Illuminations Books

The Book of Kells: An Illustrated Introduction to the Manuscript in Trinity College Dublin

Bernard Meehan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Darkness into Light 5 out of 5 stars.
40 of 40 people found this review helpful.

I was glad I had this book along with me when I went to see the real Book of Kells at the Trinity College Library in Dublin. The lines of tourists waiting to view this famous eighth century manuscript were about a quarter of a mile long, and the museum proctors were really hustling us through the area where a small sampling of pages were actually on view.

(If you take the tour, be sure to check out the main chamber of the Old Library with its first editions of Newton and Darwin, plus the harp that is (alas, falsely) attributed to Brian Boru, high king of Ireland).

The first facsimile of the Book of Kells was published in 1974, and although this book only advertises itself as 'an illustrated introduction to the manuscript...' it contains good color plates of many of the most famous pages, e.g. the symbols of the four evangelists and the beginning of the 'Breves causae' of Matthew, among others.

Author, Bernard Meehan, the current Keeper of Manuscripts at Trinity College states that "the sacred text itself was copied in the Book of Kells with a remarkable degree of inaccuracy." It consists of the Latin text of the Gospels, illuminated in the very ornate Hiberno-Saxon style ('Hiberno' refers to the Irish, or Hibernians).

Legend has it that the Book of Kells was produced by St. Colum Cille on the island of Iona off western Scotland. Although it was probably begun in the Irish monastery on Iona, it was taken to the monastery of Kells in County Meath, after a series of Viking raids. The monastery on Iona was pillaged in 795, and again in 802. According to the author, "In 806, sixty-eight of the community were killed in another raid. The following year, the survivors migrated to Ireland and began to erect conventual buildings at Kells..." where the illumination of the manuscript was probably completed.

If you are interested in the historical background of the Book of Kells, the author devotes a whole Appendix to it.

Alas, according to this book's second Appendix, "Losses, Additions and Marginalia," the Book of Kells has not remained intact down through the centuries. "At present there are 340 folios, but around thirty folios, including some major decorated pages have been lost." The monks also used blank spaces in the manuscript to record details of property transactions in the late eleventh and twelfth centuries.

Meehan's book is definitely worth viewing and reading. It also contains a wealth of the smaller decorative illustrations that do not always relate to the sacred text, e.g. hares, dogs, horses, and at least one moth. The color and minute details of these decorations are a source of endless fascination, and the scholarly text, although a trifle dry, is also very interesting.

Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms (Looking At...)

Michelle P. Brown

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A great little dictionary of illumination. 5 out of 5 stars.
29 of 29 people found this review helpful.

This little volume provides brief definitions of all the important phrases and terms used in the study of illuminated manuscripts including forms, techniques, themes, and periods.

Great for understanding the differences between an historiated initial and an inhabited initial - or between an antiphonal and a gradual.

Most of the representative images are in color and are well chosen to illustrate the definitions. Perhaps their only drawback is their small size due to the size limitations of the book itself.

A great companion while reading to "Medieval Illuminators & their Methods of Work" by Jonathan J.G. ALexander or "A History of Illuminated Manuscripts" by Christopher De Hamel.

Editorial Review:

What is a florilegium? What is an incipit? What is batarde script? This book--part of the Museum's popular Looking at series--offers definitions of these and numerous other techniques, processes, and materials used in medieval illuminated manuscripts. Concise and readable explanations of the technical terms most frequently encountered by the museum-goer are presented in an easily portable format. With numerous illustrations, many of them in color, this volume will be invaluable to all readers wishing to increase their understanding and enjoyment of illuminated manuscripts.

Muraqqa': Imperial Mughal Albums from the Chester Beatty Library

Elaine Wright

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Throughout history, people have assembled albums that record their lives and the world around them. Among the most remarkable of all albums ever created are those made in the years 1600-1657 for the emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The Mughal dynasty ruled India for more than three centuries, but the period of greatest artistic production was that of these two great emperors, and the albums of paintings and calligraphy (called muraqqa' in Persian), that they assembled now serve as a window to understanding the history and culture of this important period of Indian history. The paintings in the albums include formal (often symbolic) portraits of the emperors themselves, depictions of members of the royal family in relaxed private settings, portraits of courtiers, Sufi saints and mystics, genre scenes, and natural history subjects.

This lavishly-illustrated, color catalogue, contains essays by Elaine Wright, Curator of the Islamic Collections, Chester Beatty Library, Wheeler Thackston, Lecturer, Harvard University, Susan Stronge, Curator Asia Department, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Steven Cohen, Textile Specialist, Independent Scholar and Author, London.

Exhibition Itinerary

The exhibition premieres at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (May 3 - August 3, 2008). Subsequent venues include the Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan (August 23 - November 16, 2008); the Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hawai'i (December 17, 2008 - March 1, 2009); the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri (March 21 - June 14, 2009); and the Denver Art Museum, Colorado (July 4 - September 27, 2009).

The Book of Kells: Selected Plates in Full Color

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Worth the money but it could have been so much more 4 out of 5 stars.
48 of 49 people found this review helpful.

This book of color plates seems amazing, and almost is. However, the quality of the plates falls short of the mark. The colors are dull and faded, and the image resolution far lower than it should be. The Chi Rho page, probably the most beautiful page in the Book of Kells, shows almost none of the amazingly minute detail that it should. Other books--like the Thames & Hudson--show far more detail with more vivid colors than this. On the other hand, this book has larger pages than others, which is nice.

transcends time & religion 5 out of 5 stars.
27 of 32 people found this review helpful.

32 full color plates from one of the world's greatest books. Although it is Christian art, the Kells reflects centuries of preChristian style & mystery in its bestiary of cats & dragons, its peacock feathers, poses & intertwining lines. There is something in this art that transcends time & religion. The price is a bargain.

Bob Rixon

Editorial Review:

Painstakingly reproduced from a rare facsimile edition, this volume contains full-page decorations, portraits and illustrations, as well as a representative sampling of the textual leaves with their exquisite calligraphy and ornamentation. The 32 full-color illustrations include the first image of Virgin and Child in a Western manuscript and several early representations of Apocalyptic visionary symbols of the Evangelists.

The Bedford Hours: A Medieval Masterpiece

Eberhard Konig

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Editorial Review:

The Bedford Hours is considered by many to be the most sumptuous Book of Hours ever created by an illuminator’s hand—as well as one of the greatest treasures possessed by the British Library. It once belonged to John, Duke of Bedford, who was the younger brother of King Henry V and regent of France from 1422 until his death in 1435. Its 1,250 elaborate medallions, thirty-eight large-scale miniatures, and extensive brush gold, gold leaf, and silver decorations are extravagant enough to make it one of the most precious manuscripts of its period. Known only as the Bedford Master, the artist behind the manuscript was among the most prolific painters of his day, though his identity has long remained a mystery.
The Bedford Hours: A Medieval Masterpiece presents superb and luminous illustrations of the manuscript—seldom available in print—alongside the engrossing tale behind its creation. Eberhard König’s account of the creation of the Bedford Hours unfolds toward a number of startlingly original and unexpected conclusions, spurred by extraordinary detective work following the smallest of clues, and culminating a strong conjecture as to the identity of the Bedford Master—Haincelin of Haguenau, an artist who became an illuminator to the dauphin Louis de Guyenne, one of the figures most associated with the major illuminated manuscripts in which the Bedford Master had a hand.
This remarkable story and the sixty rich color illustrations that accompany it help to make The Bedford Hours an unforgettable account of the creation of one of our most remarkable medieval masterpieces.

Nature Illuminated: Flora and Fauna from the Court of Emperor Rudolf II

Lee Hendrix, Thea Vignau-Wilberg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Medieval Butterflies, Sea Shells, Plants = #41 Manuscripts 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

If you want to see colorful manuscipts that show a varity of medieval insects, plants, flowers, fruit, sea shells, initials, designs, and even a few animals, then this is the book for you. There are 41 full color manuscripts to choose from. At the end of the book, are discriptions of each manuscript, listing the medieval name for each. Example: The identifications of specimens proceed from top to bottom and from left to right. Common names have been provided whenever possible. In the case of the insect identifications, British English common names have been used, since most of the specimens represented do not exist in the United States. Where a different American common name is known, it has been included following the British Name, seperated by a slash. The names of higher taxonomic groups (families and orders) have been printed in roman type, while genus and spicies names appear in italics.Folio 1 Rotunda script in "trace letters"Vinca minor L,: Common periwinkleMalus domestica Borkh,:Common appleLacerta(?):LizardFolio 5 Antiqua scriptMatthiola incana (L.) R. Br.: GillyflowerEphemeroptera: MayflyDiptera Cyclorrhapha Heleomyzidae (?):FlyPulmonata Helicidae Cepaea sp.: Garde SnailEnd Example.A great sorce of Medieval Nature.

Editorial Review:

The most important legacy of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II is the Mira calligraphiae monumenta, a manuscript comprised of illuminated pages of calligraphy. Around 1561 a master calligrapher wrote the text as proof of his preeminence among scribes. After his death, a master illustrator was employed to illuminate his writing, and the outcome is a rare combination of words and images in small-scale drawings--considered one of the wonders of Renaissance Europe. This book culls different plates from the collection that are each unique, consisting of lavishly executed text in Roman and Hebrew letters accompanied by realistic and detailed drawings of plants, animals, and insects.

Beasts Factual and Fantastic (The Medieval Imagination)

Elizabeth Morrison

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Beasts Factual and Fantastic is the first in the Medieval Imagination series of small, affordable books that will draw on manuscript illuminations from the Middle Ages and early Renaissance. Each volume will focus on a particular theme or subject as represented by medieval artists. Often, as in the case of the imaginary beasts that readers will encounter in this volume, artists depicted that which they did not see or know, but which was nonetheless shaped by the prevailing beliefs, fears, and rudimentary science of the time. In other cases, manuscript illuminators recorded what they indeed did see--which, centuries later, reveals much about the world in which they lived.
This inaugural volume features vivid and charming details from the wealth of manuscripts in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum and the British Library, along with a lively text; together both word and image provide an accessible and delightful introduction to the imagination of the medieval world. Future volumes in this series will cover such topics as costumes, portraiture, and marginalia, among others.

The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination: History and Techniques (British Library Guides)

Christopher de Hamel

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

approachable, digestible introduction to method and history 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This is a brief, yet thorough introduction to the methods and history of manuscript illumination. After purchasing this book as a birthday gift for my sister, I read in only four evenings. I meant only to browse; but De Hamel's eloquent, affable writing style provided relaxing, fun and informative non-fiction reading. His logical presentation of technical information and facts are easy to re-assemble into a clear, basic understanding of medieval, European illumination.

Non-European illumination is mentioned but not discussed in this introductory text. Though not picture-laden, images are clearly reproduced and efficiently illustrate concepts discussed in the text. My curiosity is peaked and I look forward to learning more about manuscript production and conservation.

Editorial Review:

Medieval manuscript expert Christopher de Hamel selects and discusses a range of illuminated manuscripts from The British Library's unparalleled collection, some of them unfinished and so revealing the processes involved in an illuminator's work. He also explores the role of illuminators in the medieval book trade - how books were commissioned, the patron's expectations, how illuminators worked with scribes, the materials and techniques they used, and the time and expertise involved in creating some outstanding masterpieces of medieval art.

With over 70 colour and black-and-white illustrations, The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination is an authoritative and engaging guide to one of the central aspects of medieval bookmaking for anyone interested in medieval art, social history, calligraphy, or illumination. One of a series of accessible and lively introductions to the history of books and how they are made.

Woodblock Kuchi-E Prints: Reflections of Meiji Culture

Helen Merritt, Nanako Yamada

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Editorial Review:

Here is a pioneer exploration of a previously neglected genre of late-Meiji art: the type of handmade multicolor book frontispieces known as kuchi-e. Early European collectors assumed that the Japanese woodblock tradition came to an end in Western-tainted prints. Although many crudely colored prints of subjects such as steam trains and men in derby hats did flood the Japanese market, the works introduced in this readable volume make clear that there was another class of popular woodblock tradition unknown to foreigners that continued into the early twentieth century. In their examination of this late flowering of the woodblock print, the authors provide not only an introduction to a popular artistic tradition but also a new lens through which to view Japanese life at the end of the nineteenth century.

Celtic Design: Illuminated Letters

Aidan Meehan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

NOT WHAT I HOPED FOR 3 out of 5 stars.
8 of 10 people found this review helpful.

THE COVER OF MEEHAN'S "ILLUMINATED LETTERS" IS MISLEADING. THE COVER EXHIBITS THE VIBRANT AND RICH COLORS THAT CELTIC ILLUMINATION IS REKNOWN FOR, BUT UP0N OPENING THE BOOK, I WAS DISAPPOINTED TO FIND NOT A HINT OF COLOR. COMPLETELY BLACK AND WHITE. THERE IS AN INTRODUCTION, BRIEF BUT INFORMATIVE, AN EARLY DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER, MAJOR INITIALS CHAPTER, DECORATED ALPHABET CHAPTER, ANIMAL ALPHABET, AND TWO DECORATED AMPERSAND CHAPTERS; WHO USES AMPERSANDS THAT MUCH?! I THOUGHT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN MANY MORE EXAMPLES OF ILLUMINATED LETTERS (NOT AMPERSANDS) FOR THE 160 PAGE VOLUME THAT IT IS.

Editorial Review:

The Celtic scribes of the sixth to ninth centuries, whose intelligence and artistry we admire today in their sacred manuscripts, worked from instructions and master-copies, handed down from generation to generation. In this authoritative reference manual, the sources and symbolism of their ornament are made accessible. From elucidation of the pages of the Cathach of St. Columba to the Celtic animal alphabet, this unique blend of history, anecdote and practical instruction recreates the schooling of the Celtic illuminator.