Lessons in the Art of Illuminating: A Series of Examples selected from Works in the British Museum, Lambeth Palace Library, and the South Kensington Museum. With Practical Instructions, and a Sketch of the History of the ArtLoftie, W. J. (William John)
History
Lessons in the Art of Illuminating: A Series of Examples selected from Works in the British Museum, Lambeth Palace Library, and the South Kensington Museum. With Practical Instructions, and a Sketch of the History of the Art
Loftie, W. J. (William John)
Illumination of books and manuscripts
The last of the heraldic features of the page (5) is also the
earliest. It represents part of the border of a Psalter made, it is
believed, in honour of the intended marriage of Prince Alphonso, the
son of Edward I., with a daughter of the King of Arragon. He died at
the age of ten years in 1282; but it is possible that the
illuminations refer to the intended marriage of his sister, the
princess Eleanor, with Alphonso, the young King of Arragon. In any
case the manuscript certainly belongs to the middle of the thirteenth
century. To the right we see a knight in the chain armour of the
period with his shield hung over his arm. Small gold crosses,
alternating with "lions rampant" on a blue ground, form part of the
border, the other part consisting of "lions passant" on a red ground.
Two shields bear, one, the arms of the son of King Edward, "England,
differenced with a label, azure," and the other, those of Leon. Crests
and mottoes had not been invented, and the artist had little scope for
his fancy. But it may not be out of place to call attention to the
fact that even at this early period heraldry was made use of for
ornament, as in this border, and that it answered the purpose
admirably.
On the back of Plate VII. is the outline of an illumination of the
Adoration of the Magi, from a French MS. of the 16th century. Borders
of this type though very rich seldom occur in books ornamented in
England. The branch work is in delicate black lines, with leaves and
berries in gold or color. The scrolls are generally in blue, turned up
with gold, red, or pink; blue being, however, always the predominant
color, so as to insure a certain measure of harmony. The effect,
however, depended more on the skill with which the branch work in
black was disposed.
[Illustration: PLATE VII.--BORDERS OF THIRTEENTH AND FOURTEENTH
CENTURIES, AND HERALDIC DESIGNS.]
[Illustration: BORDER AND TEXT, WITH ADORATION OF THE THREE
KINGS--SIXTEENTH CENTURY.]
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE VIII.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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