Why Is A Man Trying To Move The Text?
WHY IS THIS MAN MOVING THE TEXT?
This is a page from a late 13th-century medieval manuscript, made in England around 1290–1300.
There is a man in the margin who appears to be hoisting a letter in the text.
And he appears to be moving a line of text.
And there appears to be another tiny figure below him, apparently pulling at him.
Why TF is this happening in a medieval document?
We don't actually know.
It could be that the scribe accidentally left out a line and the artist turned the mistake into a little visual joke — as though someone is physically putting the missing words back where they belong. But we don't know what the other person is doing
We just don't know.
All we really have is what the picture shows us.
What do you think he's doing?
Source
Hoisting Text into Place, anonymous artist, northern Italy, c.1290–1300, W.102.39V, Walters Art Museum. Walters Art Museum.