Workshop (9:30-11 A.M.)

‘How to Quantify Medieval Script: The Case of the Twelfth Century’

Medieval dating practices: the contrast between “intuitive” dating common in paleography today and quantifying script features based on the execution of strokes (the art versus the science of dating, as it were). With examples from the 12th century, it shows how you can measure script development over time and the different speeds with which new features were adopted across Europe.
 

Lecture (5 P.M.)

By the thirteenth century, writing had become a commercial trade, with lay scribes replacing the clergy as the primary producers of documents. In addition to their roles as municipal or court clerks, lay scribes began offering pen-related services to a paying, predominantly urban clientele. They established small shops where they produced and sold manuscripts, and taught elementary and advanced scripts. To attract clients, scribes displayed their writing skills and the products they offered through large posters attached to their shopfronts. Although few of these advertisements have survived, they offer a vivid glimpse into the business of writing during the Later Middle Ages. This lecture focuses on the design of these posters, the products and services they promoted, and how these objects functioned within the broader context of the writing trade.