Calligraphy

Page (manuscript)/Vellum/12th century AD/The Hunt Collection/PD

Translator at work from BL Royal 18 E III, f. 24 by Valerius Maximus, translated by Simon de Hesdin and Nicholas de Gonesse - 1479 - The British Library, United Kingdom - Public Domain.

Manuscript leaf from a Book of Pericopes/Animal,Skin,Mammal skin,Parchment,Vellum/12th century AD/The Hunt Collection/PD

Manuscript leaf from a Book of Pericopes/Animal,Skin,Mammal skin,Parchment,Vellum/12th century AD/The Hunt Collection/PD

Visual Art

  • Strand – Drawing
  • Strand Unit- Making Drawings

 

History

  • Strand: Life, Society, Work & Culture
  • Strand Unit: Life in Medieval town & countryside

Teaching Materials

Today it is easy and quick to record and disseminate information, but in the Middle Ages this process was slow and laborious. All books known as manuscripts were copied by hand using a decorative style of script known as calligraphy.

These teaching materials will enable primary school children to learn about the process and history of calligraphy by comparing and contrasting manuscript examples from Europeana’s collections and historical objects from Limerick Museum and the Hunt Museum associated with the practice of calligraphy. The children will then fashion a calligraphy pen and use it to create their own piece of calligraphy.

With thanks to:

Get fun and creativity in your inbox

Enter your details to sign up to our newsletter.