The focus of my exhibition will be tied to the use of marginal imagery within European illuminated manuscripts from the medieval time period. Often times this content will also be called bas de page illustration. The argument that I am looking to make is centered around the idea that the peripheral imagery located around the central content of a manuscript can often times shed more light on a manuscript's history than the main content itself.
Information that would otherwise have been lost to time or interpretation is solidified by these insightful insertions. From learning about provenance to gaining insight into a manuscripts production, the margin and the bottom of the page are key to understanding the Medieval Period. Part of my reason for exploring this topic is because of the interesting nature of the imagery but also because so much time is spent on the main content of a manuscript for obvious reasons.
Following the lead of art historians like Lilian M. Randal, I thought it might be interesting to explore what might be found in the gutters of the cornerstone of medieval artistry. Before exploring any manuscript it is important that the terms bas de page and marginal content be defined.
Bas de page illustration is the term used to describe any illustrative content that exists at the bottom of a manuscript page.
More specifically, these illustrations tend to come at the bottom of a body of text. However, this does not mean that the illustrations need to relate to the text directly. Surprisingly, these illustrations are marked by a widespread tolerance. Few instances of opposition occur when it comes to bas-de-page illustration, but the most notable instance comes from Bernard of Clairvaux.
