The Fitzwilliam Museum : Cambridge Illuminations

Collection Principles: The main page for the Cambridge Illumination online exhibition states that the exhibition provides a "representative selection" of the manuscripts displayed in the Cambridge Illuminations exhibit at the Fitzwilliam Museum in 2005. The online exhibit seems to have been created before the physical exhibit opened. Thus, it would seem that the selection principle guiding the inclusion of manuscripts in the online exhibition was their ability to attract people to the physical exhibit. For this reason, the most beautiful and "sumptuous" images were chosen to be put online. The website does not describe how the manuscripts for the physical exhibit were chosen.

Object Characteristics: Each digital image in the online exhibit can be enlarged using Zoomify, which also allows the user to pan around the image. The images can be accessed in various ways. One can browse by theme (ex. "The Bible and Its Study: From the Cloisters to the University"). Or, one can look at the manuscripts created by a certain scribe/illuminator or those commissioned by a particular patron.

Metadata: Each image is accompanied by a description of the manuscript from which it comes, as well as the the author of the work (ex. Bede), the title of the work (ex. Super cantica canticorum), where the MS was produced (ex. England, St. Albans), and when it was produced (ex. first quarter of the twelfth century). Also associated with each image are the shelfmark of the manuscript (ex. King's College, MS 19) and the folio from which the image is taken (ex. fol. 21v). The viewer is not provided with information about the digital object itself, only about the physical object. Information about copyright is provided through a link at the bottom of each page.

Intended Audience: Given that the online exhibition was published before the physical exhibit was open, I would assume that the purpose of the online exhibit was to showcase the best specimens from the collection in order to attract people to the physical exhibit. Thus, the intended audiences are probably patrons or potential patrons of the Fitzwilliam Museum.