A manuscript page showing a green parrot wearing a bead necklace stomping across a block of text with very orange legs and beak. It has a long tail trailing beyond the text and its expression is distinctly cross. Below the block of text is another image of a white bird perched on a man lying in a bed. The bird is meant to be staring at the man to cure his illness but actually appears to be looking at the viewer. Both the man, resting his head on a red cushion, and the bird have disgruntled expressions. Image from Kongelige Bibliotek Gl. kgl. Saml. 1633 4˚ f.33v

The Bestiary of Ann(e) Walsh(e) is particularly known for the whimsical nature of many of its illustrations as on this page which shows a parrot at the top and a caladrius curing a sick man at the bottom. #medievalmanuscripts #bestiary #annwalsh #annewalshe

A manuscript page showing text divided by a picture of four men in a boat grounded on a whale. The text suggests they think the whale is an island. The colours are muted blues and browns. Image from Kongelige Bibliotek Gl. kgl. Saml. 1633 4˚ f.59v.

Medieval bestiaries are classified into four "Families". The classification refers to the contents of the bestiary. The Bestiary of Ann(e) Walsh(e) is a Second Family bestiary which means that it has been compiled from several sources. #medievalmanuscripts #bestiary #annwalsh #annewalshe

A full manuscript page with two blocks of lined Latin gothic-style text. The blocks are divided by a horned red beast (a bull?) with a tufted tail and a blue dog-like beast is at the bottom of page. There are pen scribbles at the throat and under the feet of the blue beast that look like someone trying out a pen. Image from Kongelige Bibliotek Gl. kgl. Saml. 1633 4˚ f.16v.

The Bestiary of Ann(e) Walsh(e) is dated to c1400-1425 but Anne Walshe is thought to have lived around 1531. She not only practised her signature on certain pages but also scribbled on other pages as on this page. #medievalmanuscripts #bestiary #annwalsh #annewalshe

Two faded signatures on a mansucript page. The top one reads "Ane Walshe" and the lower "Ane W". There is a flourish above the "n" in both signatures which indicates that the letter is doubled. Image from Kongelige Bibliotek Gl. kgl. Saml. 1633 4˚.

This week we're going to focus on one of the books often referred to in our images of medieval beasts: the Bestiary of Ann Walsh (or Anne Walshe). It is named for the signature which appears scribbled on several pages as per this image. #medievalmanuscripts #bestiary #annwalsh #annewalshe