Bifolium with the Decretals of Gratian 1290

Editor: Here we have a bifolium, that’s two pages bound together, from Gratian’s Decretals, created around 1290 by Master Honoré and workshop. The materials are tempera and ink on parchment – basically, medieval paper! All that text just looks incredibly dense. I’m drawn to that illuminated scene, though. It’s a little oasis in a sea of words. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: What stands out is that tension between the devotional image and the rigorous intellectual work. Imagine someone poring over this legal text, searching for answers. Then, their gaze drifts up to that image, that little burst of color. It's like a visual prayer break! Do you get a sense of the weight this book carries, both physically and intellectually? It’s not just decoration; it's visual theology. It brings life to those words, those rules. You see the weight? The significance? Editor: Definitely. It's funny, you expect illuminated manuscripts to be all about the pictures, but this feels like the text is the main event, and the art is…commentary? Curator: Precisely! It *is* commentary, a meditation. Consider the function of books like this – they weren't just read; they were performed. Each initial letter is carefully crafted, a moment of reflection. Do you think someone in the 13th century saw this in the same way that we do? Editor: I'm sure not. Seeing the care that went into the smallest details helps me think about a different way of engaging with information. It’s inspiring to think of dedicating that much time to create something. Curator: Yes, and by engaging in this discussion, we are not only viewing the art as viewers, but more so engaging as performers too. Let us not lose touch of our medieval theologies.