The Hermann Composite begins with St. Jerome’s prologue on the Hosea. It contains a sizeable illuminated capital depicting abbot Hermann holding a book and crosier, his head partially surrounded by a nimbus and standing in an archway. Hermann is…
Manuscript leaf from the Baysunghur Shahnameh Manuscript. The illustration depicts a scene from Mahsan al-Asrar (Treasury of Secrets) with an encounter between Sultan Sanjar and an Old Woman
"Iron pattern-welded sword blade, heavily corroded. The blade is broad and tapers slightly towards the pointed tip. [...] The Sutton Hoo sword was not restored from fragments - it was lifted as a solid but rusted unit" (British Museum Catalogue,…
This fifteenth-century copy of an important textbook in Islamic law is intricately annotated with the notes of a legal expert (Arabic faqih) in Egypt who was using the book as a teaching tool. The notes are largely case studies and problems in law,…
This folio illustrates a scene from Abolqasem Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh which “recounts the history of Iran before Islam” (Canby 13). This scene is painted in vibrant colours with gold illumination on gold speckled paper. Moreover, it depicts the…
The oblong pages of this palm-leaf style (pothi) book are covered with Sanskrit phrases (mantra) to treat illness, prevent disaster, and grant wellbeing. The five protective goddesses pictured here embody the five Buddhist mantra collections that…