Rare Romanesque Manuscript Calendar
... just a little shop update
One of the best things about the digital age is the increasing use of high resolution scans of medieval art that would otherwise simply never be seen by the public. These ancient and fragile manuscripts, often richly illustrated, are usually kept carefully stashed away in climate controlled archives, away from sunlight and the corrosive effects of humidity and handling. But digitising them means we can all see them, even extremely closely. These digital collections, that are being made available online, are forming a crucial part of my own work in learning about these lost art forms.
So I’m happy to be able to share my finds here with readers and supporters. Today I put together the first of my Hilary White; Sacred Art wall calendars for 2024 featuring selections from the Canterbury Psalter, a 12th century Anglo-Norman manuscript held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The images are intended to prompt devotional contemplation in the meditative technique spread throughout Europe by the Benedictine monks, called “Lectio Divina”. In this method, short passages of Scripture and the writings of the saints are read in a quiet atmosphere and contemplated. In the middle ages this practice was normally assisted by illustrations like the ones in this manuscript. The practice of using a psalter or Breviary was common among literate laity as well as monastics.
Since everyone seemed to enjoy my previous two posts on Romanesque art (“What is Romanesque?” here and “Romanesque painting: Heaven in the room with you” here) I thought you might like a calendar that featured these extraordinary images.
Click to buy:
More to come…
HJMW