[split] f35v parallels "oak and ivy"

[Koen G]

There are some tragic stories of manuscript collectors losing whole trunkloads of books in stormy seas (and almost losing their lives, as well), items they collected while in the south (including parts of Africa) that they were bringing back north.

This is something I always keep in the back of my mind. What we have left now is only part of what was once available. There is also the fact that manuscripts on a different material than parchment, like papyrus, would have needed regular copying because the material degraded when used. This is why most papyrus fragments are often preserved by accident, because they were left in a dry environment for example. The Johnson papyrus and some similar fragments offer a tantalizing glimpse of what may once have been more common.

What I like about wall decorations and mosaics is that people would have seen them every day, in some cases they would literally have them in the pavement. These images are for the ages, so to speak, and may have influenced illuminators at any point in time.