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Mediaevalia at the Lilly
The Lilly Library is one of Indiana University’s greatest resources. Its rich collection of materials bears witness to the development of the history of the book and of European media culture. The series Mediaevalia at the Lilly aims to better publicize the collection by bringing established scholars and experts for lectures & hands-on workshops for students and faculty. The series is organized under the auspices of the Medieval Studies Institute, and run by Hildegard Elisabeth Keller (Germanic Studies) in collaboration with Cherry Williams (The Lilly Library). One seminar per year will be conducted by a scholar from the field of manuscript study, the history of the book, and early prints. In seeking to combine lectures with workshops, our goal is to make abstract ideas, as presented in the classroom, concrete by confronting students with the intractable nature of sources and giving them some sense of just how much can be gleaned from handwriting, type, parchment, paper, watermarks, title pages, musical notation, format, decoration, in short, all material aspects of the book over the course of the period stretching from Late Antiquity to the Reformation, i.e., comprehending at the outset the transition from roll to codex and, at the end, the shift from manuscript to print.

Mediævalia 2011:
How mediæval manuscripts were written and illuminated

November 3-4, 2011
Slocum Room, Lilly Library

British scribe and illuminator Patricia Lovett will be visiting the Lilly Library to talk about mediæval manuscripts, and will use and show the tools and materials of the craft.

Thursday 3rd November 11am–12·30pm
 Looking at Manuscripts – a scribe and illuminator’s view of a selection of mediæval manuscripts from the Lilly Library.
Thursday 3rd November 2·30 –5pm
 How Manuscripts Were Made – a demonstration and explanation of quills, vellum, parchment, miniature painting, gold and pigments.
Friday 4th November 5 –6·15pm
 Gold on Parchment – a talk using examples of mediæval manuscripts to show the craft of manuscript production.
This will be followed by a reception.

Patricia Lovett is an author of a number of books on calligraphy, illumination and heraldry, is an Honoured Fellow of the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society and has taught, lectured and had artworks exhibited in the UK and many other countries.

Mediævalia at the Lilly is sponsored by the Medieval Studies Institute, the Lilly Library, and the Department of Germanic Studies.

To register for Thursday's events, contact the Lilly Library: 812 855 2452
For other questions, call: 812 855 3187

All events are free and open to the public.
See the event flyer here.



Video

Patricia Lovett comments on student-made bifolios during Mediaevalia 2011. Video by Russell Sheaffer and Hildegard Elisabeth Keller



Photo Gallery