The poem itself is an allegory: a gathering of birds set out on a spiritual quest, each one embodying a particular human flaw or attachment. Passing through seven symbolic valleys, they face trials and moments of revelation, before realising that the divine presence they seek lies within themselves. That sense of pilgrimage carries into the gallery. You are invited to take your own quiet journey through a wide range of avian-themed artworks inspired by the poem, each offering a different response to its ideas.
A Wellcome Research Resources Award-funded project of the University of Cambridge Libraries has recently finished conserving, digitizing, and making available online 190 manuscripts containing more than 7,000 pages of medieval medical recipes.
The Voynich Manuscript, radiocarbon dated to the early 15th century, remains a mystery, with theories about its origins ranging from an enciphered text to an artificial script.