![]() While such cases are less common, they have a strikingly modern appearance because of the banderole’s white background, which creates the illusion of a real text bubble (Fig. Interesting in light of the comic book parallel is that the banderole was not always held in or close to the speaker’s hand: it could also flow from his or her mouth. One is holding the scroll, the other is pointing at it, each firmly securing the text to their own person. 4 shows a classroom where two teachers appear to be in a lively debate. Such points of contact (holding the scroll or touching it) were particularly important when an image presented more than one speaking person. It allowed the viewer to identify who was saying what. 4 – Schoyen Collection MS 33 (14th century) – Source It also happened that the speaker was pointing at the banderol, often touching it with his finger. The speaker holds the tip of the scroll in his hand, so as to claim the words as his own. 3, for example, we see a fool repeat the words whispered in his ear by the devil: “There is no God” (Non est deus). ![]() Short, because it had to fit on a tiny scroll (see a collection of them here and in this blog post). 3 – Los Angeles, Getty Museum, MS 66 – Sourceīooks before print had another way to make a silent figure on the page speak: the banderole. This clever device gave the decorator the ability to make someone deliver a short statement. It is the medieval version of a modern parent’s nightmare: being on the road with a crying toddler and whiny kids that egg each other on. The Middle English scene is familiar to many of us. We are shown a family en route to an unknown location (as if it were an alternative version of the Canterbury Tales). The young ones are verbally poking at each other, and complain about the temperature and the weight of their suitcases. ![]() The one on the right closes the conversation by comparing his own misery to that of his brother and father, stating “It is not they who carry the heaviest burden.” “Sir, I am carrying too much weight,” says the one on the left. Finally the two children in the back come into play (Fig. The figure on the left starts, with a strange mantra: “They die because of heat, they die because of heat.” Then the two young people on his right speak, probably addressing their father, who is walking behind them: “Sir, we die of cold!” The father, carrying a heavy toddler, orders them to stop whining: “Behold your little brother in front of us, he is only wearing a hood.” (He is right, because he is otherwise naked.) Then the toddler speaks, uttering universal toddler sounds: “Wa we”. Using her work, while rewording her literal translation, the following conversation may be overheard: ![]() 122r, detailĪlso in parallel to modern comic books, the story that unfolds is funny and familiar. The art historian Lucy Freeman Sandler has devoted considerable attention to this scene (a transcription and literal translation is found in this publication). That is to say, just like in modern comic books, sentences are visually connected to the individual who utters them, by means of a tiny line (Fig. What the description does not mention, however, is something that is rarely seen in medieval drawings: the different parts of conversation are given the appearance of speech bubbles. As it turns out, this merry scene bears more than one parallel to a modern comic book story.Īccording to the description of the British Library we are looking at a group of travellers conversing in English. 1300 shows a group of people walking, some of them with a walking stick in their hand. You can almost hear the sing-songs in the background. A few days ago, however, I encountered (and tweeted) a parallel I had never seen before: a drawing with the appearance of a page from a modern comic book (Fig. This blog frequently highlights parallels between medieval and modern technology and media. My recent posts on Spam, GPS and Selfies in medieval times are good examples of that. As odd as this may sound, as a medieval book historian I see such parallels with modern concepts all the time: all you need is a pair of eyes and a little imagination.
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