Mesoamerica, along with Mesopotamia and China,
are among the few known places in the world where writing has developed
independently. Mesoamerican scripts deciphered to date are a
combination of logographic and syllabic values. They are often called hieroglyphs due to the iconic shapes of many of the glyphs, a pattern superficially similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Five or six scripts have been documented in Mesoamerica, but the limits
of archaeological dating methods make it difficult to establish which
was earliest and hence the forebear from which the others developed. The
best documented and deciphered Mesoamerican writing system, and the
most widely known, is the classic Maya script. An extensive Mesoamerican literature has been conserved partly in indigenous scripts and partly in the postconquest transcriptions in the Latin script. Read more . . .
"This page is from a magnificently decorated book of the Gospels, executed in the eleventh century for Uota, Abbess of the convent of Niedermuster, at Ratisbon, in the reign of the Emperor Henry II. The whole page is a superbly decorative composition; in the center is a Crucifixion with figures of Life and Death at the foot of the cross. In the lower angles are minute paintings of the Rent Veil of the Temple, and the opened sepulches; above, at the sides, are symbolical figures of the Church and the Synagogue, or Grace and Law. At the upper angles are the Sun and Moon veiling their faces before the Passion of Christ. Graceful scroll foliage, of the Oriental textile type, fills in the spandrels." text by Middleton
"A sumptuously decorative page from an eleventh century manuscript Missal which was executed for the Emperor Henry II. (Munich Library?) On a brilliant diapered background in gold, red and blue, a standing figure of the Emperor is crowned by Christ, who sits within a vesica aureole. The Emperor receives from two angels the great Cross Standard of the Empire and a sword. His arms are supported by a saint on each side, Saints Ulrich and Emmeram. The whole page is a superb piece of decoration, and is specially interesting because illuminations of this type were evidently used by the earliest painters of stained glass windows to supply them with designs." text by Middleton
Understanding Why and How God Appoints Kings, Rulers and Government: Like it or not, this topic is common to illuminated manuscripts; primarily because only the wealthy could afford to house and feed illuminators and scribes to manufacture books. But remember dear reader, God always offers to provide for our care and growth, even under affliction.
"This miniature illumination is taken from a manuscript of the Sermons of Saint Gregory Nazianzen, which was written for the Byzantine Emperor Basil who reigned from 867 to 886. This figure chiefly illustrates the Byzantine, not the Classical element in the miniatures of this mixed style of art, though there is also a clear trace of Greco-Roman influence in the finely designed drapery of the Prophet." Middleton
"The Book of the Gospels of MacDurnam, who was Archbishop of
Armagh from 885 to 925, is a good example of the later school of Irish
art, in which the figures of the Evangelists are no less grotesque than
those in the earlier manuscripts, while the interlaced and diapered
patterns of the borders and initials are inferior in minute delicacy of
execution to such masterpieces as the Book of Kells." text by Middleton
The Mac Durnan Gospels or Book of Mac Durnan (London, Lambeth Palace MS 1370) is an early medieval Irish illuminated manuscript containing the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), now in the collection of the Lambeth Palace Library in London.
Miniature from The Benedictional of Aethelwold. written and illuminated by a monastic scribe at Winchester.
"One of the miniatures, representing the Ascension; the coloring is extremely beautiful and harmonious, enhanced by a skillful use of burnished gold.
Though the figures and especially the delicately modeled faces have a character of their own, peculiarly English in feeling, yet in the general style of the miniatures, and in their elaborate borders there are very distinct signs of a strong Carolingian influence, owing, no doubt, to the introduction of Frankish illuminators and the purchase of Carolingian manuscripts during the reign of Alfred the Great, more than half a century before the date of this manuscript." text by Middleton
Miniature of Vincent of Beauvais in a manuscript of the Speculum Historiale, translated into French by Jean de Vignay, Bruges, c. 1478-1480, British Library Royal 14 E. i, vol. 1, f. 3. You may also wish to visit a website devoted to Vincent of Beauvais here.
Vincent's Speculum Maius (The Great Mirror), the compendium of all of the knowledge of the Middle Ages, seems to have consisted of three parts: the Speculum Naturale, Speculum Doctrinale and Speculum Historiale. All the printed editions, however, include a fourth part, the Speculum Morale, added in the 14th century and mainly compiled from Thomas Aquinas, Stephen de Bourbon, and a few other contemporary writers.
The most widely disseminated part of the Speculum Maius was the Speculum Historiale, which provided a history of the world down to Vincent's time. It is based on the Chronicon of Helinand of Froidmont (d. c. 1229). It was a massive work, running to nearly 1400 large double-column pages in the 1627 printing.
The first book opens with the mysteries of God and the angels, and
then passes on to the works of the six days and the creation of man. It
includes dissertations on the various vices and virtues, the different
arts and sciences, and carries down the history of the world to the
sojourn in Egypt.
The next eleven books (ii.-xii.) conduct us through sacred and
secular history down to the triumph of Christianity under Constantine.
The story of Barlaam and Josaphat
occupies a great part of book xv.; and book xvi. gives an account of
Daniel's nine kingdoms, in which account Vincent differs from his
professed authority, Sigebert of Gembloux, by reckoning England as the fourth instead of the fifth.
In the chapters devoted to the origins of Britain, he relies on the
Brutus legend, but cannot carry his catalogue of British or English
kings further than 735, where he honestly confesses that his authorities
fail him.
Seven more books bring the history to the rise of Mahomet (xxiii.)
and the days of Charlemagne (xxiv.). Vincent's Charlemagne is a curious
medley of the great emperor of history and the champion of romance. He
is at once the gigantic eater of Turpin, the huge warrior eight feet
high, who could lift the armed knight standing on his open hand to a
level with his head, the crusading conqueror of Jerusalem in days before
the crusades, and yet with all this the temperate drinker and admirer
of St Augustine, as his character had filtered down through various
channels from the historical pages of Einhard.
Book xxv. includes the first crusade, and in the course of book
xxix., which contains an account of the Tatars, the author enters on
what is almost contemporary history, winding up in book xxxi. with a
short narrative of the crusade of St Louis in 1250.
One remarkable feature of the Speculum Historiale is Vincent's
constant habit of devoting several chapters to selections from the
writings of each great author, whether secular or profane, as he
mentions him in the course of his work. The extracts from Cicero and
Ovid, Origen and St John Chrysostom, Augustine and Jerome are but
specimens of a useful custom which reaches its culminating point in book
xxviii., which is devoted entirely to the writings of St Bernard.
An aspect of the Speculum Historiale is the large space
devoted to miracles. Four of the medieval historians from whom he quotes
most frequently are Sigebert of Gembloux, Hugh of Fleury, Helinand of Froidmont, and William of Malmesbury, whom he uses for Continental as well as for English history.
Christ Seated holding the Gospels above and below.
The Codex Aureus of Lorsch or Lorsch Gospels (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Pal. lat. 50, and Alba Iulia, Biblioteca Documenta Batthyaneum, s.n.) is an illuminated Gospel Book written between 778 and 820, roughly coinciding with the period of Charlemagne's rule over the Frankish Empire. Both the manuscript and the carved ivory panels from the cover are rare and important survivals from the art of this period. Read more. . .
From The Book of The Kings of Persia. An Old Persian Manuscript. Folio (S.D.) Sixty-four paintings, portraits of kings, holy men, women, etc., executed with perfection and elaboration. Each miniature is surrounded with decorated boarder. In Persian enameled binding, with conventional flowers and foliage in bright colors.
Left, Youth reading, 1625-6 by Reza Abbasi. Right, Saki, album miniature by Reza Abbasi, 1609
Book-Illustration: Facsimiles of Engravings. Woodcut of a Trumpeter on the
battlefield; designed by Jost Amman about 1570. From the Ritterliche Reutter-Kunst,
folio, Franckfurt, 1584
Book-Illustration: Facsimiles of Engravings. Woodcut portraits of Wilhelm and Ludwig,
Dukes of Bavaria. From the Law-Code (Landpot etc.), folio, printed (at Ingolstadt?) in 1516.
The Virgin Mary nursing baby Jesus by Master Jean Fouquet
The Book of Hours of Simon de Varie (or the Varie Hours) is a French Illuminated manuscript
commissioned by the court official Simon de Varie, with miniatures
attributed to at least four artists; hand A who may have been a workshop
member of the Bedford Master, the anonymous illustrators known as the Master of Jean Rolin (hand B), the Dunois Master (hand C) and the French miniaturist Jean Fouquet. It was completed in 1455 and consists of 49 large miniatures and dozens of decorative vignettes and painted initials, which total over 80 decorations.
Fouquet is known to have contributed six full leaf illuminations,
including a masterwork Donor and Virgin diptych. A number of saints
appear - Saint Simon (de Varie's patron saint) is placed as usual alongside Saint Jude (folio 41); other pages feature saints Bernard of Menthon, James the Greater and Guillaume de Bourges. Read more...
The Bedford Hours is a French late medieval book of hours. It dates to the early fifteenth century (c. 1410-1430); some of its miniatures (including the portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Bedford) have been attributed to the Bedford Master and his workshop in Paris. The Duke and Duchess of Bedford gave the book to their nephew Henry VI in 1430. It is in the British Library, catalogued as Add. MS 18850. Read more...
This page from the Book of Kells was traced onto parchment paper in then colored with inks.
Preparation for class:
Visit the collection of The Book of Kells manuscript at Trinity Collage, link below.
Watch the video documentary for history of those who created and preserved the Book of Kells, links to these are provided below.
Tools:
a variety of ink pens
drawing tools for tracing: pencils and eraser
a traced page printed from the Book of Kells
optional: parchment paper
Process:
Select images to print and trace from the collection online, if you are unable to attend class. I will provide several tracings printed on white paper for those students who attend the seminar.
You may choose to trace (transfer) the image(s) onto a piece of parchment paper using a window or light table depending on your means. If you have access to a printer, simply load parchment paper into the tray and copy the tracing that I provide in class.
Use a selection of fine tip ink pens to color the tracing as you wish. I also used a metallic ink pen to high light and color the sample above.
As you work, give areas of your page time to dry in order to avoid smearing the inks.
Always work using a second clean sheet of typing paper to cover the area where your hand rests and glides across the page. This will keep your work clean and free from the natural oils accumulated on the skin.
Until you decide to either bind your pages in a book or to frame them to give as a gift, keep them covered with plastic sleeves and filed inside of a binder. I will have a sample of a binder like this in class for you to look at. If you are unable to attend class, I will post pictures of a few of my binders here for you to look at.
Study Online: The Book of Kells (Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais) (Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. (58), sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a Columban
monastery in either Britain or Ireland or may have had contributions
from various Columban institutions from both Britain and Ireland. It is
believed to have been created ca. AD 800. The text of the Gospels is
largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure. Read more . . .
Illuminated Manuscript Gospels of the Sixteenth Century in Armenian, with Silver Binding MANUSCRIPT. (The Four Gospels in Armenian). MS. of the end of the XVth or beginning of the XVIth century, written on 256 leaves of native glazed paper; the first 10 leaves containing the calendar tables of the festivities, etc., surrounded by ornamental and architectural borders illuminated in gold and colors; profusely illuminated as the above are very rare, especially when belonging to such an ancient period; and they become still rarer and more precious when ornamented with gold or silver chased bindings of Armenian workmanship.
Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews also apply the term Haggadah to the service itself,
as it constitutes the act of "telling your son."
Illuminated Haggadah (14th century)
The Haggadah (Hebrew: הַגָּדָה, "telling"; plural: Haggadot) is a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. Reading the Haggadah at the Seder table is a fulfillment of the Scriptural commandment to each Jew to "tell your son" of the Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus in the Torah ("And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying: It is because of that which the LORD did for me when I came forth out of Egypt." Ex. 13:8). Read more...
Peter Lombard on the Psalms. Ornate crucifix cast with metal and enamels for the cover of a Bible.
Above, another example of a very rare Bible cover, both front and
back, encrusted with semi-precious gems and precious metals.
"Book collectors Brian and Sally Oxley tell the story of how the King
James Bible came to be.
Their bibles are centuries old and will be on
display at the CrossRoads Community Church
in Naples this Sunday."
I recommend the purchase of an Artograph LED LightPad for serious students. I use this light pad frequently in the adaptation of materials for my classes. You will not need one of these if you are coming to class and experimenting with the simple patterns/designs that I provide for free. However, if you should discover that you wish to continue the pursuit of illuminating manuscripts, you should eventually acquire this model. It is light weight and will protect you from eye-strain and headaches. It is also cool to the touch even after working for hours at a time on it.
This bookplate was originally published in 1905.
I have left a blank space on the ribbon at the bottom
of the design for those of you who would like to
print it out and sign your own name to the
bookplate.
A bookplate, also known as ex-librīs [Latin,
"from the books of..."], is usually a small print or decorative label
pasted into a book, often on the inside front cover, to indicate its
owner. Simple typographical bookplates are termed "booklabels".
Bookplates typically bear a name, motto, device, coat-of-arms, crest, badge,
or any motif that relates to the owner of the book, or is requested by
him from the artist or designer. The name of the owner usually follows
an inscription such as "from the books of..." or "from the library
of...", or in Latin, ex libris.... Bookplates are important evidence for the provenance of books.
Bookplates are very often of high interest (and of a value often far
greater than the odd volume in which they are found affixed), either as
specimens of bygone decorative fashion or as personal relics of
well-known people. However the value attached to book plates, otherwise
than as an object of purely personal interest, is comparatively modern.
The study of and the taste for collecting bookplates hardly date
farther back than the year 1860. The first real impetus was given by the
appearance of A Guide to the Study of Book-Plates (Ex-Libris),
by Lord de Tabley (then the Hon. J. Leicester Warren M.A.) in 1880
(published in London by John Pearson of 46 Pall Mall). This work, highly
interesting from many points of view, established what is now accepted
as the general classification of styles of British ex-libris: early armorial (i.e., previous to Restoration, exemplified by the Nicholas Bacon plate); Jacobean,
a somewhat misleading term, but distinctly understood to include the
heavy decorative manner of the Restoration, Queen Anne and early
Georgian days (the Lansanor plate is Jacobean); Chippendale (the style above described as rococo, tolerably well represented by the French plate of Convers); wreath and ribbon, belonging to the period described as that of the urn, &c. Since then the literature on the subject has grown considerably.
Societies of collectors were founded, first in England in 1891, then
in Germany and France, and later in the United States, most of them
issuing a journal or archives: The Journal of the Ex-libris Society (London), the Archives de la Société française de collectionneurs d'ex-libris (Paris), both of these monthlies; the Ex-libris Zeitschrift (Berlin), a quarterly.
In 1901–1903, the British Museum published the catalog of the 35,000 bookplates collected by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks (1826–97).
Bookplates, of which there are probably far more than a million
extant examples worldwide, have become objects of collection. One of the
first known English collectors was a Miss Maria Jenkins of Clifton,
Bristol, who was active in the field during the second quarter of the
19th century. Her bookplates were later incorporated into the collection
of Joseph Jackson Howard.
Some collectors attempt to acquire plates of all kinds (for example,
the collection of Irene Dwen Andrews Pace, now at Yale University,
comprising 250,000 items). Other collectors prefer to concentrate on
bookplates in special fields—for example, coats of arms, pictures of
ships, erotic plates, chess pieces, legal symbols, scientific
instruments, signed plates, proof-plates, dated plates, plates of
celebrities, or designs by certain artists. I've included below an excerpt from "Bookplates for beginners" by Alfred Fowler 1922. Although much about bookplates has been published since this article, I feel it still describes the basics of collecting these little paper beauties for my readers.
Bookplates for Beginners: Collecting Bookplates
Bookplate depicting a lady reading and walking through
a garden with a peacock. Restored by K. Grimm.
Collecting bookplates is closely akin print collecting. The custom has been in vogue for more than a century; as the first collection was supposed to have been brought together by Miss Jenkins of Bath, England, early in the nineteenth century. In 1880, Lord de Tabley, then J. Leicester Warren, published his Guide to the Study of Bookplates, which was the first book in English on the subject and which excited a considerable amount of interest. The custom of collecting bookplates became popular both in England and on the Continent, and soon spread to America. Bookplate societies were formed in every country, collectors and enthusiasts appeared in great numbers, and a large literature on the subject came into being. The Journal of the Ex-libris Society, published by the English Ex-libris Society, is easily the most important of all these publications and is a veritable mine of information. A series of books devoted to English, French, and German bookplates soon appeared, as well as numerous other publications dealing with special phases of the subject, and an enormous catalogue of the collection of over thirty-five thousand bookplates bequeathed to the British Museum by Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks. About this time Mr. Charles Dexter Allen's American Bookplates appeared in the United States and set the movement in motion over here. Mr. Allen's book was an invaluable addition to bookplate literature, dealing with all phases of the subject in a comprehensive manner. The lists of early American bookplates he published now need to by revised and enlarged in the light of further research, but the book may still be taken as a faithful guide.
Bookplate collecting is invaluable to the development and continued vitality of the art. Large collections, particularly those which are accessible in our public institutions, furnish a field for study and comparison which enables the artist to lay a solid foundation of the traditions of the art under the super-structure of his own ideas. Bookplate owners who have no sympathy for the collector and who employ their bookplates solely for utilitarian purposes, sometimes overlook this very important phase of bookplate collecting.
The vast number of bookplates and the great number of classifications into which they may be divided, lead most collectors to devote their energies to forming special collections. A long list of such possible special collections could be made. The general classifications are such as armorial, pictorial, symbolical, decorative and portrait designs. Then the subject may be divided by nationality, period, or process. Special collections may be devoted to the work of individual artists where the collector takes a check-list of the artist's work and tries to secure a print of every bookplate he ever made. The pursuit is fascinating and usually sets some high hurdles for the huntsman to clear. Since bookplate making has become an art, we find many books devoted entirely to the work of one artist; and these books usually include check-lists of all the bookplates designed by that artist.
Speaking of process, in the last paragraph, brings up a subject which is much discussed: the relative merits of the different processes by which bookplates are printed. This man prefers line-engraving, either on copper or steel. That one prefers etching, whilst another considers the woodblock the ideal medium. Then we find the man who advocates photographic reproduction because it enables the artist to draw without being hampered by any difficult medium, such as the copper-plate or wood-block. On looking over a large collection one is let to the conclusion that each process has its advantages and disadvantages, and that an important part of the secret of a harmonious bookplate's charm lies in the artist's mastery of his medium instead of in the medium itself.
Other interesting specialties are indulged in by collectors. The list is practically inexhaustible and includes angling designs, bookplates depicting ships, bookplates for children, ladies' bookplates, to which a whole book has been devoted, and even erotic designs which flourish almost exclusively in continental Europe. Some years ago the author advocated specializing in artistic bookplates--the Bookplate Beautiful--but the suggestion was not popularly received. Could it have been because such a collection of artistic bookplates, chosen according to the dictates of the collector's own taste, would have been to revealing as an index to his art appreciation? In this respect such a collection would resemble a library, which is always an index to the trend and development of the owner's mind.
Bookplate by E. B. Bird; restored by Kathy Grimm.
Man with a ruffled collar.
Bookplate collections arranged according to family names are valuable aids in genealogical research and have been known to help in the solution of problems in history and philology. A French publisher has recently issued a book devoted to ex-libris de queere, which opens up another interesting specialty for collectors.
During the war, the various societies devoted to the subject of bookplates were quiescent but quickly resumed their activities after the cessation of hostilities. These societies all have fairly large memberships and offer a medium for intercommunication between members which keeps up considerable interest in bookplates in general and bookplate collecting in particular. We have already shown the importance of the latter in keeping the art alive. Another important function of the societies is the publication of books devoted to the subject which could not appear otherwise on account of the limited demand making them impracticable for commercial purposes. Bookplate collecting still flourishes, having safely passed through the stage of being merely a fad, and has settled down to a pace that augurs well for the continued popularity of the use of bookplates as long as men read and own books.
Get a private tour of James Goode's bookplate collection.
