Ancient parchments reveal a blend of cultures, knowledge during the Middle Ages, Stanford scholar says
Rare 14th-century texts historian Rowan Dorin found in Stanford’s Green Library show an enthusiastic exchange of knowledge between medieval people, going against the belief that the Middle Ages was an ignorant time.
The smudges, splotches, and stains of medieval manuscripts
Medieval manuscripts are often spectacles to behold, their intricate illustrations dazzling with jewel-toned pigments and gold leaf. But it’s the dark splotch, the fingerprint smudge, the stitched-together tear in the parchment that are the most exciting discoveries for University of Pennsylvania researcher Erin Connelly.
A Tale of Fate and Chance: The Oldest Surviving Manuscripts of Augustine’s Works
Imagine putting pen to paper today and copying down a text in longhand. What are the chances it will still be around by the year 3500 AD? What would that require?
Digitization and putting back together a 1,200 year old manuscript
It was a sensational discovery, when in 2012 fragments of the 1,200-year-old parchment were rediscovered in a box. The original was cut up in the 18th century and used as covers for other books. Six years ago, the fragments were found in the library of Admont Abbey and its value was recognised.
The Making of Flateyjarbók: What we are learning about Iceland’s National Treasure
Made in the last quarter of the 14th century, Flateyjarbók (Book of Flatey) is probably the finest manuscript that Iceland has ever produced.
Stolen Christopher Columbus letter found, returned to Spain
US government officials announced last week the recovery of a 525-year-old copy of Christopher Columbus’ letter describing his discoveries in the Americas.
Medieval Manuscripts: Henry VIII’s personal calendar
The Hours of Henry VIII reveals interesting details of its composition. The calendar is especially rich in images, embellished not only with the traditional pictures of the labors of the months and the signs of the zodiac, but also with vignettes, in the side and bottom margins, illustrating the main feasts cited with the months.
Book Review: Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders
Beyond its incredible, stunning pictures, Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders by Sherry C.M. Lindquist and Asa Simon Mittman, explores the medieval love of monsters in all their glory and complexity in a book that transcends its purpose as an accompaniment to an exhibit – it’s a book in which to lose yourself in your love of medieval manuscripts.
Medieval astronomical manuscript acquired by the University of Pennsylvania
“Our manuscripts show practical knowledge, knowledge from antiquity carried through to the Middle Ages, and this is a great manuscript to further strengthen that aspect of our collection.”
The Morgan Acquires Rare Medieval Manuscript Illumination by the Master of Catherine of Cleves
The work is from an otherwise lost Book of Hours and is the first to be discovered by the artist since 1980.
How to touch, smell and taste a ‘deconstructed’ medieval manuscript
A unique opportunity to experience a medieval manuscript as a sensory experience is currently taking place at the University of Leicester.
Medieval manuscripts: Easter in the Book of Hours of Henry IV of France
On the occasion of the Easter holiday, we present a set of exceptional miniatures from the Book of Hours of Henry IV of France
X-Ray Imaging uncovers hidden ancient text in medieval manuscript
This week researchers in California are scanning a medieval manuscript to help uncover a medical text by the ancient physician Galen, which was scrapped off and replaced in the eleventh-century.
Rare Collection of Royal Charters to Be Preserved for Future Generations
A rare collection of royal charters dating back to the 12th century will be restored as part of a new project to preserve the precious documents for future generations.
The Newberry opens up access to 1.7 million historical images
The Newberry seeks to promote wider public engagement with 1.7 million high-res images now online.
New Light on the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Manuscript: Multispectral Imaging and the Cotton Nero A.x. Illustrations
Among the striking features of the modest manuscript, London, British Library, MS Cotton Nero A.x., are ten full-page illustrations of the poems and a further two taking up most of their pages.
Collection of 3,000 medieval manuscripts now online
After centuries of separation, one of the most valuable collections of manuscripts from the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age – the Bibliotheca Palatina – has been virtually reunited.
Medieval Manuscripts: Seven Songs for an Absent Lover
The Pergamino Vindel leaf is famous for its 13th century collection of seven songs written in the voice of a young woman awaiting her absent lover.
The Ideological Power of Some Almohad Illuminated Manuscripts
From the mid-12th century, the production of lavishly illuminated copies of certain texts acquired a special ideological meaning in the Maghrib, due to the rise of the Almohads.
The Authoritative Text: Raymond of Penyafort’s editing of the Decretals of Gregory IX (1234)
The Decretals has long been understood as a key text for the study of the medieval papacy, the rise of scholasticism within the universities, and the extension of the Church’s jurisdiction into almost every area of medieval life.
Using AI to uncover the mystery of the Voynich manuscript
Modern scientific methods help decipher language and meaning of medieval manuscript.
Woven Words in the Lindisfarne Gospels
This dissertation investigates the meanings and function of the five ornamental pages that decorate the Lindisfarne Gospels, a Gospel book produced in the British Isles, most likely in the Isle of Lindisfarne, around 720 CE.
Medieval Manuscripts: The Calendar in the Books of Hours of Charles of Angoulême
The book of hours is undoubtedly a most invaluable aid to understanding how men and women viewed time in both the long term and the short term in the Middle Ages.
Exhibition of Medieval Manuscripts Opening at the Art Institute of Chicago
From January 27-May 28, 2018, the Art Institute of Chicago will present a collection of manuscript illuminations spanning four hundred years of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance from countries across Western Europe.