18 November 2013
Guess the Manuscript IX
We're returning to our Guess the Manuscript roots (which stretch all the way back to April of this year) for this latest instalment of everyone's favourite game: it's a diagram!
Same rules as always: the manuscript this comes from is part of the British Library collections and can be found somewhere on our Digitised Manuscripts site. Extra points if you can tell us what kind of diagram this is - good luck!
You can see previous examples of these puzzles here, and as always, you can leave a guess in the comments below, or contact us on Twitter @BLMedieval.
Update: This diagram is from Arundel MS 501, a miscellany put together from a number of different codices that range in date from the 11th to the 16th century and produced in Germany. Congratulations to @melibeus1, who solved this with impressive speed, and provided the following description: 'Diagram, at the end of an explanation to the Tables for finding the moveable feasts, the age of the moon, the golden number and the hour of the new moon.' Well done!
14 November 2013
A New Life for Royal Manuscripts
It is always a great pleasure for us in the Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts Section to see the many and varied new ways that people make use of our 'old' material; see, for example, the dozens of retweets on our @BLMedieval Twitter account, or our previous post about a film inspired by the Luttrell Psalter. So, when Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Leckey asked to borrow several banners that had been on display during Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination for an exhibition he was curating, we were thrilled to participate.
Leckey's exhibition The Universal Addressability of Dumb Things was sponsored by the Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, and travelled to Liverpool, Nottingham, and Bexhill on Sea earlier this year. The exhibition explored 'how our relationships with artworks and common objects alike are being transformed through new information technologies' and included works of art from every genre and period. If you weren't able to catch the exhibition, here are a few images of our Royal banners in action!
Installation view: The Universal Addressability of Dumb Things curated by Mark Leckey, a Hayward Touring exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary 27 April – 30 June 2013. Photo: Andy Keate
Installation View: The Universal Addressability of Dumb Things curated by Mark Leckey, a Hayward Touring exhibition at De La Warr Pavilion 13 July – 20 October 2013. Photo: Nigel Green
Installation View: detail of a Mappa mundi from Bartholomaeus Angelicus' De proprietatibus rerum, Royal MS 15 E III, f. 67v, behind Double Dome, 1967 by Derek Boshier, courtesy the Arts Council Collection from The Universal Addressability of Dumb Things curated by Mark Leckey, a Hayward Touring exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary 27 April – 30 June 2013. Photo: Andy Keate
11 November 2013
An Imperial Psalter
One of our latest uploads to the Digitised Manuscripts website is this exquisite copy of the Psalms which dates from the middle of the ninth century and takes its name from Lothar I, the grandson of Charlemagne and successor to half of his kingdom.
Binding of the Lothar Psalter with a large silver-gilt medallion showing a head in profile wearing a crown or helmet; it is believed to be from the 9th century and may represent the Emperor Lothar, Add MS 37768, upper binding
Following a prayer in gold and red on the opening folios is a full page portrait of the Emperor Lothar wearing a cloak decorated with precious stones. On the page opposite is a dedicatory poem to Lothar written throughout in gold capitals.
Full-page miniature of the Emperor Lothar, from the Lothar Psalter, Germany (Aachen), c. 840-855, Add MS 37768, f. 4r
Following the miniature of Lothar - and in the same style - are portraits of King David and St Jerome, whose translation of the Bible into Latin was the standard version used throughout Christendom in the Middle Ages. Here Jerome is shown holding a book with a jewelled cover, perhaps representing a copy of his translation.
Full-page miniature of St Jerome, from the Lothar Psalter, Germany (Aachen), c. 840-855, Add MS 37768, f. 6r
The artist or artists responsible for the Psalter deliberately portrayed Lothar in the company of two of the most important religious leaders of the past, who represent power and knowledge. This manuscript was produced either at the imperial court of Aachen or by the monks of the abbey of St Martin, Tours, who made a series of exquisite books for the Imperial family, and was clearly a luxurious production. Every word in the entire manuscript is written in gold, and every tenth Psalm opens with a full-page ornamented initial in the Franco-Saxon style.
Decorated initial 'B'(eatus vir) (Blessed is the man) at the beginning of Psalm 1, from the Lothar Psalter, Germany (Aachen), c. 840-855, Add MS 37768, f. 9r
This initial is followed by folio after folio of beautiful Carolingian script, punctuated by finely decorated initials in green, red and gold.
Text page from the Psalms, from the Lothar Psalter, Germany (Aachen), c. 840-855, Add MS 37768, f. 11r
This was no doubt a prized family possession, as the opening prayer is believed to have been composed by a sister or daughter of Lothar. It was passed on to the Abbey of St Hubert near Liège and is believed to have been stolen from the abbey in the eleventh century. Fortunately it was eventually recovered, and was rescued during the French Revolution by Dom Etienne, a monk of St Hubert. There is no record of how it came to England, but it was owned by Sir Thomas Brooke of Huddersfield, who bequeathed it to the British Museum in 1908.
Decorated initial 'Q'(uem ammodum) at the beginning of Psalm 41, from the Lothar Psalter, Germany (Aachen), c. 840-855, Add MS 37768, f. 45v
- Chantry Westwell
06 November 2013
How Does Beowulf Begin?
We always like to hear about research that touches on the British Library's collections; and here is a good example. Anglo-Saxon scholars will invariably be familiar with the opening of the epic poem Beowulf, which starts with the word "Hwæt!". You can see the word in question above (the second letter is a wynn, pronounced w-), and you can view the whole manuscript online on our Digitised Manuscripts site.
This word "Hwæt" has puzzled translators for some considerable time, and it has been rendered variously as "What!" by William Morris (1895) and "So!" by Seamus Heaney (1999), among other interpretations. However, new research by George Walkden (University of Manchester) suggests that the context of "Hwæt" has been misunderstood: instead of functioning as a command to listen (along the lines of Hey! Oi you!), Walkden proposes that it should be translated as "How", in the sense of "How we have heard of the might of kings". Dr Walkden's conclusion is based on a close study of the other uses of this word and, if correct, adds a fresh perspective to the opening lines of Beowulf. Perhaps the original audience wasn't so inattentive, after all?
For those of you interested in what the poem would have sounded like, we'd also highly recommend the version by Benjamin Bagby. Or if you'd prefer to hear the opening lines in Hungarian (or French or Telugu), click here! "Listen up"" (as the Beowulf-poet apparently didn't say).
04 November 2013
Blackburn's 'Worthy Citizen': A Colloquium on the R. E. Hart Collection
Personification of Death at the beginning of the Office of the Dead, from an Italian Book of Hours, c. 1470-1480, Hart 20966, f. 106v
It is our very great pleasure to invite you - by proxy - to an upcoming colloquium about one of England's 'hidden' rare book and manuscript collections. Although it is not entirely unknown to scholars, the R. E. Hart collection of manuscripts, incunables, and early printed books (now held by the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery) is rarely utilised by academics; the present curator of the Museum, Vinai Solanki, has welcomed only three such visitors in the past five years. This is a particular shame as the collection, though small, is spectacular, and contains such gems as the Peckover Psalter (France, c. 1220-40) and the Blackburn Psalter (England, William of Devon workshop, c. 1250-60), as well as a number of significant Books of Hours and early printed books.
Detail of an historiated initial 'B'(eatus vir) with two scenes of King David, at the beginning of the Psalms, from the Peckover Psalter, France, c. 1220-40, Hart 21117, f. 14v
An exhibition of ten items from the Hart collection will be available from 8 November to 28 November in Goldsmith's Library Reading Room, Senate House, London (see below), and this exhibition will culminate in a one-day colloquium on 23 November at the Institute of English Studies, Senate House; please see the relevant IES page here. Registration includes refreshments, lunch, and a wine reception at the end of the day, and the first 25 student places are offered free of charge.
More details about the project can be found at: http://www.blackhartbooks.wordpress.com/. We hope to see you there!
01 November 2013
A Calendar Page for November 2013
For more details on calendar pages or the Golf Book, please see the post for January 2013.
Hunting takes centre stage in these calendar pages for the month of November. In the full-page miniature, a nobleman can be seen returning from a stag-hunt; his quarry, a magnificently-antlered animal, is in the foreground, draped across a white horse. This nobleman is accompanied by two retainers and a group of tired-looking hounds, while in the background, peasants can be seen feeding their chickens and pigs, and preparing their farm buildings for winter. In the bas-de-page, a group of men are bowling - and, it appears, heatedly disputing a recent shot. On the following page are the saints' days and feasts for November, alongside a roundel containing a centaur archer for the zodiac sign Sagittarius; below, two men are coursing hounds on yet another hunt.
Calendar page for November with a miniature of a nobleman returning from a hunt, from the Golf Book (Book of Hours, Use of Rome), workshop of Simon Bening, Netherlands (Bruges), Additional MS 24098, f. 28v
Calendar page for November with a bas-de-page scene of men on a hunt, from the Golf Book (Book of Hours, Use of Rome), workshop of Simon Bening, Netherlands (Bruges), Additional MS 24098, f. 29r
31 October 2013
Dress Up for Halloween, Medieval Style
If Halloween has once again caught you unprepared, you may, like many of us, be desperately casting your mind about for a suitable get-up for this evening’s revelries. Have no fear! The Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts section would like to offer the following last-minute costume ideas:
A medieval fool: some rags, a stick, a round loaf of bread, and a vacant expression are all that you will need for this particular get-up; see below.
Detail of an historiated initial ‘D’(ixit) of King David and the fool, from the Queen Mary Psalter, England, 1310-1320, Royal MS 2 B VII, f. 150v
Detail of a miniature of the Fool, with a bauble, loaf and a dog, from Guyart de Moulins’ Bible historiale, France (Paris), 1356-1357, Royal MS 17 E VII, vol. 1, f. 241r
A memento mori: Nothing could be easier! Just wear a skeleton costume and carry around a banner reading 'Memento homo quod cinis es et in cinerem reverteris' (Remember, man, that you are dust and to dust you will return) and you will provide an instant moral exemplar for everyone you meet.
Detail of a full-page miniature of a Memento Mori with a banner reading 'Memento homo quod sinis es et in sinere reverteris', from The Hours of René d’Anjou, France (Paris), c. 1410, Egerton MS 1070, f. 53r
Detail of an historiated initial 'D'(ilexi) with a woman (Duchess Dionora?) with a skull for a face admiring herself in a hand mirror, and a partial scatter border with gems and flowers including the motto ‘Memento homo’, at the beginning of the Office of the Dead, from the Hours of Dionora of Urbino, Italy (Florence or Mantua), c. 1480, Yates Thompson MS 7, f. 174r
Vanno Fucci: This unlovely character is featured in Cantos 24 and 25 of Dante’s Inferno. He stole treasure from the church of St James in the town of Pistoia, and accused an innocent man of the crime, who was then executed unjustly. For his sins Vanno was condemned to an eternity of torment by the monster Cacus, who will attack him until the day of judgement. This costume is a particularly easy one as it requires, well, nothing at all (except an angry monster and a willingness to abandon modesty). Those seeking a slightly less revealing get-up may consider the damned soul being attacked by a serpent on the right, or perhaps, if you have a companion for the Halloween festivities, you might like to dress up as Dante and Virgil and wander around providing a moral commentary on all you observe.
Detail of a miniature of Dante and Virgil witnessing Vanno Fucci, the pillager of a church in Pistoia, being attacked by the monster Cacus, who is half-centaur and half-dragon, and Dante and Virgil speaking to three other souls, tormented by snakes and lizards, in illustration of Canto XXV, from a copy of Dante Alighieri’s Divina Commedia, Italy (Tuscany, possibly Siena), between 1444 and c. 1450, Yates Thompson MS 36, f. 46r
If you are lucky enough to be possessed of a number of fellow Halloween revelers, we have several suggestions for group costumes:
Wodewoses: you will need a number of hairy suits, some false beards, clubs, and a predilection to dance, but you are guaranteed to be the life of any party (warning: some other guests may attempt to set you on fire, so be wary).
Detail of a miniature of burning costumes of the 'hommes sauvages' during a masked dance in Paris, at the beginning of chapter 32, from Jean Froissart’s Chroniques, Vol. 4, Netherlands (Bruges), c. 1480, Royal MS 18 E II, f. 206r
Detail of the Dance of the Wodewoses, from Jean Froissart’s Chroniques, Vol. 4, part 2, Netherlands (Bruges), between c. 1470 and 1472, Harley MS 4380, f. 1r
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: this group costume necessitates some horses (or horse substitutes), and a level of agreement about who will be assigned which persona. For reference, they are as follows: White Horse – Conquest (sometimes Pestilence), Red Horse – War, Black Horse – Famine, and finally the Pale Horse – Death.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, from Beatus of Liébana, Commentary on the Apocalypse (The 'Silos Apocalypse'), Spain (Santo Domingo de Silos), 1091-1109, Add MS 11695, f. 102v
Personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins: carrying off these get-ups successfully might require a bit more organization, the acquisition of props, and again, suitable mounts, but what could be more fun?
Detail of a miniature of a man with a sword riding a lion, as a personification of Pride (Orgueil), and a woman with a sword, riding a wolf, as a personification of Envy (Envie), in the Penitential Psalms, from The Dunois Hours, France (Paris), c. 1339 – c. 1450, Yates Thompson MS 3, f. 159r
Detail of a miniature of a man riding on a donkey, head in hand, across a bridge, as a personification of Idleness (Peresse), in the Penitential Psalms, from The Dunois Hours, France (Paris), c. 1339 – c. 1450, Yates Thompson MS 3, f. 162r
Detail of a miniature of a man riding a leopard and stabbing himself with a sword, as a personification of Anger (Ire), in the Penitential Psalms, from The Dunois Hours, France (Paris), c. 1339 – c. 1450, Yates Thompson MS 3, f. 165v
Detail of a miniature of a wealthy man riding a wolf, carrying a sword and a chalice and followed by a servant with flagons of wine, as a personification of Gluttony (Gloutenie), in the Penitential Psalms, from The Dunois Hours, France (Paris), c. 1339 – c. 1450, Yates Thompson MS 3, f. 168v
Detail of a miniature of a well-dressed woman riding a white goat, carrying arrows and a mirror, as a personification of Lust (Luxure); behind, David spying upon Bathsheba in her bath, in the Penitential Psalms, from The Dunois Hours, France (Paris), c. 1339 – c. 1450, Yates Thompson MS 3, f. 172v
Detail of a miniature of a man riding an ape, carrying a chest full of coins, with scales and money on a table behind him, as a personification of Avarice (Auerrice), in the Penitential Psalms, from The Dunois Hours, France (Paris), c. 1339 – c. 1450, Yates Thompson MS 3, f. 174r
Please do let us know if you have any other suggestions for us; you can leave a comment below or on Twitter @BLMedieval. And of course, if you proceed with any of these costume ideas, please please send us pictures! Happy Halloween!
- Sarah J Biggs
22 October 2013
Lindisfarne Gospels Back in Treasures
Regular visitors to the British Library may be aware that some of our greatest treasures are often to be found on display in The Sir John Ritblat Gallery. At the time of writing you can see medieval manuscripts such as Magna Carta, Beowulf and the Luttrell Psalter; and we're delighted to announce that the magnificent Lindisfarne Gospels is a new addition to that list.
Canon table in the Lindisfarne Gospels (London, British Library, MS Cotton Nero D IV, f. 14v).
Now on display in London are two pages from the canon tables which preface the Lindisfarne Gospels. This Northumbrian gospel-book, renowned for its lavish carpet-pages and miniatures of the four evangelists, was made at the beginning of the 8th century, according to a colophon added some 250 years later (f. 259r). The canon tables provide readers with a concordance to the Four Gospels, allowing them to locate episodes described by more than one evangelist. Those tables in the Lindisfarne Gospels are notable for the intricate ornamentation of the columns, and for the rich palette of reds and blues, found elsewhere in the decoration of the manuscript.
Detail of the Lindisfarne Gospels canon table (London, British Library, MS Cotton Nero D IV, f. 15r).
The Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library is open seven days a week, and is free to visit. You may also like to know that the Lindisfarne Gospels can be viewed in its entirety on our Digitised Manuscripts site.
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