Ringling College’s Selby Gallery continues to impress with a dual exhibition of A Legacy Inscribed, showcasing the Schoenberg Collection of Manuscripts, and “The Great American Graphic Novel.” One a collection of priceless historic artifacts from the great ancient cultures of the world, including Greek, Islamic and Hindu, and the other an exploration of the history of a particular school of American illustration, the pairing seems odd at first, but the juxtaposition becomes clearer walking through the galleries.

The Schoenberg Collection dominates the expansive front room, with the ancient texts splayed across their settings, encased in glass tombs. They rest open, so passersby can investigate the careful calligraphy and colorful illustrations. Divided into sections by general topic, manuscripts dedicated to law, art, medicine, education, social policy and more provide a window into whatever aspect interests the viewer most. A table with reference materials and a handful of chairs has taken up shop in the middle of the room, inviting the curious to brush up on their context.

“The ancient manuscripts not only demonstrate the transmission of early knowledge but also the beginning of the use of layout, color and illustration to emphasize the ideas in specific passages,” said Tim Jaeger, interim assistant director of exhibitions and galleries at Ringling College. This is where it begins to click. “In the graphic novels you have the modern continuation of these early presentation styles in storytelling with the complement of images and text juxtaposed or standing alone, often using panelization to move the story along just as the early scribes used columns to organize.”

“The Great American Graphic Novel,” displayed in the rear room, traces the development of the graphic novel style from the beginning of the 20th century to modern day. Featuring early illustrated books relying more on page-flipping than panel layout as well as more intricate creations such as Will Eisner’s A Contract with God and other Tenement Stories (one of the first to popularize the term ‘graphic novel’), a short jaunt around the room results in a crash course in illustrative evolution.

A Legacy Inscribed is currently on display at the Selby Gallery at Ringling College of Art and Design and will be up until Feb. 18.