Medicine: examining urine
The medieval Church
Medieval Surgery
Rural life: the lazy ploughman
Friar playing music
Dante's Divine Comedy
Harvesting acorns
Living and dead Princes
Golden Haggadah
Noah in the Holkham Bible
Apothecary shop
City walls
Lord at supper
Peasants work the land
The Last Judgement
Hundred Years War
Demons fall into Hell
Chronicle of the Black Death
Genesis picture book
Medieval encyclopedia
Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
Peasants' Revolt
Scottish freedom
English cookery manuscript
This tiny comical image comes from the margin of a Book of Hours - a type of medieval prayer book. It shows a Friar holding a pair of bellows like a violin, and scraping out a tune with a weaving tool. Next to him is a barefooted nun who has pulled up the skirt of her habit and flung her arms in the air to do a rude and inappropriate dance! The image reflects the Church's negative attitudes to non-religious music, and its belief that this kind of behaviour was sinful.
Shelfmark: Stowe 17 f. 38