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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Silly faces in manuscripts time! This time on a flyleaf from BAV Ott.lat.3133. There were even more on the page! #MedievalSky

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Today, in epic 15th C scribes, we have the one who wrote Ott.lat.2967. It looks like they were riffing on earlier styles, but the double s in middle of the second line "potissimum" is quite unique! (NB. also the Q[ue] at the end of the first word) #MedievalSky

six lines of humanist text in a pale brown/pink ink in a single column. The text starts with a larger letter P in the margin

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

One of my favorite bits of "remember 2025" is the "Plague of Portland Frog(s)"

"Frog of Righteousness" by Emily K. https://www.emilyk.art/product/tzefardea-tzedek-frog-of-righteousness-print/

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

New batch of tiny bookmark cards printed up for #MAA26

A small fan of bookmark cards sitting on a piece of marbled paper. Each card has a scallop shell and says CoKL and the url www.cokldb.org

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Imagine being the scribe who screws up one of the top 3 most famous phrases in Latin, not once or twice, but three times! BAV Ott.lat.1899

A crop of a page of humanist script. There is a large G at top left, gold over blue ground with whitework. The text begins, Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres... with several mistakes

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Take a moment to marvel at the rarest of sights, the word "prologus" written fully out in a rubric! BAV Ott.lat.1930

Vitruuis de Architectura prologus incipit written in a red humanist hand

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Anyone have a reading for this that isn't just "the scribe screwed up marc"? (BPL MS q.med 105 13th C Metz)

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

Francis of Assisi, patron saint of marionettes (Huntington Library, MS 1088 f.11r search.digital-scriptorium.org/catalog/DS9658)

a small crop from the calendar of a Book of Hours showing St. Francis receiving the stigmata. The kneeling saint is in an architectural frame with a small crucified Christ in the top right. Lines of red trace the connection between the wounds on the crucifix and Francis

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

@monicamedhist.bsky.social I know the 16th Century is too late for you, but I just noticed this line in a table of contents (BAV Ott.lat.2131)

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

I keep all my books tracked in LibraryThing and i delight in seeing the "how many other users have this book counter". I have a bunch of books as "one other person" and I always wonder if it's the same person... and if I know them somehow

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

@lisafdavis.bsky.social I assume you've seen this, but I would be remiss in not making sure

A four panel calvin and hobbs cartoon where he's asking his father to read him the Voynich manuscript at bedtime. It ends with Calvin saying "Wow the story was different that time" and Hobbes speaking Voynichese

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

The calendar is medium-filled (211) and error prone, with an interesting red/blue/gold, but not complete, color pattern. A later hand added day numbers. On 5 of the months the KL was excised, and later replaced, making the top few entries on the verso difficult to read (see f.2v below) 2/2

f.2v from Smith College Codex 274. It contains the second part of the calendar from February, with evidence of the KL on recto being excised and later replaced

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

The first Hours from @smithcollege.bsky.social has been added, Codex 274 - www.cokldb.org/p/v100/ms/905 From Rouen, it has multiple later additions, including a Tallis motet, that point to English ownership. There's some evidence of cutting #MedievalSky #Skystorians 1/2

f.34r from Smith College Codex 274. The start of a psalm, a large miniature of King David kneeling with his harp before him and an elaborate border. Four lines of text in a gothic hand starting with a 3-line illuminated D

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Sanity check me, this is a plan of Rome, with some sort of elaborations overlaid on the Forum, right? (#Vatican Chig.P.VIII.25.pt.A)

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

Hmmm that dot could be the remains of a “pro” abbreviation. I think you might have it. Proculus is localized to Bologna, and this one is from Florence… which isn’t too far away.

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

Today’s hagiography/paleography puzzler comes from #Houghton 2020hem-84. This is the start of the calendar for June, the first entry reads “Nicomedis & p….” But I cannot quite figure out the second name. Can’t be petri (see June 2), can’t be Pauli (wrong a)….? #MedievalSky

A page from a book of hours with the start of the calendar of June. Has several feasts named jn a gothic rotunda hand, some red and some black. The KL at the top is two lines and gold over dark green

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

There may not yet be a Pope, but the #Vatican is back to digitizing manuscripts this week. Among the recent additions is this odd volume with a work on theology, and another a Latin translation of Isaac Israeli's book on Urine! #MedievalSky digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Ott... (Ott.lat.1227 f.146v)

A page from a manuscript with a single column of highly abbreviated gothic text. At the top there is a 2-line tall elaborate letter U, to start the word "Urina"

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

A rare example of a 12th C (catalogue calls it, I think a bit earlier) punctus interrogativus, or question mark. The clause starts 2 lines from the bottom, on the right "Petre amas me?" #Vatican Barb.lat.541 f.2v #MedievalSky

a crop of f.2v from Barb.lat.541. There is a single column of late Ottonian/Caroline minuscule with three words underlined in purple. Many words are abbreviated

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 06/04/2025

Seeing the standard form of address for a letter written out in full is surprisingly rare (Barb.lat.2166)

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Neither the final screen of my camera roll, nor the count of photos is really a surprise.

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

Does anyone recognize a “beati Eurici” listed in an Italian (possibly Sienese) calendar on June 10? #MedievalSky

A page from a Book of Hours, the calendar for the first half of June. There is a larger KL in red and blue at top, with three lines of red text above a sparse calendar. All written in an Italian rotunda gothic. From Houghton Library 2020Hem-82

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

The calendar is very sparse, only 85 entries, and shows ample evidence of being incomplete. As one example, Oct 31 has the Vigil for All Saints (modernly Halloween), but there is no matching feast on Nov-1 (see below). 2/🧵

Book of Hours calendar page for the first half of November from Houghton 2020HEM-79. A nearly empty calendar with only 2 entries, Leonard in black and Martin in red. Notably missing is the feast of All Saints, despite the previous page having the Vigil listed

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Tiny #BookOfHours from the Houghton added today: 2020HEM-79. From later 15th C, Sienna?. A lovely MS, but rebound (17th C) and either then or later many leaves were removed. Some offices start in the middle, and folios have ink transfer from non-existent miniatures. www.cokldb.org/p/v100/ms/880 1/🧵

The recto page from a manuscript, Houghton 2020HEM-79. There is a miniature of the BVM and child in a large initial O, under several lines of gold text. There are multi-color floral borders with an angel in the bottom center.

Verso from a manuscript page. There is a large illuminated initial O under several lines ot red text. There are flower borders on all four sides. The text is in an italian rotunda gothic hand

an open manuscript, with a human finger holding the left (verso) page down. The left side is blank, but shows traces of ink transfer from a now-missing page with a minature and borders. The right page (recto) has brown text in a gothic hand

A small Book of Hours in a human hand. The 17th C binding has elaborate gold embossing on the covers and spine. The shelfmark 2020HEM-79 is visible at top on a small piece of white paper

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

@joshforboston.bsky.social remind me, which city's mayoral race is this again?

A flyer for a local billionaires son's trying to raise campaign funds to be Mayor of Boston. There is the seal of the city, over some oddly centered sans-serif text. At the bottom is a note about "suggested contribution", all above a lovely rendition of the skyline of New York city, with the Chrysler and Empire State buildings clearly visible

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

Sometimes correcting a scribal error just takes a few dots. Like this dittographed "ac potius" at the beginning of a lovely Humanist Ovid _Epistulae ad familiares_, #Vatican Vat.lat.11492 #Medievalsky

four lines of text in a Humanist hand. They read (the initial E has been cropped) "Go omne officio ac potius ac potius..." the duplication of "ac potius" has small dots under it to indicate deletion.

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Well I know what I’m doing tonight.

The cover of a large book published by the Vatican in 2000. “Codices Comboniani Aethiopici”

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Sometimes the absent is still quite visible. This is the recto and verso of the same leaf, and the recto from the following, from #Houghton 2020HEM-79, showing traces of what was once clearly a lovely miniature of the Host, entirely missing from the MS as seen today #MedievalSky

Images of three manuscript leaves stitched together in photoshop. The leftmost image, is a recto, and is blank, but some ruling and bleed-through of border decorations and a central image of a cross in a circle. In the middle is a mostly blank page with a clearer image transfer of the circle-with-cross. On the right is a page of brown text in a small gothic hand. There is no trace of the source of the transferred borders or cross image. From Houghton Library 2020HEM-79

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Barb.lat.1751, in which the #Vatican has opinions on the recent #Oscar nominations

The top of a page of 17th c cursive. In all caps it reads "CONCLAVE" and below that, in normal case, "In quo S. D. N. Urbanus VIII ex nova eligendi lege ad summum Pontificatum evectus est". The ink has burned the paper, both on this side leaving a shadow around each letter, and on the reverse, leaving lines of brown letterish things across the page

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Another miniature #BookOfHours from the Houghton, 2020HEM-78, was uploaded to #CoKL today www.cokldb.org/p/v100/ms/879 More interesting miniatures than interesting saints, except an unidentified Bishop A(g)nastasius on Feb 1 (below) #MedievalSky

An adult hand holding a small manuscript, bound in green velvet with metal corners, a central diamond metal boss, and 2 metal clasps, one missing

Heraldry on f.2r of a manuscript. Has a upwards pointing blue chevron on a silver shield, with three wolfs heads. There is a red ribbon interlacing the shield to the gold border, and a blue background with spots

a manuscript miniature of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, there is a red bandarol with gold writing above his kneeling form, and a sheep on his lap. The background is blue with gold stars

A calendar page for the first half of February from a Book of Hours. There is a large KL at top left, with two lines of red text to the right. Below are three columns of numbers and single letters on the left, and several saints listed, some in red and some in blue, in the main body

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Broke: Chig.A.II.44 contains letters from Card. Panciroli (Vat. Sec of State) to Fabio Chigi, Nuncio in Germany (and later Sec of State, and pope). Bespoke: This letter appears to be in cypher and is the first example of encrypted writing I have seen in a #Manuscript from the #Vatican #medievalSky

f.2r from BAV Chig.II.A.44. A page of 17th c cursive, with a location and date at the top. The salutation is in Italian, but the rest consists of a stream of numbers, representing the main text in some sort of cypher

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

Only one manuscript was digitized last week (quelle suprise) www.wiglaf.org/vatican/2024... So in addition to a _really_ nice John Climacus, there's a statistical look back at BAV digitization work in 2024. #MedievalSky

Page f.12v from Vat.gr.394. Three are two columns of minuscule greek on the bottom 1/2 of the page, and 4 frames of pictures at the top. To the right of the 4-frames are several small images outside the margin, and at the top there is a figure of Jesus in a blue mandorla

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

Here's a full listing of the currently digitized Sire manuscripts: www.wiglaf.org/vatican/fond... A taste of why I dislike it so much can be found as Sire.O.4 (Translation into Sardinian). The entire thing is this weird neo-Gothic pastiche that just looks like a sad reflection of a "better time"

A page of faux gothic script, with floral borders on the right and bottom sides. F.4r from Sire.O.4

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

Are you writin' son? #MedievalSky (BAV Vat.gr.394 f.6v

A byzantine miniature of a scribe sitting with a quill in hand before a wiring desk. There is an architectural background and a door at the right with a man entering through a red curtain

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

Iconography help! Does anyone know what this represents? It's the inside cover of the Cappella Pontificia annual diary from 1720, but I've never seen anything quite like it. #MedievalSky

f.1v from Capp.Sist.Diari.140. A woman is depicted with an ox yoke on her back, barefoot in nettles. A lute and a book of music sit on the ground before her

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

France: Horror Vacui, we must have a saint for every day Italy: We probably should have someone on this page? (#Houghton library 2020Hem-78 f.4r)

A page from a book of hours with the calendar for the first part of April. There are only two saints listed. To the left there are columns for Golden Numerals, Dominical letters and the parts for Roman dating

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Geese for defense tonight, chickens for the future!

A cartoon featuring the invading Gauls being detected and announced by a goose, and the Romans celebrating this by founding a temple in honor of Juno, to whom geese were sacred

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

There was some sort of controversy in the Cappella Pontificia in 1762. I don't know what, but there are three volumes in the Cappella Sistina Diari fond of the #Vatican with the annotation "Narrazione della Controversia in Tre Tomi". So it must have been 👀! (Capp.Sist.Diari.182 f.4r)

Top of the title page in 18th C script. There is a main title in the middle "Diario de Cantori della Cappella Pontificia Dell'Anno MDCCLXII" and then in a later hand above "Narrazione della Controversia In tre tomi, Tomo 2o"

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Ok #MedievalSky what do you make of the second name here, under Ossonans. I read it as "Ynoxin" but I have no idea what that might be. This is the second half of August, so that line is the 17th (#Houghton Library 2020HEM-77 f.8v)

a page of text from a calendar in a Book of Hours. There are golden numbers, then dominical letters, then roman dating in columns to the left, and then alternating names in red, pink, and occasionally gold and blue in the main block of text. The second name, perhaps Saint Ynoxin has been highlited

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

On this #DayofDH2024 I did what I usually do on weekdays, added some metadata for the 23 #Manuscripts that the #Vatican uploaded today, tried to transcribe 17th C Italian, and triumphantly announce that the 12th and final volume of the monumental Boncompagni Ludovisi Missal is now online for you!

A page of 17th C roman block text, the top few lines in red. It is bound with fabric tape obscuring most of the text, and the horizontal band has the annotation "Ottobre".
BAV Bonc.O.9 f.1r

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Houghton Typ 701 is so similar that is might be a fragment of the same MS.

Recto of Houghton Typ 701. Two columns of text in a Bari-type Beneventan hand. There are three lines of music towards the bottom of the left column, before the start of a new block of text with an exhausted Ox as the I for "In illo tempore". Damage and trimming to the margins

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

The hand is a little more obviously "not that early" when he starts trying large capitol letters, see f.22r below

f.22r from Ott.lat.1366. There is a single column of text with a large initial H three lines from the top on the left

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Today's #Paleography challenge: Where and when was this #Manuscript written? #MedievalSky

A page of text, in a single column, with some red headings in the text, many interlinear comments, and one marginal gloss. From f.2v of Ott.lat.1366

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

Sanity check me #MedievalSky, this leaf is 19th C?

a full page miniature in a medieval style with St francis talking to the birds. There is a grame with floral decorations

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 08/11/2024

Today's presentation of my Data Sanctorum poster for #ACH2024 reminded me that I haven't introduced my CoklDB project: www.cokldb.org, except to mention new BOH. A short intro: Corpus Kalendarium (Cokl) is a relational database built from the calendars in Books of Hours. 1/2 #MedievalSky

A large poster image describing the CoKL database. There is text and a large cockle shell at top, with several screen images of the database system below. One shows entries for St. Aldheim, another compares the calendars of five manuscripts, etc

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 05/11/2024

Yes, actually. There are even depictions, a notable one is at Saqqara of the process, with the helpful inscription "hold him, do not let him faint" egypt-museum.com/circumcision...

a black and white photograph of an egyptian bas releif. There are several short columns of hieroglyphics over a scene of two adult men being circumcised

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 03/11/2024

This is part of the "Knot of Solomon", a 96 voice canon composed by Pier Francesco Valentini in 1631 and found starting on p.53 of BAV Barb,lat.4428. Using contrapuntal rules, it could be expanded to 144,000 voices. You know, just in case digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Bar... #MedievalSky

The start of the 96 voice canon "The knot of solomon". There is a square engraving of The Coronation of the Virgin at the top, a diagram of the knot with interlacing musical staves in the middle, and a paragraph of text in 17th C script at the bottom. All is within a simple double line border

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 24/10/2024

Sick of never being portrayed accurately, Luke finally breaks the 4th wall and addresses the reader directly (BAV Barb.lat.560 f.73r) #Medievalsky

A green, red and yellow wash illusrtration of an Ox looking directly out of the page, 11th C script to the right

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 16/10/2024

Modern People: Pfft, AI is easy to recognize, just count the fingers Medieval artists: ummmm.... #MedievalSky

An image of two people, one sitting in a chair, one kneeling, within a gothic frame. From Urb.lat.376, f.101r

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AaronM @aaronm.bsky.social · 15/10/2024

A belated birthday to #Vatican Chig.D.V.72. Signed and dated on the last folio to "3 before the Ides of October, 1548", which is October 13 #MedievalSky

the last folio of a manuscript, with the last four lines of a 16th C hand at top, and then a scribal colophon with date in the middle. At the bottom is a later owners inscription

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