About ALPAK
About the OCID Project
The ALPAK Database of Demonic Imagery is a resource for studying how demons — that is, other-than-human beings capable of positive as well as negative interactions with humans — were imagined and represented in the ancient and medieval Mediterranean and West Asian world. Its present focus is on magical papyri and magical devices from Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia.
Source Manuscripts & Codices
The OCID draws upon digitized holdings from major European and American institutional collections. Primary sources include:
The British Library, London — Romanesque and Gothic psalters, apocalypse manuscripts
Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris — French Gothic illumination, Bible moralisée tradition
Bodleian Library, Oxford — English bestiary tradition, De Brailes workshop productions
Morgan Library & Museum, New York — Hours of Catherine of Cleves, various Books of Hours
Nationalbibliothek, Stockholm — The Codex Gigas and related Central European materials
All images appear with permission from holding institutions and are presented for educational and research purposes only.
Research Methodology
Each catalog entry undergoes a standardized documentation process developed in consultation with art historians, medievalists, and conservation specialists. Our methodology addresses:
Formal Analysis — Systematic description of compositional elements, color relationships, spatial organization, and integration with text and margin.
Iconographic Classification — Assignment to established typological categories (hell-mouth, temptation scene, personified sin, etc.) while noting significant departures from convention.
Material Documentation — Recording of support (vellum, parchment, paper), media (tempera, gold leaf, iron gall ink), and condition factors affecting interpretation.
Contextual Framing — Situating individual images within manuscript programs, workshop traditions, patronage networks, and broader cultural-religious frameworks.
Usage Rights & Citation Guidelines
The OCID is intended exclusively for scholarly and educational use. All images remain the property of their respective holding institutions. Commercial reproduction is prohibited without explicit permission from the relevant collection.
For scholarly citation, we recommend the following format:
"Entry Title," Online Catalog of Illuminated Demons (OCID), catalog no. [OCID-XXXX], accessed [date], [URL].
The OCID makes no claim regarding the copyright status of historical images. Researchers are responsible for determining applicable rights and obtaining necessary permissions for reproduction in publications.
Scholarly inquiries regarding the catalog may be directed to the project team through institutional channels.