yvonne

yvonne, 9 days ago to random

The next time I teach my #medievalism course, I think I'm going to include a section on these kinds of modern medieval-ish/fantastical pastiche structures and what drives people to build them—this example is in the Netherlands, but there are tonnes of them in North America, albeit rarely on this scale.

(All the English-language coverage I've seen calls Kasteel Olt Stoutenburght "Roman-style", but the Dutch coverage is clear that it's "Romaanse", Romanesque.)

https://www.rte.ie/news/newslens/2024/0513/1448831-netherlands-castle/

yvonne, 23 days ago to random

Sometimes you see the title of a new history book and can only nod to yourself in admiration.

yvonne, 1 month ago to random

I've found some strange things while cleaning bathrooms in my time (I worked in a nightclub while in undergrad; I saw stuff), but never a piece of medieval sculpture.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx03p02k049o

yvonne, 1 month ago to random

In theory, putting a minimalist concrete and steel shelving system into a Baroque library should be jarring—but I think this works surprisingly well? Maybe it's the light & the use of white space.

Želiv Abbey is a #Premonstratensian community founded in the 12th c.

https://www.yatzer.com/library-monastery-zeliv-monastery-sepka-architects

Leather bound books on concrete shelving
View of some book shelves
View of a corner large 18th century library with frescoes on the ceiling, books on shelves along the wall, and a low table at the far end with shelving underneath the table

yvonne, 2 months ago to random

I love coming across little finds like this as I work through the notebooks of an early modern scholar. It's more than 300 years since this skein of silk threads—used to hold the wax imprint of a #medieval seal—was placed between these pages, but the colours are still as bright as the day it was made.

(Nancy, Bibliothèque Stanislas, MS 992, vol. 14)

yvonne, 2 months ago to random

"Few documents that survive from #medieval Europe were written by women or even dictated by women. Those that do are often formulaic, full of legal and religious language. Yet the wills and censuses that survive, and which I study, open a window into their lives and minds, even if not produced by women’s hands. These documents suggest that medieval women had at least some form of empowerment to define their lives – and deaths."

https://theconversation.com/gifts-that-live-on-from-best-bodices-to-money-for-bridge-repairs-womens-wills-in-medieval-france-give-a-glimpse-into-their-surprising-independence-222690

yvonne, 4 months ago to random

A brief #medieval side-trip on a gloomy January day: Carlow Castle. It was built by William Marshal, and for a brief period in the 14th century was the administrative capital of Ireland.

Not looking too bad for a building with no foundations and which was partly blown up in the 19th century!

Ruins of Carlow Castle.
Ruins of Carlow Castle.
Ruins of Carlow Castle.

yvonne, 5 months ago to random

Come for the picture of the very old #medieval compass, stay for the picture of the equally old and partially mummified rats.

https://rte.social.ebu.io/KWW5GT9YTI

yvonne, 7 months ago to random

This looks to be a great series of upcoming online lectures sponsored by the Jewish Women's Archive on #medieval Jewish women's history. The talks will be given by Sarah Ifft Decker, Elisheva Baumgarten, Sara Gardner and Renée Levine Melammed.

For more info and to register: https://jwa.org/events

yvonne, 7 months ago to random

I just spotted that this very useful resource for the #medieval studies classroom, the Online Medieval Sources Bibliography, has received a shiny new redesign—one to bookmark if you're not already aware of it!

https://medievalsourcesbibliography.org/index.php