Following detailed research and investigation at Lichfield Cathedral in the summer of 2010, William F. Endres, Professor of Digital Humanities from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky, will present his latest research in a lecture, to be delivered twice, on Saturday August 6th on the subject, ‘The St Chad Gospels: multispectral imaging and latest research’.
Last summer, Professor Endres, who specialises in illuminated manuscripts and visual rhetoric, digitised the 8th century St Chad Gospels and also the Cathedral’s Wycliffe New Testament. The project, which was in collaboration with the University of Kentucky’s Center for Visualization and Virtual Environments, used multispectral and 3D imaging. Professor Endres is examining these images to recover worn text and images and better understand the Gospel’s overall decorative scheme and scribal practices. He is currently working on a book and also an online, digital version of the St Chad Gospels, an Anglo Saxon treasure, which is older than the Book of Kells.
Professor Endres is visiting the Cathedral on August 6th and the lecture will take place in the Cathedral’s Old Stables at 10.30am and again at 2pm. The lectures take place during the Staffordshire Hoard on Tour exhibition, which can be seen between July 30th and August 21st in the Cathedral Chapter House. The St. Chad Gospels will be displayed next to the Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard during the exhibition, as both date from the same period in history. Free timed-entry tickets for the exhibition may be booked via the Garrick Box Office on 01543 412121.
Professor Endres said of the lectures:
“I look forward to returning to Lichfield Cathedral and presenting initial results from my work digitizing the St Chad Gospels. The digitization process, which included multispectral imaging, allows the recovery of worn text and images. But just as spectacular and revealing are the magnified details of the Gospels made possible through the digital imaging—they reveal a skill and precision by the artist and scribe that is breathtaking”.
Tickets for the lecture are £10 and are available from the Cathedral shop (No. 9 the Close or telephone 01543 306150).
For more information about the St. Chad Gospels visit www.lichfield-cathedral.org/Cathedral-Treasures.
