I was just about to agree with John Parsons....
>Even for the medieval aristocracy, I'd think that books might be another
matter. They were not cheap items.
...but then the examples cited by Jim Bugslag raised the possibility of not
just your ordinary, garden-variety, 1,000 man-hour book being given
up to the shades, but (presumably) rather sumptious, illuminated hi tomes as
well(?).
If this were the case, then perhaps it was--in these exceptional cases at
least--a matter of the books being burried with their (?)patrons not *in spite
of* the fact that they were expensive, but rather *because* such an act was,
as it were, the ultimate in consipicuous consumption.
Re John's point about episcopal [and, by extension, abbatial] regalia being
included in the tomb.....
>I have read accounts of several episcopal tombs in England that have
been opened in this century and none of them, as far as I can recollect,
contained books, only pastoral staves and in some cases chalices not of the
highest standard of manufacture--similar to the gilt-copper grave crowns that
were commonly used in royal burials.
...jogs a memory that burials *might* even be the primary source for surviving
staves and crosses, and that seal (=?signet?) rings were also quite commonly
(I believe) burried with their owners.
Twelfth century examples include Maurice of Sully at Paris (whose ring [with
an ancient carved jemstone??] is now, I believe, in the
Bibliotheque Nationale _medailles_ collection), and Godfrey of Leves at
Chartres.
Of course, in the case of rings used for sealing, an added consideration was
the necessity of insuring that the dead bishop's private seal was safely taken
out of circulation.
Though some years ago I mare's nested myself into believing that Bishop
Godfrey's seal might have been unearthed a couple of generations later
and (piously) re-used by an early 13th c. Chanter of the cathedral.
But I was so much older then; I'm younger than that, now.
Best to all from here,
Christopher
____________________________________________________________________
Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|