Section 1 of 4
Manuscripts
Vellum, pigment and the labour of a page.
Every guide in this section
6 pieces. Each one says what the object is, what it is made of, and what is actually known about it.
- A page that still resists reproductionThe densest gospel-book decoration works at a scale that defeats the naked eye and still defeats most printing — interlace held to a fraction of a millimetre across a whole carpet page.Read
- VellumCalfskin prepared as a writing surface, and how many animals a gospel book cost.Read
- The pigmentsWhat the colours were made from, and which ones travelled a very long way.Read
- Insular majusculeThe script itself, and how it is dated.Read
- The carpet pageA full page of ornament with no text at all.Read
- Errors and correctionsScribal slips, and the marks made to fix them.Read