Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Wednesday 13 April 2022

Not your average Easter Bunny


I came across a short article on Mental Floss about thr thirteenth and fourteenth century delight in adding to the marginalia of illuminated texts pictures of rabbits ( and occasionally other creatures such as snails ) inflicting all manner of violence on human beings. 

This artistic motif has attracted attention from scholars and commentators in various academic articles. This recent article, whilst quite short, does offer a sensible interpretation of a frequently used theme which ties in with social norms of the age. Such role inversion is a key element in humour in any century and these violent rabbits fo demonstrate that medieval people did indeed have a sense of humour. Despite the article title these are not what I would describe as ‘doodles’ but rather a  conscious artistic decision in counterpoint to the text.



No comments: