{"product_id":"9780271078250","title":"A Saving Science: Capturing the Heavens in Carolingian Manuscripts","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eA Saving Science\u003c\/em\u003e, Eric Ramírez-Weaver explores the significance of early medieval astronomy in the Frankish empire, using as his lens an astronomical masterpiece, the deluxe manuscript of the \u003cem\u003eHandbook of 809\u003c\/em\u003e, painted in roughly 830 for Bishop Drogo of Metz, one of Charlemagne’s sons. Created in an age in which careful study of the heavens served a liturgical purpose—to reckon Christian feast days and seasons accurately and thus reflect a “heavenly” order—the diagrams of celestial bodies in the \u003cem\u003eHandbook of 809\u003c\/em\u003e are extraordinary signifiers of the intersection of Christian art and classical astronomy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRamírez-Weaver shows how, by studying this lavishly painted and carefully executed manuscript, we gain a unique understanding of early medieval astronomy and its cultural significance. In a time when the Frankish church sought to renew society through education, the \u003cem\u003eHandbook of 809\u003c\/em\u003e presented a model in which study aided the spiritual reform of the cleric’s soul, and, by extension, enabled the spiritual care of his community. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn exciting new interpretation of Frankish painting, \u003cem\u003eA Saving Science \u003c\/em\u003eshows that constellations in books such as Drogo’s were not simple copies for posterity’s sake, but functional tools in the service of the rejuvenation of a creative Carolingian culture.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penn State University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47173417042160,"sku":"9780271078250","price":39.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780271078250_p0.jpg?v=1765232900","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780271078250","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}