The Golden Haggadah , 1325-50, Catalonia. British Library.
Long valued for its rarity, beauty, versatility, and longevity, gold was used to illuminate the exteriors and interiors of manuscripts made from the 5th to the 16th centuries around the globe.
In this pair of lectures, designed to complement the British Library’s upcoming exhibition Gold, Dr Sally Dormer (Director of the Early Medieval Year Course at the V&A), explores the various ways in which gold enhanced books made for Christian, Moslem and Jewish patrons, and considers the messages conveyed by its presence.
Study morning - includes two lectures, Q&A and a coffee break. Tickets £20
Lecture One: Bound with Gold
Today most medieval books lack their original, protective bindings. Surviving examples prove that sacred texts, like Gospel Books, commissioned by wealthy patrons, had covers that were often adorned with gold. Even before such a volume was opened its luxury binding signalled its precious status. Front and back covers were clad with plaques of gold worked into figurative repoussé reliefs, framed by intricate, twisted gold filigree, and set with cloisonné enamels executed on gold, gilded ivories, and cabochon gemstones, intaglios, and cameos secured in elaborate golden settings. Some books had gilded clasps to ensure their pages were kept safely closed, while the page-edges of others were dusted with gold.
Coffee break (15 minutes)
Lecture Two: Illuminated with Gold
The pages of high-status manuscripts glittered with reflective golden surfaces: texts written in shimmering gold, initials glistening with gold, and miniatures alight with sparkling golden grounds and subtle glowing highlights. Gold is a versatile metal and medieval scribes, and illuminators exploited this property to quite literally, illuminate their work. Ground into powder and mixed with binding media gold was used in liquid form as ink for sacred texts and shell-gold pigment, to conjure the gleam of heavenly light. Hammered between sheets of parchment into leaf-like thinness, fragile gold leaf was glued directly onto parchment pages or laid over raised grounds that enhanced its reflective quality, then burnished, and sometimes decorated with intricate, incised patterns.
Proceeds from our ticket sales benefit museums, galleries and other arts-based organisations and projects.
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live, or on-demand for three weeks afterwards. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation and the on-demand link after the event ends.