Slow Looking At Object(s)
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The main object of this exhibit is an Illuminated manuscript of the Enchiridion written in latin from the 11th century originally created in Worcester, England (Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Lat. th. d. 33). The Manuscript is currently held within the Bodleian Library at Oxford University. The manuscript’s main feature is a historiated initial of the character “D”, which contains a floral pattern for the character, and a large dragon devouring a man atop of it. The letter itself features various swirling flowers endowed with a background of blue and orange. The main decorative feature, the dragon, is large, roughly twice the size of the man it is devouring. The man is held within the Dragon’s maw horizontally, with only his lower torso, legs, and feet visible. The dragon itself features feathered wings, a long neck, and sharp talons. The content of the manuscript is written in latin with clear handwriting. The manuscript does appear to be damaged, with blue artifacts appearing throughout the top left of the parchment covering some of the dragon, and various lettering. The damage appears to have occurred after the content was written into the parchment, as it appears over the content. According to the entry from the Bodleian, this manuscript is a copy of the Enchiridion, a religious handbook originally created by Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Lat. th. d. 33).
The manuscript contributes to our understanding of the dragon as it builds upon the modern image of the dragon. The depicted dragon shares numerable traits with the stereotypical dragon of the twenty first century, such as its large size, ability to eat a man whole, and sharp talons. Furthermore, such a detailed depiction of a dragon from the eleventh century reveals what the population thought the mythical creature to look like. This manuscript provides important context to stories about dragons that do not have illustrations from the same time period.
The two complementary items found within this exhibit are two other manuscripts, both depicting dragons and stemming from Christian works created in roughly the same time period.
The first supplementary manuscript is MS. Junius 11 held within the Bodleian Library. This work depicts “Enoch trampling a dragon” (Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Junius 11, p. 060) while speaking to an angel. Notably, this dragon is much smaller and bears no resemblance to the dragon depicted within MS. Lat. Th. d. 33. However, this manuscript was created in the tenth century within Canterbury, England. As a result, the differing depictions of the dragon alludes to varying thoughts about the creature. Alternatively, as Enoch is a holy character, the author may have depicted the dragon being dominated by Enoch for biblical connotations (Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Junius 11, p. 060).
The second supplementary manuscript is MS. Auct. T. 2. 4, also held within the Bodleian Library. MS. Auct. T. 2. 4 Is an illuminated manuscript which contains excerpts from the Old Testament, Ascetic Texts, and Constitutiones Apostolicae. The manuscript was written in the South of Italy during the tenth or eleventh century. The manuscript features a depiction of two dragons holding a large sphere (Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Auct. T. 2. 4 fol. 091r). The dragons within MS. Auct. T. 2. 4 are extremely different in comparison to the dragon from MS. Lat. Th. d. 33. The dragons from this manuscript are long and slender, with large coiled tails. Additionally, the dragons do not seem to have wings, although are able to support the sphere, indicating that they are able to fly. The only similar trait that these dragons share with the MS. Lat. Th. d. 33 dragon are the sharp talons that the dragons bear. Similarly to MS. Junius 11, this depiction of the dragon is from a similar time frame, but differing creation location allude to the fact that during this time period, the myth of the dragon was already well renowned and differing characteristics were common (Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS. Auct. T. 2. 4 fol. 091r).