   Armenian sources on natural dye extraction and leather processing.