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Dragons in the Margins

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Dragons in the Margins

Have you ever heard of marginalia?

It refers to marks made in the margins of a book or other document. These may be humble scribbles, or study notes, or even elaborate illustrations as are often found in medieval documents.

I confess I love marginalia and the fascinating stories that are told in it. (If you haven’t read Marginal Cats yet, you might want to take a peek at it too!)

The images below are stunning example of dragons in manuscripts.

Bild aus: Psalterium Feriatum, Hildesheim (?), bald nach 1235. Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart, Cod. Don. 309 after 1245. Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Draco (dragon) – miniature from folio 104r from Der naturen bloeme (KB KA 16) by Jacob van Maerlant, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Detail of the Maastricht Book of Hours (BL Stowe MS17), an illuminated manuscript mainly known for its lively depictions of animals and half-animals. The book of hours was probably made for an aristocratic lady in the Liège-Maastricht area in the first quarter of the 14th century. In the 18th century it was owned by the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, who in 1849 sold it to Lord Ashburham. In 1883 it was purchased by the British Library as part of the Stowe collection.
Folios 188r-254r constitute the Office of the Dead. Apart from the double-page miniature at the beginning of the section, the historiated initials and the illustrations in the margins bear little relation to the subject. This drollery on f222r depicts a hybrid creature, partly bishop, partly winged dragon.
Two pages (folios) of the Maastricht Book of Hours (BL Stowe MS17), an illuminated manuscript mainly known for its lively depictions of animals and half-animals. The book of hours was probably made for an aristocratic lady in the Liège-Maastricht area in the first quarter of the 14th century. In the 18th century it was owned by the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, who in 1849 sold it to Lord Ashburham. In 1883 it was purchased by the British Library as part of the Stowe collection. Folios 18r-139r constitute the Little Office of Our Lady, also known as Hours of the Virgin. Apart from the full-page miniatures at the beginning of each section, the historiated initials and drolleries in the margins bear little relation to the subject. Pages f42v-f43r depict a naked man killing a dragon and a man with a tail.

This page is from a psalter, ‘The Alphonso Psalter’, also know as ‘The Tenison Psalter’. The psalter was likely commissioned in 1284 to celebrate the proposed marriage of Alphonso (b. 1273, d. 1284), earl of Chester, son of King Edward I, and Margaret, daughter of Florent V, Count of Holland and Zeeland, sadly the marriage was aborted by Alphonso’s death in August 1284.


‘The Alphonso Psalter’, Public Domain

I love finding dragon in the margins! I think we ought to bring back the tradition of illuminated manuscripts–what about you?

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Dragons in the Margins — 5 Comments

  2. I’m always bad at finding images within an image, but I loved reading about the marginalia and looking at this manuscript. Oh, and the post about cat marginalia was hilarious! Thanks for sharing!

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  3. That’s either a very big stag or a very small wyvern. Or maybe it’s a young wyvern and they are good friends playing. I think I like that idea better.

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  4. There are either five or six. Goodness, they conceal well. You see one thing, then look closely and realize something else is hidden in the scene. I didn’t see the stag and dragon standing on another dragon. Also, the heron had a dragon on its back. I can’t tell what those two things are on the left. Thanks for sharing this with us. I’ve heard of things being written in the margins before but didn’t know there was a study of them. Well done. Blessings, stay safe, and healthy.

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