Preamble
For your convenience I have listed other posts in this series below:
Chinese Calligraphy
European Illumination - Celtic Style
The Illumination Art of South-East Asia
European Illumination - Romanesque Style
European Illumination - Renaissance Style
Introduction[1]
The centers of early Gothic illumination were in France, particularly Paris and England, where in the course of the thirteenth century, secular illuminators took over from their monastic colleagues. With a new emphasis on books from the people, both books and illumination became smaller in scale than in the Romanesque period.
Dance Macabre Gothic Medieval Art Print Set.
In the course of the Gothic period, an interest in realism grew, culminating in the flower-strewn borders produced by the Flemish masters at the end of the fifteen century. Spiralling plant tendrils often decorated initial letters, with Byzantine blossoms inset in the centers. Highlighting became popular, as did the use of reverse curves, known as newbury after the heraldic term for clouds.
God as the architect of the world. A scene from The Bible Moralisee (ca.1220, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris).
Note the influence of Byzantine.
Italian painting had an increasing influence on the Gothic illuminators, seen early in the work of Jean Pucelle, who worked in Paris in the early fourteenth century, and later, in the superb work of the Limbourg brothers. The Limbourg brothers worked in Paris on the “The Magnificent Book of Hours of Duc de Berry” between 1413 and 1416, creating two of their greatest masterpieces, Les Belles Heures and Les Trés Riches Heures.
Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duc de Berry.
Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.
It was the popularity of such books which spawned mass production of illuminated works, sadly often resulting in repetitive and unimaginative pieces.
The Lombardic Script is more decorative than practical, and there are often alternative forms based on Roman or Celtic shapes. Compared with Vestals of the Romanesque script, there is greater contrast between the thick and thin strokes of this script, and the spaces between the parcel strokes may be filled or left unfilled. The letters may be compressed in weight, height or width and manipulated by reducing them or by amalgamating neighbouring stems.
Gothic capitals from the Lombardic Script, named after its 13th-century Italian origin.
Lombardic capitals combine well with Gothic Blackletter minuscules.
The Origins of Lombardic Letters 'B','S' and 'D'[1]
The complex letter design for the letter 'B' on a page depicting a lion, comes from a bestiary, ca. 1240, now held in the British Library.
Initial 'B', early 13th century.
Also included in the bestiary are pages which depict hedgehogs, cats and hyenas. Among the fabulous animals included are the griffin and the caladrius, which defines the fate of a sick person by facing him or turning away.
Between 1000 and 1400, the liturgical Psalter, more than any other book, was the bread and butter of the illuminator. In general, the Psalter started with a calendar (which was the precedent for the Book of Hours), followed by eight sections of psalms, and ended with hymns and prayers. There was plenty of scope for the illuminator with illustrations for the calendar, miniatures of Old and New Testament scenes and, after the twelfth century, historiated initials for the eight sections of psalms.
The High Gothic initial 'S' has been adapted from a Psalter made for the Magnificent Book of Hours of Duc de Berry in about 1380. The trailing ivy motif is more naturalistic than the decoration used in earlier Gothic works and shows the influence of the Italian Renaissance on the High Gothic style.
The initial 'S' from the psalter of Jean Due de Berry, late 13th century.
The original initial 'D' is from a fifteenth-century French book of hours and depicts the story of David and Bathsheba. Books of hours were popular devotional books of the later middle ages and contained a series of services to be cited during the day. The letter is attractively decorated with naturalistic flowers, but it shows the result of mass production - a wooden outline with extreme simplification and hurried coloring.
The artist adapted the design of the decoration in order to isolate the initial from the miniature, the border and text. He successfully recaptures the beauty of this age of realism, restoring the precision of the illumination, particularly in the highlighting.
Translucent watercolour was used for the flowers, building them up in thin washes from light to dark. The use of gold for the background is typical of the time and, with the shadows across it, the illusion is complete.
The Finished Reproductions of the Letters 'B','S' and 'D' Based on The Above[1]
The brilliant gilded spirals, together with the three-dimensional colored filigree, create an initial which is complemented by the creamy color of the vellum. It is not surprising that bestiaries were so popular in medieval times: the combination of such attractive illumination and the depiction of real and fabulous animals would appeal to all. Such a work of art could be framed and should survive for many years.
The combination of the brilliant raised gilding and the jewel-like colors create a stunning piece of illumination. The shaped gesso allows the light to fall on the gold along one side, producing contrasts of brilliance. If applied correctly, it is very difficult to remove or break as the many examples surviving from medieval times testify.
The result is highly decorative and will be enjoyed by generations to come. By painting the pansies in such a naturalistic way, the artist has taken an idea from the original manuscript and, using his knowledge of high quality examples from the period of realism, has created a small masterpiece.
Reference:
[1] P. Seligman and T. Noad, The Illuminated Alphabet, Simon & Schuster, Sydney (1994).
For your convenience I have listed other posts in this series below:
Chinese Calligraphy
European Illumination - Celtic Style
The Illumination Art of South-East Asia
European Illumination - Romanesque Style
European Illumination - Renaissance Style
Introduction[1]
The centers of early Gothic illumination were in France, particularly Paris and England, where in the course of the thirteenth century, secular illuminators took over from their monastic colleagues. With a new emphasis on books from the people, both books and illumination became smaller in scale than in the Romanesque period.
In the course of the Gothic period, an interest in realism grew, culminating in the flower-strewn borders produced by the Flemish masters at the end of the fifteen century. Spiralling plant tendrils often decorated initial letters, with Byzantine blossoms inset in the centers. Highlighting became popular, as did the use of reverse curves, known as newbury after the heraldic term for clouds.
Note the influence of Byzantine.
Italian painting had an increasing influence on the Gothic illuminators, seen early in the work of Jean Pucelle, who worked in Paris in the early fourteenth century, and later, in the superb work of the Limbourg brothers. The Limbourg brothers worked in Paris on the “The Magnificent Book of Hours of Duc de Berry” between 1413 and 1416, creating two of their greatest masterpieces, Les Belles Heures and Les Trés Riches Heures.
It was the popularity of such books which spawned mass production of illuminated works, sadly often resulting in repetitive and unimaginative pieces.
The Lombardic Script is more decorative than practical, and there are often alternative forms based on Roman or Celtic shapes. Compared with Vestals of the Romanesque script, there is greater contrast between the thick and thin strokes of this script, and the spaces between the parcel strokes may be filled or left unfilled. The letters may be compressed in weight, height or width and manipulated by reducing them or by amalgamating neighbouring stems.
The Origins of Lombardic Letters 'B','S' and 'D'[1]
The complex letter design for the letter 'B' on a page depicting a lion, comes from a bestiary, ca. 1240, now held in the British Library.
Also included in the bestiary are pages which depict hedgehogs, cats and hyenas. Among the fabulous animals included are the griffin and the caladrius, which defines the fate of a sick person by facing him or turning away.
Between 1000 and 1400, the liturgical Psalter, more than any other book, was the bread and butter of the illuminator. In general, the Psalter started with a calendar (which was the precedent for the Book of Hours), followed by eight sections of psalms, and ended with hymns and prayers. There was plenty of scope for the illuminator with illustrations for the calendar, miniatures of Old and New Testament scenes and, after the twelfth century, historiated initials for the eight sections of psalms.
The High Gothic initial 'S' has been adapted from a Psalter made for the Magnificent Book of Hours of Duc de Berry in about 1380. The trailing ivy motif is more naturalistic than the decoration used in earlier Gothic works and shows the influence of the Italian Renaissance on the High Gothic style.
The original initial 'D' is from a fifteenth-century French book of hours and depicts the story of David and Bathsheba. Books of hours were popular devotional books of the later middle ages and contained a series of services to be cited during the day. The letter is attractively decorated with naturalistic flowers, but it shows the result of mass production - a wooden outline with extreme simplification and hurried coloring.
The artist adapted the design of the decoration in order to isolate the initial from the miniature, the border and text. He successfully recaptures the beauty of this age of realism, restoring the precision of the illumination, particularly in the highlighting.
Translucent watercolour was used for the flowers, building them up in thin washes from light to dark. The use of gold for the background is typical of the time and, with the shadows across it, the illusion is complete.
The Finished Reproductions of the Letters 'B','S' and 'D' Based on The Above[1]
Reference:
[1] P. Seligman and T. Noad, The Illuminated Alphabet, Simon & Schuster, Sydney (1994).
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