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Medieval manuscripts borders7/3/2023 ![]() In other cases, the relationship is less obvious. In some cases, marginal scenes simply expanded or supplemented a topic introduced by the page's text or illustration. Artists expressed the full range of human interaction through animated gestures and poses. ![]() Gothic illumination, which flourished in northern Europe from about 1200 to 1350, is distinguished by an interest in naturalism. Initial C: A Priest Celebrating Mass (detail), Spanish, about 1290–1310Ĭlerics and a jester drinking ale can coexist on the same page. Later illustrators would free them from the initials to embellish the margins of pages. The delightful treatment of vines, as if they were real plants with a three-dimensional presence, influenced the design of late medieval borders. During the Romanesque period, about 1050 to 1200, intertwined figures and plant forms created rhythmic compositions, as you can see in the inhabited Q (at right). The Inhabited Initial: Ottonian and RomanesqueĪrtists of the Ottonian dynasty, between 9, enlivened initial letters with whimsical figures. Learn why a peacock's tail could have so much meaning. Inhabited Initial Q (detail) from a breviary, Italian, 1153 This exhibition covers the sweep of marginalia's history in three stages of development: beginning in the early Middle Ages with Ottonian and Romanesque art, reaching its zenith with Gothic illumination, and working its way into the borders of late medieval manuscripts. As often as they expand on the narrative, they also poke fun at the lofty themes and, more broadly, at human foibles. Scenes in the margins of a page often comment on the paintings illustrating the text in the center. Just outside the blocks of Latin text and larger illustrations, the pages of medieval books often teem with tiny characters, creatures, and fantastic plants-collectively called "marginalia."Įxplore the imaginative world of marginalia on select pages of two late medieval manuscripts.
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