From Manuscripts to Early Printing in Europe
Online Course
SNAPSHOT
Lecturer: Dr Sophie Oosterwijk
Sessions: 3 x 90 minutes
Dates: 22, 29 April, 6 May, 2024
Times: Monday @ 7.30pm AEST
Group Size: Maximum of 15 screens
Price: $150 AUD
TWO WAYS TO WATCH
Can't make a date above? Don't worry... this course will be recorded, allowing you to watch each session at your convenience for up to 14 days. Simply sign up below and we'll send you a link on the first business day following each live session, ensuring you never miss a class!
Overview
Books were a precious possession in medieval Europe: from the richly illuminated gospels in the early period of Christianisation, e.g. the Book of Kells (c.800?, Trinity College Library, Dublin), to books of hours for bibliophiles, e.g. the Rothschild Hours (c.1500-20, National Library of Australia).
Yet manuscript production did not end with the advent of printing: at first with woodblocks, and later with movable print. Printing made images and texts available to a much wider public, and printing presses were set up all over Europe. Yet etchings could be expensive, ambitious book projects could mean financial ruin, and true bibliophiles still preferred the beauty of manuscripts. Learn more about this fascinating subject with this new eye-opening three-part short course.
YOUR EXPERT LECTURER
Dr Sophie Oosterwijk is a Dutch art historian who has lived and worked in the UK for over 20 years. She specialises in Medieval, Flemish and Dutch art and has led and designed tours to Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain and the United Kingdom since 1994.
Sophie holds an MA and PhD in English literature from Leiden University, an MA in Medieval Studies from the University of York, and a PhD in Art History from the University of Leicester. She has taught at the universities of Leicester, Manchester and St Andrews, and is a regular guest lecturer in Continuing Education for the University of Cambridge.
Session info
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In this lecture we shall look at how medieval manuscripts were produced: from the preparation of ink and pigments, animal skins and, later, paper, to the writing process and ultimately the binding.
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Manuscripts were not just the work of monks and nuns. Gradually professional scribes and illuminators emerged, some of whom produced artistic masterpieces for courtly patrons.
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Manuscript production did not stop when printing was invented. European woodblock printing emerged in the 14th century, followed by printing presses in the mid 15th century, but manuscripts continued to be produced long afterwards.
Suggested Reading List
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuNfdHNTv9o (an excellent short introduction video on the making of manuscripts by the Getty).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdTEZI2_g9o (an introduction to illuminated manuscripts with many images from the British Library).
Christopher de Hamel, Making Medieval Manuscripts (Bodleian Library, 2021).
Sandra L. Hindman (ed.), Printing the Written Word: The Social History of Books, Circa 1450-1520 (Cornell University Press, 1992).
There are more introduction videos available online, as well as blogs and digitised manuscripts, e.g. https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/ and https://www.getty.edu/art/manuscripts/.
A handout for the course will be provided.
Booking
How it works
Our online courses are hosted live on Zoom, a free online education platform. If you don’t already have an account with Zoom, you will need to sign up at www.zoom.us. To join with video, you'll also need a device with a camera (such as a computer, phone or tablet with a webcam). Otherwise you can join with audio only.
An online ticket booking is required, made above. Each booking is for one computer screen use, not person. Our online booking system is powered by Stripe, with secure payment processing that accepts all major credit cards.
A confirmation of purchase will be sent to your email with a Zoom link to use for every session in this course, along with a reminder email sent 2 hours before each session.
When joining the Zoom meeting, you will enter a virtual ‘waiting room’. Please ensure that your Zoom screen name matches the name you booked under, so that the lecturer can admit you from the virtual ‘waiting room’ into each session. Your lecturer can help you troubleshoot any technical issues on the day.