The extraordinary Black Hours, a medieval Book of Hours created in Bruges, Belgium around 1470. The vellum, dyed black, contrasts with a limited color palette of gold, blue, rose, green, gray, and white. Morgan Library & Museum (MS M.493) #medievalmanuscript #oldbook #c15th #skystorians 📚 🗃️ 📜 - ThreadSky

wanderingyeti.bsky.social • 170 days ago

The extraordinary Black Hours, a medieval Book of Hours created in Bruges, Belgium around 1470. The vellum, dyed black, contrasts with a limited color palette of gold, blue, rose, green, gray, and white.

Morgan Library & Museum (MS M.493)

#medievalmanuscript #oldbook #c15th #skystorians 📚 🗃️ 📜

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riverdaleboy.bsky.social•170 days ago

Without Control-Z

missoularedhead.bsky.social•170 days ago

This is simply stunning.

pangurban.bsky.social•162 days ago

@signemaene.com Somehow I feel you should know about this.

signemaene.com•162 days ago

I do! I'm really glad you've tagged me in this. Thank you!

nettlesomeone.bsky.social•170 days ago

Do you know how many people would be involved in making a book like this? After the dyes and materials are made, just the illustration, writing, binding. Is this 3 men or dozens?

wanderingyeti.bsky.social•170 days ago

I don’t know, sadly. But I’m betting that there are some historians here on Bluesky who would know!

jillrs1234.bsky.social•170 days ago

Oh I *love* the Morgan Library. It’s one that I forget about until something (like this!) reminds me.

bsimmering1.bsky.social•170 days ago

[LARRY DAVID VOICE] is 1470 really medieval? I mean it's impressive and all, it's just, you know done after the invention of the printing press. 1370 that would be good for medieval, but 1470, eh, not so much

talkingpictures.bsky.social•170 days ago

I'd still say it's prettaaay, prettaaay good

allegendly.bsky.social•170 days ago

Why was it dyed black? Was it only to contrast to the other colors?

wanderingyeti.bsky.social•170 days ago

Yes. And to show off extraordinary wealth. And possibly to lend an impressive somberness to the text. The dye for the pages is an iron/copper compound that is acidic and corrosive, so there are only seven surviving examples in the world which all present some serious conservation challenges.

allegendly.bsky.social•170 days ago

How can they stop the corrosiveness of the compound? Is it only a matter of time before these texts are gone?

wanderingyeti.bsky.social•170 days ago

I know enough about paper conservation to know that I don’t know much about paper conservation. I know that there are probably techniques to slow down the degradation, including climate and humidity control. Beyond that, I trust in the experts.

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