Inside the Codex Rotundus lays a 266 page book of hours in Latin and French.
The manuscript is unique in form and size: the pages are cut approximately circular in shape and measure a little over 9cm in diameter. The book binding feat here is enormous: since the layers are bound together on a mere 3cm book spine, the body of the book must be held together by 3 clasps.
The original clasps were re-used when the book was rebound in the 17th century; each clasp an artful monogram shaped in the form of different gothic alphabetic letters.
Reblogging because it is awesome.
For the next time you need to do a scroll that features Death. Because of reasons.
Guillaume de Digulleville’s Le pèlerinage de la vie humaine, Death steps across body of Pilgrim on bed with Grace of God behind his head, Walters Manuscript W.141, fol. 92v
Ohmygosh tell me about it. Trompe-l’œil makes me cry. It’s beautiful, but I am a paste-eating child when I’m asked to attempt it. Tasty, tasty paste.
BTW, I’m totally doing the mental super-sekrit-scribal-handshake. Rock on, scribes! And welcome! (Also, bb!scribe makes me giggle. <3)
First of, Google is weird when it comes to finding specific images in illuminated manuscripts. My two absolute favorite resources are the British Library and the Bodleian Library. There are, of course, plenty of other libraries and institutions that have digitized cataloges that you can search, but BL and Bodl are my go-tos.
BableStone: 72 Views of the Tower of Babel – This blog has a cool run-down of various images of the Tower of Babel in manuscripts, along with citations (yea citations!) and links. If the links don’t work, use the shelf/manuscript number to search the collection (those links should work) and find it. (I’m having some issues with it, so if you run into problems, let me know and I will help you track down individual images.
I really like this one.
illustration by Michiel van der Borch to Jacob van Maerlant’s Rhimebible MMW, 10 B 21 folio 9v Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague, Netherlands Netherlands (Utrecht), 1332
“Tower of Babel” or “Babel” would be good search terms to use in Bodley and BL. “Building” and “architecture” aren’t bad, but you will get less.
A lot of 12th and 13th century portraiture use architectural elements for framing, like this portrait of King Solomon:
Additional 11639 f. 116 Miscellany of biblical and other texts (‘The Northern French Miscellany’ or earlier ‘the British Museum Miscellany’): including the Pentateuch, Haftarot, Tiqqun Sofrim, Five Scrolls, prayer book for the entire year with Haggadah, legal texts, poetry, calendars, Book of Tobit in Hebrew, etc. France, N. 1277-1286 [Link]
The Visconti Hours also has some cool architectural elements to it, but it’s a later period. It’s not tromp, but it’s still more realistic than earlier stuff. It’s not fully digitized online, but you can pick up a facsimile copy (with notes) for fairly cheap.
LF 155, Visconti Hours – The Gates of Gaza National Library, Florence Facsimile to purchase: [Abebooks]Facsimile in libraries: [Worldcat]
I hope that helps! Let me know if you need more. 🙂
Maybe I’m searching wrong, but I can’t find anything about fancy old buildings built in Africa, like giant churches and state buildings plastered everywhere from Europe. I tried looking for specific countries but still nothing. Surely they’re not…
Basically, if you don’t already follow medievalpoc, you need to. Seriously. Click the little + button. Her research is amazing, and you, as a medieval historian (amateur or professional), or even just “a person who is interested in medieval stuff” will adore it. I promise you.
So whenever there is someone called into court who isn’t there/is unavailable, someone should offer an essoinment on their behalf.
Many apologies, Your Majesties – allow me to essoin Lord Boris, for he is occupied in the kitchens following the exquisite feast you have just enjoyed.
We shall not essoin Lord Boris – bring him before Us post-haste!
This Book of Hours has the most peculiar shape: its pages resemble lily leaves (the yellow background is a paper sheet used for contrast).
It was made for king Henry II of France, who used it for private devotion – the Book of Hours contained prayers and other short texts, which were read at set times during the day.
Medieval shaped books are really nifty! Check out this heart-shaped one. 🙂
Chansonnier Cordiforme (1470s), also known as Chasonnier de Jean de Montchenu. “Cordiform” just means “heart-shaped.” This music manuscript was commissioned by canon Jean de Montchenu, later Bishop of Agen (1477) and Bishop of Vivier (1478-1497), in Savoy between 1460 and 1477. Link to the whole thing (PDF): [Link]Bibliotheque nationale de France catalog record: [Link]You can listen to the music, recorded by Anthony Rooley and the Consort of Musicke in two parts: [Part 1], [Part 2]
