10/29/2022 0 Comments Famous illuminated manuscripts![]() The illuminations of the Psalter illustrate how manuscripts and their models travelled in the Middle Ages. As such, it embodies an attempt to embrace all available knowledge on the Psalms, each translation contributing to the understanding.ĭetail from the Canterbury psalter, Latin 8846, f.6v, circa 1176-1200 A few lines of Old English are also included in the Psalter. Moreover, there is a fourth version present in the interlinear translation of the Psalms into Anglo-Norman French, written above the Hebraicum text. It includes two Latin versions of the Psalms along with the Hebraicum, a translation made from Hebrew that was never used liturgically. The Canterbury Psalter is extraordinarily rich textually as well as visually. ![]() It was produced in the late-12th century and illuminated around 1200 in the scriptorium of the Benedictine monastery of Christ Church of Canterbury, an archiepiscopal seat and one of the richest ecclesiastical houses in England.ĭetail from the Canterbury psalter, Latin 8846, f.5v, circa 1176-1200 The Canterbury Psalter (BnF, Mss., Latin 8846) is one of the most famous and lavishly illustrated manuscripts made in England in the Romanesque era. The Canterbury Psalter, Latin 8846, f.1r, circa 1176-1200īibliothèque nationale de France, NoC-OKLR Written between the 8th and the 12th centuries, they represent the variety and spread of the intellectual production of the early Middle Ages and the Romanesque era. 400 manuscripts held by the BnF, and 400 held by the British Library were selected because of their importance for the history of French and English relations in the Middle Ages, as well as for their artistic, historical or literary value. ![]() The art of the middle ages is easily identifiable, and probably one of the most interesting periods in art history, and for this, we have to thank a hardworking group of monks.Thanks to the patronage of The Polonsky Foundation, the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) and the British Library have established an unprecedented partnership in the field of medieval manuscripts. The priests reading from it likely already had the pages memorized, so the book was sitting upon the altar displayed for everyone to see. Containing the four gospels, the book is a wonderful mix of Latin and Irish, but it most likely wasn’t designed for reading. During a time most famously referred to as the dark ages, on a small bleak island in the Atlantic, the monks in Iona created the most intricate, colorful, and borderline psychedelic works of art the world had ever seen. Columbia’s order in Iona, Scotland, and later Kells, Ireland, created what is arguably the most famous illuminated manuscript, The Book of Kells in 800 CE. Most of what we know about art during this period comes from these illuminated manuscripts that were so well preserved by the churches. They capture the stylistically inaccurate depictions of the human body and the 2-dimensional landscapes that were popular at the time. But the drawings, depictions of the story and ornate floral margins, are what really makes these books special. They are usually copies of the bible, small prayer books, or other such religious texts, but the writing is not the focus, in fact, there were usually quite a few mistakes. Leaf from Book of Hours from Park West gallery The texts these (and other) monks created are called illuminated manuscripts, because of their ( real! ) gold detailing. Within the Benedictine order, the largest organizations/belief system of monks at the time, the Cluniacs in particular, held music and art in high regard, spending most of their time creating religious art and music. Because of the intensity of both processes, most of the books were religious texts created and designed by monks. So, we’re going to make a pretty big time jump from last week’s post, all the way back to the early middle ages, 500 to 1000 CE, to talk about illuminated manuscripts.īefore the printing press was invented in Europe, by Johann Gutenburg in 1436, books were either copied by hand or carved onto woodblocks. The Great Wave off Kanagawa, an example of woodblock printing But I did find some cool stuff, and my inspiration for this post, in my notes. ![]() I am, truly, lucky there wasn’t anything growing in there (unlike my locker, sorry everyone). In an effort to avoid my responsibilities, but still look busy enough that no one would yell at me, I started to finally clean out my pre-pandemic school bag. This week, we’re all moving back into our dorms, and like any good student I have put off my packing until probably the night before. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |