There goes our safe space. After eight years here, things already started to be a bit weird a year back, but for it to come to this. To read the word “female-nipples” or whatever term they used... So sad and disappointed. I already know a bunch of amazing people I’ve been following for years will be flagged. People that helped others go through tough times, blogs that cultivated body positivity and pushed all of us through self-doubt or just posts that gave me a bunch of alternatives to choose from if I want to look at artsy porn... Please keep your page with info on alternative place to contact you. I’d hate to lose track of some people and their work entirely. -Hex

The illuminated sketchbook of Stephan Schriber is a series of pages dating from 1494 in which "ideas and layouts for illuminated manuscripts were tried out and skills developed" by the author, a monk in the southwest of Germany. 

As printed books began to displace illuminated manuscripts, the production of the latter went commercial, no longer produced only by the hands of individual monks. But some of those monks, like Schriber, kept up their dedication to the craft: "These pages show an artist trying out animal motifs, practicing curlicued embellishments, and drafting beautiful presentations of the capital letters that would begin a section, page, or paragraph." Read more

MediumAevum Halloween Tradition

Accepting your medieval-ish costume submissions! Let’s see you!

Detail from one of the pages in Ars Moriendi, a 15th century manuscript made in France.

Translated The Art of Dying, it consisted of a pair of Latin texts offering “advice on the protocols and procedures of a good death, explaining how to "die well” according to Christian precepts of the late Middle Ages.“

The entire page

Anglo-Saxon glass drinking-horn, VII c. Excavated in Rainham, London

Drinking horns are attested from Viking Age Scandinavia. In the Prose Edda, Thor drank from a horn that unbeknown to him contained all the seas. They also feature in Beowulf, and fittings for drinking horns were also found at the Sutton Hoo burial site. Carved horns are mentioned in Guðrúnarkviða II, a poem composed about 1000 AD and preserved in the Poetic Edda:

If you’re wondering what’s my mental image of Henry VIII whenever someone mentions him, this is it. Not Damian’s version in general. This particular image.

Francesco Petrarch, accompanied by his brother Gherardo, made an ascent of 6,263-foot (1,912-meters) Mont Ventoux on April 26 in 1336, a towering rounded mountain that overlooks the Provence region of southern France.

Petrarch, while certainly not the first human to climb a mountain for fun and to reach its summit, instead became the spiritual "father" of alpinism while slogging up to Ventoux's summit, meditating on his experience, and then writing a celebrated 6,000-word essay-The Ascent of Mount Ventoux-after his descent (scholars now say it was written about 1350). As Petrarch wrote in the essay, actually a letter to his former confessor, "My only motive was the wish to see what so great an elevation had to offer." Read more An essay on this

You may have heard about "dos-à-dos" (back to back) book bindings that make one book turn into two, but this is mind blowing!

This is such exquisite craftsmanship. Even not considering the clasps and folds, it’s just so breathtaking. You can view it in more detail on the National Library of Sweden’s Flicker stream.

William Shakespeare, Richard III

King Richard III was born on this day in 1452. 

Not many monarchs have had such tumultuous history after their death, and not many had a conclusion in a public DNA research. History takes no sides, but one has to admit, he’s one of the most interesting historical figures.

Accidentally read “dukes” as “dudes”. Makes for a far more interesting reading - King Otto I crushes a rebellion against his rule by a coalition of Frankish dudes

- 4th Dude of Devonshire

- Dude Peter came under fresh military pressure

I stumbled upon this lovely charity today. They are Friends of Friendless Churches.

You can read all about their work, ways to contribute and churches they restored here.

You might know Rae Swon from Etsy. If not, you should now, because she made this Bosch-demon-bird costume and got on the sub.

All info here (about her upbringing, being homeschooled in an awesome household, art, being a milliner etc.)

Shakespeare in French. 

I pretended to be smart and wrote a comment for a prize and actually got it! (one can never have enough stationery and mugs)