Research Guides: COML 200: Introduction to Comparative Literature: Researching The Name of the Rose (HC): Medieval Manuscripts

Visual Sources

Richard of Oxford, Crowned woman at mass, Taymouth Hours, 14th c. (Source: British Library, open access)

For more information, see the image record in Feminae

Individual Medieval Manuscripts

Vienna Dioscorides
Byzantine, circa 512, Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. Vindobonensis Medicus Graecus 1
See 70+ pages of this late antique herbal written in Greek with detailed descriptions, medical use and illustrations of plants. This herbal was commissioned as a token of thanks to the Byzantine princess, Anicia Juliana, for funding a church consecration.
Book of Kells
Irish, circa 800, Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I
Contains the four Gospels in Latin
Elaborate decoration including carpet pages and portraits of the evangelists.
Comedies of Terence
German, circa 825, Rome, Vatican Library, MS Vat.lat.3868
Texts of Roman comedies along with many illustrations copied from a second century manuscript. Figures, frequently wearing comic masks, enact scenes complete with props. The manuscript was made at the Benedictine Abbey of Corvey.
Commentary on the Apocalypse by Beatus of Liebana
Spanish, 1047, Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional, MS Vitrina 14-2
Outstanding example of the striking style and bright colors characteristic of Mozarabic art which developed among Christians in Spain living in areas controlled by Muslims.
Image description in Feminae: Woman Clothed with the Sun
St Albans Psalter
English, circa 1124-1135, Germany, Hildesheim, St.Godehead church
Likely commissioned for the holy woman, Christina of Markyate, by Abbot Geoffrey of St Albans.
Image description in Feminae: Initial C for Psalm 105
Madame Marie's Picture Book
French, circa 1285, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS n.a. fr. 16251
Full page illustrations of the life of Christ and the saints. Made for an aristocratic woman's private devotions.
Image descriptions in Feminae: Marie and other pilgrims with St James and Martyrdom of Saints Nicasius and Eutropia
Luttrell Psalter
English, 1325-1335, London, British Library, Add. MS 42130
Commissioned by Sir Geoffrey Luttrell
Famous for its images of daily life as well as its elaborate and often fantastic marginal decorations.
Image descriptions in Feminae: Disabled beggar child, Travelling carriage and dogs
The Romance of the Rose by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun .
French, circa 1325-1350, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS Français 25526
Allegorical account written in French of a lover's pursuit of an ideal woman. Very popular with a wide audience. Lay scribes produced copies to meet demand. This manuscript was created by a married couple, Richard and Jeanne de Montbaston. As the artist, Jeanne created images for each chapter including the final illustration in which the lover embraces his beloved. Jeanne added many marginal scenes, ranging from saints' lives to sexual humor (including nuns gathering the fruit of the penis tree).
Book of Wonders by Marco Polo
French, 1410-1412, Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, MS Français 2810
In 1271 Marco Polo travelled to the court of Kublai Khan and remained in China for 17 years. When he returned to Italy, he collaborated with a writer of romances to produce a popular account of his travels.
Image descriptions in Feminae: Temple girls of Maabar and Princess Qutulun wrestles a suitor
Works of Christine de Pizan
French, circa 1410-1414, London, British Library, Harley 4431
Manuscript prepared by the author herself for Isabeau of Bavaria, queen of France. Includes three author portraits of Christine as well as this presentation scene with the queen.
Book of Hours of Mary of Burgundy
Flemish, circa 1477, Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. 1857
Likely commissioned by Margaret of York, wife of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, for her step-daughter Mary. Full page illustrations convey theological as well as political meaning as Mary inherited the kingdom of Burgundy during a time of war.
Image description in Feminae: Mary of Burgundy reading from a book of hours

Manuscript Facsimiles

These are printed facsimiles of medieval manuscripts. They are reproduced with high quality images, and some also copy the original binding and decorations on the covers. They are particularly useful for understanding the visual experiences of medieval readers in terms of the physical book.

See the individual records below to see which titles are in the stacks (and can be checked out), in the folio shelves at the end of the art books and in Special Collections. Books on the folio shelves can be used in Lutnick but not checked out. You can visit Special Collections, Monday through Friday 9-5, to see the books there.

Book of Beasts: A Facsimile of MS Bodley 764 by Christpher de Hamel, ed.
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ISBN: 1851243178
Publication Date: 2008-12-31
In the Middle Ages, people believed that studying animals allowed them to read the Divine Order. In image and word, medieval bestiaries illustrated animals in stunning detail and explained their scientific nature as well as their allegorical significance. The bestiary reproduced here dates from the mid-13th century.
Book of hours (Ms. Grandes heures de Jean de Berry) by Jacquemart, de Hesdin, active 1380-1411.
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Publication Date: 2012
Full-color facsimile of the manuscript produced for Jean, Duke of Berry, and completed in 1409. Its miniatures are attributed to Jacquemart de Hesdin, the Bedford Master, the Boucicaut Master and others.
The 'Brother' Haggadah: A Medieval Sephardi Masterpiece in Facsimile by Marc Michael Epstein; Raphael Loewe; Jeremy Schonfield (Contribution by)
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ISBN: 9780500110294
Publication Date: 2016-05-31
Created by Sephardi (or "southern") artists and scribes in Catalonia in the second quarter of the fourteenth century, this Hebrew manuscript sets out the liturgy and sequence of the Passover Seder with additional historical essays.
Chansonnier de Jean de Montchenu
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Publication Date: 2012
Facsimile edition of a 15th-century (ca. 1460-1477), heart-shaped song book belonging to Jean de Montchenu (Ms. Occ. Rothschild 2973). The manuscript is housed in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The Hours of Catherine of Cleves by Rob Duckers; Ruud Priem
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Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Illuminated with spectacular miniatures and borders in glittering gold and splendid colors, this manuscript was made for Catherine of Cleves, Duchess of Guelders The book presents more than 100 leaves of the manuscript, including important scenes from the Old and New Testaments as well as the Stations of the Cross and portraits of the saints.
Illuminating The End of Time: The Getty Apocalypse Manuscript by Nigel Morgan
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ISBN: 9781606060711
Publication Date: 2012-03-06
The visionary nature of the Apocalypse - the biblical book of Revelation - along with its detailed descriptions of the end of the world have long made it ideal for illustration. This title offers an illustrated exploration of this 13th-century English Apocalyptic manuscript.
Die Kreuzritterbibel=The Morgan Crusader Bible by Commentary by Daniel H. Weiss
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Facsimile reproduction of 46 leaves of an incomplete manuscript of Old Testament illustrations, possibly commissioned by King Louis IX of France and produced in Paris ca. 1250. The manuscript includes Latin texts accompanying the illuminations; in the 17th century it came into the possession of the king of Persia, and Persian explanations were inscribed in the margins; a later owner added commentary in Judeo-Persian. The Morgan Library has made a digitized version of the manuscript available.
The Medieval Housebook by Ristoph Graf Zu Waldburg (Editor)
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ISBN: 9783791318387
Publication Date: 1998-01-01
A limited facsimile edition of the Castle Wolfegg medieval manuscript.
Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta by Georg Bocskay; Joris Hoefnagel; Lee Hendrix;
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Publication Date: 2020-09-29
In 1561-62 the master calligrapher Georg Bocskay, secretary to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, created the text as a model book of calligraphy. Some thirty years later, Ferdinand's grandson, the Emperor Rudolf II, commissioned Europe's last great manuscript illuminator, Joris Hoefnagel, to embellish the work with illusionistic flowers, fruit, insects, and animals as well as monsters and masks.
Theatrum sanitatis: Biblioteca casanatense by Ibn Buṭlān.
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The Tacuinum sanitatis was an 11th century health handbook written by Ibn Butlan of Baghdad. In the 14th century illustrated versions made in Italy the emphasis is on attractive scenes drawing on themes from courtly love, fashionable dress, and estate management for an idealized view of agriculture, food production and the developing stages of shopping and a consumer economy.
The très riches heures of the Duke of Berry
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Publication Date: 2010
Commissioned by the influential patron, Jean de Berry, in the early 15th century, this book was illustrated by the three Limbourg brothers. It opens with a calendar showing scenes of daily life during the twelve months and is followed by the prayers of offices celebrated at different times of the day.

Finding Visual Source Materials

ARTstor
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A digital library that provides access to thousands of digital images derived from a variety of museum, library and archival collections. Images support a variety of disciplines including architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, and design. Coverage varies.

Collections Online, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Search by century in the Keyword . You can also limit by artistic type (painting, sculpture) or by country.
Feminae
Over 500 image records with descriptions, bibliography and links to related artwork. Descriptions are more detailed beginning with record 335.
Medieval Collection, Glencairn Museum
Located in a Philadelphia suburb, the Glencairn Museum offers superb medieval stained glass and sculptures among its collection of art from the Middle Ages.
British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts
Find a range of representations for many different subjects. For images relating to death see such examples as the Office of the Dead, Dance of Death, and literary and Biblical references to the dying and dead.
British Museum Collections Online
Search over 3 million objects in the museum's collections. Use the term medieval and add a relevant keyword. For more precise results, see the Advanced Search. Sample Advanced Search: Death with Dates 800-1499 CE and Country England.
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Extremely rich site for understanding the art of a particular region and time. Use the Time Period and Geographic menus to see key Works of Art, Related Exhibitions, and, under Related Content, Thematic Essays. Essays include:
- Art and Death in the Middle Ages
- Relics and Reliquaries in Medieval Christianity

Learning about Medieval Manuscripts

Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World by Elizabeth Morrison, ed.
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ISBN: 1851243178
Publication Date: 2019
With over 270 color illustrations and contributions by 25 leading scholars, this volume explores the bestiary and its widespread influence on medieval art and culture as well as on modern artists like Pablo Picasso.
The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination by Christopher de Hamel
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ISBN: 0802081738
Publication Date: 2001-12-29
Medieval manuscript expert de Hamel discusses a range of illuminated manuscripts from The British Library's unparalleled collection, some of them unfinished and so revealing the processes involved in an illuminator's work. He also explores the role of illuminators in the medieval book trade - how books were commissioned, the patron's expectations, how illuminators worked with scribes, the materials and techniques they used, and the time and expertise involved in creating these masterpieces.
British Library guide to writing and scripts: history and techniques by Michelle P. Brown
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ISBN: 0712345833
Surveys the many forms in which writing has evolved in East and West, the tools and materials used, and how they have influenced the development of scripts. She examines particularly the processes involved in the production of the medieval book in the West, and assesses the impact of later technological developments in communication on the current state of writing and its future.
Cambridge Companion to Medieval British Manuscripts by Orietta Da Rold (Editor); Elaine Treharne (Editor)
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Publication Date: 2020-12-17
This companion orientates students in the complex, multidisciplinary study of medieval book production and contemporary display of manuscripts from c.600-1500. Chapters by leading specialists in manuscript studies range from explaining how manuscripts were stored, to revealing the complex networks of readers and writers which can be understood through manuscripts, to a discussion of manuscripts in the digital age.
Defining the Page in a Digital World by Bonnie Mak
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Publication Date: 2010-01-02
From handwritten texts to online books, the page has been a standard interface for transmitting knowledge for over two millennia. It is also a dynamic device, readily transformed to suit the needs of contemporary readers. In How the Page Matters, Bonnie Mak explores how changing technology has affected the reception of visual and written information.
Holy Digital Grail: A Medieval Book on the Internet by Michelle R. Warren
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Publication Date: 2022-03-29
Michelle Warren tells the story of a manuscript--an Arthurian romance with textual origins in twelfth-century England now diffused across the twenty-first century internet. Bringing to bear media theory, medieval literary studies, and book history, Warren shows how digital infrastructures change texts and books. She uncovers a practice of "tech medievalism" that weaves through the history of computing since the mid-twentieth century. Situated at the intersections of the digital humanities, library sciences, literary history, and book history, Holy Digital Grail offers new ways to conceptualize authorship, canon formation, and the definition of a "book."
Imperial Splendor by Jeffrey F. Hamburger; Joshua O'Driscoll
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Publication Date: 2021-11-23
Opening with a look at the precedents set by the Carolingian forerunners of the Empire, the first section considers deluxe imperial manuscripts associated with the Ottonian emperors. The second section examines the role of imperial monasteries in the production of manuscripts, considering in particular the patronage of aristocratic elites. The final section offers a tour of imperial cities in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, from Vienna and Prague to Augsburg and Nuremberg.
Introduction to Manuscript Studies by Raymond Clemens; Timothy Graham
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Publication Date: 2007-12-20
"This book provides an orientation to the field of medieval manuscript studies. It will be of help to students in history, art history, literature, and religious studies who are encountering medieval manuscripts for the first time, while also appealing to advanced scholars and general readers interested in the history of the book before the age of print. Every chapter in this guidebook features numerous color plates that exemplify each aspect described in the text and are drawn primarily from the collections of the Newberry Library in Chicago and the Parker Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge."--BOOK JACKET.
The Medieval Calendar by Roger S. Wieck
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Publication Date: 2017-11-10
The text explains the complexities of Vigils, octaves, Egyptian Days, Golden Numbers, Dominical Letters, movable feasts and the key role played by the saints days, including the colors in which they are written as well as their rankings and gradings. The author also shares his step-by-step method to localize a medieval calendar and discover its use; readers learn how to assess a calendar's roster of liturgical feasts as a key to revealing the place where it was destined to be used.
Perceptions of Medieval Manuscripts by Elaine Treharne
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Publication Date: 2022-01-26
This holistic approach allows us to tell the story of the book's life from the moment of its production to its use,collection, breaking-up, and digitization - all aspects of what can be termed 'dynamic architextuality'.The ten chapters include detailed readings of texts that explain the processes of manuscript manufacture and writing, taking in invisible components of the book that show the joy and delight clearly felt by producers and consumers. Early manuscripts thus become archives and witnesses to individual and collective memories. It is urgent that practices fragmenting the manuscript through book-breaking or digital display are understood in the context of the book's wholeness.
The Production of Books in England, 1350-1500 by Alexandra Gillespie (Editor); Daniel Wakelin (Editor)
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Publication Date: 2011
This book gathers the work on manuscript books in England made during this crucial but neglected period. Its authors survey existing research, gather intensive new evidence and develop new approaches to key topics. The chapters cover the material conditions and economy of the book trade; amateur production both lay and religious; the effects of censorship; and the impact on English book production of manuscripts and artisans from elsewhere in the British Isles and Europe.
Time Sanctified: The Book of Hours in Medieval Art and Life by Roger S. Wieck
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Publication Date: 1988-08-01
The illuminated manuscript was the primary vehicle of learning, religion, and art during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Of all the illuminated manuscripts from this period, the Book of Hours was, by far, the most popular and among the most exquisitely made. It contained prayers to be recited by aristocratic and well-to-do lay people. Many books of hours were elaborately decorated.
Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms by Michelle P. Brown
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ISBN: 0892362170
Publication Date: 1994-07-28
What is a florilegium? What is an incipit? What is batarde script? This book offers definitions of these and numerous other techniques, processes, and materials used in medieval illuminated manuscripts. With numerous illustrations, this volume will be invaluable to those wishing to increase their understanding and enjoyment of illuminated manuscripts.