11 – Illuminating the Middle Ages: Interactions with Medieval Manuscripts
On campus
Course 11 – Summer School on campus
Monday 30 June – Friday 4 July 2025
Dr Teresa Lane
£645
Course description
Illuminated manuscripts are among the most exquisite works of art to survive from the Middle Ages, but also some of the most enigmatic. They are usually locked away in libraries or archives, and even when exhibited only two pages of a volume can be viewed at one time. In this course we shall use a variety of methods, including site visits and facsimiles, to explore extraordinary examples of surviving medieval manuscript illumination.
The course will examine the history of manuscript illumination from the tenth to the fifteenth centuries, a period which saw rapid developments in artistic innovation across all media. We shall explore the transition of manuscripts as products of the monastic scriptorium to those of professional trade networks in cities across Europe. Manuscripts will be examined from the point of view of their functions, scales, and word/image relations. We shall consider how illuminators made miniatures, and explore some strategies for interpreting digital images. Another focus will be patronage, including the diverse ways people engaged with their manuscripts.
The course will include visits to the rich collections of manuscripts held in London libraries, galleries and museums.
How to book
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Please note that in the EU new VAT rules for online courses are coming into effect. This means that from 1 January 2025 we will be required to charge EU participants their local VAT rate. VAT-inclusive prices for EU students will be displayed at check-out.
If you have any questions please email us at short.courses@courtauld.ac.uk
Lecturer's biography
Dr Teresa Lane is Head of The Courtauld Graduate Diploma in the History of Art. At The Courtauld Teresa lectures on medieval art and architecture, with a focus on manuscripts produced in Europe in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Her doctoral research (2022) examined representations of the Trinity in English art, exploring the sources of artistic inspiration, including contemporary literature and sermons, social history and theology. Teresa lectures for the Victoria & Albert Academy on Early Medieval Art and Medieval Women, and prior to joining The Courtauld worked in legal publishing and as a solicitor in a City law firm.