Browse Exhibits (3 total)
Devotional Printing in France
Originally exhibited May 26–August 25, 2017
Entry Hall
Introduction
The history of religious printing often emphasizes large and elaborately produced books held by wealthy individuals and institutions. Yet publishers also responded to the desire among the general population to possess and utilize religious books. Accessible, small format works provided an intimate experience in prayer, meditation, and religious instruction. The works featured in this exhibition document French interests in personal devotion in the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. The publishing histories of these works also demonstrate the international and cultural importance of themes inherited over several centuries and shared across languages and borders.
Engraved Throughout
Originally exhibited August 15, 2016–December 9, 2016
Entry Hall
Introduction
This exhibition explores religious works printed entirely with copperplates: the volumes were engraved throughout. These pages could be presented side-by-side, as in prayer books and guides to the mass. Alternatively each plate would be viewed individually, often as one print in a series. Such suites of plates proved conducive for illustrating narrative accounts including biblical episodes and the biographies of religious figures. Created with various intentions, the exhibited volumes published in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries provided an appealing and engaging format for instruction, documentation, worship, and devotion.
Highlights from Bridwell Library Special Collections: Public Worship and Private Devotion
Originally exhibited May 24–July 30, 2011
Entry Hall
Introduction
This exhibition comprises a selection of highlights from Bridwell Library Special Collections. Representing various strengths of the library’s rare book collections, the materials document the role of books in religious practice in selected eras and locales. These materials reflect the uncommonly strong foundation for teaching and advanced research that Bridwell Library provides for students and faculty of Perkins School of Theology and Southern Methodist University as well as the broader community.
Bridwell Library’s collection of books for public worship and private devotion spans eight centuries. The types of books highlighted in this exhibition include the Missal, used for the celebration of the Mass; the Psalter and the Book of Hours, for personal prayer; and a variety of popular manuals for private devotion, including the “Imitation of Christ” and the “Art of Dying.” The spiritual functions of such books often were enhanced by rich hand decoration or printed illustration.