A couple of samples from the Wilanow Palace in Warsaw

[txomsy]

These are two samples of cursive (as in "normal, speed wirting", instead of "master or calligraphic hand") handwriting from ye olde goode tymes.

 

The horrible pictures were taken with my paltry smartphone at the Wilanow Palace in Warsaw.

 

The Palace was open to the public as a museum in the early 19th Century (1805) when Stanislaw Kocka Potocki bought it and decided to share his art collection with all his fellow citizens (in my personal opinion, a most valiant, admirable and philanthropic decision).

 

One is from the guest book and I think it may be soothing for those of us struggling with handwriting: it shows the current, cursive, normal hand literate people had at the time.

 

The other is from the catalog of works, and illustrates the cursive hand of a record keeper.

 

Both show that one does not need to aim for the heights of calligraphic excellence, and that many a time, our current handwriting is not that far from that of the so much blindly touted normal handwriting of yonder.

 

 

[amberleadavis]

You sure had a great trip!

[txomsy]

Well, thanks, I do try.

 

One of the nice things about traveling is getting to know other cultures, and for that, beyond mixing with locals and adopting their habits (carefully including vodka which, BTW, is also apt for vegans ), visiting museums provides a broader context perspective.

 

I know many people dismiss museums, but they hold many hidden gems that make them worth visiting. And, in many cases, wonderful museum shops: they've always been a favorite of mine for finding appalling stationary.

 

Which just reminds me, I'll have to remember to post some extra pictures when I get back home. These one of some modern reproductions in parchment of medieval capitals that my wife brought me from the Monastery of Silos (I think), in Spain.

[inkstainedruth]

I'll definitely agree with you about traveling (although in my case it wasn't vodka -- it was retsina wine in Athens ), and about the joys of museums.

Sadly, I lost  the brass bookmark I got at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York a number of years ago in conjunction with a special exhibit of medieval art from Bohemia, which included an amazing piece of embroidery: the Sigismund Dragon (which was made as part of the regalia for the Order of the Dragon -- an order based on the Order of the Garter and the Order of the Golden Fleece -- after one of the Bohemian Princes had been raised and educated at the French and Burgundian Courts in IIRC the 15th Century). I didn't even know about the exhibit -- we were just going to go, because we were in NYC over Thanksgiving visiting my sister-in-law and her husband.  But spotted the bookmark in the gift shop and was going "I know what this is!  I have a picture of the original in a needlework book!"  So the woman working there told me where in the museum the special exhibit was and of COURSE I had to buy the bookmark (flat, cut out of the shape of the embroidery outlines, with engraved detailing).  And then of course to see the exhibit itself (the REAL Sigismund Dragon is about 20" long and the wing is a separate flap of fabric, and the entire piece is embroidered in couched gold cord; the photo in the book I have is about 6" long....).  I found a photo online here (the embroidery is about halfway down the page: http://www.holyromanempireassociation.com/order-of-the-dragon-Ordo-Draconum.html -- but of course in person it's MUCH more impressive than any photo could do justice to; and of course you're generally not allowed to take photos in special exhibits at museums.   Which is why I ALSO don't have a photo of the Glove of Saint Adalbert from the same special exhibit; the exhibit catalogue has a photo of the glove in BLACK AND WHITE and the blurb only talks about the provenance -- NOT much about the construction (you know, USEFUL information about the knitting gauge and such... ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[txomsy]

Sorry. Twice.

 

I cannot find now the parchment booklet in my library. It must be there somewhere, but I just can't find it now. I did find another one, with reproductions of the lost ivory engravings of the arc that contained the relics of Saint Millan that she also brought me.

 

Anyway, this got me searching and they are sold online: the alphabet, but also others.

 

Well, back to screening the library.

 

Which means it must have been the Monastery of Saint Millan instead of the Monastery of Silos where my wife bought them. Another mistake on my part too.

[txomsy]

Ok, found it. I hope it is OK to post this sample and not infringing any copyright. My understanding is that it is modern calligraphy in loose sheets of parchment-like paper imitating/reproducing Capital letters of a medieval codex (Codex 46 from Monastery of Suso) and using the Beneventan minuscule script for the comments.

 

 

And now, looking forward to what wonders may I find in my future trip to Copenhagen (several months ahead).

[txomsy]

On 9/13/2022 at 8:32 PM, inkstainedruth said:

and of course you're generally not allowed to take photos in special exhibits at museums

 

Which has its own value, as it makes those moments spent there, amazed at the wonders exhibited, more memorable.