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2.2.2 Dry-Point Writing in Medieval Manuscripts

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We do not know when the practice of writing in dry-point in MSS developed, but a number of Anglo-Saxon MSS are known to contain dry-point glosses in OE that are dated to the 8th c. In the case of the “Maihingen Gospels” [1/K:287*], the dry-point glosses may perhaps even be dated to the first half of that century.dry-point writingmedieval practice With the “Épinal Glossary” marking the beginning of extant OE literacy in the MS context around AD 700 (cf. Bischoff et al. 1988: 13; Toon 1992: 427), we can assume that dry-point writing was part of vernacular literate culture from an early date on.

Dry-pointdry-pointdefinition of the term glosses form a sub-group within the wider field of glosses and they are set apart from other glosses only by the manner in which they were physically entered on the writing medium. In medieval MSS – as well as in the case of most present-day writing that we encounter on a daily basis – writing usually consists of letters that are formed on a suitable writing surface by depositing coloured particles. The most common agent that was used to apply such particles to the parchment surface of Anglo-Saxon MSS was ink, a water-based suspension of ground carbon or iron salts, which was applied by means of a quill by a trained scribe. After the water had evaporated, the dark-coloured particles remained in place and allowed the reader to distinguish the individual letter forms by forming a strong contrast with the surrounding pale yellowish parchment.

In dry-point writing no such colouring particles are deposited on the parchment, instead the letters are formed by deforming or bruising the parchment surface by means of a stylus or some other non-colouring hand-held device, such as an awl or a knife. Glosses written in this fashion are sometimes referred to as “scratched glosses”1scratched glosses or “stylus glosses”stylus glosses,2 but the majority of the publications concerned with the topic prefers “dry-point glosses”. It can be argued that the term “dry-point gloss” is more precise than the other two in that the term “stylus gloss” implies that dry-point writing could only be created by means of a stylus, but there is the possibility that other handheld objects (e.g. knives) may have been in use as well for the same purpose, and the term “scratched glosses” in turn implies that the deformation left behind by the writing instrument always consists of a “scratch” – that is a tear or rupture of some kind. As Nievergelt (2007: 48) and Ernst (2007: 52), however, convincingly argue with regard to OHG dry-point writing, it is useful and necessary to distinguish between dry-point writing that consists of a mere indentation of the parchment surface and dry-point writing that effectively tears the uppermost layers of the parchment surface apart. The neutral term “dry-point gloss” seems to be the lowest common denominator by merely stating that some sort of pointy writing utensil was used that did not leave any visible deposit on the parchment surface, but merely a three-dimensional change in the parchment itself.3

Bearing in mind how common the use of the stylus must have been in the monastic context – with the stylus both in use as a wax tablet writing instrument and a MS preparation tool – the stylus is admittedly the most likely candidate responsible for the extant dry-point writing that we know of. Since the material used in the fabrication of Anglo-Saxon styli ranges from relatively soft materials (such as ivory or bone) to rather hard materials (such as iron and brass) the impressions left behind by the various writing implements do not constitute a visually uniform appearance. Moreover, in addition to the stylus, other pointy or sharp utensils could potentially have been used for writing – such as awls (used for punching the prick-marks), quill-knives (used for preparation and repair of the writing quills) and pen-knives (used for all kinds of everyday and MS-related purposes). Meritt (1945: viii) already points out that dry-point glosses could be classified into two groups, namely “those in which the point of the writing implement merely indented the surface of the parchment and those in which it tore the parchment.” Thus, a detailed characterization of the dry-point writing becomes an important tool for the dry-point gloss researcher.

Nievergelt (2007: 47–60), working on OHG dry-point material,dry-point writingclassification of physical appearance presents a classification based on the physical properties of writing in MSS that allows for a differentiated categorization by taking the various types of dry-point writing into account, too. His most basic distinction is that between conventional ink or pencil writing, on the one hand, and dry-point writing, on the other hand; that is between writing that consists of some sort of discolouration of the MS surface (termed type “A”) and writing that merely deforms the MS surface three-dimensionally without any residue of a colouring agent (termed type “B”). In addition to these two broad categories, he defines a third group that shows both characteristics (termed type “AB”), both discolouring and deforming the MS surface. Deformational writing (i.e. type “B”) can be distinguished further according to the physical property of the dry-point writing utensils. Cutting tools and sharp styli will tend to cut the parchment surface (termed type “B.1” in Nievergelt’s taxonomy) and blunt styli will tend to deform the parchment surface without cutting it (termed type “B.2”). Dry-point traces left behind by different writing utensils often show markedly different visual characteristics. Ernst (2007: 52) suggests that glosses that are easily visible to the naked eye are usually of the cutting type (i.e. type “B.1”), while the deforming type (“B.2”) often requires beneficial lighting conditions for the writing to be set off visually on the parchment surface.

Nievergelt (2007: 47–59) convincingly shows that we have to understand dry-point writing as a tiny yet three-dimensional object in the semi-soft parchment surface. This three-dimensional object can have a range of optical properties depending on the nature of the deformation it represents. A tiny ridge may or may not be formed along the movement of the indentation, depending on the pressure applied by the writer, on the physical properties of the parchment itself and on the sharpness of the writing implement. By using an appropriate light source held at the right angle, the upper parts of the grooves created by the stylus or the knife may cast a tiny shadow onto the surrounding parchment and thus offer the eye a visible object, whereas diffuse light tends to blur out the edges and effectively prevents the eye from perceiving individual letter forms. Some dry-point glosses are even on the verge of being invisible in normal light conditions that one encounters in the library reading rooms. Especially type “B.2” writing offers very little contrasting contours in diffuse light and since the visibility of dry-point glosses depends so heavily on the nature of the deformation or the physical tearing of the writing surface by the writing implement, there is no single-best way to make dry-point writing visible on the MS surface. While some dry-point glosses are easily visible in normal, ambient light, others can only be detected during careful autopsy of the MS surface with changing light angles.

Unfortunately, researchers working in a typical MS reading room are rather limited in their possibilities to change the angle of the incident light.dry-point writingdecipherment For practical and conservational reasons the MSS have to rest firmly on the designated foam wedges. Holding a weak, yet focussed electric torch in one hand and wielding it carefully around the MS surface at a low angle often produces a considerable improvement in the legibility of dry-point writing. However, the diffuse artificial light of the reading room can interfere disadvantageously with the light emitted by the handheld torch. Depending on the reading room, it may then be helpful to find a spot near a natural daylight window or to find a comparatively dark corner of the room where the adverse artificial light is the least disruptive. Dry-point glosses that are added to the inner margin of the MS page often turn out to be especially difficult to autopsy, because the researcher is limited in modifying the incidence of light during decipherment due to the physical obstruction presented by the opposing MS page. Dry-point writing in the inner margin of MSS is therefore even more likely to go unnoticed (cf. Nievergelt 2007: 76–78).

The sketchiness of our understanding of OE dry-point glossing has also been severely aggravated by the fact that dry-point writing is usually not readily visible during casual perusal of a MS. Unless a researcher specifically looks out for dry-point writing, there is a good chance that most of the dry-point writing will go unnoticed. The strong contrast offered by ink writing automatically causes the human perception to mask out less extreme contours. As soon as researchers are prepared to see dry-point writing and know what to expect visually, chances of seeing such material increase dramatically.

A Catalogue of Manuscripts Known to Contain Old English Dry-Point Glosses

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