Zany medieval illuminations series#

This book reproduces the 136 illuminations to the same size and in the same place as the original manuscript, fitting the text around them. The lively illustrations have the freedom and naturalistic qualityof the later Gothic style, and make dazzling use of colour. Bodley 764, was produced around the middle of the thirteenth century and is of singular beauty and interest. Their three-fold purpose was to provide a natural history of birds, beasts and fishes, to draw moral examples from animal behaviour (the industrious bee, the stubborn ass), and to reveal a mystical meaning - the phoenix, for instance, as a symbol ofChrist's resurrection. Richly illuminated and lavishly produced, they were luxury objects for noble families. Bestiaries are a particularly characteristic product of medieval England, and give a unique insight into the medieval mind. Bestiary: Being an English Version of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Bodley 764, Boydell Press, 2006. Paul Getty Museum and the British Library, along with a lively text together both word and image provide an accessible and delightful introduction to the imagination of the medieval world.īarber, Richard. Beasts Factual and Fantastic features vivid and charming details from the wealth of manuscripts in the collections of the J. A complete reproduction of the manuscript at its original size is accompanied by an authoritative text that not only interprets the textual and artistic content but also beguiles the reader through its vivid descriptions and rich insights. The Macclesfield Psalter is a revealing product of artistic and patronage exchange in the Middle Ages. And the marginal imagery tempts the viewer to leave the confines of the prayer book and enter a wonderland of literary conceits, visions, and fables, with naked wild men, a dog dressed as a bishop, or a giant fish swimming across a page. Doctors, minstrels, mummers, farmers, dancers, jesters, and beggars mingle on the pages as they would have done on the streets of a busy town. The manuscript offers a window into the medieval world, an intimate view of the faith, sentiments, prejudices, follies, and aspirations of medieval people. 1335), a jewel of manuscript painting, was virtually unknown before its sale by Sotheby's in 2004. Discoveries of real artistic treasures are exceptionally rare. The Macclesfield Psalter, Thames & Hudson, 2008. The woodcuts reproduced are from the 1587 Rome edition. Originally composed in the fourth century in Greek, and translated into dozens of versions through the centuries, Physiologus will delight readers with its ancient tales of ant-lions, centaurs, and hedgehogs-and their allegorical significance. Accompanied by an introduction that explains the origins, history, and literary value of this curious text, this volume also reproduces twenty woodcuts from the 1587 version.

One of the most popular and widely read books of the Middle Ages, Physiologus contains allegories of beasts, stones, and trees both real and imaginary, infused by their anonymous author with the spirit of Christian moral and mystical teaching. Physiologus: A Medieval Book of Nature Lore, tr. Through enlarged, full-color details and a lively narrative, this volume brings these intimately scaled, fascinating images to a wider audience. Unpredictable, topical, often irreverent, like the New Yorker cartoons of today, marginalia-images drawn in the margins of manuscripts-were a source of satire, serious social observation, and amusement for medieval readers. Each volume focuses on a particular theme and provides an accessible, delightful introduction to the imagination of the medieval world.Īn astonishing mix of mundane, playful, absurd, and monstrous beings are found in the borders of English, French, and Italian manuscripts from the Gothic era. Paul Getty Museum and the British Library.

Zany medieval illuminations series#

Images in the Margins is the third in the popular Medieval Imagination series of small, affordable books drawing on manuscript illumination in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum and The British Library, 2009.