‘More manuscripts of the Bible, or parts of the Bible, survive from the Middle Ages than any other tangible artefacts'. This statement by the renowned book historian Christopher de Hamel signals the immense richness of the topic of biblical manuscripts and its importance for our understanding of the medieval period.
The module will be concerned with the most prominent illuminated biblical manuscripts (including Psalters and Apocalypses) from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries. These will be analyzed in tandem with other contemporary illuminated manuscripts which were used for the study of the biblical text. Examples include a giant Bible of Bury St Edmunds Abbey, diagrammatical chronicles developed for students in the University of Paris, and the moralized Bibles made for the kings and queens of France.
Through the lens of such case-studies we will evaluate the role of images and other visual devices in relation to the text as well as addressing broader issues of manuscript production, patronage, and use. The module therefore serves as an introduction to the topic of Western illuminated manuscripts more generally which in turn forms an important part of the history of books and digital media that we are using today.
By the end of the module, students should have acquired:
Module Code HOA00045H