Last Sunday was the last day of an exhibition of items on loan from the Bodleian Library of Oxford. Despite a daft title and organizing principle (“Marks of Genius”) it was an extraordinary collection – which, almost despite the will of the organizers of the exhibition, testified to the role of the Church and Christianity in the creation of England and of Europe. On exhibit was the earliest copy of St. Benedict’s Rule, written around 700 AD in England. From Aachen around the year 800 AD came a splendid Carolingian binding on a manuscript of the same period.Then, there was the first book in the English Language, a translation of St. Gregory the Great’s Regula Pastoralis from later in the 9th century. A translation, moreover, that was perhaps made personally by another “Great,” King Alfred. St. Margaret of Scotland’s personal illustrated Gospel book (circa 1050 AD) was also on display. There followed a series of medieval and Renaissance illuminated manuscripts leading to the early printed books. And this long “Catholic age” came to a truly thundering close with Albrecht Dürer’s illustrations of the Apocalypse.
Now all the exhibits – including scientific works, the creations of secular authors and the illustrated products of the Islamic cultures – conveyed an overpowering impression of the great reverence shown to the physical book itself, whether written or printed. It is evidenced by the beautifully written manuscripts, the careful printing, the magnificent illustrations and the costly bindings – all the greatest possible contrast to today’s “virtual” culture of the written word – where the “book” or text disappears at the click of a mouse…
The Crusader Bible – from the Pierpont Morgan Library.
For those of you who missed the above exhibition, another good one is on the way to the Pierpont Morgan: one of the most important Crusader illuminated manuscripts. This is the Morgan’s description:
“The spectacular Crusader Bible is one of the greatest illuminated manuscripts in the world, renowned as much for its unrivalled and boldly colored illustrations as it is for its fascinating history. The work brings Old Testament stories alive in bright images replete with medieval castles, towns, and battling knights in armor, all set in thirteenth-century France. Before the manuscript is rebound visitors will have the opportunity to view over forty of its miniatures, the work of six anonymous artists who were the artistic geniuses of their day. They will also learn about the manuscript’s incredible journey from France to Italy, Poland, Persia, Egypt, England, and finally, New York.”
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