01 August 2012
A Calendar Page for August 2012
For more details on calendar pages or the Hours of Joanna of Castile, please see the entry for January 2012
Calendar pages for August, from the Hours of Joanna of Castile, Netherlands (Bruges), between 1496 and 1506, Additional 18852, ff. 8v-9
The important work of the wheat harvest continues in the August calendar pages; there seems no place for leisurely springtime entertainments (such as drinking in a garden or flirting on horseback) in these two scenes of demanding labour. Three men, stripped to the bare essentials of clothing, are threshing wheat on the left, inside a barn with a broken roof. On the right, a female figure - for Virgo, the virgin - overlooks a group loading the wheat grains into sacks, which appear very heavy indeed.
30 July 2012
Once More Beneath the Surface - Call for Papers for Kalamazoo 2013
Detail of an historiated initial 'C'(olor), of an artist mixing colours, from James le Palmer's Omne Bonum, England (London), c. 1360 - c. 1375, Royal 6 E. vi, f. 396
It has been very interesting - and extremely gratifying - to hear about the new discoveries and exciting research recently undertaken on items from the British Library's collection of medieval and earlier manuscripts (see here, for example, for Adam Cohen's guest post on Arundel 155, and here for my own work on Parc Abbey Bible, Additional 14788 - 14790).
In this light, we'd like to encourage any researchers interested in manuscript production to have a look at the call for papers for the 2013 Kalamazoo International Congress on Medieval Studies recently announced by the Research Group on Manuscript Evidence. The always-excellent RGME is sponsoring and co-sponsoring a total of seven sessions, with three focusing specifically on material culture, methods of production, and technological investigations of illuminated manuscripts.
Within this group will be sessions on medieval writing materials, current issues in Middle English palaeography, and one on the making of medieval manuscripts. This latter session, which I will be organising, looks to highlight new and ongoing technological research on medieval manuscripts, particularly focusing on new discoveries or interpretations of pigment use. We are interested in studies from all stages of the research process, including works in progress or experimental techniques; please email me at sejbiggs [at] gmail [dot] com for more details, or see the Call for Papers here.
The RGME will also be offering a session on medieval manuscript collections in North America, in conjunction with King Alfred's Notebook LLC. Three more, organised with the Societas Magica, have the following focuses: Astrology and Magic; Magic, Material Culture, and Technology; and Water as Symbol, Sign, and Trial: Aquatic Semantics in the Middle Ages.
Please have a look at the CFP, and get in touch with the RGME or myself with any questions. And also let us know if you are interested in publicising your work on any British Library manuscripts here on the blog; we have a number of guest posts lined up for the future and are always happy to showcase new research.
- Sarah J Biggs
19 July 2012
The Talbot Shrewsbury Book Goes Online
Detail of a miniature of John Talbot presenting the book to Queen Margaret of Anjou, seated in a palace beside King Henry VI of England, and surrounded by their court, from Poems and Romances (the 'Talbot Shrewsbury book'), France (Rouen), c. 1445, Royal 15 E. vi, f. 2v
The Talbot Shrewsbury Book (Royal MS 15 E. vi) is, as Dr Scot McKendrick put it, 'one of the most remarkable manuscripts to have been preserved in the Old Royal library'. It is certainly the subject of many reader queries and curatorial enquiries, and judging by our recent correspondence, its upload to the Digitised Manuscripts website has been eagerly anticipated.
The manuscript is a unique collection of fifteen texts in French, incorporating chansons de geste, chivalric romances, and treatises on warfare and chivalry, concluding with the Statutes of the Order of the Garter (and we hope to have a longer post at a later point with much more detail about this extraordinary textual compilation).
The Talbot Shrewsbury Book is arguably best known for the two images that serve as a frontispiece to the volume. On f. 2v (see above for a detail) is a scene of the manuscript being presented to Margaret of Anjou (b. 1430 - d. 1482) by John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury (d. 1453). The manuscript was a gift from Talbot to Margaret, in honour of her betrothal to Henry VI (r. 1422 - 1461). In the miniature Margaret is shown enthroned with Henry, and crowned as the Queen of England, but it is likely that Talbot presented her with the manuscript prior to her journey to England to marry the king. The complex diagram on the facing folio (f. 3r, below) lays out Henry VI's genealogical claim to the throne of France through his descent from St Louis IX (r. 1226 - 1270); Henry can be seen in the lower central roundel.
Miniature of the genealogical table of the descendants of St Louis IX in the form of a fleur-de-lys, from Poems and Romances (the 'Talbot Shrewsbury book'), France (Rouen), c. 1445, Royal 15 E. vi, f. 3r
Although the texts are varied, they were evidently carefully selected by the manuscript's patron, and the programme of illumination throughout was led by a single artist, who has come to be called the Talbot Master in honour of this volume. We hope you enjoy just a few of the many gorgeous miniatures below, and please be sure to check out the complete manuscript online here.
Miniature of the city of Babylon with Nectanebus enthroned in his palace, from Poems and Romances (the 'Talbot Shrewsbury book'), France (Rouen), c. 1445, Royal 15 E. vi, f. 4v
Miniatures of the following: first column: Alexander the Great encountering blemmyae; Alexander encountering horse-like creatures; second column: Alexander and the burial of Bucephalus; Alexander with ill people and caladrius birds; Alexander encountering a two-headed serpent, elephants, and other beasts, from Poems and Romances (the 'Talbot Shrewsbury book'), France (Rouen), c. 1445, Royal 15 E. vi, f. 21v
Detail of a miniature of Charlemagne at table, and Aymon's sons on the magical horse, Bayard, from Poems and Romances (the 'Talbot Shrewsbury book'), France (Rouen), c. 1445, Royal 15 E. vi, f. 155r
Detail of a miniature of the Chapter of the Garter, with a king and knights gathered around an altar surmounted by George and the Dragon, from Poems and Romances (the 'Talbot Shrewsbury book'), France (Rouen), c. 1445, Royal 15 E. vi, f. 439r
- Sarah J Biggs
06 July 2012
250,000 Page Views: Tell Us Your Favourite Post
Keen readers of this blog may recall that we received our 100,000th page view in January 2012. Less than six months later, we're delighted to report that the Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts Blog has now been viewed over 250,000 times! We'd like to take this opportunity to thank our readers for sharing our love of the past, for commenting on our activities, and for spreading the news about the British Library's collections.
In the coming weeks we plan to tell you more about our various digitisation projects, and there will doubtless be further posts on the Olympics. We also intend to blog about ongoing research on manuscripts at the British Library, as carried out by our readers (see the entry on Hidden Inscriptions in Arundel 155). If you wish to share your research in this way, please leave a comment at the end of this post.
So, to celebrate reaching 250,000 page views, we thought that we'd ask our loyal readers what has been their favourite post. Send us your comments: there may even be a small prize for the best contribution, as judged by an international panel (us). You can choose from the following list, as nominated by the blog's editors, or make your own suggestions. We look forward to hearing from you -- and please keep your feedback coming, it's what makes writing this blog so enjoyable.
The Coronation of Charles I: A Salutary Tale
Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder
Perugino at the Alte Pinakothek
Seal of Approval: A Medieval Mystery
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts Online
Unicorn Cookbook Found at the British Library
St Cuthbert Gospel Saved for the Nation
04 July 2012
St Cuthbert Gospel Binding On Display
Following the recent exhibition on the St Cuthbert Gospel in the front hall of the British Library, we're pleased to announce that the manuscript itself remains on display in our Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library. For the duration of the temporary exhibition, the St Cuthbert Gospel was displayed open for the first time in many years, so that visitors could view its beautiful uncial script. Now, on account of the manuscript's delicate late-7th-century binding, the St Cuthbert Gospel is once again exhibited in its closed position. Visitors to London will be able to see for themselves the intricate interlace decoration on the gospelbook's upper cover.
The whole manuscript can also be viewed for free on our Digitised Manuscripts site.
For those of you about to ask, you can find out more here why we don't wear white gloves when handling our manucripts.
01 July 2012
A Calendar Page for July 2012
For more details on calendar pages or the Hours of Joanna of Castile, please see the entry for January 2012.
Calendar pages for July, from the Hours of Joanna of Castile, Netherlands (Bruges), between 1496 and 1506, Additional 18852, ff. 7v-8
The strenuous work of summer continues in these two miniatures from the calendar for July, which focuses on the yearly harvest of wheat. On the left folio four men are at work in a field, in what must be very warm weather; the men have all rolled up their sleeves, and two seem to have divested themselves of their trousers as well. On the right, beneath a small and rather scowly lion (for the zodiac sign Leo) another group of men are bringing their harvest to a timbered barn.
27 June 2012
Books of History, War and Mystery: More Royal Manuscripts Go Online
We have been pleased to hear from so many scholars and manuscript aficionados regarding our Royal digitisation project, and our work to make these treasures available online continues apace. We've finished another upload to the British Library's Digitised Manuscripts site, with a (we hope) charmingly diverse group of Royals. These manuscripts range in date from c. 1020 to c. 1517, and include an early English Gospel book, a number of works on Greek and Roman history, a treatise on how to be a prince, a humanistic masterpiece, and the intriguingly arcane Hieroglyphica.
The manuscripts are as follows:
Royal 1 C. vii The Rochester Bible, England (Rochester), second quarter of the 12th century
Royal 1 D. ix The Cnut Gospels, England (Christ Church, Canterbury), c. 1020 (please see an earlier post on this manuscript here)
Royal 12 C. iii Filippo Alberici, Hieroglyphica and Emblematic Inscriptions, France (Paris), c. 1507
Royal 12 C. viii Pandolfo Collenuccio, Apologues, Italy (Rome and Florence), c. 1509 - c. 1517
Royal 15 D. i Bible Historiale, part 4 (Bible Historiale of Edward IV), Netherlands (Bruges), 1470 and c. 1479
Royal 16 G. viii Bellum Gallicum (Les Commentaires de Cesar), France (Lille) and Netherlands (Bruges), 1473 - 1476
Royal 17 D. vi Thomas Hoccleve, The Regement of Princes, England, second quarter of the 15th century
Royal 18 D. ii John Lydgate, Troy Book and Siege of Thebes, England (London?), c. 1457 - 1460
Royal 19 C. iv Le Songe du Vergier, France (Paris), 1378
19 June 2012
Crowns, Romances, and Chronicles Aplenty: New Royal Manuscripts Online
Allegorical miniature of the Tudor rose, incorporating various emblems associated with Henry VIII, from Motets for Henry VIII, Netherlands (Antwerp?), 1516, Royal 11 E. xi, f. 2r
We are very happy to announce that the first batch of fully-digitised Royal manuscript has gone live on the Digitised Manuscripts site. This group includes a number of the best-known - and certainly best-loved - manuscripts in the British Library's collections (and a few of them are so justly famous that we've already highlighted them on this blog; please see the list below for links to these specific posts).
Detail of a miniature of Clovis defeating the Alemanni, after praying to Christ for vixtory, from the Grandes Chroniques de France, France (Paris), between 1332 - 1350, Royal 16 G. vi, f. 15r
The manuscripts are as follows:
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Coronation Book of Charles V, France (Paris), 1365 (for more details, please see our recent 'Documentary' of a Royal Coronation) |
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Quadripartite Indenture for Henry VIII’s Chapel (The Harley Indenture), England (London), 1504 (also this post about the Indenture) |
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Motets for Henry VIII, Netherlands (Antwerp?), 1516 |
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Gerald of Wales, Topographia Hiberniae, England (Lincoln?), c. 1196 - c. 1223 (and our recent Marvels of the West) |
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Genealogical Chronicle of the English Kings, England, last quarter of the 13th century |
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Genealogical Chronicle of the English Kings, England, c. 1300 (this roll featured in Genealogy of a Royal Bastard) |
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Estoire del Saint Graal, France (Saint-Omer or Tournai?), first quarter of the 14th century (yet another highlighted manuscript; see Lancelot and the Quest for the Holy Grail) |
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Jean de Wavrin, Anciennes et nouvelles chroniques d’Angleterre, France (Lille) and Netherlands (Bruges), c. 1470 – c. 1480 |
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Grandes Chroniques de France ou de St Denis, France (Paris), between 1332 – 1350 |
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Jean Froissart, Chroniques, Netherlands (Bruges), last quarter of the 15th century (before 1483) |
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Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun, Roman de la Rose, France (Paris), c. 1320 – c. 1340 |
More Royal manuscripts are going online all the time; we will continue to update you on this blog, and as always, your comments are most welcome.
Detail of a miniature of two knights (Peter Courtenay and de Clary) jousting on horseback, from Jean Froissart's Chroniques, Netherlands (Bruges), last quarter of the 15th century (before 1483), Royal 18 E. ii, f. 24v
Detail from the full foliate border of a bird pecking the eyes of a man dressed as a fool, by the Master of the White Inscriptions, from Jean de Wavrin, Anciennes et nouvelles chroniques d’Angleterre, France (Lille) and Netherlands (Bruges), c. 1470 – c.1480, Royal 14 E. iv, f. 299r
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