DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14714#0016
4
THE ILLUMINATED BOOKS OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
ILLUMINATIONS OF THE TWELFTH CENTURY.
Example.—a page from the arnstein bible, b. m. harl.,
2798 & 2799.
A new and more florid style of initial letters arose about
the eleventh century, formed principally of interlacing
branches, sometimes terminating in the heads of animals, and
at other times interwoven with animals, the spaces between the
ornaments generally filled alternately with light blue and
delicate green. This style continued to acquire richness and
distinctness until it resolved itself in the twelfth century into
a very remarkable and highly decorative style; perhaps the
noblest style of illumination ever evolved during the whole
thirteen centuries during which the art was practised. It is
principally founded upon the scrolling acanthus, as exhibited
in the most florid Roman friezes, but rendered infinitely more
intricate, and the details treated in the crisp and peculiar
manner of the period—the circling stems forming a more
prominent part in the composition than the foliage, whilst in
the Roman frieze-work the foliage is principal and the stems
completely subordinate. The fine style of the twelfth century
flourished all over Western Europe, but appears to have been
practised with most success in Rhenish Germany. It exhibited
itself not only in the art of illumination but also in sculpture,
in stained glass, and in gold and silver work, in each modified
by the nature of the material.
In illuminated books this style is seldom found so highly
enriched with colour, or forming such large compartments as in
our specimen; more generally it is confined to large initial
letters, some of which are coloured, but very rarely enriched
with gold, being more generally only outlined in red with
exquisite precision and effect, and frequently most elaborate
in their composition. Even when only outlined in red they
have occasionally a background coloured differently in the
different compartments, and the effect so produced is, I
believe, the foundation of the well-known Italian style, formed
of white interlacing branches on variously-coloured grounds,
that arose about the middle of the fifteenth century.
It is to be regretted that the fine style of the twelfth cen-
tury is never, in illumination, found applied to borders ; for it
is evident that if its artists had given it that direction, it is
capable of lending itself with the greatest and most beautiful
effect to that form of book decoration.
Illuminations being almost the only examples of pictorial
ornament of the early periods that have come down to us, are
consequently very important records, enabling the architect to
restore the decayed polychromic effect of some of our finest
monuments in their true characters. This has been accom-
plished with the happiest effect in the restoration of the
Temple Church, great part of which is work of the twelfth
century, and the florid ornaments of illuminated books of the
period have furnished the style of the newly painted deco-
rations.
The fine style of the twelfth century may be divided into
two distinct schools. In the one, the interweaving branches
remain white, the grounds alone being coloured. In the other,
the interweaving branches themselves are richly coloured, and
the ground is gold, or of some deeper tone of colour. In the
style that arose in Italy in the fifteenth century, founded upon
the Northern styles of the twelfth, as above suggested, the
same distinct phases of treatment may be observed, the earlier
specimens being composed of branch-work left white, of which
the effect may be seen in our page from a MS. Juvenal; whilst,
in a later and rarer style, the branch-work is highly coloured,
as in our splendid example from the MS. of Aulus Gellius.
I have above suggested that the styles of the twelfth cen-
tury might have formed exquisite borders, whereas they are
generally confined to the composition of initial letters. The
Italian styles, just alluded to, and to be referred to hereafter,
are, however, beautiful illustrations of the exquisite adapta-
tion of the twelfth century styles to that feature of illumi-
nation.
I cannot close this brief account of the styles of illumi-
nation which prevailed in the twelfth century, without
alluding to a singular variety presented in the fine MS. now
forming part of the Egerton collection in the British Museum,
(No. 1139.) The exquisitely carved ivory cover of this MS. is
evidently its original binding, and is a most beautiful
monument of the art of carving at the period The MS.
itself appears to have been executed at Constantinople, but by
a western caligrapher and illuminator. The peculiarity of
the style of the beautiful initial letters consists in their being
entirely gold richly shaded with black, of which I know no
other example. The volume also contains many miniatures,
evidently by a Byzantine artist of the period, which possess
no particular interest except that arising from their very
beautiful state of preservation.
For references to MSS. of the twelfth century, see the
appended list.
THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY.
Examples.—a psalter in the British museum, lansdowne
431; the hours of st. louis ; and a psalter in the
possession of h. holford, esq.
The first style to be noticed in the thirteenth century is one
which is evidently a highly-wrought working out of that of
the twelfth; the same scrolling and interscrolling is rendered
much more intricate and more slender, and the details more
accurately finished and more various; a profusion of figures
both of the human subject and animals being introduced,
generally in illustration of the text, but occasionally in an
arbitrary manner and with the sole view of decorative effect.
Large square compartments, occupying an entire page, or a
large portion of it, which are of rare occurrence in the twelfth
century, become common in the thirteenth, and are generally
surrounded by small mouldings, or rather bordcrings, of very
delicate design and execution; such is the style exemplified
by our specimen from a magnificent Psalter of the period, in
the British Museum.
In the style treated of in the twelfth century, and in this
style of the thirteenth century, miniature pictures are of rare
occurrence ; the decorative features being, at all events, com-
pletely predominant. But a style arose on the Continent of a
nearly opposite character, of which our specimen from the
Hours of St. Louis forms a good example, in which the mini-
atures became principal, and the borders which surround them
entirely subordinate, forming merely a simple frame to the
picture; the large initials also being made to form frames
to miniatures—the whole letter also inclosed in a square frame
formed of narrow borderings similar to those of the mini-
atures. These borderings are evidently founded upon the style
of illumination peculiar to early Byzantine MSS., but they
appear to have been modified by a more modern Italian
feeling—the oriental character of detail having nearly disap-
peared. It is probable that this style of ornament, based upon
Byzantine models but much modified, arose in Italy, from
which it spread to France during the active intercourse caused
by the crusade of St. Louis.* It was not, however, the style in
most general practice; that of the Psalter of St. Louis,-!* which
presents the usual characteristics described of the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries, being much more common. It was my
original intention to have given a specimen from that fine
MS., but my space has not allowed me to do so.% The next style
to be noted in this century is that in which, while much of the
peculiar detail and circular feeling of the early part of the
century is preserved, the angular and peculiarly Gothic senti-
ment began to prevail, though in a manner scarcely definable ;
but which was to appear in the beginning of the next century
in a pure and distinct form. Of this style the Psalter in the
collection of Mr. Holford is a good specimen. The latest
features of the styles of the thirteenth century were the intro-
duction of the long-tailed initials, which formed a sort of
border to one side of the page, terminating in a scroll, or
curved leaf, at the bottom, and sometimes passing beneath the
lower portion of the text. Of this style I have not space for
a specimen; but as the style was not highly decorative nor
complete in itself, but only forming a link to that well-marked
style which was developed early in the next century, the
omission is less to be regretted. In some cases the tailed
letter was formed into a dragon, which bordered with a
narrow ground of gold formed an almost regular border, upon
which some of the illuminations of the fifteenth century were
eventually founded.
The most exquisite illuminations of the thirteenth centuiy,
in which miniatures formed a leading feature, were undoubt-
edly executed in Paris, where a school of illumination was
formed about this time which evidently took the lead of all
* Some MSS. of this period are profusely filled with miniatures inclosed
in neat borderings founded upon small Byzantine patterns; such, for instance,
is the Bestiarium of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford;—a curious work on
the nature of beasts, of which several copies—more or less beautifully illumi-
nated—are known to exist.
\ The Psalter of Louis, or rather of Queen Blanche, preserved in the
Library of the Arsenal, Paris.
t One of its pages is, however, figured in Mr. Westwood's Illuminated
Illustrations of the Bible, and exhibits another peculiarity of the style,
namely, the scrolls or branches terminating in elaborate flower-like ornaments.
THE ILLUMINATED BOOKS OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
ILLUMINATIONS OF THE TWELFTH CENTURY.
Example.—a page from the arnstein bible, b. m. harl.,
2798 & 2799.
A new and more florid style of initial letters arose about
the eleventh century, formed principally of interlacing
branches, sometimes terminating in the heads of animals, and
at other times interwoven with animals, the spaces between the
ornaments generally filled alternately with light blue and
delicate green. This style continued to acquire richness and
distinctness until it resolved itself in the twelfth century into
a very remarkable and highly decorative style; perhaps the
noblest style of illumination ever evolved during the whole
thirteen centuries during which the art was practised. It is
principally founded upon the scrolling acanthus, as exhibited
in the most florid Roman friezes, but rendered infinitely more
intricate, and the details treated in the crisp and peculiar
manner of the period—the circling stems forming a more
prominent part in the composition than the foliage, whilst in
the Roman frieze-work the foliage is principal and the stems
completely subordinate. The fine style of the twelfth century
flourished all over Western Europe, but appears to have been
practised with most success in Rhenish Germany. It exhibited
itself not only in the art of illumination but also in sculpture,
in stained glass, and in gold and silver work, in each modified
by the nature of the material.
In illuminated books this style is seldom found so highly
enriched with colour, or forming such large compartments as in
our specimen; more generally it is confined to large initial
letters, some of which are coloured, but very rarely enriched
with gold, being more generally only outlined in red with
exquisite precision and effect, and frequently most elaborate
in their composition. Even when only outlined in red they
have occasionally a background coloured differently in the
different compartments, and the effect so produced is, I
believe, the foundation of the well-known Italian style, formed
of white interlacing branches on variously-coloured grounds,
that arose about the middle of the fifteenth century.
It is to be regretted that the fine style of the twelfth cen-
tury is never, in illumination, found applied to borders ; for it
is evident that if its artists had given it that direction, it is
capable of lending itself with the greatest and most beautiful
effect to that form of book decoration.
Illuminations being almost the only examples of pictorial
ornament of the early periods that have come down to us, are
consequently very important records, enabling the architect to
restore the decayed polychromic effect of some of our finest
monuments in their true characters. This has been accom-
plished with the happiest effect in the restoration of the
Temple Church, great part of which is work of the twelfth
century, and the florid ornaments of illuminated books of the
period have furnished the style of the newly painted deco-
rations.
The fine style of the twelfth century may be divided into
two distinct schools. In the one, the interweaving branches
remain white, the grounds alone being coloured. In the other,
the interweaving branches themselves are richly coloured, and
the ground is gold, or of some deeper tone of colour. In the
style that arose in Italy in the fifteenth century, founded upon
the Northern styles of the twelfth, as above suggested, the
same distinct phases of treatment may be observed, the earlier
specimens being composed of branch-work left white, of which
the effect may be seen in our page from a MS. Juvenal; whilst,
in a later and rarer style, the branch-work is highly coloured,
as in our splendid example from the MS. of Aulus Gellius.
I have above suggested that the styles of the twelfth cen-
tury might have formed exquisite borders, whereas they are
generally confined to the composition of initial letters. The
Italian styles, just alluded to, and to be referred to hereafter,
are, however, beautiful illustrations of the exquisite adapta-
tion of the twelfth century styles to that feature of illumi-
nation.
I cannot close this brief account of the styles of illumi-
nation which prevailed in the twelfth century, without
alluding to a singular variety presented in the fine MS. now
forming part of the Egerton collection in the British Museum,
(No. 1139.) The exquisitely carved ivory cover of this MS. is
evidently its original binding, and is a most beautiful
monument of the art of carving at the period The MS.
itself appears to have been executed at Constantinople, but by
a western caligrapher and illuminator. The peculiarity of
the style of the beautiful initial letters consists in their being
entirely gold richly shaded with black, of which I know no
other example. The volume also contains many miniatures,
evidently by a Byzantine artist of the period, which possess
no particular interest except that arising from their very
beautiful state of preservation.
For references to MSS. of the twelfth century, see the
appended list.
THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY.
Examples.—a psalter in the British museum, lansdowne
431; the hours of st. louis ; and a psalter in the
possession of h. holford, esq.
The first style to be noticed in the thirteenth century is one
which is evidently a highly-wrought working out of that of
the twelfth; the same scrolling and interscrolling is rendered
much more intricate and more slender, and the details more
accurately finished and more various; a profusion of figures
both of the human subject and animals being introduced,
generally in illustration of the text, but occasionally in an
arbitrary manner and with the sole view of decorative effect.
Large square compartments, occupying an entire page, or a
large portion of it, which are of rare occurrence in the twelfth
century, become common in the thirteenth, and are generally
surrounded by small mouldings, or rather bordcrings, of very
delicate design and execution; such is the style exemplified
by our specimen from a magnificent Psalter of the period, in
the British Museum.
In the style treated of in the twelfth century, and in this
style of the thirteenth century, miniature pictures are of rare
occurrence ; the decorative features being, at all events, com-
pletely predominant. But a style arose on the Continent of a
nearly opposite character, of which our specimen from the
Hours of St. Louis forms a good example, in which the mini-
atures became principal, and the borders which surround them
entirely subordinate, forming merely a simple frame to the
picture; the large initials also being made to form frames
to miniatures—the whole letter also inclosed in a square frame
formed of narrow borderings similar to those of the mini-
atures. These borderings are evidently founded upon the style
of illumination peculiar to early Byzantine MSS., but they
appear to have been modified by a more modern Italian
feeling—the oriental character of detail having nearly disap-
peared. It is probable that this style of ornament, based upon
Byzantine models but much modified, arose in Italy, from
which it spread to France during the active intercourse caused
by the crusade of St. Louis.* It was not, however, the style in
most general practice; that of the Psalter of St. Louis,-!* which
presents the usual characteristics described of the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries, being much more common. It was my
original intention to have given a specimen from that fine
MS., but my space has not allowed me to do so.% The next style
to be noted in this century is that in which, while much of the
peculiar detail and circular feeling of the early part of the
century is preserved, the angular and peculiarly Gothic senti-
ment began to prevail, though in a manner scarcely definable ;
but which was to appear in the beginning of the next century
in a pure and distinct form. Of this style the Psalter in the
collection of Mr. Holford is a good specimen. The latest
features of the styles of the thirteenth century were the intro-
duction of the long-tailed initials, which formed a sort of
border to one side of the page, terminating in a scroll, or
curved leaf, at the bottom, and sometimes passing beneath the
lower portion of the text. Of this style I have not space for
a specimen; but as the style was not highly decorative nor
complete in itself, but only forming a link to that well-marked
style which was developed early in the next century, the
omission is less to be regretted. In some cases the tailed
letter was formed into a dragon, which bordered with a
narrow ground of gold formed an almost regular border, upon
which some of the illuminations of the fifteenth century were
eventually founded.
The most exquisite illuminations of the thirteenth centuiy,
in which miniatures formed a leading feature, were undoubt-
edly executed in Paris, where a school of illumination was
formed about this time which evidently took the lead of all
* Some MSS. of this period are profusely filled with miniatures inclosed
in neat borderings founded upon small Byzantine patterns; such, for instance,
is the Bestiarium of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford;—a curious work on
the nature of beasts, of which several copies—more or less beautifully illumi-
nated—are known to exist.
\ The Psalter of Louis, or rather of Queen Blanche, preserved in the
Library of the Arsenal, Paris.
t One of its pages is, however, figured in Mr. Westwood's Illuminated
Illustrations of the Bible, and exhibits another peculiarity of the style,
namely, the scrolls or branches terminating in elaborate flower-like ornaments.