Cathy's Art Diary

Fascinating exhibition at the British Library looking at Magna Carta, 800 years after it was issued, focusing on how and why it was written and the effect it has had since around the world. I studied medieval history both at A Level and university so the first section of exhibition was like meeting old friends I’d forgotten about long ago! The range of material the curators had managed to bring together was stunning from a 1213-14 pipe roll with the earliest depiction of Beckett’s death, Mathew Paris’s map of Britain even the slippers of King John’s first Archbishop of Canterbury. I found the section on King John and Magna Carta itself most interesting and was amazed to see early drafts of it and to be reminded that it was actually annulled by the Pope within weeks of being issued. It was a nice touch to include a facsimile of John’s tomb and fun, but grizzly to also have his teeth! The later sections on how the Magna Carta was used were also really interesting includ...