Scribes and the Presentation of Texts (from Antiquity to c. 1550)
Proceedings of the 20th Colloquium of the Comité international de paléographie latine
Abstract
Scribes played complex, often overlooked roles in the production of hand-written texts across Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. Some scribes simply copied the exemplar; other scribes participated with authors and decorators in establishing the miseen- page and overall appearance of a text. Many decisions needed to be made regarding the selection of text script; the style of rubrication, display scripts, and initials; the placement and execution of potentially elaborate illuminated images. What was the role of the scribe in contributing to the decision-making process or in determining the final format and material appearance of a document, scroll or codex?
This volume explores many of the choices that a single scribe or groups of scribes would need to make when writing and presenting a text, whether in a monastic, cathedral or lay setting. The articles in the volume range from case studies of a single artifact to the analysis of multiple copies and versions of a particular text.
The authors include eminent specialists in the field of manuscript studies as well as midand early career scholars.
