Dear learned listmembers,

 

 Since the identification of Vincent of Beauvais aka Thomas Needham was so quickly established (and the hardware of his writing desk so well analyzed), here is another problem I am having. The following URL is from a late 11^th or early 12^th c. illustrated Life of St. Maurus, the disciple of Benedict, from Paris (Troyes, 2378). The illustration shows Maurus leaving Monte Cassino to establish the first Benedictine monastery in France. He is accompanied by (among others) a delegation from the Bishop of LeMans who asked for the foundation. The third of these delegates from your right (with greenish hair and orange cloak), is holding some sort of instrument in his hand that I cannot even begin to identify. It may have to do with the animal skin (rug?) that is slung over his saddle. Can anyone help with this?

 

 

http://www.kzoo.edu/history/Wickstrom/Maurus.jpg   (If you open this image in MS viewer or some similar viewer, you should be able to enlarge it enough without distortion to see the detail at issue.

 

thanks in advance,

jbw

 

 

 

 

 

 

John B. Wickstrom

Department of History

Kalamazoo College

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