DOI issue:
Special winter-number 1896-7
DOI article:Armour, Margaret: Beautiful modern manuscripts
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17298#0375
Beautiful Modern Manuscripts
Mr. Reuter's work re-
sembles Mrs. Traquair's
only in charm. His forte
^;:(ilrr^oiiniHcnutu;t|unu h<teci | \\dZT7Zl subruh^
Jb-^ uuGc tupdlaur d\u Jjfflvm j°ined to his serenifyant*
Y--^^-^^^-^-<TJ grace of style, makes one
' \5 Y^t^i^^^ '^^AN^n handle his MSS. as if they
Tv^, ,1 C^S^/y^sSS^iwere precious jewels. In-
deed, in both colour and
design, they have a curi-
ously gem-like quality.
Although flawless in tech-
nique, they are quite free
from the hardness and
monotony that so often go
with mechanical perfection.
Mr. Reuter took up illumi-
nation as a pastime, fired,
he tells us, by W. and G.
Audsley's Guide, already
mentioned, which fell into
his hands in Paris in 1864.
He has illuminated many
addresses, among the most
recent being two to Lord
Kelvin, one from the
Chemical Society, and
another from the Glasgow
University Club, London ;
also two from the Chemi-
cal Society, to Professor
Canizzaio and Professor
Fresenius, respectively. Mr.
illuminated MANuscRirT bv edmoxd g. reuter Reuter has besides illu-
minated for Mr. W. Morris
about a hundred and twenty
curve of the figure. The same echoing of line is pages of a copy of The Roots of the Mountains,
strongly felt in the group of The Fates—again the printed by the Chiswick Press, and a hundred
choice of line to express emotion ; the accentuated pages of a copy of Syr Percevelle of Galles, printed
angle in the fighting amazons, the flattened curve or by the Kelmscott Press ; also another copy of the
tightened curve all taking their place in the orchestra. latter book on vellum.
Of these points, with colour added and treated in Mr. Reuter's colour schemes are always happy,
the same way, the illuminations of the thirteenth The original of the page beginning " Domiue ex-
and fourteenth centuries are striking examples, the audi," is in pale and dark blue, lemon, silver, and
smallness of the work making it all the more gold—foliage and flowers in relief. The treatment is
necessary for the worker to limit himself to the distinctly modern, while the Paternoster, with its
vital points with a stern negation of non-essen- diapered initial, its ivy-leaf ornament, and its intro-
tials ; all decorative art, of which illumination is duction of birds, is almost purely mediaeval. Mr.
but a department, being in its very nature an Reuter's general style, as far as it is based on the
accompaniment, as an instrument is to the voice ; past, is in the tradition of the fourteenth century,
and, in this, absolutely different from a picture, But in every case his transfiguring taste gives a
which stands alone on its own merits; the desired fresh charm. It would be worth being a poet, if
end being a whole, in which the sympathy between for nothing but to have this artist embellish one's
parts is perfect.....If I meet with a book MS., and an address from any society would have
which stirs me, I am seized with the desire to help a double value from his skill.
out the emotion with gold, blue, and crimson ; or, The next pages given here—the work of Mr. W.
is it a wall, to make it sing." Mrs. Traquair's B. Macdougall—are from an illuminated MS. copy
pages, then, show us two artists at work on one he is doing of my Songs of Love and Death.
thought, winning for it the twofold utterance of Mr. Morton's illuminated borders and the page
melodious sound and colour. by Mr. Clegg, reproduced here, are typical speci-
52
urn Djim
obfcicuhun fapicntuuu d
\mi\\ -jmiimttc <t dmpxc
Hxxx cmfcihmieuihKhuic
mfhtiAm d utiummi ct
Mr. Reuter's work re-
sembles Mrs. Traquair's
only in charm. His forte
^;:(ilrr^oiiniHcnutu;t|unu h<teci | \\dZT7Zl subruh^
Jb-^ uuGc tupdlaur d\u Jjfflvm j°ined to his serenifyant*
Y--^^-^^^-^-<TJ grace of style, makes one
' \5 Y^t^i^^^ '^^AN^n handle his MSS. as if they
Tv^, ,1 C^S^/y^sSS^iwere precious jewels. In-
deed, in both colour and
design, they have a curi-
ously gem-like quality.
Although flawless in tech-
nique, they are quite free
from the hardness and
monotony that so often go
with mechanical perfection.
Mr. Reuter took up illumi-
nation as a pastime, fired,
he tells us, by W. and G.
Audsley's Guide, already
mentioned, which fell into
his hands in Paris in 1864.
He has illuminated many
addresses, among the most
recent being two to Lord
Kelvin, one from the
Chemical Society, and
another from the Glasgow
University Club, London ;
also two from the Chemi-
cal Society, to Professor
Canizzaio and Professor
Fresenius, respectively. Mr.
illuminated MANuscRirT bv edmoxd g. reuter Reuter has besides illu-
minated for Mr. W. Morris
about a hundred and twenty
curve of the figure. The same echoing of line is pages of a copy of The Roots of the Mountains,
strongly felt in the group of The Fates—again the printed by the Chiswick Press, and a hundred
choice of line to express emotion ; the accentuated pages of a copy of Syr Percevelle of Galles, printed
angle in the fighting amazons, the flattened curve or by the Kelmscott Press ; also another copy of the
tightened curve all taking their place in the orchestra. latter book on vellum.
Of these points, with colour added and treated in Mr. Reuter's colour schemes are always happy,
the same way, the illuminations of the thirteenth The original of the page beginning " Domiue ex-
and fourteenth centuries are striking examples, the audi," is in pale and dark blue, lemon, silver, and
smallness of the work making it all the more gold—foliage and flowers in relief. The treatment is
necessary for the worker to limit himself to the distinctly modern, while the Paternoster, with its
vital points with a stern negation of non-essen- diapered initial, its ivy-leaf ornament, and its intro-
tials ; all decorative art, of which illumination is duction of birds, is almost purely mediaeval. Mr.
but a department, being in its very nature an Reuter's general style, as far as it is based on the
accompaniment, as an instrument is to the voice ; past, is in the tradition of the fourteenth century,
and, in this, absolutely different from a picture, But in every case his transfiguring taste gives a
which stands alone on its own merits; the desired fresh charm. It would be worth being a poet, if
end being a whole, in which the sympathy between for nothing but to have this artist embellish one's
parts is perfect.....If I meet with a book MS., and an address from any society would have
which stirs me, I am seized with the desire to help a double value from his skill.
out the emotion with gold, blue, and crimson ; or, The next pages given here—the work of Mr. W.
is it a wall, to make it sing." Mrs. Traquair's B. Macdougall—are from an illuminated MS. copy
pages, then, show us two artists at work on one he is doing of my Songs of Love and Death.
thought, winning for it the twofold utterance of Mr. Morton's illuminated borders and the page
melodious sound and colour. by Mr. Clegg, reproduced here, are typical speci-
52
urn Djim
obfcicuhun fapicntuuu d
\mi\\ -jmiimttc <t dmpxc
Hxxx cmfcihmieuihKhuic
mfhtiAm d utiummi ct