Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity Proposal

I. Project Description

Held at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art is a twentieth-century, French, illuminated manuscript (KGC-51) that details the life of Saint Didier by Joseph Royer. Other than the author’s identity, the origin of this manuscript and the motive for its production remains a mystery. University of Missouri Curators’ Distinguished Professor Virginia Blanton’s preliminary study of the book has resulted in the hypothesis that Joseph Royer was a bibliophile that dedicated a large portion of his life to preserving the historical legacy of his local community by creating this illuminated manuscript in honor of the local patron saint of Langres, Bishop Didier, in the style of medieval books. Thus, this book was created as an honorific of Royer’s local community.

Verification of this hypothesis hinges upon the collection of an enormous amount of data, and Dr. Blanton has invited me to participate in the investigation and detective work associated with this book. During the plan of work, my goals are to identify the book of hours used as inspiration for the decorations, transcribe and find the source of the St. Didier Text, write a biography of Joseph Royer, seek out information on the book, and make a detailed description of the manuscript. This project will contribute to humanistic knowledge in many ways.

First, completion of this research will provide insight into artistic book production in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and how authors such as Royer contributed to the period phenomenon of book arts produced in the medieval style. Second, this research will provide insight into the continuing value of Saint’s Lives as a literary genre, an underappreciated and under-researched area. Third, this research will provide a genealogy of the Royers, bringing to light details of this influential family. Finally, this research will provide a much-needed study of an archival document, held here in Kansas City. Professor Blanton and I will collaborate to write an article detailing this research and seek publication in an academic journal. Moreover, I will compose a blog post to be included on the CODICES website to highlight our conclusions in an open-access format. Just as Royer intended his work to elevate the prestige of his town, so too will this research contribute to the reputation of our university and let the people of Kansas City and its environs know more about the book collections of the Nelson Atkins library.

II. Methods

Using high-quality images of KGC 51 provided by the Nelson Atkins, I will provide a complete transcription of the French text. Preliminary research will be done at the Miller Nichols Library using digital resources such as the Index for Medieval art. Comparative study of books of hours, as well as research into nineteenth-century bookmaking will be done at the Getty Library using their art historical collections, as well as by interviewing curators. The Getty has materials crucial to this research that I will not be able to find nor access elsewhere. Specifically, I will investigate the items below:

• The Getty’s extensive study photographs of French paintings and drawings archive
• Laurent de Laura’s Elementary instruction in the art of illuminating and missal painting on vellum: a guide to modern illuminators
• The Getty’s collections of Books of Hours, such as those by Master of Jacques of Luxembourg, The Workshop of Gerard Horenbout, Master of the Lübeck Bible, Georges Trubert, Master of Sir John Fastolf.

While most libraries will not allow undergraduate researchers access to such materials, the Getty accepts requests to do so. Also, the Getty allows undergraduates stack privileges in addition to the aforementioned resources. I have already reached out to their library staff to make arrangements for this to happen. Throughout, Professor Blanton’s research on the Weckerlin Manuscript will be used as a complementary source text, as will be Lauga’s article on Royer manuscripts and news articles from Langres. Other crucial source texts may include the items below:

• The British Library’s digitized Hasting Hours
• Smith’s Art, Identity and Devotion in Fourteenth-Century England: Three Women and their Books of Hours
• Suire’s La sainteté française de la réforme catholique (XVIe–XVIIIe siècles), d’après les textes hagiographiques et les procès de canonization
• Winkler’s Die flämische Buchmalerei des XV. und XVI. Jahrhunderts: Künstler und Werke von den Brüdern van Eyck bis zu Simon Bening / Mit 91 Lichtdrucktafeln
• Scott’s The Caxton Master and his Patrons
• Marcel’s La calligraphie et la miniature à Langres à la fin du XVe siècle : histoire et description du manuscrit 11972-11978 du fonds latin de la Bibliothèque nationale
• Hindman’s Manuscript Illumination in the Modern Age

Finally, I will need access to at least thirty secondary sources, which are also available at the Getty.

III. Schedule

June 1-5

• Transcribe the French text of KGC 51.
• Check the transcription.

June 8-12

• Research the Latin and French lives of St. Didier.
• Locate the source of the French life in the Royer Manuscript.
• Research biographical data on Joseph Royer and his training as an artist.

June 15-19

• Research the art of KGC51.
• Identify possible exemplars for the decoration.
• Travel to Getty Museum to look at books of hours and use their library for bibliography on books of hours and nineteenth-century book making, which are only available in person.

June 22-26

• Write a catalog description of KGC51.
• Read and write up the provenance information.
• Write a discussion that explains why Joseph Royer made the book and what its purpose would have served.

June 29-July 3

• Research possible conferences or journals to publish this work.
• Revise and submit conference proposal.

IV. Student Background

I have taken courses that have prepared me to do both linguistic and manuscript analysis, such as History of the English Language, several semesters of Spanish, and Chaucer. In my free time, I have studied linguistics and the French language specifically, developing a budding expertise that will suit this project well. My Current GPA is 3.550. However, I am a returning student, and my first semester back in University, I earned a 4.0 and made the Dean’s List. This is representative of my current performance. Off campus, I have worked for many years as a courier and can be counted on to travel expediently and work remotely. I am also proficient in areas that may aid in the logistical details of the project, including photography and digital humanities computing.

V. Importance to Student

I am interested in completing a terminal degree. However, I am not sure whether that should be an MFA or a PhD. This project will allow me to do a test run of the sort of empirical research done in my field and thus make a clear decision about the future of my career. This will be an excellent test of the skills that I am developing at the University.

VI. Budget