Random Bits of FascinationPosted on by Maria Grace
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.
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.
I love finding dragon in the margins! I think we ought to bring back the tradition of illuminated manuscripts–what about you?
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!
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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I think there are six of them.
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!
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.
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.
Interesting…your posts always are. So how many? Six?