Ruling patterns in three dimensions: materiality and the art of the digitized Iberian bible

Abstract

ABSTRACT While rapidly increasing numbers of online manuscript collections allow for unprecedented search capabilities and access to digital photographs, uncovering the interactions between codicology and artistic expression still requires certain traditional techniques for the evaluation of books as physical objects. Using case studies drawn from medieval Iberian bibles, this paper suggests that the study of layout should be approached multidimensionally: 1), one-dimensionally, as a series of data points, especially in light of manuscript metadata and improving visualization technologies; 2), two-dimensionally, as a ruling diagram that has implications even for pages without text; and 3), three-dimensionally, bearing in mind how the materiality of ruled parchment influences artists and how layouts extend throughout the codex.