{"id":65281,"date":"2022-05-20T14:59:33","date_gmt":"2022-05-20T18:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/big-golden-books-words-of-faith-illuminated-at-the-british-library\/"},"modified":"2022-05-20T14:59:33","modified_gmt":"2022-05-20T18:59:33","slug":"big-golden-books-words-of-faith-illuminated-at-the-british-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldcatholicnews.com\/big-golden-books-words-of-faith-illuminated-at-the-british-library\/","title":{"rendered":"big-golden-books-words-of-faith-illuminated-at-the-british-library"},"content":{"rendered":"
Did you read Little Golden Books as a child? The favorite stories and colorful illustrations, sturdily bound with shining gold spines, were treasures.<\/p>\n
That connection between precious stories and precious metal is almost as old as the written word, as a new British Library exhibition demonstrates with dazzling breadth. Gold<\/em> (May 20-October 2, 2022) includes 50 manuscripts and books from 20 centuries and 17 languages, all lettered, illuminated, illustrated, and\/or bound in gold.<\/p>\n Adding gold to the written word has never been simple or inexpensive. The objects on display at the British Library testify to the value the words held for the artist, the donor or patron, and the possessor. The gold used is not colored paint, but the actual precious metal, painstakingly applied in thin sheets (gold leaf) or in powdered form (known as shell gold, because the powder was kept in seashells) or hammered and tooled into bindings. Those who worked with gold this way were the most skilled craftspeople of their age, because mistakes were prohibitively expensive.<\/p>\n With gold, the page comes alive, catching the light and even seeming to give it off. We call richly decorated medieval manuscripts \u201cilluminated\u201d \u2014 lit up \u2014 precisely because of their liberal use of gold.<\/p>\n Some of humanity\u2019s most precious texts are words of sacred scripture and prayer. Though not all the objects included in Gold<\/em> are religious in nature, many are \u2014 and they represent texts from 5 major world religions. Here is a taste of the riches from the Christian tradition that visitors will see at the British Library.<\/p>\n The Harley Golden Gospels<\/strong><\/p>\nCraft, dedication, and luxury<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Golden words of faith<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n