Epic Illustrations: Vergil's Aeneid in the Vergilius Vaticanus

Words illuminate an idea, image, form for us. They captivatingly entice us and alluringly attract us to listen more, read more, and immerse ourselves more. With the invention of modern technology and innovations, words represent the simplest, purest means of expressing an image. We can formulate an idea in our mind as to the scene that the words are describing or the figures they are portraying. Scholars of ancient literature, just like modern readers, sought to bring together the worlds of literature and art by pairing word and image. A manuscript offers a wonderful medium for exploration of the word-image relationship because we find ourselves viewing the two forms of expression – literature and art – facing each other and evolving together. The manuscript tradition is neither stagnant nor isolated; it develops and evolves along with the historical conditions that surround it. So, while the material may stay the same, its artistic interpretation differs.