Flowers in Medieval Manuscripts

Folklore, August, 2005 by Susan Drury

Flowers in Medieval Manuscripts. By Celia Fisher. London: The British Library, 2004. 64 pp. Illus. 7.95 [pounds sterling] (pbk). ISBN 0-7123-4853-0

This detailed study considers the history and significance of floral art in medieval manuscripts showing how plants and flowers appear in art for a number of reasons--the purely decorative, the symbolic, or for practical identification as in the case of herbals.

"Although flower decoration in illuminated manuscripts reached its peak in the fifteenth century, the origins of flower decoration lie much earlier" (p. 5). The study traces the origins of this art form from the simple vine decoration on capital letters marking the beginning of chapters or prayers, through gradually increasing complexity during the medieval period until it surrounded the text on the page margins with the addition of stylised flowers, people, animals and birds embellished with colour or gold leaf. The depiction of flowers in manuscripts reached its peak in the fifteenth century in Italy and the southern Netherlands, principally Ghent and Bruges, with the movement to combine both realism and decoration in floral art.

Celia Fisher draws together examples from a wide range of manuscripts originating from France, Italy, The Netherlands, and England, considering the provenance, function and distribution of individual manuscripts and examining both how these were produced and particularly the symbolism represented. Sources of plant symbolism ranged from classical legends and the works of early botanists such as Theophrastus, Dioscorides, and Pliny the Elder to the Bible. "Flowers and leaves, even roots, pods and berries were a recurring feature on manuscript pages. They could represent every facet of life from medicine to marriage, besides being emblems of power whether earthly or heavenly" (p. 16).

This is a thorough, well-researched book, with carefully chosen illustrations from the manuscripts to back up the text and it will be a valuable addition to the libraries of those interested in the origins of botanical art and the history of herbal medicine.

Susan Drury, Folklore Society