Last updated on 22 November 2022
The National Library of France contains inexhaustible treasures and magnificent surprises. This is the case for Mandragore, a gigantic iconographic base that includes more than 200 000 illuminations, drawings, seals, and other binding decorations. High-definition illuminations extracted from manuscripts of all ages preserved at the BNF. Watch your eyes. The beauty of these works highlighted and revealed by the magic of digital is breathtaking. They are freely accessible to all.
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A rich iconographic base of the Bnf
However, Mandragore, which I am discovering, is one of BnF’s oldest research bases. It is regularly enriched with new works. It indexes and describes the iconography of more than 208 000 illuminations, drawings, diagrams, binding decorations, seals, etc. Beautiful works of art embedded in ancient manuscripts of all eras. A reference site for all lovers of illuminations.
The Mandragore iconographic database has just inaugurated a new version of its website. The old version of Mandragore required some adjustments after more than ten years of good and loyal service. The new version is much more intuitive and allows simpler navigation.
Mandragore allows viewing, accessing the description, and viewing in high definition the illuminations of more than 208 000 manuscripts
Mandragore is a complementary resource to the archives and manuscripts catalogue and the Gallica portal of the BNF. This iconographic database offers a multilingual iconographic thesaurus of more than 20,000 keywords. The new version of Mandragore has improved search and visualisation functions:
Search with a click for a pattern, a subject, an object in all the illuminations
The search is done from the homepage. Type your word, Mandragore will immediately suggest answers from its base, but you can view all the results. Many criteria on a bar to the left of the results list will allow you to filter all documents.
For a more detailed search, Mandragore offers an “advanced” search tab where you can juggle the criteria and parameters of your query.
Each result is accompanied by its complete leaflet and the keywords associated with the illustration. You will be able to view it in full screen and zoom in infinitely. Note that you can also from the page displayed consult and browse the other pages of the manuscript.
Visualization and manipulation of improved images
Considerably improved, the new version of the Mandragore iconographic database offers countless possibilities for handling and processing illustrations. A success story.
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