Finally, your medieval and Renaissance sojourn in Manhattan should end with a stop at the main branch of The New York Public Library. There in the first floor's D. Samuel and Jeane H. Gottesman Exhibition Hall, you'll find The Splendor of the Word: Medieval and Renaissance Illuminated Manuscripts at The New York Public Library, open through Sunday, February 12, 2006.
Arranged thematically, one hundred illuminated manuscripts from the library's collection describe the relationship of the artist and the patron through examples of illustrated Bibles, liturgical texts, scholarly books and manuals of instruction from the late Tenth through the early Sixteenth Centuries. It's highly recommended that you bring a magnifying glass so that you may appreciate fully the illuminations' artistic richness.
The New York Public Library is located at Fifth Avenue and 42 Street, New York, NY 10018-2788 (Telephone: 212-869-8089; Website: www.nypl.org). "Splendor of the Word..." is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11:00 AM to 7:30 PM, Thursday through Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The exhibition is closed on Mondays, national holidays and Saturday, December 24, 2005. Admission is free.
