Symbols and Signs: Decoding Medieval Manuscripts

Do you like puzzles? Think you can crack medieval codes?  Symbols and Signs: Decoding Medieval Manuscripts | Getty Exhibitions

In the Middle Ages, manuscript scribes employed codes to express complex thoughts, indicate hierarchies, represent abstract concepts like music and time, and make the document more playful and engaging for the reader.

Try your hand at deciphering medieval symbols at the link in our bio.

Explore the mysterious world of medieval codes through manuscripts. Learn about the clever configurations of textual and visual elements that medieval scribes and artists deliberately and playfully employed to arrest the attention of readers and engage their minds in deciphering divine and worldly secrets. Intricately interwoven letters, puzzling monograms, cryptic symbols, and more await to be decoded.

This exhibition is presented in English and Spanish. Esta exhibición se presenta en inglés y en español.

May 20–Aug 10, 2025

Getty Center Museum North Pavillion, Plaza Level  Free

All exhibitions are included in your free, timed-entry reservation to Getty. Reservations are available six weeks in advance. Please note, there is a fee for parking.  Parking and Transportation | Getty Center   

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