Title of Product:

History and Literature: Sacred and Secular

Image of the product:

Name of Author(s): Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

Name of Producer: Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge

Language/s of Product: English

Website of the product: www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery/cambridgeilluminations/themes/5.html

Target Group: General public, teachers and students 11+

Overall Evaluation: excellent

Objectives & Structure:
Open site with an opening essay about manuscript texts and two downloadable illustrations from work by Matthew Paris. The site is designed for scholars, teachers and students and has a general introduction to the texts of the Middle Ages. There are 2 examples by Matthew Paris and these place his work in context.
Clickable images allow more detailed examination of these.
A side menu allows access to other sections

Description of contents:
The main page has two Matthew Paris illustrations that can be enlarged and interrogated in detail.
The second section of importance is 'Making Art: Medieval Manuscripts' which is an excellent interactive site to allow an understanding of how manuscripts were made
A particularly interesting interactive section about the making of manuscripts requires Flash 6 plugin but this is available as a free download.The reconstruction in this animation is based on an unfinished page from an early manuscript book but shows perfectly how Matthew Paris would have worked.

Evaluation and Comments:

Description of how the website can be used with the students::
The site would provide some excellent background information for students to study on their own and then try out some of the techniques shown. There are also illustrations and text for group discussion

Comments::
An excellent starting point for work on Matthew Paris and manuscripts as well as enabling links to be made between Art and History

Evaluation Date: 30.06.08

Name of teacher: Jane Giles, Ruth Harwood

Name of School: Trinity School

Country: UK

Subjects Taught: Art