109. Missal of St. Louis:
Christ in a Mandorla Surrounded
by Emblems of the Evangelists, c. 1225-1256.

Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi,

Assisi (Italy).

 

 

Thus, illuminated manuscripts travelled across Europe as precursors of new ideas, tastes and styles. There is no doubt that their spread explains the influence of Parisian art on many countries from the second half of the fourteenth to the beginning of the fifteenth century. Miniature had a direct exchange not only with panel painting, but also sculpture. In the design of the plastic décor in Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals, illuminated books often served as inspiring source material for themes, shapes, and iconography. They informed weavers, architects, enamel painters, ivory carvers and masters of glass painting. Until the middle of the fifteenth century and the works of painter Jean Fouquet, the masters of French miniature were in turn inspired by the excellent sculpture of the High Gothic.

 

In the thirteenth century miniature is strongly influenced by glass painting and in the fourteenth century by Italian frescos. In the fifteenth century it incorporated the decisive discoveries of the Dutch painters, the Italian architects and sculptors, as well as the painters of the Quattrocento. In this complex and fruitful interaction of genres, schools and arts miniature played an important role.

 

As a “secondary art”, that is as interpretation of a literary work, miniatures are invaluable documents that show how people of that time saw and understood literature; what emotions the ancient works triggered in them; how people adapted these works to their own times; and how they correlated with high culture’s next developmental stage. Nevertheless, illumination has to be seen as an independent art that has to be included as an important element in mankind’s cultural heritage. Illustration of manuscripts is an exceptionally important stage in the history of book design. The manuscript ornamentation system became ever more complicated and varied; it reached its peak in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The initials are of diverse size, content and character; the rubrics in the text are painted with gold and colours; there are horizontal ornamentations within lines and borders featuring rich plant details; depictions of real and fantastic beings, humans, and various mythical creatures; filigree ornamentations spill into the margins; extensive compositions run onto the lower page and self-contained illustrations appear within miniatures. If a manuscript was to be illuminated, the writer left ample space for the initials, fields, medallions and half or whole page illustrations. Sometimes hints were left on the margins of these empty spaces informing the painter which plots, or “histories”, should be depicted.