DOI Heft:
No. 231 (June 1912)
DOI Artikel:Rosenkrantz, Tessa: Some modern illuminations
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21157#0068
Modern Illuminations
lllAk£! for Qloming!’
iii the Bovvt of Hignt
T las flung; the Stone
that puts the Stars to plight:
And Lo! the!Turner
of the €ast lias caught
‘"[he Sultans Turret
iti a Moose of Light.
QUATRAIN FROM OMAR, WITH INITIAL IN GOLD
BY J. E. WEAVER
invited to decorate the pages of their
press-printed volumes. It is con-
sequently the case that the illumina-
tions executed after the invention
of Gutenberg are no less magnificent
than those of two centuries earlier.
It is well to have this fact in mind,
for we of to-day are apt to imagine
that beautiful handwriting and the
decorating of book pages are arts
not compatible with modern de-
velopment. One buys a book for
esoteric reasons without realising
the great importance of its outward
guise. But the importance is there,
for the attractiveness of a volume,
or its lack of attraction, works sub-
consciously, and the contents will
become more precious if they have
charm for the eye.
Germany, and elsewhere
found themselves taking
part in the great renaissance
of art. Monasteries were
searched for their literary
treasures, not only by the
publishers, but by the
scribes, whose individual
taste led them to select such
style of decorating as seemed
to them most classic and
consequently most true to
the new-born- spirit of their
age.
It is to these unknown
men of taste and discrimina-
tion that we are indebted
for the “small Roman”
type of to-day. In their
choice of examples the
beautiful lettering of the
twelfth century became most
popular, and the wonderful
illuminating of that day be-
came their model. The
printers, no less admirable
in their judgment, followed
the example of the scribes
and illuminators by adopting
the alphabet most in vogue
at the moment. They were
also wise in refusing to
alienate themselves from the
illuminators, whom they
46
OULt
^_is not good,
LJIOui Fr the Christinn’s-
aaBsL iu ofih to hustle the
por tiie Christian riies.tincl
the/Aryan smiles,and. he
wears the Christian down
And the end oPthe Ughir
is a tombstone white.iu'dh
the name aP the late de
And the epitaph dreare-.Aik^
Afoot lies here who thedm^
to hustle the Cast. :
RLin.Vtl> t\U>tJNO
ILLUMINATED TEXT FROM KIPLING’S “ LIBRETTO TO TIIE NAULAKHA.” BY
C. GEOFFREY HOLME
lllAk£! for Qloming!’
iii the Bovvt of Hignt
T las flung; the Stone
that puts the Stars to plight:
And Lo! the!Turner
of the €ast lias caught
‘"[he Sultans Turret
iti a Moose of Light.
QUATRAIN FROM OMAR, WITH INITIAL IN GOLD
BY J. E. WEAVER
invited to decorate the pages of their
press-printed volumes. It is con-
sequently the case that the illumina-
tions executed after the invention
of Gutenberg are no less magnificent
than those of two centuries earlier.
It is well to have this fact in mind,
for we of to-day are apt to imagine
that beautiful handwriting and the
decorating of book pages are arts
not compatible with modern de-
velopment. One buys a book for
esoteric reasons without realising
the great importance of its outward
guise. But the importance is there,
for the attractiveness of a volume,
or its lack of attraction, works sub-
consciously, and the contents will
become more precious if they have
charm for the eye.
Germany, and elsewhere
found themselves taking
part in the great renaissance
of art. Monasteries were
searched for their literary
treasures, not only by the
publishers, but by the
scribes, whose individual
taste led them to select such
style of decorating as seemed
to them most classic and
consequently most true to
the new-born- spirit of their
age.
It is to these unknown
men of taste and discrimina-
tion that we are indebted
for the “small Roman”
type of to-day. In their
choice of examples the
beautiful lettering of the
twelfth century became most
popular, and the wonderful
illuminating of that day be-
came their model. The
printers, no less admirable
in their judgment, followed
the example of the scribes
and illuminators by adopting
the alphabet most in vogue
at the moment. They were
also wise in refusing to
alienate themselves from the
illuminators, whom they
46
OULt
^_is not good,
LJIOui Fr the Christinn’s-
aaBsL iu ofih to hustle the
por tiie Christian riies.tincl
the/Aryan smiles,and. he
wears the Christian down
And the end oPthe Ughir
is a tombstone white.iu'dh
the name aP the late de
And the epitaph dreare-.Aik^
Afoot lies here who thedm^
to hustle the Cast. :
RLin.Vtl> t\U>tJNO
ILLUMINATED TEXT FROM KIPLING’S “ LIBRETTO TO TIIE NAULAKHA.” BY
C. GEOFFREY HOLME