William Morris’ Medieval Manuscript Collection and the Trade in Illuminated Manuscripts

Anna Russakoff, Imagining the Miraculous: Miraculous Images of the Virgin Mary in French Illuminated Manuscripts, ca. 1250-ca. 1450. Studies and Texts, 215; Text Image Context: Studies in Medieval Manuscript Illumination, 7. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 2019, xviii, 194 pp., ill.

Mediaevistik ◽

10.3726/med.2019.01.162 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 541-544

Author(s):

Juan Carlos Bayo

Keyword(s):

Fifteenth Century ◽

Middle Ages ◽

Old French ◽

Illuminated Manuscripts ◽

Virgin Mary ◽

Systematic Analysis ◽

Medieval Manuscript ◽

French Speaking ◽

Image Context ◽

Panel Paintings

This monograph deals with illuminated manuscripts created in French-speaking regions from the mid-thirteenth to the mid-fifteenth century, i.e., from the earliest narratives of Marian miracles written in <?page nr="542"?>Old French to the codices produced at the Burgundian court at the waning of the Middle Ages. Its focus, however, is very specific: it is a systematic analysis of the miniatures depicting both material representations of the Virgin (mainly sculptures, but also icons, panel paintings, altarpieces or reliquaries) and the miracles performed by them, usually as Mary’s reaction to a prayer (or an insult) to one of Her images.

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Koert van der Horst and Johann-Christian Klamt, eds., Masters and Miniatures. Proceedings of the Congress on Medieval Manuscript Illumination in the Northern Netherlands (Utrecht, 10–13 December 1989). (Studies and Facsimiles of Netherlandish Illuminated Manuscripts, 3.) Doornspijk, Neth.: Davaco, 1991. Paper. Pp. xii, 475; many black-and-white illustrations.

Speculum ◽

10.1017/s0038713400162839 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 69 (03) ◽

pp. 934-935

Keyword(s):

Illuminated Manuscripts ◽

Manuscript Illumination ◽

Medieval Manuscript ◽

Black And White

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The conservation of medieval manuscript illuminations: A chemical perspective

Physical Sciences Reviews ◽

10.1515/psr-2018-0017 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (8) ◽

Author(s):

Maria J. Melo ◽

Paula Nabais ◽

Rita Araújo ◽

Tatiana Vitorino

Keyword(s):

Molecular Characterization ◽

Middle Ages ◽

Analytical Methods ◽

Careful Consideration ◽

Illuminated Manuscripts ◽

Medieval Manuscript ◽

Medieval Manuscripts ◽

Iron Gall ◽

Restoration Measures

Abstract Illuminated manuscripts are the most abundant and well-preserved surviving medieval cultural artefacts. Created to contain sacred texts, their visual structure allows the reader to identify divisions and delight in their beautiful ornamentation and iconography. Western European manuscripts were written on parchment, which was the main writing support in the Middle Ages prior to the rise of paper production in the fourteenth–fifteenth centuries. Highly functional, durable animal skins were also used in medieval bookbinding (covers) and have been crucial in the preservation of the illuminations. These illuminations make wonderful use of form and colour. This chapter focuses on recent advances in the molecular characterization of these colours, used in medieval manuscripts produced by Western Europeans, and the challenges inherent in analysing materials that are intrinsically heterogeneous. We then discuss how molecular characterization may reveal conservation conditions and extend our analysis to parchment and iron gall inks. Finally, we address the challenges and possibilities for this flourishing field of research. In short, we show in this chapter how analytical methods are used: – To understand how medieval illumination colours were made and what palette defines them; – To predict original colours and to understand why certain colours have remained in excellent condition, preserving both adherence and luminosity, while others have changed over the centuries; – To assess deterioration (paints, parchment, writing inks) with the goal of determining what potential restoration measures could be taken, after careful consideration.

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