Illumination and Its Development in the Present Day

by Sidney Farnsworth

In this the closing chapter of this book it may be as well to suggest a few books that might be useful for further study. It is not intended, by any means, to give anything like a complete bibliography on this subject, but merely to refer to a few of the books that the writer has found to be of service to him. Some of the books mentioned may possibly be out of print, but copies may be seen in most of the larger public libraries.

The following books treat the subject of illumination broadly from the historical standpoint: English Illuminated MSS., by Sir E. M. Thompson, Illuminated MSS. in Classical and Mediæval Times, by J. H. Middleton, and Illuminated Manuscripts, by J. A. Herbert. Another most useful book for the student is the Historical Introduction to the Collection of Illuminated Letters and Borders in the National Art Library, by John W. Bradley.

Reproductions of some of the illuminated MSS. in the British Museum have been published by the Museum authorities. Illuminated Manuscripts in the British Museum, by G. F. Warner, contains a series of plates beautifully reproduced in gold and colours. These give as nearly as possible in a reproduction some idea of what the originals are like. Three sets of fifty collotype plates, Reproductions of Illuminated Manuscripts, are also published of the illuminated MSS. in the British Museum. A Guide to the Manuscripts in the British Museum also contains a number of half-tone reproductions, and The Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, Part 2, Miniatures, Leaves, and Cuttings, published by the authorities of the Victoria and Albert Museum, has a good number of illustrations. The series of excellent photographic facsimiles published by the Palæographical Society are also most useful for reference.

For students who wish to give special attention to the work of any particular schools of illumination, such as the Byzantine, Celtic, or Winchester Schools, the following books are recommended:

Byzantine School.—For a general history of Byzantine art, Byzantine Art, by O. M. Dalton, and Manuel d’Art Byzantine, by Ch. Diehl. Both of these writers deal with illuminated manuscripts as well as other branches of Byzantine art. For a work dealing exclusively with Byzantine MSS. the Histoire de l’Art Byzantin considere ... dans le Miniatures, by M. Kondakoff, may be recommended.

Celtic School.—Early Christian Art in Ireland, by Margaret M. Stokes, is a very useful book. Other helpful books are The Fine Arts and Civilization of Ancient Ireland, by Henry O’Niell, and Celtic Art in Pagan and Christian Times, by J. Romilly Allen. An Enquiry into the Art of the Illuminated Manuscripts of the Middle Ages. I. Celtic Illuminated Manuscripts, by Johann Adolf Bruun, deals with the Celtic MSS. in a fairly comprehensive manner. This book is illustrated with reproductions from some of the manuscripts referred to. Facsimiles of the Miniatures and Ornaments of Anglo-Saxon and Irish Manuscripts, by J. O. Westwood, contains a number of chromo-lithographic reproductions of these manuscripts. The Book of Kells, recently published by the publishers of The Studio, contains a large number of the pages and initials from this well-known manuscript which have been reproduced by means of the three-colour process. The Introduction to this volume has been written by Sir Edward Sullivan.

Winchester School.—An account of one of the most important manuscripts of this school, viz., the famous Benedictional of Æthelwold, is given in Vol. I. of the Bibliographical Decameron, by Dr. Dibdin; also Dr. Waagen gives a description of it in Vol. III. of Treasures of Art in Great Britain. In Vol. XXIV. of the Archælogia, pages 1–117, there is also A Dissertation on St. Æthelwold’s Benedictional, by John Gage Rokewood. This is illustrated with thirty-two plates of reproductions of the pages of this manuscript. The same writer gives, in pages 118–136, A Description of a Benedictional or Pontifical, called Benedictionarius Roberti Archiepiscopi. Thus two of the most famous of all the Winchester MSS. are here described in a most careful and painstaking fashion.

Lettering, especially in its application to illumination, is dealt with very thoroughly in Writing and Illuminating and Lettering, by Edward Johnston. This book is well illustrated with diagrams, and the instructions given on how to cut and use the reed and quill pen are very clear. It is a very useful book for the student. Other books on the subject of lettering that will be found to be of service are Lettering in Ornament, and Alphabets, Old and New, by Lewis F. Day, also Alphabets, by Edward F. Strange. For those who wish to study lettering from the standpoint of palæography, Greek and Latin Palæography, by Sir Edward Maunde Thompson, is a good introductory work on this subject.

The following books may be of interest to the student who is desirous of further information concerning the colours and methods of working employed by the mediæval artist: Mrs. Merrifield’s Ancient Practice of Painting, the Schedula Diversarum Artium of Theophilus, and The Book of the Art of Cennino Cennini. Mrs. Merrifield’s book contains a number of translations of the early manuscripts that describe the technical methods employed by the mediæval artists. The treatise of Theophilus has been translated into English by R. Hendrie, and the best translation of Cennini’s book is that by Mrs. Herringham. Materials of the Painter’s Craft, and Processes, Pigments, and Vehicles, by Dr. A. P. Laurie, are books that deal with this subject in a very interesting and helpful manner.

As the study of Heraldry is very important to the illuminator, the following books are mentioned: Complete Guide to Heraldry, by A. C. Fox-Davies, English Heraldry, by Charles Boutell, and Heraldry, by W. H. St. John Hope. The Stall Plates of the Garter, 1348–1485, also by W. H. St. John Hope.