The Garima Gospels, two gospel books from northern Ethiopia, may be the oldest surviving illuminated Christian manuscripts in the entire world.
Category: Manuscripts
What’s So Special About the Book of Kells?
I got a lot of confused questions yesterday while unboxing my deluxe The Book of Kells by Bernard Meehan. I thought that everybody was familiar with the Book of Kells, but I see that's not true, so let me explain what the Book of Kells is and why it's so special.
Up Close and Personal With Illuminated Manuscripts
Last week, I attended the New York Antiquarian Book Fair and enjoyed taking a close look at the medieval illuminated manuscripts offered for sale there. This opportunity reminded me how manuscripts' greatest qualities are best enjoyed in person.
Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts
My thoughts on Meetings With Remarkable Manuscripts, a really excellent and informative book about twelve, world-class medieval manuscripts.
The Office of the Dead – Day Thirty-One of Medieval Manuscripts
The Office of the Dead (f.99) from the Belles Heures of Jean de Berry. French, c. 1405-9. The Cloisters Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (CC0 1.0) This is the last installment of 31 Days of Medieval Manuscripts. I hope everyone has enjoyed seeing and reading about all these beautiful books over the past… Continue reading The Office of the Dead – Day Thirty-One of Medieval Manuscripts
Apocalypse Manuscripts – Day Thirty of Medieval Manuscripts
Hell: monsters, devils, and fire. British LIbrary Add MS 42555, f. 76v I'm just going to carry on with this Halloween theme. Apocalypse manuscripts contain St. John the Divine's writings in the Book of Revelation, including supposed details about the end of the world. Remember that the saved and the damned are supposed to have very different… Continue reading Apocalypse Manuscripts – Day Thirty of Medieval Manuscripts
Alchemical Manuscripts – Day Twenty-Nine of Medieval Manuscripts
In preparation for Halloween, I decided that today's post should have something to do with something magical(ish) and eventually settled on alchemy. Alchemy is probably more of pseudo science than it is magic, but it was in Harry Potter, so I'll let this slide. Alchemical treatises and illustrations were common in manuscripts of the Western and… Continue reading Alchemical Manuscripts – Day Twenty-Nine of Medieval Manuscripts
Where to Enjoy Manuscripts Online – Day Twenty-Eight of Medieval Manuscripts
As the month of October is winding down, so is 31 Days of Medieval Manuscripts. While my posts about medieval manuscripts may be slowing down - I'll continue to write about them, just not every single day - I hope that your interest in the subject will remain. In that spirit, today's post is going to be about… Continue reading Where to Enjoy Manuscripts Online – Day Twenty-Eight of Medieval Manuscripts
The Hours of Catherine of Cleves – Day Twenty-Seven of Medieval Manuscripts
The Hours of Catherine of Cleves is a fifteenth-century Dutch book of hours that was owned by a controversial duchess of Guelders. According to the Morgan Library and agreed upon by pretty much every other source I read, the manuscript is "the greatest Dutch illuminated manuscript in the world" (Morgan Library website). The Morgan's description… Continue reading The Hours of Catherine of Cleves – Day Twenty-Seven of Medieval Manuscripts
The Morgan Library Crusader Bible – Day Twenty-Six of Medieval Manuscripts
I couldn't wrap up thirty-one days of medieval manuscripts without featuring at least one Bible! The Morgan Library's Crusader Bible (MS M.638) was made in Paris in the 1240s. It presents the Old Testament completely in pictures; there's very little text, none of which is original to the book. The manuscript is famous for the… Continue reading The Morgan Library Crusader Bible – Day Twenty-Six of Medieval Manuscripts