Books in the Renaissance

Magazine Antiques, July, 2003 by Allison Eckardt Ledes

Before the invention of printing, books were produced entirely by hand by a series of painters, calligraphers, and binders. Many of these manuscripts were embellished with exquisite, brilliantly colored miniature paintings aptly called illuminations. These early books included histories, chronicles, romances, religious texts, and books of hours. During the Renaissance they were highly prized by members of the great courts of Europe, who were among the few who were both literate enough to read them and rich enough to commission them.

Manuscript illumination flourished under the patronage of the dukes of Burgundy, kings of England, Portuguese monarchs, and Hapsburg rulers. The years between about 1470 and 1560 comprise one of the most productive and artistically accomplished periods in Flemish manuscript illumination, which is the subject of an exhibition on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles this summer. The show, entitled Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe, is on view until September 7, after which it travels to London, where it maybe seen at the Royal Academy of Arts from November 25, 2003, to February 22, 2004. Due to their fragility, illuminated manuscripts are rarely exhibited for very long, and the more than 130 works in this exhibition include some of the most important books of this kind ever produced. Artists who painted large-scale works also illuminated manuscripts, and the exhibition includes panel paintings to demonstrate their versatility and considerable skill.

A hallmark of manuscript illumination during the Renaissance is the introduction of wide, decorated borders consisting of realistically painted flowers and plants, many of which incorporate a wide variety of insects rendered in minute detail. In fact, it is believed that there were patterns for these opulent borders, which, by 1480, appeared in nearly every illuminated book produced by Flemish artists.

Several newly discovered illuminated manuscripts of the sixteenth century reverse earlier theories that the increasing availability of printed books led to the decline of manuscript illumination. On the contrary, the curators involved in this exhibition are of the opinion that illuminations produced until about 1560 are astonishing artistic accomplishments, demonstrating that illuminators were investigating new ways to paint portraits and landscapes, and convey narrative meaning in this very small format. Some of these rare jewellike images, such as the example illustrated below, also provide an excellent window onto court life and the opulent dress and furnishings enjoyed by members of the nobility at the time.

The catalogue of the exhibition, written by Thomas Kren and Scot McKendrick also contains contributions by six other scholars. It is available from the Getty Museum at 800-223-3431.

RELATED ARTICLE: A new gallery in the Peabody Essex Museum. Photograph by Marc Teatum.

The Beast Acheron, Devourer of the Avaricious, by Simon Marmion (c. 1425-1489), from Les Visions du Chevalier Tondal (The visions of the Knight Tondal; Ms. 30, fol. 17), Ghent and Valenciennes, 1475. Tempera, gold leaf, and gold paint on parchment; 14 5/16 by 10 5/16 inches. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

Detail of Genealogical Tree of the Kings of Aragon, by Simon Bening (1483/84-1561) and Antonio de Holanda (c. 1480-1557), from Genealogy of the Royal Houses of Spain and Portugal, (Ms. Add 12531, fol. 4) Lisbon and Eruges, c. 1530-1534. Tempera and gold on parchment, 23 by 17 inches. British Library, London

Alexander and the Niece of Artaxerxes III, by the Master of the Jardin de Vertueuse Consolation (w. 1450-1475), from Quintus Curtius Rufus, Livre des fais d'Alexandre le grant (Ms. Ludwig XV 8, fol. 123), Lille and Bruges, 1468-1479. Tempera, gold leaf, gold paint, and ink on parchment; 17 by 13 inches. Getty Museum.