Illustrated Manuscripts: From Devotions to Doodles

About this course:

Medieval illuminated manuscripts are hand-written devotional books that were lavishly illuminated with gold and silver ink on top of brightly-colored images. The Church and wealthy patrons wanted these illustrative works for personal libraries and encouraged the formation of private workshops that flourished in French and Italian cities. In this course, we explore imagery depicting everything from Christian scriptures to mythical beasts to humorous depictions of contemporary issues. These fascinating illustrations provide a window into the imagination of these artists who educated and entertained their patrons. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to the video for 30 days.