How, when, and why were manuscripts decorated? The Past in a New Light!

In the 16th century, books began to be printed in Iceland. With this, a new medium for texts appeared, but for centuries Icelanders had written texts by hand on parchment. Despite the arrival of the new medium, handwritten manuscripts continued to flourish in Iceland well into the early 1900s.

Last year, historian Kjartan Atli Ísleifsson published the book Scribers Who Decorated Their Manuscripts: Folk Art and Decoration in Later Manuscripts. The book is the result of research Kjartan has conducted in recent years on decorations and visual material in Icelandic paper manuscripts from the late 17th century to the early 20th century.

In this talk, Kjartan will present his research and his search for decorated manuscripts in the manuscript collection of the National Library of Iceland. He will discuss the main types of decorations that appear in later manuscripts and explore possible sources of inspiration for them. In addition, he will highlight one artistic scriber, Geir Vigfússon (1813–1880), who lived most of his life by the shoreline in Akureyri. Geir was a cottager, but in his spare time he carried out various scholarly activities and left behind a considerable number of beautifully decorated manuscripts.

The book Scribers Who Decorated Their Manuscripts was nominated in 2026 for Award, presented by the professional association of authors of academic works, educational materials, and related publications.

The lecture series The Past in a New Light! is a collaborative project between the Akureyri Academy, the Icelandic Historical Association, and the Akureyri Museum. Hotel Akureyri supports the event series.

Location: Aðalstræti 58
Date: Thursday, March 19
Time: 17:00–17:50
Admission: Free
Note - in icelandic!