
Candle wax on a medieval page
“I glance swiftly down at the leaves open on the tables, looking for Moten’s carrel with his records, his manuscript. As always, the monks in the scriptorium work to inscribe the secrets of the ancients. Each lectern holds an ancient book and a new. The ink wells are covered, the quills sharpened to a nib, and the books wait here with half-complete lines of drying ink.”
— from the novel SINFUL FOLK
PHOTO: erikkwakkel:
Medieval evenings were as dark as ours. However, with no electricity and smaller windows, rooms - libraries - will generally have been dark places back then. This is why we frequently encounter candle wax on the pages of medieval books. Imagine the medieval reader bent over his book, holding a candle. In this case to read a law text and scribble clarifying notes between the lines. A bit of wax to illuminate the law.
Liverpool University, Sydney Jones Library, MS 4.20 (Italy, 13th century)
Published on January 23, 2014 07:00