Gold: a glimpse inside an illuminated medieval manuscript

Have you ever read a golden book? Dr Sarah Griffin, Assistant Archivist, looks at illuminated images in one of Lambeth Palace Library’s medieval manuscripts (MS 522), and how their reflective, golden surfaces respond to light. MS 522, which has been dated between the 13th and mid-14th centuries, is a compilation of devotional texts in French including Robert Grosseteste’s poem, the Château d’amour. Both of the images in focus (folios 222r and 226v) show Christ crucified on the cross and a monk kneeling before him in prayer. Find out more about the manuscript on the Library’s online catalogue: No gilding or colour was touched in the making of this video, and it is advised that white gloves are not used for handling rare books. See the British Library’s blog post ‘White Gloves or Not White Gloves’ to read why: To see more books with golden decoration and discover how they were made, see the resources made for the British Library’s exhibition ‘Gold’: Founded in 1610, Lambeth Palace Library is one of England’s oldest public libraries, and holds a collection dating from the 9th century to the present. It is the historic library and record office of the Archbishops of Canterbury and the national library and archive of the Church of England. Follow us! Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: