KBR Museum - the black manuscripts

The Dukes of Burgundy's collection of several hundred illuminated manuscripts and books are the foundation of the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR) but because of the deleterious effects of light on these priceless works of art they can only be exposed for 6 months at a time. The current rotation of manuscripts is a very special one in that the centerpiece of the exhibition is a black manuscript of renaissance dances written with gold and silver inks. There are only 7 black manuscripts in existence in the world and because of their extreme fragility they are never exposed. For the duration of this rotation the black manuscript that is on display will be a facsimile except on December 3rd and 4th when the original will be very exceptionally displayed.
We spoke with curator Ann Kelders.
www.kbr.be