Textmanuscripts - Les Enluminures

Nationalism vs. European unification; these have been pressing questions in Europe since the end of World War II, if not before. They are crucial questions now (and highly controversial ones), given the resurgence of nationalist movements across the world, whether one is contemplating Trump’s “America first,” Brexit, or Marine Le Pen. And these issues certainly have ramifications for medieval historians since contemporary political movements are looking back to the Middle Ages (or a fictionalized version of the medieval past) to support their agendas.

Out on your summer vacation, perhaps looking for that ideal Instagram photo, have you ever gazed in wonder at a painting and thought “how did they do that?” Well, artists’ secrets are sometimes revealed in unexpected places – like the flyleaf of a manuscript.

We usually steer clear of divisive political issues in this blog, but today, we are going to plunge right in (no pun intended)...

Everyone at Les Enluminures really, really believes that teaching with actual medieval manuscripts is a transformative experience. This has always been an important and successful part of the mission of our text manuscripts site...

We are happy to announce that our innovative and successful (no false modesty here) program, Manuscripts in the Curriculum, is continuing, in a slightly different form as MITC II.

Well, maybe not that zoo. Les Enluminures is going to the International Congress on Medieval Studies held in Kalamazoo...

At first glance, this unlikely juxtaposition seems to mean nothing. Even Mr. Google yields no results in a search that combines this artist, subject, and scholar. But, indeed, one of Damien Hirst’s most inventive new works is...

This post takes a closer look at what’s in a Book of Hours, which is arguably the most important text of the late Middle Ages. This is why...

The telephone, the Ferris Wheel, the first public toilet, the television, the Eiffel Tower, the incubator, the X-ray machine, even the dishwasher – these are just a few of the “firsts” exhibited at world’s fairs...

The iconic image of a Hebrew Bible is the Torah Scroll, the Sefer Torah - monumental scrolls containing the entire Pentateuch (the five books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) that are used for public reading during prayer services...