Another piece from the Hortus Deliciarum by Herrad of Landsberg. The Hortus Deliciarum was an illuminated encyclopedia that began in 1167 as a tool for novices at the convent of Mont Sainte-Odile. It was finished in 1185, and it the first known encyclopedia to be written by a woman. The majority of it is written in Latin, with some in German. This title is called “Philosophy and the Seven Liberal Arts.” The seven liberal arts are: grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy/astrology. Throughout the circle are women doing what they are to be representing, for example, the music section has a woman playing a lyre, and the arithmetic section has a woman doing arithmetic. In the very middle of the circle is a woman with a crown, holding a scroll, and underneath her are Socrates and Plato, writing and practising philosophy. Underneath the whole circle are four men writing at their own desk. This artwork is quite colourful and detailed. The figures are very lifelike and proportional; the women are wearing beautiful colourful robes. The circle represents that knowledge and learning are unending and continuous. Inside the circle are Latin words. The medium is papyrus.
