The Cathedral Library re-enters the Blogosphere this
week after a rather lengthy absence!
We have been very busy over the last month putting
together our summer exhibition on ‘Worcester’s Medieval Treasures’. The exhibition includes over a hundred
photographs, which show off some of our most colourful and quirky
manuscripts. Alongside these images it
tells the story of how medieval manuscripts were put together, how inks were
made, and how modern conservation techniques are preserving these unique
records of life in the Middle Ages. It officially
opened on Monday 16th and will run until Friday 29th June
in the Dean’s Chapel, Worcester Cathedral.
Worcester's Medieval Treasures
Image is © The Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral
Now that we have dusted ourselves off from our
exertions, we thought we should share some of the images (especially for those
who cannot make it to Worcester to see them), and talk a little about the
process of putting together the exhibition.
The Cathedral Library staff and volunteers have been
thinking about ‘Worcester’s Medieval Treasures’ since February, when the
previous display was taken down. We knew
we wanted to do something big and colourful for the summer, which would tie in
with Worcester’s Literary Festival.
Medieval manuscripts are perfect subjects for exhibitions. They are not only visually appealing but they
also have fascinating histories. Even
the plainest-looking books contain hidden secrets, such as pen and ink
sketches, grotesque faces, pen trials or unusual repairs. I wanted the exhibition to show how each and
every manuscript deserves to be recognised as a ‘treasure’.
A Peasant Digging with a Spade, from MS. F100, f. 173
Image is © The Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral
The photography took over a week to complete. Every manuscript had to be taken out of the
store individually, supported on foam wedges and weighted with snakes. Sunny days gave us the best light in which to
work, but these were (predictably) few and far between, it being the English
summertime.
A Woman Kneels before Death, from a Fourteenth-Century Book of hours
Image is © The Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral
Finally, a colossal amount of research went into
producing the text panels for the exhibition.
I was fortunate enough to be aided by a lovely team of Library
volunteers, who researched topics as diverse as ink-making, twelfth-century
manuscripts, medieval archives and conservation. Our Librarian and Conservator then cast their
expert eyes over the finished text, and we were ready to go. The task remained to fill up the 14
exhibition boards, and add the finishing touches of flyers, a comment book, and
an area in which people are invited to draw their own medieval beasts. It has been a lot of hard work, but the
positive responses we have received from visitors and Cathedral staff have made
it all worthwhile.
Next week I will posting a selection of my favourite
medieval beasts submitted by visitors to the exhibition, so watch this space!
