Rice’s medieval treasures shine in Fondren Library

Medieval treasures from Rice’s collections — including manuscript folios, a Flemish tapestry and Gothic sculptures in stone and wood — were on special exhibition in Fondren’s Library’s Lovett Lounge during the Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies Feb. 18-20. Rice’s medieval artifacts “rarely see the light of day and are never seen together, so it was a unique opportunity,” said José Candelaria, a Rice art history Ph.D. candidate who curated the exhibition. The conference is the largest graduate student gathering for medieval studies in North America. It was co-directed by Kyle Sweeney and Carolyn Van Wingerden, two doctoral candidates in Rice’s Art History Department.

Separate from the conference exhibition, a small sampling of Rice’s medieval manuscript collection will remain on view in the Lovett Lounge in addition to facsimiles of medieval manuscripts that are currently displayed in the library’s Information Commons area on the ground floor.

(Photos by Jeff Fitlow)