This course focuses on an art form highly developed in the Middle Ages: the richly illuminated hand-written book. Students come to know such masterworks as the Lindisfarne Gospels and the Très Riches Heures as they learn about significant episodes in the history of manuscript production, beginning with the invention of the codex in late antiquity and ending with the advent of the printed book in the early modern era. Topics include the techniques employed in making manuscripts, the changing status of scribes and illuminators, and the evolving roles of patrons (royal, aristocratic, religious, lay). The functions of various types of illustrated books (from Bibles to cosmological tracts to Arthurian tales) are examined, as are the principles of medieval book design and ornamentation. Students have the chance to examine original manuscripts in visits to the Rare Book Room. This course not only provides a vivid introduction to medieval art and culture but also offers an opportunity to study an art form in which—as in our modern websites—words and images operate together.
