Rylands BlogBehind the scenes

A screen grab showing the stone grotesque from the online Sketchfab model. The model is viewed straight on with a drop shadow.

by Tony Richards December 11, 2025 1

Brought to light – A stone grotesque and the Artec Spider II scanner

By Tony Richards and Samuel Simpson The Rylands Heritage Imaging Lab have recently taken delivery of an Artec Spider IIContinue Reading

by Tony Richards September 12, 2025 2

3D printing Cuneiform 931

Senior Photographer Tony Richards writes about 3D printing a facsimile of Cuneiform 931 as a handling object for the public, alongside the original, at the Wellcome Collection as part of the Thirst: In Search of Water exhibition.

by jocastlejrl August 29, 2025 1

Behind the scenes Long read Photography Visual Collections

Digital Concrete: Reconstructing Frog, Pond, Plop

Jo Castle, senior photographer at the John Rylands Library, writes about creating a digital version of a radical translation of a poem about a frog

by Tereza Ward June 20, 2025 3

Behind the scenes Collections Guest post Photography Research

Arthur Gook and the trouble with letters

MA student Alex Tunstall shares her reflections on cataloguing the Echoes of Service correspondence files

by Jessica Smith May 30, 2025 0

Behind the scenes Collections Short read

Showcasing the Elizabeth Gaskell Collection

Dr Imogen Durant presents the new Elizabeth Gaskell Collection at the John Rylands Library, guiding users to the wealth of material available.

Crop of a page of German MS 3 A crowned figure, standing in a cosmic balance between the celestial bodies of the Sun and Moon. Bipartite limbs representing planetary influences. The right leg stands on a golden Sun, the calf is grey representing Saturn and thigh in yellow representing the Sun, signifying the solar principle. The symbol for Saturn is on the foot. The left leg stands on a crescent moon and is blue (Jupiter) with the thigh white (Moon) symbolizing lunar forces. The symbol for Jupiter on the foot. The right arm, coloured grey, holding an orb represents Mars The left arm, coloured green, represents Venus, holding a sphere with the Venusian vigil, associated with harmony and material beauty. The head is red, likely denoting the final stage of the alchemical process, the Rubedo or Red stage. Two distinct vapours emerge from the mouth: Left vapour is white with the symbol for salt above, representing purity, crystallization, and stability. Right vapour is red with the symbol for Sulphur, associated with volatility, energy, and the fiery principle. The golden crown signifies the completion of the Great Work (Magnum Opus), the transmutation of base matter into the Philosopher’s Stone. The figures navel bears the Mercury symbol, linking the figure to the trinity of Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury, the three fundamental principles in alchemy.

by jwrobinson May 23, 2025 0

Behind the scenes Collections Research

Decoding & Encoding German MS 3 – Alchemy, Imagery, and Metadata

Manager of the Rylands Heritage Imaging Lab and part-time MA Library and archives student Jamie Robinson introduces his placement creating enhanced metadata for an 18th-century mysterious alchemical manuscript in the Rylands Collections.