England and France 700-1200: Franco-Saxon Manuscripts in the Ninth Century

In the later ninth century monasteries in the Pas de Calais, at Saint-Amand, Saint-Bertin (Saint-Omer), Corbie, and Saint-Riquier produced distinctive manuscripts that are characterised by the use of a highly distinctive style of 'Franco-Saxon' illumination. These monasteries were places of great power, wealth, and patronage in the ninth century, and were ruled by abbots who had close links to the Carolingian court. Proximity to the Channel coast, and to the trading emporium of Quentovic (Étaples) - which lay not more than a day's ride from both Saint-Riquier and Saint-Bertin - meant that there were also longstanding political, cultural, economic, and religious connections with Anglo-Saxon England. These links to places and people of power in England and Francia are made manifest in the deluxe manuscripts that were produced in these monasteries.

The development of a distinctive 'Franco-Saxon' school of illumination in these monasteries in the second half of the ninth century balanced the art of epigraphic lettering with the interlace and animal ornamentation of Insular art, familiar from manuscripts made in Anglo-Saxon England or Ireland a century or more before. The unifying aesthetic in the Franco-Saxon books is the generous use of space and symmetry in contradistinction to the horror vacui of earlier Insular art and the classicising style of Charlemagne's Court School. The Franco-Saxon style used the white space of the parchment as a key element of the mise-en-page in a way not seen in earlier Insular or Carolingian book production. The clean lines of the epigraphic display capitals juxtapose the complexity of the illuminated initials. But this contrast is neutralised by the white space, which renders the two parent styles a coherent whole. This unity is enhanced by the exaggerated symmetry of the Insular-style ornament. The generous use of space around and within the text block, as well as the application of gold to the lettering, underlines the wealth and resources of the patrons of these books, some of which were destined for Carolingian kings.

This PhD project will centre on ninth-century manuscripts held in the British Library, complementing analysis of codices held in other locations, especially the BnF. The successful student will shape the approach and content of the project, and it may evolve an art historical or cultural history focus depending on the student's expertise and interests. It is also a topic that could support a student with expertise in material culture and archaeological science, and in that case the conservation resources (personnel and equipment) of the British Library would provide essential support, and unique access. What is special is the opportunity for codicological research, examining books at first hand to study methods of making, choices of parchment production and use, and the colour palette as well as details of script and page layout.