Books & Illuminated Manuscripts
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Overview
Illuminated manuscripts are widely recognized as among the most beautiful objects produced in the medieval west. This book looks at the skills and people involved in making them, and features pages from some of the most notable examples held by the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is a book about the making of books, and about the many talents involved in producing the missals, books of hours, breviaries and bibles that astonish us still with their richness and beauty. Illuminated mansucripts were collaborative productions, with different specialists contributing script, initials, borders, illustration, and binding to any work. Rowan Watson's study is both scholarly and rich in anecdote; he brings individual scribes and book dealers vividly to life and throws light on the commercial and religious environments in which they worked, as well as on the cooperative working practices devised for their production. Having looked at the individual elements of the illuminated page, the author then turns his attention to a sequence of splendid leaves from some of the great illuminated masterpieces in the V&A's collection. He also discusses how early books were marketed and sold, and ends with a look at the survival of illumination after the advent of the printing press, and its revival in the nineteenth century at the hands of pioneering designers such as Owen Jones and William Morris. The wealth of illustrations are drawn from the exceptional collections of the V&A, and the text offers us an entirely new look at the subject, treating illumination as a key to the history of the period as much as an expression of medieval and Renaissance (and neo-Gothic) styles and sensibility.Editorials
Library Journal
The head of collections development at the National Art Library of the Victoria and Albert Museum presents a delightful look at illuminated manuscripts, featuring samples from the V&A collection. The layout is very pleasing, with 150 full-color illustrations, and the text presents general facts about manuscripts, as well as bits of interest beyond the basics. The medieval book trade, scripts, scribes, decorative flourishing, methods, and survival of the craft into modern times are all discussed. Manuscripts of historic or artistic significance are highlighted and provide touch points for important names and events in manuscript making; also included is bibliographic information for further reading on particular pieces. Change in the climate of research is subtly highlighted; for example, one chapter shows that books were produced by collaborative effort rather than workshops run by one person, as was formerly believed to be the case. A solid book for public libraries and libraries specializing in art history, this volume supplements standard titles such as Christopher de Hamel's A History of Illuminated Manuscripts or Janet Backhouse's The Illuminated Manuscript.-Nadine Dalton Speidel, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.Book Details
Published
June 2, 2003
Publisher
V & A Enterprises
Pages
144
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780810966062