Women's hands in medieval MSs

Have you noticed how many images of women conceal their hands? Silencing body language... https://t.co/kFKcOS3MdN

— WetheHums / Gabriele (@WetheHumanities) November 28, 2015

This tweet caught my attention, since most of the women in medieval MSs that I remember seeing (a) show their hands and (b) aren't necessarily praying. A very quick search of the Manesse Codex and the British Library turned up a number of examples of women holding swords, playing chess, dancing, being courted, holding books, hitting men, handing out tournament wreaths, etc. (in addition to a few praying). So I decided a rather more systematic account was necessary. In this post (which I will return to and edit as time allows), I'm going to give a classification of women's names in medieval manuscripts (starting with British Library ones, because they're easily accessible).

A few notes: I am omitting angels, since their gender is often difficult to determine (or absent), but I am including grotesques that have clearly identifiable female heads. I am going through the BL MSs via place of origin. I have completed indexing through "A".

So far, I have found only four cases of identifiable women whose hands are not visible. The first is BL Royal 20 A XVII f. 33v; the woman appears in a tower, and we only see her upper half. The second is BL Harley 3687 f. 112v, a portion of a genealogy of the kings of France. The kings are depicted in full figure, but only the head of the queen is shown. The third is BL Additional 14761 f. 28v, of a family at a seder table; only the hands of the head of the family are visible. The fourth is BL Additional 27210 f. 4v, where a woman stands with her hands tucked into her sleeves.

Woman not otherwise categorized

Date	Location	MS	Notes
2 or 3q11thC	Augsburg	Harley 2908 f. 15v
2 or 3q11thC	Augsburg	Harley 2908 f. 64v
c1172	Arnstein	Harley 2799 f. 57v	Wisdom, Prudence, Justice, and Fortitude
3q12thC	Angers	Harley 2833 f. 131v	Ruth
c1260	Arras	Yates Thompson 22 f. 149v
1310	Arras	Additional 38117 f. 161v
1q14thC	Amiens	Sloane 1977 f. 50	(1st, right; 3rd, left; 4th, mid)
1q14thC	Arras	Royal 20 D IV f. 102v
1q14thC	Arras	Royal 20 D IV f. 207
1q14thC	Arras	Royal 20 D IV f. 237v
1q14thC	Arras	Royal 20 D IV f. 260	(right)
2q14thC	Barcelona?	Additional 27210 f. 2v	Eve (upper left); Noah's wife (lower left)
2q14thC	Barcelona?	Additional 27210 f. 3	(lower left)
2q14thC	Barcelona?	Additional 27210 f. 4v	(upper right)
2q14thC	Barcelona?	Additional 27210 f. 9
2 or 3q14thC	Barcelona	Oriental 2884 f. 2v
2 or 3q14thC	Barcelona	Oriental 2884 f. 4v
2 or 3q14thC	Barcelona	Oriental 2884 f. 11v
2 or 3q14thC	Barcelona	Oriental 2884 f. 12v
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 3v	(left)
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 4
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 4v
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 6
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 7
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 7v
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 26
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 29
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 32v
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 33v
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 83
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 86
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 86v
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 119
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 120v
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 121
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 168
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 170v
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 171
c1390xc1400	Avignon	Harley 2979 f. 11
1409x1420	Alzey/Altzey	Arundel 117 f. 138v	(right-hand)
c1430	Salzburg	Egerton 1121 f. 38
c1450	Angers	Harley 5370 f. 161v
1455	Barcelona	Egerton 1150 f. 21v	Lot's wife (upper right)
2h15thC	Germany or Austria	Sloane 2560 f. 5
3q15thC	Amiens or Hesdin or S. NL	Royal 17 F IV f. 65v	(blue dress)

Woman praying

Date	Location	MS	Notes
1229x1244	Jerusalem/Acre?	Egerton 2902 f. 14v	Mary
1q14thC	Amiens	Sloane 1977 f. 9v	(upper mid, right)
1q14thC	Arras	Royal 20 D IV f. 168v
1q14thC	Arras	Royal 20 D IV f. 187
1q14thC	Arras	Royal 20 D IV f. 260	(left)
c1390xc1400	Avignon	Harley 2979 f. 87v
c1450	Amiens	Harley 4418 f. 43v
c1450	Amiens	Harley 4418 f. 214v
c1450	Angers	Harley 5370 f. 68	Mary at nativity
c1450	Angers	Harley 5370 f. 167
3q15thC	Amiens or Hesdin or S. NL	Royal 17 F IV f. 232	(uncertain)
c1500	Angoulême or Cognac	King's 7 f. 7	Mary
c1500	Angoulême or Cognac	King's 7 f. 26

The annunciation (Mary)

Date	Location	MS	Notes
1q14thC	Amiens	Sloane 1977 f. 2
c1450	Angers	Harley 5370 f. 33

The visitation (Mary & Elizabeth)

Date	Location	MS	Notes
1q14thC	Amiens	Sloane 1977 f. 2

Woman at Crucifixion (not praying)

Date	Location	MS	Notes
4q12thC	Austria or Germany	Hirsch III.934 f. 40v
3q13thC	Acre or France	Egerton 3153 f. 83
c1390xc1400	Avignon	Harley 2979 f. 83v

Woman carrying linens/cloth

Date	Location	MS	Notes
1q14thC	Amiens	Sloane 1977 f. 7v

Woman at Jesus's tomb

Date	Location	MS	Notes
2 or 3q11thC	Augsburg	Harley 2908 f. 53v
1q14thC	Amiens	Sloane 1977 f. 8

Mary's assumption/coronation

Date	Location	MS	Notes
2 or 3q11thC	Augsburg	Harley 2908 f. 123v
1q14thC	Amiens	Sloane 1977 f. 9v	(upper mid)

Woman serving/holding dish

Date	Location	MS	Notes
c1390xc1400	Avignon	Harley 2979 f. 13
1409x1420	Alzey/Altzey	Arundel 117 f. 138v	(left-hand)
c1468xc1480	Amiens or Hesdin or Bruges	Royal 15 D IV f. 112	grotesque

Woman eating

Date	Location	MS	Notes
1q14thC	Arras	Royal 20 D IV f. 1

Woman getting married/embracing a man

Date	Location	MS	Notes
c1450	Amiens	Harley 4418 f. 36
2h15thC	Germany or Austria	Sloane 2560 f. 6
2h15thC	Germany or Austria	Sloane 2560 f. 7
3q15thC	Amiens or Hesdin or S. NL	Royal 17 F IV f. 65v	(red dress)

Woman carrying child

Date	Location	MS	Notes
c1172	Arnstein	Harley 2799 f. 40	Mary with Jesus
2 or 3q14thC	Barcelona	Oriental 2884 f. 16
c1390xc1400	Avignon	Harley 2979 f. 51	Mary with Jesus
c1390xc1400	Avignon	Harley 2979 f. 54	Mary with Jesus
c1390xc1400	Avignon	Harley 2979 f. 176v	Mary with Jesus
c1450	Angers	Harley 5370 f. 104v	Mary with Jesus
c1500	Angoulême or Cognac	King's 7 f. 34	Mary with Jesus
1516	Antwerp?	Royal 11 E XI f. 10v	Mary with Jesus

Woman holding clothing

Date	Location	MS	Notes
1310	Arras	Additional 38117 f. 224

Woman holding a book

Date	Location	MS	Notes
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 5v

Woman holding a staff or sceptre (including pilgrims)

Date	Location	MS	Notes
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 5
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 100
2h15thC	Germany or Austria	Sloane 2560 f. 14

Woman holding a mirror

Date	Location	MS	Notes
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 104v

Woman holding a chaplet/wreath

Date	Location	MS	Notes
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 104v

Woman holding a wheel

Date	Location	MS	Notes
1q15thC	Avignon	Royal 20 C VIII f. 2v

Woman holding a shield/coat of arms

Date	Location	MS	Notes
1h16thC	Augsburg	Harley 2953 f. 21

Woman holding weapon

Date	Location	MS	Notes
3q15thC	Amiens or Hesdin or S. NL	Royal 17 F IV f. 211

Woman holding unidentified objects

Date	Location	MS	Notes
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 3v	(right)

Woman playing musical instrument

Date	Location	MS	Notes
c1468xc1480	Amiens or Hesdin or Bruges	Royal 15 D IV f. 50	cithara

Woman dancing

Date	Location	MS	Notes
2 or 3q14thC	Barcelona	Oriental 2884 f. 16v
c1340	Artois or Picardy	Royal 20 A XVII f. 9

Woman bathing

Date	Location	MS	Notes
2q14thC	Barcelona?	Additional 27210 f. 9
3q15thC	Amiens or Hesdin or S. NL	Royal 17 F IV f. 297
c1500	Angoulême or Cognac	King's 7 f. 54	Bathsheba

Woman lying in bed

Date	Location	MS	Notes
3q12thC	Angers	Harley 2833 f. 131v	Ruth

Woman visiting the doctor

Date	Location	MS	Notes
1q14thC	Amiens	Sloane 1977 f. 7v
1q14thC	Amiens	Sloane 1977 f. 51v	(3rd, right)

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© 2015, Sara L. Uckelman. Last updated 01Dec15.