Manuscript Studies

Front 1

Atelier

Back 1

The workshop or studio of an artist (also refers to the staff of the studio)

Front 2

Bastard

Back 2

A cursive script with added formal elements to make it suitable as a bookhand

Front 3

blind tooling

Back 3

A technique for decorating. A design is made on the surface of the cover with a heated metal tool and is left uncolored.

Front 4

catchword

Back 4

A word written at the bottom of the last page of a quire and the first page of the next quire. Used to bound quires in the proper order.

Front 5

chirograph

Back 5

A document with 2 (or more) identical copies on the same piece of paper. Used in contracts/agreements, the paper is torn in half and each party takes one copy.

Front 6

collation

Back 6

The description of the physical structure of the book. (number of quires + arrangement of leaves)

Front 7

diminuendo

Back 7

A gradual decrease of the size and embellishment of letters. Used at the beginning of Insular scripts to transition from initials to standard text.

Front 8

distinctio

Back 8

In the Distinctiones system, a single point placed at the top of the preceding letter to signify the end of a sentence.

Front 9

eyeskip

Back 9

A scribal error when the scribes eye skips between 2 similar phrases, emitting what is in between.

Front 10

haplography

Back 10

A scribal error where a scribes copies a sequence once instead of twice.

Front 11

headline

Back 11

The line that is the upper boundary for minim letters above which ascenders extend (think the dotted midline on 1st grade paper)

Front 12

homoeoarchton

Back 12

A scribal error when 2 words begin the same and the scribe mistakes the second for the first.

Front 13

lectio difficilior

Back 13

"the most difficult reading" the idea that the least common word is the original word in a manuscript, since scribes would change difficult words to more common ones

Front 14

ligature

Back 14

The connective line joining 2 letters, or a combination of 2 or more letters. Found in pre-Caroline scripts.

Front 15

lunellum

Back 15

The crescent shaped blade used to scrape the skin/hair/fat off of parchment being made.

Front 16

macron

Back 16

the horizontal line placed above letters to mark an abbreviation.

Front 17

palimpest

Back 17

A reused writing support where the original writing has been scraped off and written over.

Front 18

pecia system

Back 18

system used to copy books in universities. Quires of books were separated and loaned out per quire.

Front 19

per cola et commata

Back 19

A type of text layout without punctuation. Each new line was a new sentence. Used for verbal texts.

Front 20

pouncing

Back 20

1. smoothing a sheet of parchment with pumice

2. copying an illustration by tracing it with pricking and rubbing powder through the prickings to make an outline.

Front 21

provenance

Back 21

The history of ownership of the book.

Front 22

punctus

Back 22

a point first signifying a short pause, but then later a full pause (a period).

Front 23

quire

Back 23

A group of leaves gathered as a unit (usually 4-5). (a gathering)

Front 24

ruling

Back 24

The process of entering lines on a page to serve as a guide for entering text.

Front 25

singleton

Back 25

A single leaf added to a quire. (halfsheet)

Front 26

stemma codicum

Back 26

The "family tree" of the manuscript

Front 27

suspension

Back 27

an abbreviation where one or more letters are omitted from the end of a word.

Front 28

tironian notes

Back 28

A system of shorthand invented by Tiro. Used in medieval times. Most common: (7 for et)

Front 29

underdrawing

Back 29

The primary sketch of the final image that severed as a guide for the artist or painter.

Front 30

yapp edge

Back 30

When the vellum extends beyond the border of the boards in binding. the extra vellum could be folded around the edges of the pages to protect them when the book is closed.