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Illuminated Manuscripts
def: Illuminated manuscripts are documents written by hand (i.e., manu-scripts) and illustrated
(i.e., illuminated) by hand, usually—though not always—with illustrations that reflect some aspect
of the text’s content
earliest illuminated mss are probably copies of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, preserved on
papyrus scrolls that date to the 17th C BCE
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/El_pesado_del_corazón_en_el_Papiro_d
e_Hunefer.jpg
transition from scrolls to codices took place fairly quickly in the first and second centuries CE,
apparently beginning with Christians, who used the codex form from the earliest days of copying
biblical mss—three obvious advantages of codex over scroll:
1. since writing on both sides of page, only half as much papyrus or parchment needed
2. random access instead of sequential access to contents
3. cover protects outermost pages
2
earliest known illuminated ms fragment in Gk is 2nd C papyrus containing a portion of an
otherwise unknown romance
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/BNF_Sup_Grec_1294.jpg
another transition in the mid-1st M CE was from papyrus to parchment (named for city of
Pergamon, Asia Minor, where large numbers of parchment sheets were manufactured, though
papyrus production in Egypt continued for several more centuries
3
booksellers in Greco-Roman world sometimes sold illuminated mss to their clients,
commissioning scribes and artists to produce the works—this picture is from a book containing
several of Virgil’s works (Eclogues, Georgics, Aeneid) and portrays a meeting of the gods—from
left (probably): Minerva, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Venus—note fairly realistic depictions of gods,
though with halos (or characteristic helmet in case of Minerva) to represent divinity, an artistic
device borrowed by Christians to depict saints
Illuminated Manuscripts, 43
4
Jews often avoided representations of humans in art, especially in mss, opting instead for intricate
geometric patterns, often including Hebrew words, as in this page from the Leningrad Codex,
dating from about 1008 CE
http://jbtc.org/v03/Freedman-etal-ed1998rev-fig10.gif
5
Muslims took the Jewish tradition to greater heights, developing a calligraphic version of the
Arabic script used to record the Quran that was artistic in and of itself
https://www.smu.edu/Bridwell/SpecialCollectionsandArchives/Exhibitions/Manuscripts/Scriptur
eandWorship/BRMS29-Quran17th
6
earliest biblical mss weren’t illuminated, in large part because of cost, but also because sporadic
outbreaks of persecution against Christianity (became legal with Edict of Milan in 313) put the
focus on the text—first illuminated biblical mss from 5th C, with limited illumination, like this
image from Codex Alexandrinus, containing a colophon (note at end of a book) to Jude and
comment that Acts comes next in the ms
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Colophon_Alexandrinus_Jude.JPG
7
another example from the 5th C is an Old Latin ms of 1 Samuel, containing an illustration of the
encounter between King Saul and the prophet Samuel in 1 Sam 15—note the labels identifying
people in bottom left frame—running text sometimes crosses illustrations
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/QuedlinburgItalaFolio2rIllus1KingsChap
15.jpg
8
starting in 6th C, illuminated Bible mss are often better preserved and show more artistic talent—
some illumination contains little more than extravagantly colored initial letters or small
illustrations used to fill space at the end of a book—this type of illumination is called an
ornament—initials from an 8th C sacramentary (book used by a priest to conduct mass)
Illuminated Manuscripts, 60-61
9
here is a famous example of ornamental initial letters, from the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew
in the Lindisfarne Gospels ms (note the Old English glosses in the margins)—the image at the top
of the class website is the preceding page in this ms
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/LindisfarneFol27rIncipitMatt.jpg
10
another common ornament, found in many gospel mss, is the Eusebian canon tables, listing
corresponding sections of the four gospels using a numbering system invented by the church
historian Eusebius of Caesarea in the 4th C—the example below is from Codex Argenteus, a 6th
C Gothic gospel ms written on purple parchment with silver (and occasionally gold) ink, hence the
name
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Wulfila_bibel.jpg
11
illuminations sometimes covered the entire page, as in this illustration of the Virgin and Child in
a 10th C Armenian Gospel book
In the Beginning: Bibles before the Year 1000, 169
12
or this eagle, the symbol of John the Evangelist, from an 8th C Latin Gospel ms
In the Beginning: The Bible before 1000, 215
13
as the Middle Ages progressed, illuminations often got more detailed and the artistic beauty
increased as well, mirroring the improved artistic techniques of the era—this illustration from a
10th C Greek parchment shows the prophet Jeremiah pointing to a smaller image of Jesus—note
that Jesus has a halo with an embedded cross, and the abbreviation IC XC appears above his head
In the Beginning: The Bible before 1000, 234
14
this 11th C Greek ms of Psalms shows David with a lyre & shepherd’s crook watching over his
sheep—over his head, the red text says “David the first anointed one”—Ps 26 starts near the bottom
of the page, just above a wolf attacking a sheep
The Art of the Bible, 113—Theodore Psalter
15
another picture of David, from a 9th C Latin Psalter
The Art of the Bible, 70—Lothar Psalter
16
the Paduan Bible Picture Book (14th C, Italian) contains the text of Genesis through Joshua, plus
Ruth, illustrated with almost 900 illustrations
The Art of the Bible, 269
17
the next four illustrations are from the Silos Apocalypse, early 12th C Spain—first image is image
of the lamb, the four heavenly beasts, and 12 of the 24 elders
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/B_Facundus_117v.jpg
18
worship of the beast and dragon
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/B_Escorial_108v.jpg
19
the four horsemen of the apocalypse
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/B_Facundus_135.jpg
20
worship of the Lamb on Mt. Zion
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/B_Facundus_205.jpg
21
in addition to mss of the Bible itself, related books were also often illuminated—the Bible
Historiale is a French translation of a Latin commentary on the whole Bible—this image shows
King Solomon offering instruction, illustrating the beginning of the book of Proverbs
The Art of the Bible, 9—Bible historiale
22
the so-called Bible of the Poor is a Latin book that illustrates New Testament stories with similar
stories from the Old Testament that were thought to prefigure the NT story—here, the center image
shows Judas betraying Jesus—on the left, Joab murders Saul’s general Abner—on the right,
Trypho deceives Jonathan and the Jews
The Art of the Bible, 274-75—Biblia Pauperum
23
books of hours were common medieval meditation books with elaborate miniatures (illustrations),
organized according to the church calendar—the following four illustrations are from the Très
Riches Heures of Jean, Duke of Berry, created in the 15th C—the first illustrates the Nativity of
Jesus—notice the appearance of the Trinity—the angels, shepherds, and manger show the image
is based on the Gospel of Luke
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Folio_44v_-_The_Nativity.jpg
24
this image is called Man of Sorrows
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Folio_75r_-_The_Man_of_Sorrows.jpg
25
in addition to images of biblical stories, the Très Riches Heures includes a scene that illustrates
each month—the following image is April
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Les_Très_Riches_Heures_du_duc_de_Be
rry_avril.jpg
26
this book of hours also includes an image of the household of the Duke of Berry, who
commissioned this book—he is seated at the right in blue
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Les_Très_Riches_Heures_du_duc_de_Be
rry_Janvier.jpg
27
to close this discussion, I want to mention another class of medieval illuminated mss, bestiaries,
which contain illustrations of animals (some of them mythical), along with descriptions of their
nature and often a moral lesson—these illustrations are from the Aberdeen Bestiary from the 12th
C—the first is Adam naming the animals
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/AberdeenBestiaryFolio005rAdamNames
AnimalsDetail.jpg
28
in the Middle Ages, the hyena was believed to be hermaphroditic, so it is depicted here with both
male and female genitalia
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/F11v-aberdeen-best-detail.jpg
29
this is supposed to be a tiger—obviously the artist had never seen one
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/AberdeenBestiaryFolio008rTigerDetail.j
pg
30
the pard was an imaginary large cat, believed to mate with lions to produce leopards
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/AberdeenBestiaryFolio008rTigerDetail.j
pg
31
the phoenix is a mythical bird that is supposed to be unique in the world (only one phoenix), that
lives 500 years, dies, then rises from the ashes after its death—it is mentioned frequently in the
ancient world, including in 1 Clement, a letter by an early bishop of Rome, who sees it as a symbol
of Christ’s resurrection
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Phoenix_detail_from_Aberdeen_Bestiary
.jpg