Contents · 001-080_CODICES_ILLUSTRES_CL_LITHO_47701.indd 4 29.01.18 16:20 9 Preface 11...

001-080_CODICES_ILLUSTRES_CL_LITHO_47701.indd 4 29.01.18 16:20

9 Preface 11 Introduction

50 Vergilius Vaticanus 52 Vergilius Romanus 54 The Vienna Dioscorides 58 The Vienna Genesis 62 Codex Purpureus Rossanensis 64 Rabbula Gospels 66 Ashburnham Pentateuch 68 Book of Durrow 70 Book of Lindisfarne (The Lindisfarne Gospels) 74 Codex Aureus of Canterbury 76 Godescalc Gospels 78 The Vienna Coronation Gospels 80 Book of Kells 86 The Lorsch Gospels 90 Utrecht Psalter 92 Aratea 94 Gospels of Saint-Médard in Soisson 96 Vivian Bible 98 Codex Aureus (St. Emmeram) 102 Bible of San Paolo 104 The Joshua Roll 106 Béatus de Liébana: Commentary on the Revelation of St. John:

Beato de San Miguel de Escalada Beato de San Salvador de Tábara Beato de San Millán de la Cogolla

112 Paris Psalter 114 Gospels of Otto III 118 Bamberg Apocalypse 122 Gospel Lectionary of Henry II 126 Salzburg Pericopes 128 Codex Aureus of Echternach 132 The Golden Gospels of Henry III 136 Winchester Bible 138 Gospels of Henry the Lion 142 Ingeborg Psalter 146 Kitab al-Diryaq (Book of Antidotes) 148 al-Mubashshir: Mukhtar al-hikam wa-Mahasin al-kalim

(True Sayings and Speeches) 150 Berthold Sacramentary 152 Bestiary 154 Kitab al-Baytarah (The Book of the Art of Healing Horses) 156 Bible moralisée 160 Dioscorides: On Medicines 162 The Psalter of Blanche of Castile 164 The Maqamat of al-Hariri (Assemblies) 166 Trinity College Apocalypse

contents 5

Contents

001-080_co_codices illustres_GB_48722.indd 5 27.05.14 09:31

To stay informed about TASCHEN and our upcoming titles, please subscribe to our free magazine at www.taschen.com/magazine,

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© 2014 TASCHEN GmbHHohenzollernring 53, D–50672 Köln

www.taschen.com

Original edition: © 2001 TASCHEN GmbHText, layout and production: Ingo F. Walther, AllingEditorial coordination: Juliane Steinbrecher, Cologne

Translations: Ulrike al-Khamis, Edinburgh; Michael Hulse, Amsterdam; Christiane Roth, Graz; Harriet Horsefield, Martin Pearce and Karen Waloschek in association with First Edition Translations Ltd, Cambridge

Cover design: Angelika Taschen, Birgit Eichwede, Cologne

Printed in ChinaISBN 978–3–8365–5379–7

Illustration page 2: Genealogical tree of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (1340–1399). Miniature by Simon Bening from the Genealogy of the Infante Dom Fernando of Portugal, produced c. 1530–1534 in Bruges. London, British Library, Add. Ms. 12 531, folio 10 recto (cf. pp. 430f.)

Endpapers: From the title page of the Bible of Federico da Montefeltro (cf. p. 376)

The small figures (drolleries) which appear beside the page numbers – two hundred of them throughout the book – are taken from the Croy Hours, compiled 1510–1520 in Ghent or Bruges and illuminated

by such famous artists as Gerard David, Simon Bening and Gerard Horenbout.Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Codex 1858. A facsimile edition of this manuscript

has been published by Faksimile-Verlag Luzern (cf. p. 42).

The drolleries on pages 1, 3, 4, 9, 25, 33, 38, 42 and 48 are taken from the Hours of Mary of Burgundy, produced c. 1470–1480 in Ghent or Bruges and

today housed in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Codex 1857. A facsimile edition of this manuscript has been published by ADEVA, Graz (cf. pp. 366f.)

001-080_CODICES_ILLUSTRES_CO_GB_48722.indd 4 18.06.14 14:47

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Cover design: Andy Disl, Los Angeles, Birgit Eichwede, Cologne

Printed in SlovakiaISBN 978–3–8365–7261–3

001-080_CODICES_ILLUSTRES_CL_GB_47701.IND12 4 19.02.18 14:30 001-080_CODICES_ILLUSTRES_CL_LITHO_47701.indd 5 29.01.18 16:20

contents 5

To stay informed about TASCHEN and our upcoming titles, please subscribe to our free magazine at www.taschen.com/magazine,

download our magazine app for iPad, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, or e-mail your questions to [email protected].


www.taschen.com



Cover design: Angelika Taschen, Birgit Eichwede, Cologne

Printed in ChinaISBN 978–3–8365–5379–7

Illustration page 2: Genealogical tree of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (1340–1399). Miniature by Simon Bening from the Genealogy of the Infante Dom Fernando of Portugal, produced c. 1530–1534 in Bruges. London, British Library, Add. Ms. 12 531, folio 10 recto (cf. pp. 430f.)

Endpapers: From the title page of the Bible of Federico da Montefeltro (cf. p. 376)

The small figures (drolleries) which appear beside the page numbers – two hundred of them throughout the book – are taken from the Croy Hours, compiled 1510–1520 in Ghent or Bruges and illuminated

by such famous artists as Gerard David, Simon Bening and Gerard Horenbout.Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Codex 1858. A facsimile edition of this manuscript

has been published by Faksimile-Verlag Luzern (cf. p. 42).

The drolleries on pages 1, 3, 4, 9, 25, 33, 38, 42 and 48 are taken from the Hours of Mary of Burgundy, produced c. 1470–1480 in Ghent or Bruges and

today housed in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Codex 1857. A facsimile edition of this manuscript has been published by ADEVA, Graz (cf. pp. 366f.)

001-080_CODICES_ILLUSTRES_CO_GB_48722.indd 4 18.06.14 14:47

9 Preface 11 Introduction

50 Vergilius Vaticanus 52 Vergilius Romanus 54 The Vienna Dioscorides 58 The Vienna Genesis 62 Codex Purpureus Rossanensis 64 Rabbula Gospels 66 Ashburnham Pentateuch 68 Book of Durrow 70 Book of Lindisfarne (The Lindisfarne Gospels) 74 Codex Aureus of Canterbury 76 Godescalc Gospels 78 The Vienna Coronation Gospels 80 Book of Kells 86 The Lorsch Gospels 90 Utrecht Psalter 92 Aratea 94 Gospels of Saint-Médard in Soisson 96 Vivian Bible 98 Codex Aureus (St. Emmeram) 102 Bible of San Paolo 104 The Joshua Roll 106 Béatus de Liébana: Commentary on the Revelation of St. John:

Beato de San Miguel de Escalada Beato de San Salvador de Tábara Beato de San Millán de la Cogolla

112 Paris Psalter 114 Gospels of Otto III 118 Bamberg Apocalypse 122 Gospel Lectionary of Henry II 126 Salzburg Pericopes 128 Codex Aureus of Echternach 132 The Golden Gospels of Henry III 136 Winchester Bible 138 Gospels of Henry the Lion 142 Ingeborg Psalter 146 Kitab al-Diryaq (Book of Antidotes) 148 al-Mubashshir: Mukhtar al-hikam wa-Mahasin al-kalim

(True Sayings and Speeches) 150 Berthold Sacramentary 152 Bestiary 154 Kitab al-Baytarah (The Book of the Art of Healing Horses) 156 Bible moralisée 160 Dioscorides: On Medicines 162 The Psalter of Blanche of Castile 164 The Maqamat of al-Hariri (Assemblies) 166 Trinity College Apocalypse

contents 5

Contents


001-080_CODICES_ILLUSTRES_CL_GB_47701.IND12 5 26.01.18 16:44


6 contents

6 contents

168 The Morgan Crusader’s Bible 172 Emperor Frederick II: The Art of Falconry 174 Hadith Bayad wa-Riyad (Story of Bayad and Riyad) 176 Codex Borgia 178 Psalter of Saint Louis 182 Lambeth Apocalypse 184 al-Jazari: Kitab fi Ma ’rifat al-Hiyal al-Handasiya

(The Book of Machines) 186 The Douce Apocalypse 188 Canticles of King Alfonso the Wise 190 Simon Psalter 192 Rudolf von Ems: World Chronicle / The “Stricker”: Charlemagne Rudolf von Ems: World Chronicle / The “Stricker”: Charlemagne 196 Codex Manesse 200 De Lisle Psalter 202 Life and Miracles of Saint Denis 204 The Golden Haggadah 206 Belleville Breviary 208 Hours of Jeanne d’Évreux 212 Firdawsi: Shahnama (Book of Kings) 214 al-Hariri: Maqamat (The Assemblies of al-Hariri) 216 Hours of Jeanne de Navarre 218 Psalter of Bonne of Luxembourg 220 Guillaume de Machaut: Poetical Works 222 Bible of Jean de Vaudetar 224 Les Petites Heures du Duc Jean de Berry 228 Lucanus: De bello civile (Pharsalia) 230 Grandes Chroniques de France de Charles V 234 Les Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame du Duc Jean de Berry 238 Turin-Milan Hours 242 The Wenceslas Bible 248 Book of Hours of Gian Galeazzo Visconti 250 Biblia Pauperum 252 Tacuinum Sanitatis in Medicina 254 Siyah Qalam (The Black Pen) 256 Beaufort Hours 258 Bible moralisée 260 Christine de Pisan: The Book of the City of Ladies Epistles of Othea Epistles of Othea 264 Gaston Phoebus: Book of the Hunt 267 King Modus’ Book on Hunting 268 Hours of Marshal Boucicaut 272 Pierre Salmon: Réponses à Charles VI et Lamentation au Roi sur son état Pierre Salmon: Réponses à Charles VI et Lamentation au Roi sur son état 274 The Book of Wonders 276 Tristan and Isolde Tristan and Isolde


contents 7

280 Les Très riches Heures du Duc de Berry 286 Bedford Hours and Psalters 288 Boccaccio: Decameron Boccaccio: Of Famous Women Boccaccio: Of Famous Women Boccaccio: On the Fates of Famous Men and Women Boccaccio: La Théséide 296 Kalila wa Dimna (Kalila and Dimna) 298 Darmstadt Passover Haggadah 300 Bedford Hours 304 Ottheinrich Bible 306 The Rohan Hours 310 The Book of Hours of Catherine of Cleves 312 Giovanni Colonna: Mare historiarum 314 Missal of Jean Rolin 316 De Sphaera 318 Prayer Book of Stephan Lochner 320 The Hours of Étienne Chevalier 324 Chronicle of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem 326 Book of the Seven Ages of the World 328 Jean Mansel: The Flower of History 330 Heinrich Suso: Little Book of Eternal Wisdom 332 Bible of Borso d’Este 336 Nizami: Khamsa (Quintet) 338 Petrarch: Triumphs, Songs Songs, Triumphs Triumphs Triumphs 342 Grandes Chroniques de France 346 Hours of Isabella of Castile 348 Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy 350 René of Anjou: The Book of Tournaments 354 King René’s Book of Love 356 Flavius Josephus: The Jewish Antiquities 360 Missal of Jean des Martins 362 The Black Prayer Book 364 Valerius Maximus: Scenes from Roman History 366 The Hours of Mary of Burgundy 368 The Hours of Mary of Burgundy and Emperor Maximilian 370 Sébastien Mamerot: The Campaigns of the French against the Turks 372 The Black Hours 374 Bible of Federico da Montefeltro 378 Dante: Divine Comedy Divine Comedy Divine Comedy 382 The Salzburg Missal



contents 7

6 contents

168 The Morgan Crusader’s Bible 172 Emperor Frederick II: The Art of Falconry 174 Hadith Bayad wa-Riyad (Story of Bayad and Riyad) 176 Codex Borgia 178 Psalter of Saint Louis 182 Lambeth Apocalypse 184 al-Jazari: Kitab fi Ma ’rifat al-Hiyal al-Handasiya

(The Book of Machines) 186 The Douce Apocalypse 188 Canticles of King Alfonso the Wise 190 Simon Psalter 192 Rudolf von Ems: World Chronicle / The “Stricker”: Charlemagne Rudolf von Ems: World Chronicle / The “Stricker”: Charlemagne 196 Codex Manesse 200 De Lisle Psalter 202 Life and Miracles of Saint Denis 204 The Golden Haggadah 206 Belleville Breviary 208 Hours of Jeanne d’Évreux 212 Firdawsi: Shahnama (Book of Kings) 214 al-Hariri: Maqamat (The Assemblies of al-Hariri) 216 Hours of Jeanne de Navarre 218 Psalter of Bonne of Luxembourg 220 Guillaume de Machaut: Poetical Works 222 Bible of Jean de Vaudetar 224 Les Petites Heures du Duc Jean de Berry 228 Lucanus: De bello civile (Pharsalia) 230 Grandes Chroniques de France de Charles V 234 Les Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame du Duc Jean de Berry 238 Turin-Milan Hours 242 The Wenceslas Bible 248 Book of Hours of Gian Galeazzo Visconti 250 Biblia Pauperum 252 Tacuinum Sanitatis in Medicina 254 Siyah Qalam (The Black Pen) 256 Beaufort Hours 258 Bible moralisée 260 Christine de Pisan: The Book of the City of Ladies Epistles of Othea Epistles of Othea 264 Gaston Phoebus: Book of the Hunt 267 King Modus’ Book on Hunting 268 Hours of Marshal Boucicaut 272 Pierre Salmon: Réponses à Charles VI et Lamentation au Roi sur son état Pierre Salmon: Réponses à Charles VI et Lamentation au Roi sur son état 274 The Book of Wonders 276 Tristan and Isolde Tristan and Isolde


contents 7

280 Les Très riches Heures du Duc de Berry 286 Bedford Hours and Psalters 288 Boccaccio: Decameron Boccaccio: Of Famous Women Boccaccio: Of Famous Women Boccaccio: On the Fates of Famous Men and Women Boccaccio: La Théséide 296 Kalila wa Dimna (Kalila and Dimna) 298 Darmstadt Passover Haggadah 300 Bedford Hours 304 Ottheinrich Bible 306 The Rohan Hours 310 The Book of Hours of Catherine of Cleves 312 Giovanni Colonna: Mare historiarum 314 Missal of Jean Rolin 316 De Sphaera 318 Prayer Book of Stephan Lochner 320 The Hours of Étienne Chevalier 324 Chronicle of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem 326 Book of the Seven Ages of the World 328 Jean Mansel: The Flower of History 330 Heinrich Suso: Little Book of Eternal Wisdom 332 Bible of Borso d’Este 336 Nizami: Khamsa (Quintet) 338 Petrarch: Triumphs, Songs Songs, Triumphs Triumphs Triumphs 342 Grandes Chroniques de France 346 Hours of Isabella of Castile 348 Boethius: The Consolation of Philosophy 350 René of Anjou: The Book of Tournaments 354 King René’s Book of Love 356 Flavius Josephus: The Jewish Antiquities 360 Missal of Jean des Martins 362 The Black Prayer Book 364 Valerius Maximus: Scenes from Roman History 366 The Hours of Mary of Burgundy 368 The Hours of Mary of Burgundy and Emperor Maximilian 370 Sébastien Mamerot: The Campaigns of the French against the Turks 372 The Black Hours 374 Bible of Federico da Montefeltro 378 Dante: Divine Comedy Divine Comedy Divine Comedy 382 The Salzburg Missal




8 contents

384 Life and Miracles of Saint Louis 386 Aristotle: Opera / Porphyry: Liber quinque praedicabilium 390 Hours of Lorenzo de’ Medici 392 Breviary of Matthias Corvinus 394 Bible of Matthias Corvinus 396 Sforza Hours 398 Guillaume de Lorris & Jean de Meung: Romance of the Rose 402 Breviary of Isabella of Castile 404 Aelius Donatus: Latin Grammar Book of Maximilian Sforza 406 Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics 408 Anne of Brittany: Books of Hours Large Hours of Anne of Brittany Very Small Hours of Anne of Brittany Small Hours of Anne of Brittany 412 Grimani Breviary 416 The Rothschild Prayer Book 418 Flemish Calendar 420 Firdawsi: Shahnama (Book of Kings) 426 Hafiz: Divan (Collected Poems) 428 Beatty Rosary 430 Genealogy of the Infante Dom Fernando of Portugal 432 The Farnese Hours 434 Menazilnama (Book of Campaign Stations) 436 Nizami: Khamsa (Quintet) 440 Jami: Haft Awrang (The Seven Thrones) 444 Hamzanama (The Adventures of Hamza) 448 Jami: Haft Awrang (The Seven Thrones) 450 Murad III: Surname (Circumcision Festival held for Murad III’s Son) 452 Darabnama (The Exploits of Darab) 454 Akbarnama (The History of Akbar) 456 Shahanshahname (Book of the King of Kings)

458 Further famous manuscripts

APPENDIX

471 Biographies of the artists 482 Bibliography 491 Glossary 496 Index 504 Acknowledgments

8 contents


preface 9

Preface

Byzantine princess Anicia Juliana, to whom the Vienna Dioscorides manus-cript was presented as a gift (c. A.D. 512), hardly corresponds to the aesthetic ideal of the 21st century. However, all the works presented here were in their own time – and certainly still are today – considered to be objects of “beauty”. No comparable survey of the finest codices from twelve centuries has existed so far. Even though our compilation focuses mainly on Europe, no less than 23 codices from Persia, Turkey and India bear wit ness to the flowering of oriental (Islam ic) manuscript illumination, especially in the 16th century. We present them for the first time ever in a chronology together with European works of the same kind. South America is represented by a pleated manuscript. Chinese and Japanese painting was not included as their traditional hanging and trans-versal scrolls have nothing in common with the bound codices of the West. The Qur’an manuscripts with their fascina-ting calligraphy were also excluded due to their renouncement of pictorial depiction imposed by the Islamic religion itself. Other countries were neglected in view of their artistically less sophisticated production.The codices are presented and described in chronological order. Special emphasis was placed on readability for interested lay rea-ders, foregoing all too complicated termin-ology. The terms used are explained in a Glossary. Each manuscript is introduced with an overview offering useful infor-mation as to its date and place of origin, format, extent, language, content, minia-turist, illustrations, patron, owners etc. in order to orient the reader at a glance. This is unfortunately lacking in similar publica-tions, including the majority of specialist studies, and even in many catalogues com-piled and accessible in large libraries. Even less widely studied are the oriental manus-cripts. They have frequently been split up accord ing to the customs of the country where they are kept and dispersed by the winds of time, so that sadly in these cases

iniatures in medieval manu-scripts, and illuminated

codices of the Middle Ages in general, still exert a huge fascina-tion upon us – even

in a time when books are produced, marketed

and “used” like industrial products. The best example

of this fascination I ever witnessed was an American tourist who, marvelling at a 1000-year-old Gospel Book in Rome, exclaimed: “Look, all hand-painted!”Large exhibitions of medieval books – whether in Paris, London, New York, Ottawa, Milan, Vienna or Paderborn – have frequently attracted more than 100,000 visitors. It is above all the thrill of being so close to these precious treasures that are worth several millions and upon which we would otherwise never cast an eye that virtually bedazzles us – treasures that once belonged to emperors, kings and dukes and of which only one single copy survives in the whole world! And, of course, we are overwhelmed by the sheer opulence of the glittering gold used by the painters to embellish their miniatures in order to display the wealth of their patrons in an adequately fitting manner.This book leads us right into the heart of mediaeval manuscript illumination and presents 167 of the most beautiful, most significant and most famous illuminated manuscripts from A.D. 400 up to 1600. The year 1600 was deliberately chosen as a final marker because by this point book illumination had reached or even passed its heyday and the printed book was already making its triumphal entry, ousting its hand-written counterparts. The term “beautiful” in our context – as in any historical context – may well be subjective, and indeed the taste of the

only sparse information could be added.Wherever possible, the manuscript pages and miniatures were reproduced in the original format. Most of them are featured on a right-hand or left-hand page in order to reflect their appearance on a recto or a verso page in the original manuscript. To convey the sheer wealth of colours used in the original books, 212 pages were printed with gold as a fifth colour. And to remind readers that we are dealing with minia-tures taken from manuscripts and not from panel paintings, our edition contains a total of 66 double-page illustrations.The comprehensive appendix presents a further 20 important manuscripts, famous works that have not been treated in the main text. The biographies of the

artistes provide additional informa-tion on the lives and works of the

miniaturists discussed in the text. And last but not least, an exten-sive systematic bibliography lists further reading as well as

secondary literature.The original inspiration for this book goes back to almost forty years ago, when during my studies on secular Gothic illumination, I had the chance to view hundreds of codices in several libraries and was even allowed to leaf through quite a number of these marvellous items. When working on this book, the facsimile editions mentioned in the overviews preceding each manuscript descrip-tion provided me with an invaluable substitute for the original codices. The contributions published in the commentary volumes accompanying these facsimiles have in many cases shed deci-sive new light on manuscript illumin ation, a field that is far from being fully resear-ched. In addition to all those colleagues who kindly supported my work, I would like to extend my special thanks to Dr. Ursula Struzl, Graz, and Dr. Manfred Kramer, Lucerne.

Initial M taken from the Miroir de la salvation humaine, 1448/49, Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale Albert Ier, Ms. 9249–50, folio 1 recto



preface 9

384 Life and Miracles of Saint Louis 386 Aristotle: Opera / Porphyry: Liber quinque praedicabilium 390 Hours of Lorenzo de’ Medici 392 Breviary of Matthias Corvinus 394 Bible of Matthias Corvinus 396 Sforza Hours 398 Guillaume de Lorris & Jean de Meung: Romance of the Rose 402 Breviary of Isabella of Castile 404 Aelius Donatus: Latin Grammar Book of Maximilian Sforza 406 Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics 408 Anne of Brittany: Books of Hours Large Hours of Anne of Brittany Very Small Hours of Anne of Brittany Small Hours of Anne of Brittany 412 Grimani Breviary 416 The Rothschild Prayer Book 418 Flemish Calendar 420 Firdawsi: Shahnama (Book of Kings) 426 Hafiz: Divan (Collected Poems) 428 Beatty Rosary 430 Genealogy of the Infante Dom Fernando of Portugal 432 The Farnese Hours 434 Menazilnama (Book of Campaign Stations) 436 Nizami: Khamsa (Quintet) 440 Jami: Haft Awrang (The Seven Thrones) 444 Hamzanama (The Adventures of Hamza) 448 Jami: Haft Awrang (The Seven Thrones) 450 Murad III: Surname (Circumcision Festival held for Murad III’s Son) 452 Darabnama (The Exploits of Darab) 454 Akbarnama (The History of Akbar) 456 Shahanshahname (Book of the King of Kings)

458 Further famous manuscripts

APPENDIX

471 Biographies of the artists 482 Bibliography 491 Glossary 496 Index 504 Acknowledgments

8 contents


preface 9

Preface

Byzantine princess Anicia Juliana, to whom the Vienna Dioscorides manus-cript was presented as a gift (c. A.D. 512), hardly corresponds to the aesthetic ideal of the 21st century. However, all the works presented here were in their own time – and certainly still are today – considered to be objects of “beauty”. No comparable survey of the finest codices from twelve centuries has existed so far. Even though our compilation focuses mainly on Europe, no less than 23 codices from Persia, Turkey and India bear wit ness to the flowering of oriental (Islam ic) manuscript illumination, especially in the 16th century. We present them for the first time ever in a chronology together with European works of the same kind. South America is represented by a pleated manuscript. Chinese and Japanese painting was not included as their traditional hanging and trans-versal scrolls have nothing in common with the bound codices of the West. The Qur’an manuscripts with their fascina-ting calligraphy were also excluded due to their renouncement of pictorial depiction imposed by the Islamic religion itself. Other countries were neglected in view of their artistically less sophisticated production.The codices are presented and described in chronological order. Special emphasis was placed on readability for interested lay rea-ders, foregoing all too complicated termin-ology. The terms used are explained in a Glossary. Each manuscript is introduced with an overview offering useful infor-mation as to its date and place of origin, format, extent, language, content, minia-turist, illustrations, patron, owners etc. in order to orient the reader at a glance. This is unfortunately lacking in similar publica-tions, including the majority of specialist studies, and even in many catalogues com-piled and accessible in large libraries. Even less widely studied are the oriental manus-cripts. They have frequently been split up accord ing to the customs of the country where they are kept and dispersed by the winds of time, so that sadly in these cases

iniatures in medieval manu-scripts, and illuminated

codices of the Middle Ages in general, still exert a huge fascina-tion upon us – even

in a time when books are produced, marketed

and “used” like industrial products. The best example

of this fascination I ever witnessed was an American tourist who, marvelling at a 1000-year-old Gospel Book in Rome, exclaimed: “Look, all hand-painted!”Large exhibitions of medieval books – whether in Paris, London, New York, Ottawa, Milan, Vienna or Paderborn – have frequently attracted more than 100,000 visitors. It is above all the thrill of being so close to these precious treasures that are worth several millions and upon which we would otherwise never cast an eye that virtually bedazzles us – treasures that once belonged to emperors, kings and dukes and of which only one single copy survives in the whole world! And, of course, we are overwhelmed by the sheer opulence of the glittering gold used by the painters to embellish their miniatures in order to display the wealth of their patrons in an adequately fitting manner.This book leads us right into the heart of mediaeval manuscript illumination and presents 167 of the most beautiful, most significant and most famous illuminated manuscripts from A.D. 400 up to 1600. The year 1600 was deliberately chosen as a final marker because by this point book illumination had reached or even passed its heyday and the printed book was already making its triumphal entry, ousting its hand-written counterparts. The term “beautiful” in our context – as in any historical context – may well be subjective, and indeed the taste of the

only sparse information could be added.Wherever possible, the manuscript pages and miniatures were reproduced in the original format. Most of them are featured on a right-hand or left-hand page in order to reflect their appearance on a recto or a verso page in the original manuscript. To convey the sheer wealth of colours used in the original books, 212 pages were printed with gold as a fifth colour. And to remind readers that we are dealing with minia-tures taken from manuscripts and not from panel paintings, our edition contains a total of 66 double-page illustrations.The comprehensive appendix presents a further 20 important manuscripts, famous works that have not been treated in the main text. The biographies of the

artistes provide additional informa-tion on the lives and works of the

miniaturists discussed in the text. And last but not least, an exten-sive systematic bibliography lists further reading as well as

secondary literature.The original inspiration for this book goes back to almost forty years ago, when during my studies on secular Gothic illumination, I had the chance to view hundreds of codices in several libraries and was even allowed to leaf through quite a number of these marvellous items. When working on this book, the facsimile editions mentioned in the overviews preceding each manuscript descrip-tion provided me with an invaluable substitute for the original codices. The contributions published in the commentary volumes accompanying these facsimiles have in many cases shed deci-sive new light on manuscript illumin ation, a field that is far from being fully resear-ched. In addition to all those colleagues who kindly supported my work, I would like to extend my special thanks to Dr. Ursula Struzl, Graz, and Dr. Manfred Kramer, Lucerne.

Initial M taken from the Miroir de la salvation humaine, 1448/49, Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale Albert Ier, Ms. 9249–50, folio 1 recto



Contents · 001-080_CODICES_ILLUSTRES_CL_LITHO_47701.indd 4 29.01.18 16:20 9 Preface 11...

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Transcript of Contents · 001-080_CODICES_ILLUSTRES_CL_LITHO_47701.indd 4 29.01.18 16:20 9 Preface 11...