A Selection Of Weird & Disturbing Medieval Manuscript Art

On May 17, 2015 by Lazer Horse

Weird Medieval Art 2 - Bonnacon

Modern humans like a good laugh, and medieval humans were no different, although they probably had quite a bit more to complain about than we do now.

When you bring to mind a medieval scene, you tend to think of dirt, suffering, plagues and violence. I think that’s fair enough, there was quite a bit of that going on; but, there would have also been laughter, and lots of it. Humans were still humans, and a fart made as amusing a sound then as it does now.

When things are going wrong, laughter is often the only respite you’ll get: people are covered in pustules and all you have to eat are turnips, there’s nothing else you can do but smile.

Weird Medieval Art - 2 - Goreleston Psalter

Amusing Manuscript Marginalia

Manuscript writing was a pretty dull task, it’s the olden-days equivalent of data entry really. I like to think that the cheeky monks, or whoever was writing, jollied themselves along with the comical drawings we have here today.

These drawings, along with various notes are generally referred to as manuscript marginalia, because of their position in the manuscript’s margins. And what eloquent scribbles they are.

Although some monks dedicated their lives to copying out manuscripts, they didn’t necessarily like it. We know that monks and scribes weren’t all that keen on this repetitive task of rewriting manuscripts thanks to some of the marginalia.

Weird Medieval Art - A Dalmatian Sea Monster, an illustration by Poggio Bracciolini, added to a copy of Le Miroir du Monde, mid-15th century

Every so often, these scribes would add winging and moaning into their marginalia. Below are some genuine inserts from manuscripts that prove that monks weren’t always keen on their task at hand:

“New parchment, bad ink: I say nothing more.”

“I am very cold.”

“That’s a hard page and weary work to read it.”

“Thank God, it will soon be dark.”

“Oh, my hand.”

“Now I’ve written the whole thing; for Christ’s sake give me a drink.”

“As the harbour is welcome to the sailor, so is the last line to a scribe.”

“Writing is excessive drudgery. It crooks your back, it dims your sight, it twists your stomach and your sides.”

Poor chaps, right? Get that man a drink.

I’m sure many of the images below weren’t meant as a joke at the time, they only seem amusing now. But some of them were surely intended to be humorous. I for one find it infinitely pleasing that someone who was walking this earth almost 1,000 years before me still smirked at the sound of a fart.

Any way, I hope you enjoy these wonderful examples of medieval manuscript drawings as much as I did. They’re oddly brilliant and brilliantly odd:

Weird Medieval Art - Aliens - Livres du roi Modus et de la reine Ratio, France, 15th century

Livres du roi Modus et de la reine Ratio, France, 15th century

Weird Medieval Art - Book Of Hours, England, early 14th century

Book Of Hours, England, early 14th century

Weird Medieval Art - Breviary of Renaud de Bar, France, 1302-1303 - Headless People

Breviary of Renaud de Bar, France, 1302-1303

Weird Medieval Art - Breviary of Renaud de Bar, France, 1302-1303 - Lion Playing Violin

Breviary of Renaud de Bar, France, 1302-1303

Weird Medieval Art - Breviary of Renaud de Bar, France, 1302-1303 - Rabbits

Breviary of Renaud de Bar, France, 1302-1303

Weird Medieval Art - Cheeky - Vows of the Peacock, c 1350

Vows of the Peacock, c. 1350

Weird Medieval Art - Decretum Gratiani 1340-1345 - Green Monster

Decretum Gratiani 1340-1345

Weird Medieval Art - Donut - Cosmographie universelle, 1555

Cosmographie Universelle, 1555

Weird Medieval Art - Donut - Les Grandes Heures du duc de Berry, Paris, 1409

Les Grandes Heures du duc de Berry, Paris, 1409

Weird Medieval Art - fifteenth century edition of Jean de Wavrin's Anciennes et novellas chronicles d'Angleterre

15th Century edition of Jean de Wavrin’s Anciennes et novellas chronicles d’Angleterre

Weird Medieval Art - Fox and Monkey 13th-century Bible

13th-century Bible

Weird Medieval Art - Histoire de Merlin, by Master of Adelaide of Savoy in Poitiers, around 1450-1455

Histoire de Merlin, by Master of Adelaide of Savoy in Poitiers, around 1450-1455

Weird Medieval Art - Liber de nature rerun, France, c. 1290

Liber de nature rerun, France, c. 1290

Weird Medieval Art - Nürnberger Schembart-Buch, 17th century

Nürnberger Schembart-Buch, 17th century

Weird Medieval Art - Penis Tree - 14th Century

14th Century

Weird Medieval Art - Rabbit With Axe - Gorleston Psalter, England, 14th century

Gorleston Psalter, England, 14th century

Weird Medieval Art - Rabbits killing men in The Smithfield Decretals 1300 b

The Smithfield Decretals 1300

Weird Medieval Art - Rabbits killing men in The Smithfield Decretals 1300

The Smithfield Decretals 1300

Weird Medieval Art - Recueil des croniques d'Engleterre, Bruges, 1471-1483

Recueil des croniques d’Engleterre, Bruges, 1471-1483

Weird Medieval Art - Teletubbies - Le Livre des hystoires du Mirouer du monde, Paris, 15th century

Le Livre des hystoires du Mirouer du monde, Paris, 15th century

Weird Medieval Art - The Luttrell Psalter, 1325-1335 - Angry Chef

The Luttrell Psalter, 1325-1335 – Angry Chef

Weird Medieval Art - Walking Fish from a 13th-century English Bible

13th-century English Bible

In medieval times the knight vs snail motif was very popular in manuscripts. Medieval scholars aren’t too sure why it is so pervasive, but there are a few theories. It could be that the snail symbolises the rising up of the poor, the constant struggle against the rich. Or, it could be some sort of rude euphemism for a female part.

Another theory goes that the snail represents the Lombard family – a treasonous bunch – but this doesn’t ring true as often it is the knight who is fighting the losing battle with the snail.

We may never know its meaning for sure, but the snail vs knight image crops up so often, it must have been very clear for a medieval reader:

Weird Medieval Art -Snail vs Knight - 14th Century Royal Roll Call

Snail vs Knight – 14th Century Royal Roll Call

Weird Medieval Art -Snail vs Knight - Brunetto Latini's Li Livres dou Tresor, France Picardy, c 1315-1325

Snail vs Knight – Brunetto Latini’s Li Livres dou Tresor, France Picardy, c. 1315-1325

Weird Medieval Art -Snail vs Knight - Gorleston Psalter Suffolk, 1310-1324

Snail vs Knight – Gorleston Psalter Suffolk, 1310-1324

Weird Medieval Art -Snail vs Knight - Gorleston Psalter, Suffolk, 1310-1324

Snail vs Knight – Gorleston Psalter, Suffolk, 1310-1324

Weird Medieval Art -Snail vs Knight - The Smithsfield Decretals c1300

Snail vs Knight – The Smithsfield Decretals c. 1300

Weird Medieval Art - Dogs Rabbit Snail

Snail vs Dog vs Rabbit

MORE MEDIEVAL STUFF:

THE BONNACON FARTING MONSTER

MEDIEVAL DOOM PAINTINGS

MEDIEVAL MONSTERS PART 1

MEDIEVAL MONSTERS PART 2

MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL INCONGRUOUS PHOTOS

@media all and (max-width: 228px) { div#darkbackground, div.visiblebox { display: none; } }