A horse on wheels, what’s not to love? Great post.

manuscriptbook:

Medieval Connections to ‘Classical Roots’

This manuscript (British Library, Royal MS 20 D I) of the Histoire ancienne jusqu’à César (‘Ancient history up to Caesar’) is the earliest surviving manuscript of the second redaction of this work. This redaction, like this manuscript, was produced in Naples around 1330-1340. It focuses on the story of Troy, which is no longer taken from Dares, a supposed eyewitness of the fall of Troy, but from the prose version of Benoît de Sainte-Maure’s Roman de Troie. As a result, it is much more extensive.

The goal of these types of histories was to join the classical past and the medieval present. The author, therefore, did not always keep historical accuracy in mind if it did not fit his purpose. This allowed nobles to bind themselves and their families to classical founders.

The illuminations in this manuscript are mostly bas-de-page (‘bottom of the page’) scenes, a style of illumination that had its heyday in the fourteenth century. In keeping with the increased importance of the story of Troy, over 120 miniatures have Trojan subjects. This particular folio (167v) contains one such miniature, specifically the famous scene of the Trojan Horse being brought into the city of Troy. 

- Sanne Boomsma