"Charlemagne", illumination from the manuscript "Les Grandes chroniques de France", ms. Royal 16 G VI, f. 165r, between 1332 and 1350, British Library, London. The illumination above portrays Charlemagne's visions of the Milky Way and…
The Catholic Church celebrates today the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Not to be confused with the Virgin Birth of Jesus, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception states that the Virgin Mary was conceived in…
In the Middle Ages, the kittens we pet and love today were either considered mere tools for catching mice or they were even hated. Whether they were seen as manifestations of the devil, transmuted witches…
Jacques Rossiaud’s Sexualités au Moyen age reveals some interesting trivia about sexuality in the Middle Ages. The essay by the French historian illustrates medieval sexual habits and beliefs, denying some clichés on the subject and…
In our imagination George, the knight-martyr, is the saint that kills the dragon, but his most ancient representations tell us a completely different story. As a symbol of evil and paganism, the dragon appears frequently…
Falcon hunting, concerts outdoors and courtly leisure: the month of May is really delightful in Middle Ages, if you are blue-blooded. Let’s discover how and why illuminators painted it so. . Leggi l'articolo in italiano…
Ugly, melancholic, unlucky in love. Maddalena, Lorenzo the Magnificent's favorite daughter, did not enjoy a very happy life. Yet she could find her comfort: she was actually the owner of one of the most precious illuminated manuscripts of her time and, in the last…
The Libro delle Sorti is one of the most fascinating divination games of the Renaissance.This exciting “board game” – we even roll the dice, so it is hard not to call it that – was…