[Joe 6-pack]

I've tried to replicate (it's only forgery if you try to deceive for personal gain, right?)a handful of manuscripts. It's kind of a scary proposition because a lot of the pigments and other treatments are highly toxic in a "Name Of The Rose" or "Dictionary of the Khazars" kind of way!!

i.e., the raised gold leaf is laid on a gesso composition which is not quite like what you'd use to prime a canvas. Because it is going onto a folio leaf, it needs to be somewhat more flexible than if applied to a stretched canvas or panel so white lead dust is mixed into the plaster creating both an inhalation hazard and can also poison through tiny nicks or scratches in the skin. Cinnabar (vermillion) is a mercuric sulfide that can also accumulate within the body...

[Liz]

Of course it's not forgery---you are a student of art and are exploring techniques for serious study.

It was a hazardous occupation---although so many of the great artists lived to a ripe old age.