Workshops, scriptoria and small centres: epigraphic production in the province of Burgos

Abstract

Knowing the making process of Medieval inscriptions is, still today, one of the enigmas in Medieval Epigraphy. This science has focused so far on the internal and external aspects of inscriptions, but the process of their genesis has been relegated to a second place, owing, among other causes, to the difficulty we, specialists, have to face to reconstruct that process.

Nevertheless, little by little we have been tracking the records left in epigraphs, delving into the Paleographic individual and comparative studies, and relating this activity to artistic workshops, basically sculptural, in order to shed some light on the functioning of the different centres producing inscriptions.

The province of Burgos is an unrivalled setting to tackle a study with such characteristics. The enormous amount of preserved inscriptions, their diversity, and their geographical distribution lead us to meet a unique range of occasional workshops, as well as the production associated to some book scriptorium, large sculptural workshops, small artisanal centres and itinerant centres. All of these show specific peculiarities which we intend to highlight and account for below.