AaronM
LightNews LightNews
banner
aaronm.bsky.social
AaronM
@aaronm.bsky.social
1.7K followers 180 following 430 posts
I dissect calendars in Books of Hours and keep a close eye on the Vatican Library, sometimes in that order.
https://www.cokldb.org/
https://www.wiglaf.org/vatican/
Posts Replies Media Videos
aaronm.bsky.social
I keep all my books tracked in LibraryThing and i delight in seeing the "how many other users have this book counter". I have a bunch of books as "one other person" and I always wonder if it's the same person... and if I know them somehow
November 2, 2025 at 11:11 PM
aaronm.bsky.social
@lisafdavis.bsky.social I assume you've seen this, but I would be remiss in not making sure
A four panel calvin and hobbs cartoon where he's asking his father to read him the Voynich manuscript at bedtime. It ends with Calvin saying "Wow the story was different that time" and Hobbes speaking Voynichese
October 14, 2025 at 2:24 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
The calendar is medium-filled (211) and error prone, with an interesting red/blue/gold, but not complete, color pattern. A later hand added day numbers. On 5 of the months the KL was excised, and later replaced, making the top few entries on the verso difficult to read (see f.2v below)
2/2
f.2v from Smith College Codex 274. It contains the second part of the calendar from February, with evidence of the KL on recto being excised and later replaced
July 28, 2025 at 12:29 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
The first Hours from @smithcollege.bsky.social has been added, Codex 274 - www.cokldb.org/p/v100/ms/905
From Rouen, it has multiple later additions, including a Tallis motet, that point to English ownership. There's some evidence of cutting
#MedievalSky #Skystorians
1/2
f.34r from Smith College Codex 274. The start of a psalm, a large miniature of King David kneeling with his harp before him and an elaborate border. Four lines of text in a gothic hand starting with a 3-line illuminated D
July 28, 2025 at 12:29 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Sanity check me, this is a plan of Rome, with some sort of elaborations overlaid on the Forum, right? (#Vatican Chig.P.VIII.25.pt.A)
June 26, 2025 at 12:59 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Hmmm that dot could be the remains of a “pro” abbreviation. I think you might have it. Proculus is localized to Bologna, and this one is from Florence… which isn’t too far away.
May 20, 2025 at 7:33 PM
aaronm.bsky.social
Today’s hagiography/paleography puzzler comes from #Houghton 2020hem-84. This is the start of the calendar for June, the first entry reads “Nicomedis & p….” But I cannot quite figure out the second name. Can’t be petri (see June 2), can’t be Pauli (wrong a)….?
#MedievalSky
A page from a book of hours with the start of the calendar of June. Has several feasts named jn a gothic rotunda hand, some red and some black. The KL at the top is two lines and gold over dark green
May 20, 2025 at 5:42 PM
aaronm.bsky.social
There may not yet be a Pope, but the #Vatican is back to digitizing manuscripts this week. Among the recent additions is this odd volume with a work on theology, and another a Latin translation of Isaac Israeli's book on Urine!
#MedievalSky
digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Ott...
(Ott.lat.1227 f.146v)
A page from a manuscript with a single column of highly abbreviated gothic text. At the top there is a 2-line tall elaborate letter U, to start the word "Urina"
April 29, 2025 at 10:51 PM
aaronm.bsky.social
A rare example of a 12th C (catalogue calls it, I think a bit earlier) punctus interrogativus, or question mark. The clause starts 2 lines from the bottom, on the right "Petre amas me?"
#Vatican Barb.lat.541 f.2v
#MedievalSky
a crop of f.2v from Barb.lat.541. There is a single column of late Ottonian/Caroline minuscule with three words underlined in purple. Many words are abbreviated
April 15, 2025 at 2:57 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Seeing the standard form of address for a letter written out in full is surprisingly rare
(Barb.lat.2166)
`
April 6, 2025 at 12:52 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Neither the final screen of my camera roll, nor the count of photos is really a surprise.
March 20, 2025 at 5:30 PM
aaronm.bsky.social
Does anyone recognize a “beati Eurici” listed in an Italian (possibly Sienese) calendar on June 10?
#MedievalSky
A page from a Book of Hours, the calendar for the first half of June. There is a larger KL in red and blue at top, with three lines of red text above a sparse calendar. All written in an Italian rotunda gothic. From Houghton Library 2020Hem-82
March 13, 2025 at 5:08 PM
aaronm.bsky.social
The calendar is very sparse, only 85 entries, and shows ample evidence of being incomplete. As one example, Oct 31 has the Vigil for All Saints (modernly Halloween), but there is no matching feast on Nov-1 (see below).
2/🧵
Book of Hours calendar page for the first half of November from Houghton 2020HEM-79. A nearly empty calendar with only 2 entries, Leonard in black and Martin in red. Notably missing is the feast of All Saints, despite the previous page having the Vigil listed
March 12, 2025 at 2:09 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Tiny #BookOfHours from the Houghton added today: 2020HEM-79. From later 15th C, Sienna?. A lovely MS, but rebound (17th C) and either then or later many leaves were removed. Some offices start in the middle, and folios have ink transfer from non-existent miniatures.
www.cokldb.org/p/v100/ms/880
1/🧵
The recto page from a manuscript, Houghton 2020HEM-79. There is a miniature of the BVM and child in a large initial O, under several lines of gold text. There are multi-color floral borders with an angel in the bottom center. Verso from a manuscript page. There is a large illuminated initial O under several lines ot red text. There are flower borders on all four sides. The text is in an italian rotunda gothic hand an open manuscript, with a human finger holding the left (verso) page down. The left side is blank, but shows traces of ink transfer from a now-missing page with a minature and borders. The right page (recto) has brown text in a gothic hand A small Book of Hours in a human hand. The 17th C binding has elaborate gold embossing on the covers and spine. The shelfmark 2020HEM-79 is visible at top on a small piece of white paper
March 12, 2025 at 2:01 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
@joshforboston.bsky.social remind me, which city's mayoral race is this again?
A flyer for a local billionaires son's trying to raise campaign funds to be Mayor of Boston. There is the seal of the city, over some oddly centered sans-serif text. At the bottom is a note about "suggested contribution", all above a lovely rendition of the skyline of New York city, with the Chrysler and Empire State buildings clearly visible
March 6, 2025 at 5:32 PM
aaronm.bsky.social
Sometimes correcting a scribal error just takes a few dots. Like this dittographed "ac potius" at the beginning of a lovely Humanist Ovid _Epistulae ad familiares_, #Vatican Vat.lat.11492
#Medievalsky
four lines of text in a Humanist hand. They read (the initial E has been cropped) "Go omne officio ac potius ac potius..." the duplication of "ac potius" has small dots under it to indicate deletion.
March 4, 2025 at 2:44 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Well I know what I’m doing tonight.
The cover of a large book published by the Vatican in 2000. “Codices Comboniani Aethiopici”
February 27, 2025 at 3:35 PM
aaronm.bsky.social
Sometimes the absent is still quite visible. This is the recto and verso of the same leaf, and the recto from the following, from #Houghton 2020HEM-79, showing traces of what was once clearly a lovely miniature of the Host, entirely missing from the MS as seen today
#MedievalSky
Images of three manuscript leaves stitched together in photoshop. The leftmost image, is a recto, and is blank, but some ruling and bleed-through of border decorations and a central image of a cross in a circle. In the middle is a mostly blank page with a clearer image transfer of the circle-with-cross. On the right is a page of brown text in a small gothic hand. There is no trace of the source of the transferred borders or cross image. From Houghton Library 2020HEM-79
February 17, 2025 at 2:23 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Barb.lat.1751, in which the #Vatican has opinions on the recent #Oscar nominations
The top of a page of 17th c cursive. In all caps it reads "CONCLAVE" and below that, in normal case, "In quo S. D. N. Urbanus VIII ex nova eligendi lege ad summum Pontificatum evectus est". The ink has burned the paper, both on this side leaving a shadow around each letter, and on the reverse, leaving lines of brown letterish things across the page
January 28, 2025 at 6:46 PM
aaronm.bsky.social
Another miniature #BookOfHours from the Houghton, 2020HEM-78, was uploaded to #CoKL today
www.cokldb.org/p/v100/ms/879
More interesting miniatures than interesting saints, except an unidentified Bishop A(g)nastasius on Feb 1 (below)
#MedievalSky
An adult hand holding a small manuscript, bound in green velvet with metal corners, a central diamond metal boss, and 2 metal clasps, one missing Heraldry on f.2r of a manuscript. Has a upwards pointing blue chevron on a silver shield, with three wolfs heads. There is a red ribbon interlacing the shield to the gold border, and a blue background with spots a manuscript miniature of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, there is a red bandarol with gold writing above his kneeling form, and a sheep on his lap. The background is blue with gold stars A calendar page for the first half of February from a Book of Hours. There is a large KL at top left, with two lines of red text to the right. Below are three columns of numbers and single letters on the left, and several saints listed, some in red and some in blue, in the main body
January 7, 2025 at 3:39 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Broke: Chig.A.II.44 contains letters from Card. Panciroli (Vat. Sec of State) to Fabio Chigi, Nuncio in Germany (and later Sec of State, and pope).
Bespoke: This letter appears to be in cypher and is the first example of encrypted writing I have seen in a #Manuscript from the #Vatican
#medievalSky
f.2r from BAV Chig.II.A.44. A page of 17th c cursive, with a location and date at the top. The salutation is in Italian, but the rest consists of a stream of numbers, representing the main text in some sort of cypher
January 6, 2025 at 1:24 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Only one manuscript was digitized last week (quelle suprise)
www.wiglaf.org/vatican/2024...
So in addition to a _really_ nice John Climacus, there's a statistical look back at BAV digitization work in 2024. #MedievalSky
Page f.12v from Vat.gr.394. Three are two columns of minuscule greek on the bottom 1/2 of the page, and 4 frames of pictures at the top. To the right of the 4-frames are several small images outside the margin, and at the top there is a figure of Jesus in a blue mandorla
December 31, 2024 at 2:08 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Here's a full listing of the currently digitized Sire manuscripts:
www.wiglaf.org/vatican/fond...
A taste of why I dislike it so much can be found as Sire.O.4 (Translation into Sardinian). The entire thing is this weird neo-Gothic pastiche that just looks like a sad reflection of a "better time"
A page of faux gothic script, with floral borders on the right and bottom sides. F.4r from Sire.O.4
December 31, 2024 at 2:00 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Are you writin' son?
#MedievalSky
(BAV Vat.gr.394 f.6v
A byzantine miniature of a scribe sitting with a quill in hand before a wiring desk. There is an architectural background and a door at the right with a man entering through a red curtain
December 24, 2024 at 1:53 AM
aaronm.bsky.social
Iconography help! Does anyone know what this represents? It's the inside cover of the Cappella Pontificia annual diary from 1720, but I've never seen anything quite like it.
#MedievalSky
f.1v from Capp.Sist.Diari.140. A woman is depicted with an ox yoke on her back, barefoot in nettles. A lute and a book of music sit on the ground before her
December 20, 2024 at 7:35 PM