“If you add more leaves around those flowers, it will enliven the sense of nature, do you not agree?” Abbot Ferrand recommended in a hushed tone, more or less respecting the rule of silence in the scriptorium. Those scribes creating illustrations and embellishing borders found it hard not to share their work enthusiastically with the brother at the next desk. Looking over Baudet’s shoulder, the abbot suggested: “Indeed, and a second bloom, but lower, I think.” Baudet answered, slowly leaning back on his stool to focus his eyes better on the overall page and pronounce: “That will go well. In this corner, I intend drawing fruits in a basket, or…”
“The cornucopia?”
“Pardon?”
“The horn of plenty. Imagine a huge goat’s horn, hollowed out and holding fruits. It’s often referred to in classica
