Women Manuscript Illuminators

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

A recent scientific discovery proves that some Medieval manuscript illuminators were women.  Last month, a German woman’s body dated ca. 1100 AD was exhumed and inspected.  Blue particles were found in the mouth of the corpse and those particles were determined to be lapis lazuli.  Lapis lazuli came from what is now Afghanistan which was an extremely long trek during the Middle Ages.  Upon reaching Europe, it took highly trained chemists two weeks to turn the mineral into a workable pigment.  That pigment was then used by artists to create the most important color in the Christian faith – the color blue.

This blue was so precious that it was reserved for the best artists to use and was only to be used when depicted the Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven.  This discovery not only confirms what some scholars have believed – that not all manuscript illuminators were men – but it also suggests that this particular woman was so talented an artist that she was given the task of depicting the Virgin Mary using the most precious mineral known to humankind.

For more information on this discovery, please visit…

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/01/female-medieval-master-artist-revealed-dental-calculus/

Leave a comment

The Wandering Art Historian's avatar
I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.