Theophilus Presbyter

views updated

Theophilus Presbyter

fl. 1100s

German Benedictine monk and craftsman who, between 1110 and 1140, wrote De diversis artibus, an extensive three-volume work about the techniques of all known contemporary crafts, including stained glass, metalwork, ivory carving, and manuscript illumination. The Latin text, which makes the earliest known European reference to paper, was translated into English in 1961. Theophilus Presbyter was probably the pseudonym of Roger of Helmarshausen.

More From encyclopedia.com