Stefan Drechsler: "Illuminated Manuscript Production in Medieval Iceland. Literary and Artistic Activities of the Monastery at Helgafell in the Fourteenth Century"

Abstract

In 2021, the monograph Illuminated manuscript production in medieval Iceland. Literary and artistic activities of the monastery at Helgafell in the fourteenth century was published, written by Stefan Drechsler and published by Brepols Publishers. The book is a reworking of Drechsler’s doctoral thesis, defended at The University of Aberdeen in 2017. As the title and subtitle indicate, the manuscript production at Helgafell is treated, and a particular focus is on the artwork in the manuscripts. The aim of the author is to analyze the Helgafell group of manuscripts from the perspective of content, production and artwork, in order to discern the characteristics of these manuscripts. An important task of the study is also to investigate the foreign influences on the artwork in the manuscripts. This is an important aspect, as many of the manuscripts in the group are richly illuminated.