Les Enluminures

Les Enluminures podcasts transform the past into the present with untold stories, research, science, and histories of Medieval and Renaissance artworks through illuminating lectures, gallery talks, in-house research, and interviews with collectors and scholars. For our series Book of Hours Reimagined, Dr. Sandra Hindman welcomes Evelien Hauwaerts for a very special podcast episode. Together, they...

Sandra Hindman and Benjamin Zucker meet in New York and discuss their long relationships with Diana Scarisbrick and their shared interest in historic rings.  On this day, the day before Diana's funeral in London (to be held on February 5), they celebrate Diana's life, her interests, and recall her special approach to two groups of rings as included in her fascinating book, an essential guide to Ri...

Our 50th podcast celebrates Les Enluminures’s Ten Years in New York. Join President and Founder Sandra Hindman and Helen Allen, Executive Director of New York’s celebrated art fair The Winter Show, as they discuss all things New York-related. They explore the history of the New York gallery space, the anniversary exhibition ‘Timeless Treasures,’ plans for the future, amongst much more.    The exhi...

Join host Sandra Hindman and Sonja Drimmer on a special episode of the Les Enluminures podcast! Sandra and Sonja sit down to discuss her most recent article in Speculum “Connoisseurship, Art History and the Paleographical Impasse in Middle English Studies,” as well as her recent work on the “rollodex,” framing the relationship between hybrid parchment objects living between the roll and the codex....

With an effect like melted glass, enamel work creates stunning, colorful effects on sculptures, enlivening their surfaces. Today, we take a look at the history and various technical processes of enameling. Covering cloisonné, champlevé, and enamel in ronde-bosse, we also examine works in the Les Enluminures collection which demonstrate these varied enameling techniques, including works by Castella...

Today we discuss the history of the Winter Show and philanthropic culture in the United States with Kristen Racaniello and Sandra Hindman. Tune in and discover the origins of the exhibition, the history of gifting in the USA, and hear about Sandra’s delightful journey to participating in the Winter Show. You can join us at the Winter Show in booth 1-11 starting today, Thursday March 31 to Sunday A...

Join our founder and host Sandra Hindman as she discusses the monstrous, marginalia and determining the center with Sherry Lindquist, co-author of Medieval Monsters: Terrors, Aliens, Wonders. This interview coincides with the topic of our Chicago gallery exhibition, “The Margins of Medieval Art: Questioning the Center,” which is open through March 30th. What are Sandra and Sherry’s favorite monste...

Shocking as it may be a medieval bestseller was misery. That text, On the Misery of the Human Condition, is the subject of our podcast today. It was written by a soon-to-be Pope and remained wildly popular for five hundred years before mysteriously dropping out of favor. This text is filled with insights into the Medieval perspective through the meditations of Pope Innocent III, and our manuscript...

One of the most common, special objects that we have at Les Enluminures is the Book of Hours. Often, the Book of Hours is called the medieval “bestseller.” But what, exactly, does that mean? What determines if a book was “popular” or “best-selling” in the medieval world? How can we possibly know what was made most frequently in the Middle Ages? Find out answers to these questions today on the Les...

Today we explore the gap in time between historical events and the present. Between then and now is a gap that creates desire and longing for contact. Creative attempts to close that gap produced a series of “revivalist” movements in the nineteenth century. Through our current exhibition “Ideal Jewels” we discuss the rise of art jewelry, the Pre-Raphaelites, and how revival iconography connects wi...

Paper makers in Fabriano developed the use of wire-made signs as identifying marks in the Middle Ages. Today we call these impressions “watermarks”— the papermakers’ logo and calling card. Find out more about the history and development of papermaking and watermarks in some of the oldest medieval paper mills and discover their use in identifying the provenance and production of medieval manuscript...

In this discussion of our mid-fifteenth century copy of Guido da Colomna’s Historia destructionis Troiae (History of the Destruction of Troy) we cover the history of the Sibylline Oracle, the Middle English copies of the Troiae, and the composition of our manuscript. We chat about the role of the scribe/author in creating the histories of Troy, why there is such a revival of interest in the Trojan...

Today we will cover a fascinating early printing process, still in wide use today–– stenciling! Beginning with the history of the stencil and moving into the use of stencils in choir books, this podcast will cover the basic processes of stenciling, discussing how they developed and were used in sacred and secular settings. From the Carthusians to Pablo Picasso, stencils have been used in art for c...

The new year is a time that has inspired gifting and exchange throughout history in recognition of new beginnings. Yet, the date of New years has moved around frequently as calendars have shifted and it has been celebrated in many different ways. Today, we take a look at some of the different celebrations that occurred in medieval Europe, ending with a quick look at an iconic moment of gifting pai...

All around the world glittering decorations and lawn sculptures are appearing as December 25th draws near. Have you ever wondered why we associate twinkling lights, holly, or lawn sculptures with Christmas celebrations? Why are animals always included in depictions of the Nativity? Is there a reason the Virgin Mary is often depicted kneeling beside her son right after giving birth? Find out about...

Christmas season is upon us and as the day approaches, we will examine a few different, special types of images associated with the Virgin Mary and the infant Christ. Today we discuss the very first major illumination in the hours of the Virgin: the Annunciation. When did annunciation images become so popular? How can these images help us see some of the philosophical debates at the turn of the si...

Today we cover some important jewelry production basics: gemstone cutting or lapidary. Do you know the difference between a cabochon and a raw stone? Why do we continue to use cabochon stones today? And what inspired lapidarists to begin making those iconic, geometric planes we call ‘facets’?  Find out today on the Les Enluminures podcast.    Resources:  Byzantine Gemstone Ring set with an Amethys...

Fashion blossomed during the Renaissance with elaborate, fantastical costumes and luxurious jewelry. Today, we take a look at one type of wearable Renaissance artwork; the portrait pendant. What is a pendant? How was the Renaissance concept of fashion different from our own? And who made these luxurious objects?    Resources Pendant with Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven Metropolitan Museum of Art Co...

Winter is a time for holiday celebrations, family, and food. As the winter fast approaches in this last November episode we consider feasts and feasting. This was an important topic for medieval people that was frequently the subject of manuscript illumination. What is the origin of the term “feast,” and who could host a feast? What makes ‘feast days’ so important to understanding medieval life? A...

Medieval measurement developed as a bodily reference tool, often relying on an object’s relationship to the human body to determine its size, scale or weight. Today, measurement may seem like a natural part of our lives, but have you ever wondered how a unit of space or volume was developed? What made medieval measurement so different from the way we conceive of measurement today? And what made me...

Short winter days are now upon us. Usually we don’t consider the actual day to be shortened, however. There may be less daylight, but the measure of the day does not change throughout the year. Why is this? The transition between seasons often makes us more aware of time and the absurd ways we choose to apportion time during the day. Why do we structure our days around dates and increments instead...

Objects survive long after their original owners have passed away, living an extensive, dramatic, and often colorful life as they pass from owner to owner. This social life is often referred to as an object’s “biography.” Join us today to explore object biography and the life of a special book of hours this week in the Les Enluminures podcast. We will explore the history of a previously unknown an...

Life in the Medieval period was difficult, filled with spiritual and physical hardships. Medieval people coped with their often difficult situations through ritual and, sometimes, through magic! In this last episode of October, we return to our text manuscripts to examine charms. What are charms? How do we define them within the spectrum of verbal magic? What is the difference between a charm and...

The Office of the Dead is a crucial inclusion in the Book of Hours, but it is often ignored when it comes to discussions of manuscript illumination. Today we discuss the use and history of the Office of the Dead. Why is the Office of the Dead included in Books of Hours? How is the office of the dead related to the rise of trick-or-treating on Halloween? And why did the Office of the Dead develop?...

Continuing our October season programming, today we examine a pectoral cross and the “Talisman” of Charlemagne. Just what was a medieval amulet? Did the church accept the use of talismans and charms? Who used and wore precious stones? What is the difference between a textual amulet and a material one? Find out the answers to these questions and many others in today's episode. Resources: Reliquary...