The Medici Archive Project has launched its first Online Course in Italian Paleography and Archival Studies. Made possible by grants from The Samuel H. Kress Foundation and the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, this free-of-charge pilot course is designed to increase access to the wealth of information contained in manuscript historical materials, particularly those from late-fifteenth- through seventeenth-century Tuscany. This 13-week online course running from October 12, 2009 to January 10, 2010 teaches the requisite skills to read historical Italian writings, and offers a broad introduction to the nature of Italian archives. From the letters of Michelangelo to the inventories of the Medici family, the digitized documents used to train the course’s participants in paleographic skills will also expose them to a wide range of document types useful for art historical research.
