A series of early medieval German manuscripts were analyzed to identify the pigments. The paintings are first studied by electron emission radiography as well as by autoradiographic techniques to distinguish between organic and inorganic pigments. This method also provides first information on the kind of inorganic pigments because of differences in the atomic numbers of their elements. The final identification is done by microscopy and x-ray fluorescence techniques. New results on the use of metal foils for the decoration of illuminated manuscripts have been obtained. The precise identification of organic pigments is not always possible.