The “Basses danses” manuscript, a Burgundian dance book from around 1500, is one of only 7 surviving “black” manuscripts in the world. It has not been shown to the public in 30 years. On 3 and 4 December 2022, the original manuscript of the “Basses danses” will be on display for one weekend only, at the KBR museum in Belgium. Before and after that date, a facsimile will take the place of the original book.
The parchment is soaked in an iron-copper solution and was written upon with silver and gold ink. The manuscript is spectacular, but at the same time extremely fragile, because the black dye affected the parchment fibres.