TIME PERIODS Medieval or Middle Ages:

Renaissance:

APPROXIMATE DATES From fall of Western Roman Empire in 476 AD to End of Eastern Roman Empire around 1453 AD. [5th to 15th centuries] From emergence of revival of learning in Italy in the 1400’s to the rise of the printed book around 1600 AD [15th and 16th centuries]

ILLUMINATION STYLES Early Christian, Byzantine, Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque Gothic, Flemish, Italian Renaissance

EARLY CHRISTIAN ART (4TH-6TH CENTURIES AD) A little background history:

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In AD 313 Constantine the Great formally recognized Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire. In response, churches were built and commissioned art took on the subject matter of the Christian saints, symbols and biblical themes. Predominantly religious in nature with people commonly painted with uplifted hands and eyes. Simple and twodimensional (drapery folds depicted by black lines), simple or no shading, backgrounds done in gold leaf, simple bar borders of repeated geometric patterns Cad reds, alizarin crimson, metallic gold and silver, cerulean, oxide of chromium, sap green, olive green, spectrum violet, cad yellows, cobalt, ochre, naples yellow, ultramarine The Vienna Genesis, Rossano Gospels

BYZANTINE ART (4TH- 10TH CENTURIES) A little background history:

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This developed in the eastern half of the Roman Empire whose capital was Constantinople, now Istanbul. Surviving until 1453, the Byzantine Empire blended Hellenistic (Greek) and Middle Eastern influences and produced illuminated manuscripts, mosaics, and church architecture. Brilliant, glittering color and a bold, linear style, iconographic portraits of religious and secular nature, monumental figures, mostly two dimensional, simplistic shading Alizarin crimson, cad. reds, cerulean, madder crimson, winsor emerald, perm. greens, gold metallic, spectrum violet, brilliant violet, peacock, cobalt, oxide of chromium, ochre The Homilies of Gregory Nazianzus, The Joshua roll (The vatican), The Paris Psalter, The Exultet Rolls (Pisa)

CELTIC AND ANGLO-SAXON ART (4TH-9TH CENTURIES) A little background history:

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Stemming from the period when southern Europe was overrun by Germanic tribes from the north. Among the invading tribes, the Anglo-Saxons, particularly those who settled in the British Isles, excelled in metalwork and jewelry. Intricate interlaced knotwork, zoomorphic designs, maze patterns. The initial letter was often decorated with wandering braids with human figures and animal motifs at the beginning or end of the letter. cadmium red pale, cerulean blue, permanent green medium and light, Winsor emerald, peacock blue, cadmium yellow pale, lemon yellow, orange lake light, cad. yellow deep, brilliant violet, primary blue, cobalt blue, cad. orange Lindisfarne Gospels (British Museum, London), Book of Kells (Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland) and The book of Durrow, Vespasian Psalter, Codex Aureus.

CAROLINGIAN ART (LATE 8TH-EARLY 10TH CENTURIES) A little background history:

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Carolingian art flourished in Charlemagne's empire, drawing its inspiration from the late Classical artistic traditions of the early Christian, Byzantine, and Anglo-Saxon styles. Charlemagne’s aim was to revive the art of antiquity. Geometric patterning was the underlying force behind these lushly painted pages. Some pages included sections written in gold or silver ink on purple vellum and often contained lavish quantities of gold. The illuminations displayed a combo of two dimensional ornament and increased sense of three dimensions in the depiction of figures. Alizarin crimson, cerulean, gold and silver metallic, Winsor emerald, perm greens, cad. reds, cad. yellows, oxide of chromium The Gospel Book of Ada (municipal Library, Trier),The Utrecht Psalter (9th century; university library Utrecht), Gospel book of Godescalc

OTTONIAN (10TH - EARLY 11TH CENTURIES) A little background history: The Style:

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Pertaining to the consecutive reigns of Otto I, his son Otto II, and grandson Otto III, from 936 to 1002, and their successors. Characterized by a fusion of Carolingian and Byzantine influences. Flat, vivid colors (often in unnatural hues), sumptuous gold backgrounds, and monumental figures give this a majestic and ceremonial style. Alizarin crimson, cerulean, gold and silver metallic, Winsor emerald, perm greens, cad. reds, cad. yellows, oxide of chromium Codex Egberti, Gospels of Otto III

ROMANESQUE OR NORMAN ART (10TH-12TH CENTURIES) A little background history:

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This period was influenced by the Normans who conquered England in 1066 AD. Fine examples of Romanesque art remain throughout Europe, from northern Spain and Italy to France, the Germanic lands of the Holy Roman Empire, England, and Scandinavia. Bibles and Psalters were quite fashionable in the Romanesque era. Combined naturalistic elements with the fantastical and Celtic inspired knotwork. Manuscripts feature grotesques (a variety of real and imaginary creatures), textured or gold backgrounds, and historiated initials. These initials, found at the beginning of a chapter, combined the initial of the opening word with foliage, figures or pictures illustrating a portion of the text. These initials, which were more common than full-page illustrations, could sometimes extend the length of the page. gold metallic, cad reds, cobalt, ultramarine, alizarin crimson, naples, sap green, perm greens, cad yellows, azure The Winchester Bible. Westminster Psalter c. 1200 (British Museum, London)

GOTHIC ART & THE GOLDEN AGE (LATE 12TH-15TH CENTURIES) A little background history:

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Gothic art developed as large cathedrals were built in Europe. Court patronage produced many devotional books illustrated with miniatures. One of the great transitions of manuscript illuminations of the gothic period is that both text and pictures form a united composition. Paris was the birthplace of these new ideas in book ornamentation. Book size decreased but illuminated initials expanded, a wealth of ornament - grotesque little monsters and trolls (called drollery) started to appear in the margins of books. Gold backgrounds were replaced by landscapes. Lots of ivy vines, acanthus leaves, gold leaf, use of spear and bar borders, blank spaces in lines of text are filled with decorative bars gold and silver metallic, cad. reds, Venetian red, ultramarine, cobalt, cerulean, cad. yellow pale, perm. green light, medium and deep, cad. orange, golden yellow, marigold, Très riches heures du duc de Berry (Chantilly), Hours of Catherine of Cleves (c.1428-45; Morgan Library),

FLEMISH STYLE (APPROX. 1470 AD - 1560 AD) A little background history:

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Patronage at the court of the Duke de Berry in Paris evaporated after the battle of Agincourt. Manuscript painters found themselves either working at the court of the English regent, fleeing to southern France, or returning to the cosmopolitan centers of Flanders, such as Ghent and Bruges, where they could cater to the tastes of the wealthy bourgeois clientele. Generally speaking, the shift of artistic activity from the French courts to the Flemish cities was helpful to the rise of the characteristic Flemish realism in illumination. Solid backgrounds (most often ochre or pale yellow in color but blues and reds also popular) with realistic flowers, birds, insects, and fruit as a frame for text or miniature scene. Realism predominates. Naples yellow, ochre, sienna-raw and burnt, Vandyke brown, umber, sepia, neutral gray, any of the reds, blues, yellow and greens. Full range of colors. The Bridwell Hours, The Master of Mary of Burgundy (Bodleian, Oxford), Grimani Breviary

ITALIAN RENNAISSANCE (15TH-16TH CENTURIES) A little background history:

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Italy, the center of enlightenment and rebirth of learning, was an important contributor of illumination in the 15th and 16th centuries. In general, illuminations were no longer closely related to the text but became little paintings in Renaissance frames. There was a return to the classical influences in art combined with realistic landscapes, architecture and figures. Heavily influenced by classical Greco-Roman designs. Intricate whitework and goldwork vines quite popular, huge initials with realistic miniatures painted in and around the letter. Also frames of classical pottery, vines and cherubim, use of tromp l’oeil, and realistic jewels. Think intricate and ornate with lots of details in gold. Lots of jewel tones and rich colors: ultramarine, cobalt, cad. red deep, cad red pale, alizarin crimson, brilliant violet, spectrum violet, rose carthame, rose tyrien, magenta, peacock blue, turquoise, gold and silver metallic, azure, perm. greens, forest green The Visconti Hours, Prayer Book of Lorenzo de' Medici (Biblioteca Medicea-Laurenziana, Florence), The Sforza Hours

ARABIC/MOORISH /ISLAMIC STYLE - NEAR EAST A little background history:

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The Near East consists of the artisan works of the Islamic, Palestinian and Jewish cultures. The Koran (or Qu’ran) was the primary focus of illumination. Even though figural decoration of the Koran was forbidden, Muslims did often decorate secular books with figures. Muslim artists developed arabesque, or a decorative motif based on natural forms such as leaves, stems, or tendrils arranged in repeating geometric patterns. Moorish and Islamic designs are very geometrical, complex and precise. The designs are often overlaid so that the complexity is nearly mind-boggling. (lots of clear blues, reds and greens) cobalt, ultramarine, primary blue, azure, turquoise, peacock, flame red, cad. red pale, cad. red deep, perm green middle and light, oxide of chromium, metallic gold, cad. orange, orange lake deep, marigold, orange lake light, naples yellow Al Qu’ran, The Kettubah, The Haggadeh, carpet borders, mosaic tiles

JAPANESE/CHINESE/PERSIAN/INDIAN – FAR EAST (1160 AD –1600 AD) A little background history: The Style:

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Focuses on harmony, order and the natural world. Books were mainly text with minimal or no illustrations. Common Japanese/Chinese designs are of stylized flora and fauna such as: flowers (peonies, chrysanthemums and water lilies are Chinese favorites), trees, leaves, stalks of bamboo or grass, vines, songbirds, fish (carp), lions, and dragons. Intricate geometric patterns were also popular. Persian and Indian designs are very complex and often use overlaying geometry as well as small flowers and paisleys. Fauna, such as the elephant and camel, are included as well as some exotic birds, and Indian tigers. (bright, clear colors) Cad. lemon, primary yellow, cad. yellow pale, marigold, scarlet lake, flame red, rose carthame, alizarin rose madder, magenta, rose tyrien, cad. reds, cerulean, turquoise, peacock, cobalt, winsor emerald, oxide of chromium, winsor green, perm green light, metallic gold Check out tapestries, carpets, fans, screens.