Tag: medieval
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
This rather distressed-looking grotesque lives on Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, England. He sticks out his tongue and pokes at something inside his mouth, as though he’s having some dental problems. I can’t help but feel a little sorry for this odd little dude. He belongs to a subset of gargoyles and grotesques known as “mouth pullers”…
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of Chateau de Pierrefonds, France
A crocodile gargoyle on the Chateau de Pierrefonds in France.
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of the Duomo, Milan
In 2012, Milan’s Duomo came up with a pretty cool fundraising idea. In order to come up with the necessary funds to support restorations efforts, this massive Gothic cathedral decided to put its 135 gargoyles up for adoption. Donors could pick a gargoyle to contribute to, receiving a little name plaque underneath “their” gargoyle. This article on swide.com…
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of the Tower of London
This weirdly-misshapen face is one of several gargoyles or grotesques located on the infamous Tower of London. Considering the many horrifying things that have happened inside that castle-turned-prison, I would say that his somewhat-twisted appearance is appropriate, though I’m sure this wasn’t intentional. Interestingly, the other Tower of London gargoyles I found, though all still disembodied…
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Gargoyles and Grotesques of St. Vitus, Prague
The rooster is one of early Italian St. Vitus’s attributes, so it’s quite fitting that a rooster gargoyle can be found on his beautiful Gothic church in Prague. Some people think that this figure depicts an eagle. I disagree, but I can understand how one might come to that conclusion without knowing about the saint’s association to the rooster.…
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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.
