Illuminated Manuscripts “Beyond Words”

09/30/2016

By Maryanne Grebenstein —
“BEYOND WORDS: ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS IN BOSTON COLLECTIONS is the first exhibition to showcase highlights of illuminated manuscripts in the Boston area. An ambitious collaborative project, Beyond Words is notable for the size of its curatorial team, the number of lending institutions, and a multi-venue display. The exhibition presents more than 260 outstanding manuscripts and printed books from nineteen Boston-area collections, dating from the ninth to the seventeenth centuries.”

http://beyondwords2016.org

This fall, Boston will host a huge, excited illuminated manuscript exhibition. The Abbey Studio will be offering a trip to visit the exhibition Wednesday to Friday, November 9-11, 2016. Look at the photos we’ve included for a taste of what you’ll see!
Close-up of a page of an illuminated manuscript, from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's website

Close-up of a page of an illuminated manuscript, from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s website

The exhibition, called ‘Beyond Words’ (http://beyondwords2016.org) is a joint venture that is being showcased at three different venues. In total there will be over 250 rare manuscripts on display. It’s an unprecedented chance to view some of the most beautiful medieval and Renaissance manuscripts in the northeast, some of which have never been on exhibition before. On Wednesday afternoon, we’ll see an exhibit called Manuscripts from Church and Cloister at the Houghton Library at Harvard University. Thursday morning, we’ll visit Boston College to see an exhibit called Manuscripts for Pleasure and Piety at the McMullen Museum of Art. We’ll then visit the third exhibit called Italian Renaissance Books at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, wrapping up on Thursday in the early evening.
Beyond Words Illuminated Manuscripts

Close-up of a page of an illuminated manuscript, from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s website

The exhibition’s three venues are not within walking distance of each other but we will have ground transportation arranged for our group. The Abbey Studio is happy to offer a package that will include a two-night stay at a fine Boston hotel within walking distance of the Public Garden, Newbury Street, Prudential Center, the Boston Public Library, and other noteworthy places, as well as ground transportation to and from the three exhibits. The price is $1225 per person (single) and $725 per person (double) for hotel accommodations and ground transportation. A $225 deposit per person will be due upon registration, with the balance due on October 31.
Beyond Words Illuminated Manuscripts

Close-up of a miniature painting in the medieval manuscript, “A Medieval Woman’s Mirror of Honor: The Treasury of the City of Ladies.”

For individuals in the Boston area who are interested only in the ground transportation and not hotel accommodations, the cost is $125 per person. Payment is due with registration by October 15.
Beyond Words Illuminated Manuscripts

Close up of an illuminated capital in the medieval manuscript, “A Medieval Woman’s Mirror of Honor: The Treasury of the City of Ladies.”

To register, visit the Trips page on this site. Once your registration is received you will receive specific details about the hotel location, check-in time, etc. For those traveling to Boston, please plan your trip so that you arrive at the hotel no later than noon on Wednesday, November 9. We’ll complete our museum visits on Thursday evening so you can plan to depart on Friday morning, November 11.
Beyond Words Illuminated Manuscripts

Calligraphy and an illuminated capital from “A Medieval Woman’s Mirror of Honor: The Treasury of the City of Ladies.”

If you would like to order a catalog in advance of the exhibition, please click here. For more information about illuminated manuscripts, read our blog, The Lovely Art of Medieval Manuscripts. If you have any questions, please feel free to email info@theabbeystudio.com or phone the studio at 781-740-9000.

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