Prof Simone Celine Marshall will give a talk on medieval books of hours housed in local collections.
A "book of hours" was a custom-made book of prayers, mostly created in the 13th to 15th centuries. Bookshops did not exist in the Middle Ages.
"If you wanted a book, you would have to commission it to be made."
It was not a Bible, instead, it was a collection of selected works significant to the owner, such as stories of particular saints or favourite prayers.
They typically included a calendar of important religious dates.
"They are often really important items for telling us about the history of the book because they will often show very local saints, which give us a hint of where the book has come from."
Made on vellum (animal skin paper), the books’ pages included elaborate calligraphy, icons and illustrations decorated using premium materials.
"You might have gold illumination, you might have blue made from lapis lazuli, which is a very expensive colour. Red made from mercuric oxide is also a fairly expensive colour."
In the very early Middle Ages the books might have been made in monasteries, but by the late Middle Ages they were produced in more commercial settings, probably by a whole team of people.
One person would specialise in gold illumination, another in illustration, another would produce the text.
"They are often extremely expensive books, they would have been expensive to commission, so they are objects of wealth."
Generally the books of hours were small enough to be carried.
"You would not hold a giant book, it is too heavy, this is clearly something you can hold in one hand and read, it is small enough to put in a pocket, even, to carry."
Prof Marshall said Dunedin was thought to have the largest collection of medieval books in the southern hemisphere.
They were held in collections at the Dunedin Public Library, the University of Otago, the Hewitson Library at Knox College and the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
"I really want to highlight the work of the students who have been researching these items, often for the first time.
"They have been identifying things in these books that nobody has noticed previously and drawing connections with other manuscripts and just learning about where they have come from."
Medieval Masterpieces: The Dunedin Books of Hours
Prof Simone Celine Marshall
Thursday, November 6, 5.30pm-6.30pm
Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Paradise of Imagination exhibition room
