Mmmonk School

Dr. Diane Reilly (Indiana University Bloomington) and Dr. Susan Boynton (Colombia University New York) discuss some remarkable liturgical medieval manuscripts in the collections of the Mmmonk abbeys.

Dr. Evelien Hauwaerts (Bruges Public Library) offers an introduction to medieval reading culture in Flanders and the study of reception history. As a case study, she presents copies of the Consolation of philosophy by Boethius from the Mmmonk abbeys. A comparison between these manuscripts demonstrates how the Consolation was used in different environments and what the impact of that was on the layout of the book. Reading between the lines, this session also provides a short summary of Boethius’ masterpiece.

Anne van Oosterwijk (Musea Brugge) demonstrates how a trained art historian approaches a work of art and describes it in a scholarly manner, with examples from manuscripts from four Flemish abbeys. She zooms in on iconic representations, such as Crucifixion scenes, on complex compositions based on the texts they accompanied, and on the interaction between miniatures and decorated borders.

Dr. Hanno Wijsman (Institut de Recherche et d'Histoire des Textes - CNRS) offers an introduction to medieval coats of arms. He discusses the historical use by various groups in society and explains the basics of heraldic analysis, with examples from medieval manuscripts from the Mmmonk abbeys and other collections. The heraldic terminology is presented both in French and in English.

Many medieval manuscripts in Flemish cultural heritage institutions come from religious institutions such as abbeys and chapters. It can be a challenge to describe those communities and to identify the setting in which the manuscripts were acquired. In this session, Dr. Steven Vanderputten (Ghent University) offers an introduction to the correct terminology and helps us to understand important phases in the development of religious communities in the medieval Southern Low Countries.

Medieval manuscripts often contain dating clauses based on various reference points, e.g. ‘ab initio mundi’, the birth of Christ, the reigns of secular and religious rulers, religious feasts, etc. Add the various year styles, e.g. Circumcision style vs. Nativity style, to the equation, and you can see why it could be confusing to interpret a medieval dating clause. In this session, Dr. Mark Vermeer (KU Leuven) offers an introduction to the most common ways dates were indicated in medieval manuscripts and discusses useful tools to translate medieval dating clauses into modern style dates.

In this introduction, which requires no technical knowledge, Sofie Veramme (Werkplaats Immaterieel Erfgoed) explains what IIIF is and how end users working with digital images can benefit from it in research, education and public outreach.

Astrid Beckers, codicologist and experienced book conservator, offers an introduction to medieval bindings, using examples from medieval manuscripts from four Flemish abbeys. She presents an exhaustive terminology for the description of bindings, points out evolutions and trends, and teaches us how to find traces of lost components on the remaining binding.