books n buildings

A number of ancient Armenian manuscript bindings were embellished with odd objects haphazardly attached to the covers and in some cases, the spines. Items included coins, crucifixes, stones from personal signet rings, jewellery, and small metal repoussé objects shaped like hands, eyes, crescent moons, or human faces. Some of these objects were donated by the faithful as testimony to their Christian piety. Another reason is believed to be protection against the evil eye—these objects served as devices to avert evil, thereby protecting not only the donor but the manuscript itself.

Hobro church, Denmark (1850-1852) Architect: Michael Gottlieb...

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:38:45 +0200

Hobro church, Denmark (1850-1852)

Architect: Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll

Vaulting in Königswiesen church, Austria (thank you...

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:00:20 +0200

Vaulting in Königswiesen church, Austria

(thank you samcienfuegos for pointing the way)

British country house libraries +

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:00:38 +0200

British country house libraries

cinoh: Al-Quazwīnī (ca. 1203-1283) The wonders of creation,...

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:00:33 +0200

cinoh:

Al-Quazwīnī (ca. 1203-1283) The wonders of creation, 16th century Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Ms. Orientali 45, f. 17v This encyclopædia, which contains a lengthy section devoted to cosmography, enjoyed wide circulation in the Islamic world. The compiler referred back to the Greek authors, in particular to Aristotle and Ptolemy. At folio 17v, the configurations of the Sun, Earth and Moon that give rise to eclipses. (via Al-Quazwini, The wonders of creation)

poboh: Les toits de France, Hans Silvester.

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:00:32 +0200

poboh:

Les toits de France, Hans Silvester.

f-featherbrain: Design for a rose window Louis Comfort Tiffany ...

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:09:29 +0200

f-featherbrain:

Design for a rose window

Louis Comfort Tiffany (American, New York 1848–1933 New York)

(via: the metropolitan museum of art)

erikkwakkel: Books in Heaven I took this picture as I was about...

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:15:30 +0200

erikkwakkel:

Books in Heaven

I took this picture as I was about to enter the library of Monte Cassino on a cold morning last February. While most of my trips to study medieval books lead to university libraries, some are still held in monasteries. These are the best visits. The journey up the mountain to Monte Cassino had been long and winding, but there I finally was, in one of the oldest functioning European abbeys. The prior (also the librarian) picked me up at the gate. As we walked up the steps to the library he gestured I should turn around - and this is what I saw.

It is called the Heavenly Courtyard and that is just what it was for me. Not only because of the view, but also because the stairs I was climbing pretty much led to heaven: the abbey’s library. Monte Cassino is known for its extensive medieval book collection. I am co-author of a book about an eleventh-century medical manuscript made in the abbey and for three days I sat in the library looking at other books copied by “my” scribe. The prior worked across the table from me, alternating between typewriter and MacBook Pro. From time to time he wheeled in my tiny books on an oversized wagon. It was quite something.

When I was about to leave on the last day he gestured I should follow him. He walked me through the abbey and showed me a hidden mural painting, the long corridors with rooms for guests, and St Benedict’s crypt. With my hands still smelling like parchment I absorbed it all. It was not difficult to imagine my scribe walking here almost a thousand years earlier. Marvelling at the same things as I did. It was truly divine.

erikkwakkel: Brilliant Damage Parchment often contains some...

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:30:32 +0200

erikkwakkel:

Brilliant Damage

Parchment often contains some kind of imperfection. Holes, for example, are a common occurrence on the page of a medieval book. The parchment maker’s knife, scraping off hair and fleshy bits from the animal skin, was sometimes handled with too much pressure, producing holes such as the one seen in this brilliant image. That a drawing of a dragon should perfectly align with such a hole is a coincidence. What I like about it is the view it opens to the next leaf. I can just imagine how the heartbeat of the medieval reader sped up when he saw that a dragon was about to be introduced into the story. Parchment damage as a sneak preview: excitement coming to a chapter near you.

Pic: Bamberg, Universitätsbibliothek, Msc. Nat. 1 (9th century)

erikkwakkel: Entertainment in a medieval book The margins of a...

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:45:29 +0200

erikkwakkel:

Entertainment in a medieval book

The margins of a medieval book are usually empty. This is handy, because it means you can place notes in them, or fill them with doodles, like here. In this particular case the reader decided to add spectacular illustrations to the margins. Not only do they show us snapshots of medieval individuals living their lives, which is special enough, the images are often also quite funny. Humour is not an unusual occurrence in such old books, as I showed here. However, to have this much fun in the margins is not very common.

Pics: Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Bodley 264 (14th c). Browse the entire manuscript here and start enjoying dozens more images.

Some books and the book-plate belonging to Vita Sackville-West...

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:00:22 +0200

Some books and the book-plate belonging to Vita Sackville-West from her library at Sissinghurst castle

The library at Sissinghurst castle, the delightful and exquisite...

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:00:17 +0200

The library at Sissinghurst castle, the delightful and exquisite home of Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Harold Nicolson.

dantmccarthy: stained glass in medieval times

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:00:30 +0200

dantmccarthy:

stained glass in medieval times

imagediver: Click on the image to see the detail in a zoomable...

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:00:25 +0200

imagediver:

Click on the image to see the detail in a zoomable context.

Detail from Cutting the Stone, Hieronymus Bosch, 1494 - 1516

michaelmoonsbookshop: reserve stock - almost every bookseller...

Sat, 18 May 2013 10:15:25 +0200

michaelmoonsbookshop:

reserve stock - almost every bookseller will have a room seldom opened to keep some of the more interesting and older books - to prolong their life and keep them safe..:)