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The
Illuminated Manuscript Company Presents: This Issue: Miniatures |
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Perhaps the most delightful aspect of medieval illuminated manuscripts are the vivid paintings that adorn many of the pages. Modern and medieval readers are probably alike in flipping hastily through a book in search of these magnificent paintings called "miniatures." Although the miniatures are often (although not always) small, it was not for their size that they were so christened. Rather, the word comes from the Latin miniare, meaning to color with red. Early miniatures were simple affairs penned in red ink. Even though the centuries brought artists an ever expanding palette of brilliant colors for their books, the name “miniature” stuck. Ironically, as the spectrum of colors expanded, the size of the books and the miniatures contracted (especially after the 13th century) as the demand for books grew, creating a scarcity in vellum. The popular folio size of the 12th century (around 12 inches or more in length) gave way to the octavo format (about half the size of the folio) or even smaller books. |
This miniature featuring the Archangel Michael battling a demon from a "pocket sized" prayer book popular in the 15th century ensured the owner was never without his prayers. |
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ORIGINALITY: PATTERN BOOKS Originality in the modern
sense was not generally a medieval value, as evidenced in part by the
miniatures. The designs of the
miniatures were frequently copied from other sources. Artists were not judged by
the originality of their designs, but by their ability to accurately represent a requested
scene. Such demands gave rise to blatant and condoned copying. Often,
talented
artists created pattern books, designed expressly for the purpose
of copying by apprentices or lesser artists. Thus, we commonly see identical scenes painted by different
artists in different books. An artist could sometime even trace the miniature from one book to
another using a transparent carta lustra. The pattern books frequently
had marginal or secondary designs within them of plants or animals
(deer, birds, lions, unicorns, herons) so an aspiring miniaturist could
get practice painting lesser designs in the borders while the more
established artist would likely paint the main design. |
The border of this miniature offers elaborate designs including animals that may have been copied from a pattern book.
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CHOOSING A SUBJECT Purchasers of illuminated manuscripts generally wanted a standard set of scenes painted. Essentially, for the Book of Hours, eight standard scenes evolved aligned with each of the 8 canonical hours (for more information on the Book of Hours, see our newsletter on the topic). The standard scene for each canonical hour is: Matins: The
Annunciation |
"The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple" was a standard illustration for a Book of Hours. |
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PERSONAL TOUCHES While buyers on a more frugal budget may have opted for a simpler book containing miniatures only for the above hours, other buyers chose to have more numerous miniatures. Patrons sometimes selected specific scenes they wished to be included. Others asked to have themselves painted within the book. Of course if a patron did do something as self promoting as to include a portrait, he would generally have himself represented in penitential prayer. |
"The Harrowing of Hell." Although not a standard scene, the dead ascending to Heaven is a captivating subject (notice the five heads emerging from the earth). |
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MINIATURES AND THE MARKET Miniaturists could take advantage of the commonality of certain scenes by selling individual paintings to bookshops. The shops could then sell the miniatures to patrons and have them sewn into their books. For this reason, it is fairly common to see scenes painted on only one side of the vellum with the back completely blank, a phenomenon which would otherwise seem puzzling given the high cost of vellum. |
This richly painted leaf is blank on one side suggesting
that an artist painted it without a pre- arranged commission
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ARTISTIC EXPRESSION Despite the restrictions placed on artists, they managed to increasingly express their creativity. Although the patron (and by extension the church and society) might dictate where a picture should be placed and what that picture should represent, he often declined to describe exactly how it should be painted. Thus, while many artists used pattern books to expediently create the miniatures and marginal designs, other artists increasingly demonstrated greater creativity by placing the figures in different settings (landscapes, townscapes, or interiors) or carrying weapons or wearing special clothing. Because the miniature often had only a peripheral relationship to the text, an artist who was not given specific instructions could flex his creative muscles and paint fairly freely. |
The artist chose to place the figures before a townscape and perhaps daringly painted Lazarus' gown open in his depiction of the Raising of Lazarus. |
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Most surviving miniatures are from Books of Hours (books for the laity). However, miniatures do appear in books for priests as well (missals and breviaries). Paintings in these were always religious in nature (no patron portraits or secular scenes). Especially if a painting were in a missal (a book used during the holy office), the priest might treat the miniature as an object of worship rather than a work of art and could be seen kissing it during the Mass. |
Within texts written for priests, scenes from the Passion were common. |
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Read prior issues of A Peek into the Past * For more information on the making of illuminated manuscripts, we recommend:
Alexander, Jonathan. Medieval Illuminators and Their Methods of
Work. New Haven: Yale UP, 1992. |
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