Pen and Parchment: Drawing in the Middle Ages - Video

Exhibition dates: June 2, 2009–August 23, 2009 With strokes of genius, artists in the Middle Ages explored the medium of drawing, creating a rich array of works ranging from spontaneous sketches to powerful evocations of spirituality to intriguing images of science and the natural world. This exhibition, the first to examine in depth the achievements of the medieval draftsman, includes many works that have never before been lent outside their home countries. Early maps, artists’ sketchbooks, and masterfully decorated manuscripts count among the important loans from American and European museums, and the great national, university, and monastic libraries of Europe. Above: “Evangelist Matthew” (Detail); From the Arenberg Gospels; Canterbury, England, ca. 1000–1020; The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, M. 869