In the Scriptorium

(Hi, guys! Ros in jumperThe work for today’s class is at the bottom of this post in RED.)

Dear 7Y,

Here’s another career opportunity for you!

Ever felt like getting the hair on the top of your head shaved off, donning a woolly brown or black cloak and taking vows to be poor, humble and never have sex for the rest of your life?

February from Les Tres Riches Heures
February from Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry - an example of the extraordinarily beautiful artwork in medieval manuscripts (image in the public domain)

I guess not. After all, you are modern boys or young men, and you might feel that poverty, humility and chastity would not offer you the kind of life experiences you expect. If you lived in the medieval period, however, becoming a monk was a recognised career path and it was often your best chance of gaining an education. The monks of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages learned to read and write; then, since there was no such thing as printing, they wrote each book by hand. Their books required long, intensive labour in the scriptorium, the room in the monastery set aside for this task. As if the writing alone was not hard enough, they decorated each page with colourful ink and gold leaf, until it glowed. That’s why their books were called “illuminated manuscripts”. The word “manuscript” means written by hand.

Since books were rare and expensive, you could only afford them if you were rich. So you see, knowledge, like land and power, belonged only to the privileged few.

View some of the beautiful medieval manuscripts that were on display at the State Library of Victoria a couple of years ago by clicking on this link.

initial_funeral_service medieval manuscript
A medieval manuscript that illustrates the beautiful little pictures that the artists drew in the margins

One of the most intriguing aspects of these manuscripts is the little pictures that were painted in the margins, frequently depicting the common, funny things that occurred in everyday life. In the Luttrell Psalter, one of the most famous books, there are many pictures of peasants going about their everyday work. These pictures are a primary source giving us insight into the lives of the peasants; but somehow I doubt that the peasants’ lives had the kind of glow that is shown in the Psalter. Click on this link and pages 19 and 20 to see the picture I mean.

Questions – Answer in a Word File

1. At this link you will find out what each of the following terms mean. Find pictures to go with your descriptions of each one:

(a) anthropomorphic initial

(b) book of hours

(c) decorated initial

(d) gilding

2. (a) Explain how medieval parchment was made by visiting this link.

(b) Read the account of the work of a medieval scribe by clicking here. Write a brief summary.

3. Look at the Book of Hours at this link.

Illuminated_20letter_20Tegan_207X_202010_small1
An illuminated letter created by Tegan, 7X Semester 1 2010

7X created some lovely illuminated initials last semester. You can see them at this link.

Kind regards and see you tomorrow!

Ms Green