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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture a slow news day, obviously. From: John Wickstrom <[log in to unmask]> >The illustration shows Maurus leaving Monte Cassino to establish the first Benedictine monastery in France. http://www.kzoo.edu/history/Wickstrom/Maurus.jpg"http://www.kzoo.edu/history/Wickstrom/Maurus.jpg >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? my first thought was that it was a censor (thurible?), since i saw the little cup-like Thingie which is visible against the red of the fourth monk on his left. then i saw an identical cup-like Thingie at about 2 o'clock above that one, just off the shoulder of the figure on his left. my reading of it is a set of scales. he's got his reigns in his left hand, between the thumb and first finger, and that first finger runs through a hole in the handle of the scales. follow that handle down diagonally and you find a cross bar at right angles to it, and from that cross bar are suspended our two cup-like Thingies. look for something to do with scales in your Vita, probably connected to the liquid in the vase which his abatial collegue is handing him. or is that Maur, standing in the doorway of the abbey, doing the handing off? there seems to be some hierarchy implied by the color of the habits worn(?) --abbots wear blue, ordinary monks brown, priors(??) in green livry (???). of course, we've got red and green horses too, so there goes that particular Mare's Nest. anyway, it's a set of scales, not censors. c ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html