The Folio Society Gallery: new exhibition space at the British Library
The Painted Page: Images of medieval life in the Luttrell Psalter
26 October-7 January 2007
Admission Free
On 26 October 2006, the Folio Society Gallery at the British Library opens with an exciting new display devoted to one of the Library's greatest treasures - the imaginatively illustrated medieval manuscript, the Luttrell Psalter.
This brand new gallery space offers visitors a chance to take an illuminating, interactive journey into the world of the Psalter. The exhibition features videos, puzzles and games which provide education and entertainment in equal measures, making it an ideal half-term outing for the all the family. Get creative and make your own gruesome 'grotesque' or chance your luck with the audio game and try to identify all the strange sounds you hear before your time runs out!
Grotesques, the symbolic meaning of snails, religious devotion, family life, and the hierarchy of medieval society - all of these things and more make up the fascinating world of the Luttrell Psalter, a medieval manuscript that is one of the most detailed accounts of medieval life in existence. Owned by the British Library and displayed in the Treasures Gallery, the Psalter was made for wealthy landowner Sir Geoffrey Luttrell in the 14th century. Lavishly illustrated, the Psalter is exceptional among manuscripts of this period for its abundance of detailed depictions of everyday life. This new display in The Folio Society Gallery will focus on these illustrations, exploring what they can tell us about life in the Middle Ages, from food and drink to music and entertainment, from the treatment of illnesses to the sharpening of knifes.
Innovative interactive elements invite visitors to take a closer look at some of the Luttrell Psalter's illustrations. A short film offers an insight into how illuminated manuscripts of this kind were produced and the exhibition also explains the symbolism of certain objects and animals in the manuscript. Visitors can play a fun sound game, which challenges them to identify familiar and unfamiliar sounds, inspired by the manuscript's imagery, against the clock. A computer interactive shows an image of a feasting scene that can be seen in the Psalter, revealing more about the people who appear in the scene, the food and drink that they would be enjoying and the tableware being used. Grotesques, the bizarre beasties that appear throughout the manuscript, form part of the exhibition, which also allows visitors to create their own grotesque!
The Folio Society has worked in partnership with the British Library for many years. In the past, The Folio Society has published stunning facsimiles of some of the British Library's most precious volumes. Now, The Folio Society has made possible an entirely new exhibition space, dedicated to creating free, fun and illuminating displays that demonstrate the importance and variety of the treasures held at the British Library. The Folio Society Gallery will host a rolling series of free exhibitions that will showcase some of the finest material from the Library's world famous collections. Each of the exhibitions in the gallery will focus on one of the Library's many treasures or an area of topical interest. Forthcoming displays include a tribute to the literary magazine Migrant, a celebration of the Proms and Banned: the printed backdrop to South Asian Independence.
Heather Norman-Soderlind, Head of Public and Regional Marketing at the British Library, comments, " The British Library is delighted that the generous support of The Folio Society has enabled us to transform the space available to us for topical displays into a compelling and engaging arena to showcase the breadth and variety of our collections to visitors."
Joe Whitlock Blundell, Production Director at The Folio Society, affirms, "This new gallery brings to life our shared philosophy of making important, interesting works accessible to a wide audience."
Tying in with this exhibition are two new British Library publications, both released on 25 October 2006, the day of the gallery's opening. The World of the Luttrell Psalter by leading medieval manuscripts expert, Michelle P. Brown, offers a fascinating insight into the production and history of the Psalter. Michelle P. Brown has also provided a 64-page commentary for The Luttrell Psalter: A Facsimile, a complete full-size reproduction of the manuscript, which has taken over a year to produce.
For further information, contact Ruth Howlett at the British Library Press Office: +44 (0)20 7412 7112 or ruth.howlett@bl.uk
Notes for Editors
The British Library is the national Library of the United Kingdom. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. Further information is available on the Library's website at www.bl.uk
The Folio Society was founded in 1947 with the intention of applying the highest standards of binding, typography and illustration to commercially-produced books. Nearly sixty years on, its aim remains the same - to publish books that will stand the test of time, in handsome, imaginatively designed and beautifully made editions, at reasonable prices. www.foliosoc.co.uk
Forthcoming exhibitions in The Folio Society Gallery:
January - March 2007:
Tribute to literary magazine, Migrant
April - June 2007:
80 Years of the Proms
July - September 2007:
Banned: the printed backdrop to South Asian Independence
The Luttrell Psalter: A Facsimile with a commentary by Michelle P. Brown, is published in hardback by the British Library, 25 October 2006, price £295.00 (688 pages, 369 x 245 mm, 624 illustrations, ISBN 0-7123-4934-0).
The World of the Luttrell Psalter by Michelle P. Brown, is published in paperback by the British Library, 25 October 2006, price £9.95 (ISBN 0-7123-4959-6).
Both books are available from the British Library Bookshop (tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7735, fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7624, email: bl-bookshop@bl.uk)