Copycat: The Life of a Medieval Scribe
Every book prior to the invention of the printing press was hand-copied from an original, which meant that it involved a lengthy process
Codex Manesse added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register
The Codex Manesse, created in the 14th century and known for its 134 beautiful images, has been included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. It’s one of 14 medieval documents that have been just added to this list of documentary heritage.
Codex Sassoon sells for $38 million at auction
An 1100-year-old manuscript has sold for $38,126,000 (US), making it the most valuable medieval manuscript to be auctioned. The Codex Sassoon, which contains an almost complete version of the Hebrew Bible, was purchased by Alfred H. Moses and will be donated to the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Israel.
The Story of Moses at the Mongol Court
The extant paintings prominently feature the life of Moses in a synthesis of stylistic sources, reflecting a unique cosmopolitan union of history and religion.
Fragment of Christian gospel discovered hidden in medieval manuscript
Using ultraviolet photography, a researcher in Austria has discovered a fragment of the Christian gospels written in Old Syriac. The original text was written in the 6th century, but then later erased and copied over hundreds of years later.
A Rare Manuscript up for sale shows how Easter was calculated in the Middle Ages
For $16,500 US, you can own a 15th-century text on when to celebrate one of the most important Christian holidays.
Archives and Record Keeping in the Medieval Eastern Mediterranean
We present three case-studies which showcase a diverse range of historical actors, exploring state record-keeping, the archival practices of religious scholars, and the preservation of legal documents, to illustrate the rich and complex archival history of this region.
Apocalypse Illustration in Medieval France: Reims Cathedral, the Apocalypse of 1313, and the Val-Dieu Apocalypse
Throughout the Middle Ages in Western Europe, the Apocalypse was the most popular book of the Bible as a single text to be fully illustrated with a set of pictures.
Artificial Intelligence used to learn who penned medieval manuscripts
Project will make use of artificial intelligence to identify copyists of manuscripts from the 12th century in the library of Klosterneuburg Monastery.
The Three Magi in The Great Canterbury Psalter
A scene from the Great Canterbury Psalter,
The Codex in the Classroom: Practical Dimensions of Medieval Diagrams
As demonstrated by a wide range of medieval schoolbooks, diagrams had a secure place throughout the curriculum, in which they served not simply as didactic aids but also a means of inculcating enduring patterns of thought.
Results of Recent Scientific Analysis of the Vinland Map: Can You Judge a Manuscript by its Ink?
Science cannot be used to prove a work of art is genuine, but it is possible to establish that an object is likely a forgery if the materials from which it is made are inconsistent with the time period and geography of its purported origin.
Hidden inscriptions hint at mystery medieval woman’s identity
A series of secret drawings and writings possibly added by a mysterious female scribe have been uncovered in a manuscript over 1,200 years old.
New Medieval Books: Splendor Solis
A luxury edition comprising principles of an ancient field of knowledge, the tradition of which is very much alive. Perfect gift for philosophers, stone seekers and art lovers. Readers of Medievalists.net can get 15% off the price.
Medieval Manuscript Exhibition comes for Christmas in Switzerland
If you are looking to see some medieval manuscripts this December, the place to go would be Basel, Switzerland. Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books will be opening the doors to its gallery to exhibit some extremely rare examples of illumination and decoration from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Les Enluminures celebrates 10 years in New York with new exhibition
Les Enluminures, one of the major private dealers in medieval manuscripts, has opened a new exhibition – Timeless Treasures: 10 Manuscripts to Celebrate 10 Years in New York.
Hidden Hands: The Secret Lives of Manuscript Makers and Owners
Mary Wellesley will trace the stories of the people who made, loved and sometimes destroyed medieval manuscripts, which are some of the most engaging artefacts ever made by human hands.
How to draw plants in the Middle Ages and Renaissance
Plants are often drawn by artists, including in centuries past. Here are how two manuscripts, one from the 15th century and the other 16th century, show different ways to recreate the same plant.
What Did Medieval Slavery Look Like? New research reveals how art was not imitating reality
Why were artists in later medieval Iberia consistently depicting enslaved people as having dark skin and coming from sub-Saharan Africa during a time when Black slaves were a small minority in this society?
‘Forgotten archive’ of medieval books and manuscripts discovered in Romanian church
A team of researchers in Romania has discovered over 200 books and manuscripts in a church in Mediaș. It includes dozens of early printed works and manuscript fragments dating back to as early as the 9th century.
The Charters in the Margin of Matthew Paris’s Chronica Maiora
Matthew Paris’s Chronica maiora is famous for its illustrations: maps of Great Britain, the murder of an archbishop, and an elephant gifted to England’s King Henry III. But as I sat in the archive, reading Matthew’s own copy of the Chronica, something else caught my eye: small charters drawn in the margins, reproduced in meticulous detail down to their colorful seals.
8,000 medieval medical recipes being digitised by Cambridge University Library
How did our medieval ancestors use dove faeces, fox lungs, salted owl, and eel grease in medical treatments? A major project at Cambridge University Library is finding out.
Rarely seen medieval manuscripts to be displayed at Korean art fair
The Frieze Seoul, a new international art fair, will be showcasing two privately held medieval manuscripts. Les Enluminures, a leading dealer in manuscripts, will be showing the items that are both privately held.
Manuscript Fragments with Lisa Fagin Davis
Manuscript fragments, the lone survivors of medieval books which have been dismembered or destroyed, can be found in collections all over the world, and it takes some serious detective work to bring them back together. This week, Danièle speaks with Lisa Fagin Davis about how fragments are tracked down and reassembled, and what we can learn from these forgotten treasures of the Middle Ages.
Mass Production of Books Before Printing
The question that this led me to pose is it not likely that there is a whole world of book production by Franciscans, Dominicans and similar people who are capable of writing like professional scribes and do but unlike professional scribes they don’t change it?