![]() In the early Middle Ages, most books were produced in monasteries, whether for their own use, for presentation, or for a commission. Wealthy people often had richly illuminated " books of hours" made, which set down prayers appropriate for various times in the liturgical day. It was usually reserved for special books: an altar Bible, for example. Illumination was a complex and frequently costly process. The decoration of this page from a French Book of Hours, ca.1400, includes a miniature, initials and borders. Indeed, for many areas and time periods, they are the only surviving examples of painting. Illuminated manuscripts are the best surviving specimens of medieval painting, and the best preserved. Illuminated manuscripts continued to be produced in the early sixteenth century, but in much smaller numbers, mostly for the very wealthy. Very early printed books were sometimes produced with spaces left for rubrics and miniatures, or were given illuminated initials, or decorations in the margin, but the introduction of printing rapidly led to the decline of illumination. Most medieval manuscripts, illuminated or not, were written on parchment (most commonly of calf, sheep, or goat skin), but most manuscripts important enough to illuminate were written on the best quality of parchment, called vellum, traditionally made of unsplit calf skin, though high quality parchment from other skins were also called parchment.īeginning in the late Middle Ages manuscripts began to be produced on paper. A very few illuminated manuscript fragments survive on papyrus. Most illuminated manuscripts were created as codices, which had superseded scrolls some isolated single sheets survive. However, especially from the thirteenth century onward, an increasing number of secular texts were illuminated. The majority of these manuscripts are of a religious nature. The majority of surviving manuscripts are from the Middle Ages, although many illuminated manuscripts survive from the fifteenth century Renaissance, along with a very limited number from Late Antiquity. The very existence of illuminated manuscripts as a way of giving stature and commemoration to ancient documents may have been largely responsible for their preservation in an era when barbarian hordes had overrun continental Europe and ruling classes were no longer literate. Had it not been for the monastic scribes of Late Antiquity, the entire literature of Greece and Rome would have perished as it was, the patterns of textual survivals were shaped by their usefulness to the severely constricted literate group of Christians. The significance of these works lies not only in their inherent art history value, but in the maintenance of a link of literacy offered by non-illuminated texts as well. (also in the gothic period), primarily produced in Ireland, Constantinople and Italy. The earliest surviving substantive illuminated manuscripts are from the period 400 to 600 C.E. As with other religious works, the creative process involved in making an illuminated manuscript was also a time of religious devotion and prayer monks used bright colors in order to illustrate the religious truth and the glory of God. ![]() An informative synopsis for each manuscript orients the reader at a glance, while a 36-page appendix contains biographies of the artists, as well as an extensive bibliography, an index, and a glossary for technical terms.Many illuminated manuscripts were made by monks at monasteries. Now art-historical treasures, they are worth many millions and typically tucked away in private collections or closely guarded archives-until now.Īlthough the focus of this collection is on European manuscripts, examples from Mexican, Persian, and Indian tradition illustrate the refinement and intricacy of manuscript illumination in non-European cultures. ![]() Presented in brilliant large-format reproductions, these paradigms of miniature painting and illumination from the 4th century to 1600 were once the property of some of the greatest power players in history. Now in a revised format, this radiant book brings you face-to-face with 167 of the most exquisite and important manuscripts of the medieval age. The fascinating world of medieval miniature painting and illuminationįrom The Book of Kells to Boccaccio’s Decameron, from the Vienna Genesis to Dante’s Divine Comedy: to open Codices illustres is to open the door into a precious, private world.
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