The History, Theory, and Practice of Illuminating: Condensed from 'The Art of Illuminating' by the same illustrator and authorWyatt, M. Digby (Matthew Digby), Sir
History
The History, Theory, and Practice of Illuminating: Condensed from 'The Art of Illuminating' by the same illustrator and author
Wyatt, M. Digby (Matthew Digby), Sir
Alphabet; Illumination of books and manuscripts; Initials
"The first illumination represents Christ and the twelve apostles seated in
a circle, with three lamps burning beneath a wide arch supported by two
plain columns, with foliated capitals, and with two birds at the top. The
second illumination represents the Virgin and Child standing within a
double arch, the columns supporting which are tessellated, and the upper
arch with several rows of zigzags, and peacocks standing at the top. The
third represents Eusebius and Ammonius standing beneath a kind of tent-like
canopy, supported by three columns, with undulated ornament, two peacocks
with expanded tails standing at the top. The nineteen following plates are
occupied by the tables of the Eusebian Canons, arranged in columns, between
pillars supporting rounded arches, generally enclosed between larger and
more ornamented columns supporting a large rounded arch, on the outsides of
which are represented various groups of figures illustrating scriptural
texts, plants, and birds. In some of these, however, the smaller arches are
of the horseshoe character. The capitals are, for the most part, foliated;
but in one or two they are composed of human faces, and a few of birds'
heads. The arches, as well as the columns by which they are supported, are
ornamented with chevrons, lozenges, nebules, quatrefoils, zigzags, flowers,
fruit, birds, &c.; many of which singularly resemble those found in early
Anglo-Saxon manuscripts, especially in the columns supporting the Eusebian
Canons in the purple Latin Gospels of the British Museum (MS. Reg. I. E.
6). There is, however, none of the singular interlacing of the patterns so
characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon and Irish manuscripts."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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