About Medieval History

Medieval manuscript illuminations on display at the National Gallery of Art

2009-07-08T22:42:09Z

A fabulous exhibit of rare medieval manuscript illuminations is on display at the National Gallery of Art until August 2. The 52 single leaves and 4 bound volumes have not been exhibited in over 30 years, and they include works from Austria, Bohemia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.

Find out more at the Heaven on Earth exhibition page; and if you can't make it to Washington, D.C. before August, you can still enjoy highlights from the exhibit in a slide show (Flash player required).

World's oldest Christian Bible goes online

2009-07-07T23:05:32Z

More than 160 years ago, a scholar named Constantine Tischendorf came upon a Bible in the Monastery of St. Catherine in the Sinai desert. Recognizing its significance, he took some of the pages away with him to have them published in Germany. He returned again, and again, to take more pages, which wound up scattered in Germany and Russia. Later, some of the pages were purchased by the British Library.

Since then, the Codex Sinaiticus, believed to have been written in the fourth century, has remained in pieces in Britain, Egypt, Russia and Germany. Now the surviving pages have been digitized and brought together in the Codex Sinaiticus project. Biblical scholars and theologians will find particular significance in the portions contained in the Codex that aren't found in modern editions, as well as elements that are missing from the Codex. However, Juan Garces, the British Library project curator, said "It's for everyone, really a wide audience."

Find out more in the article by Richard Allen Greene at CNN.com or the item by Nardine Saad at the Associated Press.

Restoration reveals possible self-portrait by Michelangelo

2009-07-02T00:23:48Z

After seven years of restoration work on paintings in the Pauline Chapel inside the Vatican, the last frescoes Michelangelo ever painted are now more clear and vivid than they've been in centuries. In the process of restoration, a figure that some art experts believe may be a self-portrait by the artist was spotted. The image in question is a bearded figure on horseback in a blue turban in The Crucifixion of St Peter.

Find out more about this intriguing discovery in the article by Richard Owen in the UK Times Online, where you can see the fresco in its entirety and a close-up of the figure in question. And have a look at other portraits of Michelangelo in this image gallery by your Guide.

15th-century gold pendant at Sotheby's

2009-07-01T15:26:06Z

A striking gold pendant dating to the 15th century will be offered for sale at Sotheby's Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art auction on July 9. The pendant is no bigger than a postage stamp and depicts the Holy Trinity in surprisingly ornate detail. Discovered by a metal detectorist while walking in a field near her home, the pendant is estimated to sell for at least £150,000. Find out more about this rare object, and see a very nice photo, in the item at artdaily.org.

General Knowledge Quiz III

2009-07-01T00:06:44Z

This brand new quiz uses images to challenge your knowledge of the Middle Ages. If you haven't visited this site much, you may find this quiz quite difficult. If you're a regular visitor, you'll probably recognize all the images. But can you answer the qustions? Test yourself with our General Knowledge Quiz III.

Try our original General Knowledge Quiz or General Knowledge Quiz II.

Summer's here!

2009-06-24T22:12:50Z

Here in central Texas, we've been dealing with temperatures in the 90s (Farenheit) for several weeks now, so I almost didn't notice when the official beginning of summer arrived. In medieval Europe, most people were keenly aware of the changing of the seasons, and I doubt any but the most absent-minded city-dweller would miss the onset of summer. In the 13th century, someone even composed a little song about it:

Sumer is icumen in,
Lhude, sing cuccu!
Groweth sed, and bloweth med,
And springth the wude nu!
--The Cuckoo Song

Have a happy summer!

Pen and Parchment: Special Exhibition at the Met

2009-06-24T19:32:26Z

If you thought drawing was "invented" in the Renaissance, think again. This month at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a selection of drawings is on display that reveals a startling array of talent through the medieval centuries. Entitled "Pen and Parchment: Drawing in the Middle Ages," the exhibition examines the achievements of medieval draftsmen, and includes many works that have never before been lent outside their home countries. The exhibition will continue until August 23, 2009.

Get a look at some of these marvelous works, and find out more about the exhibition, in these resources:

Exhibition page at the Met
An introduction to the exhibition. Be sure to visit the blog while you're there.
Images to delight and confound
Article at The Economist.
Those Medieval Monks Could Draw
Review by Roberta Smith at the New York Times.
Defined by Line and Tone
Feature by Karen Wilkin at the Wall Street Journal.

Would you if you could?

2009-06-17T21:02:44Z

Today I sprained my ankle. No sympathy, please -- I've done it before and I'll probably do it again, being the hopeless klutz that I am. It's yet another reason that I'm glad I live in the 21st century, and not the Middle Ages, because my clumsiness could have shortened my life considerably back then, along with my poor eyesight, my low tolerance to alcohol and my tendency to daydream.

But I know some people would like to live in the Middle Ages. Most people who express this wish see themselves as brave knights or noble ladies, and not the peasants, poor city laborers or humble servants they are statistically more likely to have been. And that's OK -- after all, if you're fantasizing, why settle for mediocre when you can have something grand?

Which brings me to my question. If you could live in the Middle Ages, would you? If so, why? And what would you pick as your station in life? Please respond in the comments section, while I go take another Ibuprofen.

New research project focuses on the English Charlemagne romances

2009-06-11T12:46:11Z

A new joint research project between the universities of Bristol and Reading is exploring the 14th-century texts known as the English Charlemagne romances. The focus: Medieval England�s view of its relationship with the East as compared to modern East-West relations. Find out more about this intriguing study in the press release at Bristol University. For more on medieval literature, check out our literature directory; and don't forget our extensive Charlemagne resources.

King Henry IV of England

2009-06-11T00:30:36Z

Henry IV usurped the throne from his cousin, Richard II. But was he such a bad guy? Richard had seized estates that were rightfully Henry's, and Henry wasn't the only magnate whose rights of inheritance were thus endangered. One might argue he was swept up in events beyond his control. Or maybe he just wanted the crown. What do you think?

Find out more about Henry in his Who's Who profile, and check out some portraits and other interesting images in his image gallery.

The portrait of Henry is by an unknown artist from the 16th or 17th century. It is in the public domain.