Examinations of the use of diagrams, symbols etc. found as commentary in medieval texts. In our electronic age, we are accustomed to the use of icons, symbols, graphs, charts, diagrams and visualisations as part of the vocabulary of communication. But this rich ecosystem is far from a modern phenomenon. Early medievalmanuscripts demonstrate that their makers and readers achieved very sophisticated levels of "graphicacy". When considered from this perspective, many elements familiar to students of manuscript decoration - embellished charactersin scripts, decorated initials, monograms, graphic symbols, assembly marks, diagrammatic structures, frames, symbolic ornaments, musical notation - are revealed to be not minor, incidental marks but crucial elements within the larger sign systems of manuscripts. This interdisciplinary volume is the first to discuss the conflation of text and image with a specific focus on the appearance of various graphic devices in manuscript culture. By looking attheir many forms as they appear from the fourth century to their full maturity in the long ninth century, its contributors demonstrate the importance of these symbols to understanding medieval culture. Michelle P. Brown FSA is Professor Emerita of Medieval Book History at the School of Advanced Study, University of London and was formerly the Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library; Ildar Garipzanov is Professor of Early Medieval History at the Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History at the University of Oslo; Benjamin C. Tilghman is Assistant Professor of Art History at Washington College. Contributors: Tina Bawden, Michelle P.Brown, Leslie Brubaker, David Ganz, Ildar H. Garipzanov, Cynthia Hahn, Catherine E. Karkov, Herbert L. Kessler, Beatrice Kitzinger, Kallirroe Linardou, Lawrence Nees, Eric Palazzo, Benjamin C. Tilghman.

About the Author
CATHERINE E. KARKOV is Professor Emeritus of Art History, University of Leeds.

Reviews
Provides a much-needed modern exploration of the potential function and meaning behind decoration within early medieval manuscripts....it will surely be of great use to researchers in a wide range of disciplines, from paleography to history and art history. * EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE *
The . . . fourteen studies, all excellent, address a range of innovations to which nascent book cultures, from the fourth century through the end of the first millennium, gave rise. * SPECULUM *



Book Information
ISBN 9781783272266
Author Michelle Brown
Format Hardback
Page Count 316
Imprint The Boydell Press
Publisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Weight(grams) 1g