The earliest preserved, figuratively painted wooden ceiling in Europe can be seen above the nave of St Martin's Church in Zillis. It features beheadings, temptations, naked people, and lots and lots of fish tails.
posted by nasreddin on Mar 18, 2011 - 30 comments

British couple discover Medieval mural of King Henry VIII on their living room wall. (Includes video of the find.)
posted by scalefree on Jan 31, 2011 - 85 comments

"Among medieval artistic media it was the microchip": the historian Alexander Murray on ivory carving. The Gothic Ivories Project, a new website launched this week by the Courtauld Institute in London, aims to build a database of every surviving ivory sculpture made in Europe between 1200 and 1530. The 400 objects currently on the site, ranging from combs to chesspieces, include some images of astonishing beauty and intricacy.
posted by verstegan on Dec 17, 2010 - 10 comments

Visitors to the Morgan Library in New York will have a rare opportunity to view one of the great masterworks of medieval illumination, the Hours of Catherine of Cleves. But if you don't have a chance to visit, all 157 miniatures have been digitized.
posted by Horace Rumpole on Jan 24, 2010 - 24 comments

Amazing collection of sketches and doodles, drawn on birch bark, created by a child in Medieval Novgorod.
posted by sidartha on Nov 12, 2008 - 26 comments

The University of South Carolina recently completed an ambitious survey of all medieval texts in the state for an exhibit at the university library. All the works were scanned and archived electronically. However, not only can you view the texts online, you can hear the university's chorus sing (MP3) the musical manuscripts. [more inside]
posted by 1f2frfbf on Mar 18, 2008 - 8 comments

Art Images for College Teaching is a searchable, browsable collection of 2,027, well, art images for college teaching, and appears to be mainly the personal collection of Art Historian Allan Kohl (previously on MeFi), and thus represents his interests and specialities, not to mention the variable quality of his photographic skills. Rather strong in Ancient and Medieval, especially architecture, but tapers off as you become more distant from Europe or closer to the 20th century. Nice sets include the Lion Hunt from Ashurbanipal, Iraq; the exterior sculpture of Chartres; and grave stele.
posted by Rumple on Feb 1, 2008 - 4 comments

The Feather Book, digitized by and on display at McGill University: A seventeenth-century book containing illustrations of birds and men -- composed of real feathers, beaks, and claws. More information about the book and its contents and history can be read here.
posted by Gator on Jul 20, 2006 - 14 comments

There are many organizations seeking to reconstruct European swordsmanship. Both modern and more traditional tools are being used train in this art. Well balanced and accurate replicas of swords are becoming the norm. Sparring videos for those needing more visual appeal. Of course, it’s not all about swords. A general forum for all things sword related here. Read about the father of Medieval European sword typology here. Some websites above were previously mentioned here and here.
posted by Mister Cheese on Jul 17, 2006 - 13 comments

Medieval & Renaissance Manuscript Images: Corsair is a well documented online image repository of the Morgan Pierpont Library. There are 58 manuscripts with over 7,000 images ranging from the 9th to the 16th century. Sample image page. Sample search results. Research information.
posted by peacay on Sep 3, 2005 - 8 comments

Decameron Web: A Growing Hypermedia Archive of Boccaccio's Masterpiece.
posted by hama7 on May 19, 2004 - 6 comments

Illuminated manuscripts are truly a joy to behold. And there are a remarkable number of them available on the web for your viewing pleasure. The most famous illuminated MS is the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. For galleries with multiple images, try the resources at DScriptorium, Web Gallery of Art, and the Leaves of Gold exhibition. Elyse Boucher's page is a work-in-progress detailing the history and methods of illuminating books, with both images and secondary sources; see also Sue Wood's Art and Books page.
posted by thomas j wise on Apr 30, 2003 - 10 comments

The Aberdeen Bestiary Project, beautiful scans of medieval art, and translations of the Latin translations of the Physiologus, a story-book of sorts, or an encyclopedia of nature.
posted by sonofsamiam on Nov 17, 2000 - 0 comments