![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Oooh, pretty flowers!
Aug. 23rd, 2007 05:02 pmJust finished Flowers in Medieval Manuscripts (Medieval Life in Manuscripts), by Celia Fisher, University of Toronto Press (2004). This book answers all the questions I had when I was putting together our library's exhibit A Medieval Garden of Botanical Illustrations http://www.drew.edu/depts/library.aspx?id=5773
It covers the development of flower patterns in manuscripts, which countries and which artists led the styles, and what the possible meanings of flowers were in their contexts. The text itself is short, more of an essay than a book, but the pictures are oh so worth it. In our library collection, I found only the Low Country examples of botanical illumination (squashed-bug), but this book goes further into the Italian origins of the style.
The text is directed at the art historian, but it would be useful both to the student of historical gardening and plants and the illuminator. While the author does not give details about how the plants depicted would have been grown, or in fact give a complete list of plants depicted, the mere profusion of known flowers listed in the book, and the inspiration of the paintings, is helpful for those researching medieval flower types. For the illuminator, technical details of the paint colors and strokes are not available, but the discussion of why and at what time period/place illuminators chose to include specific plants-- along with the lovely examples-- is very helpful.
It would not have occurred to me, looking at the small number of manuscripts I've examined, to suspect that the illumination sheets and the decorations around the text might be by different hands in the same manuscript, but it's easy to understand in retrospect. I do think some knowledge of the history of books (though not an extensive study) is helpful in understanding the book. The author discusses the differences between books of hours and breviaries, as well as other texts, but doesn't go into detail.
The color reproduction is superb, well worth it for a book that cost me under $20 at Kalamazoo. This is definitely a book to have for garden and C&I aficionados!
It covers the development of flower patterns in manuscripts, which countries and which artists led the styles, and what the possible meanings of flowers were in their contexts. The text itself is short, more of an essay than a book, but the pictures are oh so worth it. In our library collection, I found only the Low Country examples of botanical illumination (squashed-bug), but this book goes further into the Italian origins of the style.
The text is directed at the art historian, but it would be useful both to the student of historical gardening and plants and the illuminator. While the author does not give details about how the plants depicted would have been grown, or in fact give a complete list of plants depicted, the mere profusion of known flowers listed in the book, and the inspiration of the paintings, is helpful for those researching medieval flower types. For the illuminator, technical details of the paint colors and strokes are not available, but the discussion of why and at what time period/place illuminators chose to include specific plants-- along with the lovely examples-- is very helpful.
It would not have occurred to me, looking at the small number of manuscripts I've examined, to suspect that the illumination sheets and the decorations around the text might be by different hands in the same manuscript, but it's easy to understand in retrospect. I do think some knowledge of the history of books (though not an extensive study) is helpful in understanding the book. The author discusses the differences between books of hours and breviaries, as well as other texts, but doesn't go into detail.
The color reproduction is superb, well worth it for a book that cost me under $20 at Kalamazoo. This is definitely a book to have for garden and C&I aficionados!
