Grumpy facesIn medieval times it was common to add decoration...

Grumpy faces

In medieval times it was common to add decoration to the first letter of the text and to those found in the top line. Both locations were positioned next to a lot of vacant space - the margins - which invited the decorator to add exuberant lines. This manuscript is special because the added decoration shares a common theme: faces - of kings, teachers, monks and women - that look around in a displeased, almost grumpy manner. One is even sticking out his tongue to us, in a particularly defiant way. It concerns a book of law, which fits the bill as these books are known for having faces embedded in their decoration. Although they are not usually this displeased with the world around them.

Pic: Aix-en-Provence, Bibliothèque municipale, MS 1807 (14th century). More images here.