Material Object: Slow Looking

The primary medieval artifact chosen for this exhibit is a miniature or illustration on a parchment codex. It is from the “Lives of Saint Edmund and Fremund” which was written by John Lydgate. The exact artist and scribe are unknown. The artifact is dated between 1461 and 1475 and originates from England, possibly Bury St Edmunds. This image depicts the detail of the miniature of the discovery of Edmund’s head. There is a scroll with a gold inscription that says “heer heer herr.” It originates close to Edmund’s head implying that he is calling out those words. The wolf in the illustration does not disturb the head but is rather protecting it. There are three other men in the depiction, who are looking for Edmund, and one of them is blowing a horn. There is personification present in this miniature since the wolf is showing protectiveness over a human, which is not a characteristic commonly displayed in animals, especially wolves. This is related to Bisclavret since, in both the passage and in this image, there is personification demonstrated. Protectiveness is also a characteristic that can be related to loyalty, since often when someone is loyal to a person, they will protect that person as well. There is a gold border around the miniature and it appears to be in good condition. The miniature is placed between two paragraphs, close to the middle of the page.

This secondary object is another miniature found on a manuscript. It is from the “Topographia Hibernica” by Gerald of Wales. The artifact is dated between 1196 to 1223 and originates from England, possibly Lincoln. The miniature depicts two werewolves who are blue-grey in colour. There is a priest who is administering the last rites to the dying wife on the right and the cursed husband on the left. The wolf on the left appears to be carrying what appears to be a bag around his neck. This can be seen as personification since wolves don’t carry bags, which is a human-like characteristic. This is related to Bisclavret as well as the primary artifact since wolves or wolf-like creatures are displaying human-like characteristics. Also, the wolves in the miniature are husband and wife, which only exists amongst humans, but in this case, the wolves are married. The miniature is a small illustration located on the bottom left of the page, the rest of the page has a large amount of text. The page itself has a small amount of staining but the miniature appears to be in good condition.

This secondary object is also a miniature found on a parchment codex. It is from “De claris mulieribus in an anonymous French translation (Le livre de femmes nobles et renomées)” by Giovanni Boccacio. The artifact is dated to 1440 and originates from Rouen, France and the artist is Talbot Master. The miniature depicts some men digging the grave of Rhea Silvia, and there appears to be a nun praying. Behind them, there is a wolf and two twin boys. There is personification displayed by the wolf here since it does nothing to harm the twins or the other people nearby. This is again related to Bisclavret and the primary artifact since a wolf is exhibiting behaviour that would not be expected of it. It is sitting and watching over the twins rather than attacking them. This miniature appears to take up most of the parchment page, there is some text above and below the illustration. There is possibly some text to the right of the illustration. The miniature is in good condition.