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A Scholarly Skater

  • 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…

  • Weird Manuscripts – Day 24

    Discover a selection of noteworthy medieval illuminated manuscripts with unusual shapes, strange imagery, and more.

  • Heart-Shaped Books – Day 23

    Browse a selection of cordiform books (medieval illuminated manuscripts shaped like hearts) in this wildly-popular post.

  • Visigothic Script – Day 22

    Scripts in medieval manuscripts were like fonts; they were different styles of writing the same letters. Learn about one type of script with a cool name.

  • Medieval Pattern Books – Day 21

    Medieval pattern books were quite a bit like pattern books today. They showed scripts, images, and decorative patterns for craftsmen to use in their work.

  • St. Cuthbert’s Gospel – Day 20

    Read about an early medieval English illuminated manuscript associated with Saint Cuthbert, an important British monastic figure.

  • Non-European Medieval – Day 19

    Europe was far from the only place to make incredible medieval illuminated manuscripts. Find out about great manuscripts from elsewhere in the world.

  • What in the World? – Day 18

    This post is dedicated to the weird and wonderful images in medieval illuminated manuscripts. Trust me, there’s plenty of material to choose from here.

  • The Book of Durrow – Day 17

    The Book of Durrow is a 7th-century Irish illuminated manuscript with lots of decoration. Think of it as a precursor to the more famous Book of Kells.

  • Gargoyle and Grotesques: Biltmore Estate, North Carolina

    Gargoyle and Grotesques: Biltmore Estate, North Carolina

    An introduction to the grotesques at Biltmore Estate, a huge private home in Ashville, North Carolina, USA.

  • Vernacular Literature – Day 16

    Most medieval manuscripts were written in Latin, the language of learning and religion. In this post, you’ll learn about those written in other languages.

  • The Roman de the Rose – Day 15

    Read about the illustrations in a medieval French romance poem that was the subject of so many illuminated manuscripts.

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The mission of A Scholarly Skater Art History is to make art and architecture accessible to everyone.
I’m Alexandra, an art historian who believes that looking at art can enrich everyone’s life. Welcome to my website! Read more about me here.

All the content on this blog was written by a real art historian.

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