A Scholarly Skater
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of the University of Chicago
I’ve talked about the University of Chicago’s gargoyles before, in a post about collegiate gargoyles. However, I really had no idea at the time how prominent a role these gargoyles play in the school’s culture. Not only is the university’s IT system nicknamed “gargoyle”, but the University of Chicago gargoyle also has his own blog, and the…
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Borobudur Temple, Java
Borobudur Temple is a massive Buddhist temple in Java, Indonesia. Built in the ninth century, Borobudur has a complex, tiered design and is richly decorated with hundreds of Buddha statues and thousands of relief-carved scenes depicting important Buddhist stories. It also has stupas and other sculpted imagery including gargoyles. Finding gargoyles, particularly functional gargoyles as these seem to be (rather than purely-decorative grotesques),…
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Casa de las Conchas, Salamanca, Spain
This little winged fellow looks like he’s absolutely thrilled with his view from the roofline of the Casa de las Conchas in Salamanca, Spain. This late-fifteenth and early sixteenth-century building is named for its numerous shell-shaped decorations (concha is the Spanish word for shell) – symbols of the Spanish chivalric Order of Santiago de Compostela…
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The Office of the Dead – Day 31
The Office of the Dead was a section of funerary prayers in the book of hours. It could be accompanied by some pretty spooky and fantastic images.
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Apocalypse Manuscripts – Day 30
Apocalypse manuscripts concern the Book of Revelation. All this apocalyptic subject matter provided plenty of opportunities for vivid illustrations.
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Alchemical Manuscripts – Day 29
Alchemy may be pretty dead today, but in the Middle Ages, it was synonymous with science. Find out about illuminated manuscripts related to alchemy.
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Where to Enjoy Manuscripts Online – Day 28
In this post, you’ll discover some places to browse medieval illuminated manuscripts online, including fully-digitized manuscripts from around the world.
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The Hours of Catherine of Cleves – Day 27
The Hours of Catherine of Cleves is a book of hours that’s supposedly the greatest Dutch illuminated manuscript ever. It’s now at the Morgan Library in NY.
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The Morgan Library Crusader Bible – Day 26
The Morgan Library Crusader Bible is a medieval illuminated Bible with tons and tons of illustrations. See some of them in this post.
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Lapidaries – Day 25
Lapidaries are medieval manuscripts about gemstones and other minerals, which were believed to have all kinds of meanings and significances.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of St. Denys, Aswarby, Lincolnshire
This square-ish fellow kind of reminds me of an early video game creature. When I went to get the image link, I noticed it was titled “Hunky Punk”, which I thought was interesting. I googled the term and discovered that “hunky punk” is a term specifically used in Somerset, England to describe grotesques (never true…
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Weird Manuscripts – Day 24
Discover a selection of noteworthy medieval illuminated manuscripts with unusual shapes, strange imagery, and more.
