Medieval Manuscripts

Overview

Sources for visual reference for medieval times and for the visual style of medieval manuscripts.

Early Manuscripts

Eadwine Psalter — MS M.521, c. 1155-60, Canterbury, England

MS M.521v

• Highly stylized.
• Stories from the Gospels.
• Some livestock, pigs, architecture.

Links

• Eadwine Psalter picture reference (Photo Station)
• Leaf from Eadwine Psalter source (Morgan Library)

Winchester Bible — MS M.619, c. 1160-80, Winchester, England

• Highly rendered.
• Stylized trees
• David & Goliath
• Knights, horses w/saddles & bridles
• Clouds

Links

• Scenes from the Life of David, Leaf from the Winchester Bible (Morgan Library)

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Morgan Bible — MS M.638, 1240's, Paris, France

• aka The Crusader Bible
• Highly rendered
• Scenes from Genesis
• Strange stylized trees
• Harvesting
• Creation
• Adam and Eve
• Animals (Noah's ark)

Links

• Morgan Bible picture reference (Photo Station)
• Morgan Bible source (Morgan Library)

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  MS M.638 f. 1r detail

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  MS M.638 f. 2v detail

Chronicle of John of Worcester — MS. 157, c. 1140, England

• highly stylized
• 2 pages
• laborers, kings, clergy
• boats, water
• King Henry I's dream
• Crucifixion of Christ

Links

• Worcester Chronicle picture reference (Photo Station)
• Worcester World Chronicle source (Oxford University)

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  p. 77b Crucifixion of Christ

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  p. 383 King Henry I's dream

Liber Floridus &mdash {id}, {date}, {place of origin}

• Highly stylized
• Topics covering medicine and science
• Astrology
• Maps
• Plants

Links

• {picture reference} (Photo Station)

Codex Falkensteinensis — BayHStA KL Weyarn1, 1166, Germany

• Highly stylized figures
• Mostly writing, marginalia

Links

• Codex Falkensteinensis picture reference (Photo Station)
• Codex Falkensteinensis source (Munich Digital Library)

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  14 detail

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  31 detail (boar)

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  31 detail (fish)

La Estoire de Seint Aedward le Rei — MS Ee.3.59, c.1230-1240, England

• Highly stylized figures
• Kings and British history

Links

• MS Ee.3.59 source (Lancaster University)

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  f.8r

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  f.8v

Later Medieval manuscripts

Codex Manesse — Cod. Pal. germ. 848, 1300-1340, Zurich

• Between stylized and rendered
• Secular illustrations of poets arranged by rank: kings, dukes, counts, down to commoners
• Curly hair, head gear: fillets, barbettes, crowns, and some fancy hats
• Animals, birds, horses
• Hunting: hounds, stags, boars, bears
• Boats
• Not a whole lot of trees or plants, but there are repeated decorative scrolling floral motifs

Links

• Codex Manesse picture reference (Photo Station)
• Codex Manesse source (Heidelberg University Library)
• Codex Manesse info (Wikipedia)

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  f. 14v

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  f. 73r

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  f. 113v

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  f. 228r

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  f. 342v

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  f. 395r

Heidelberger Sachsenspiegel — Cod. Pal. germ. 164, c. 1295-1371, Germany

• Highly stylized/naive
• Saxon law, (literaly "Saxon Mirror", or roughly "Survey of Saxon Law")
• Secular themes
• Commoners, livestock, crops, labor

Links

• Heidelberger Sachsenspiegel picutre refernece (Photo Station)
• Heidelberger Sachsenspiegel source (University of Heidelberg library)
• Heidelberger Sachsenspiegel nfo (Wikipedia)

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  f. 1v

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  f. 2r

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  f. 5v

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  f. 5v

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  f. 6r

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  f. 8r

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  f. 8r

Dresden Sachsenspiegel — Mscr. Dresden M.32, 1295-1371, Germany

• Quality is a little more murky than the Heidelberg manuscript.
• More refined drawings.

Links

• Sachsenspiegel picture reference (Photo Station)
• Sachsenspiegel source (University of Dresden library)

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  f. 5r

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  f. 6r

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  f. 6r

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  f. 86r

Early Renaissance codices & manuscripts

Épître d'Othéa — Cod. Bodmer 49, 1460, Bourgogne/Burgundy, France

• Highly rendered
• aka The Book of Hector, The Book of Knighthood
• Costumes
• Nobility, royalty, knights fighting in suits of armor
• Romantic couples
• Monsters, demons, gates of hell
• Animals, birds, some hunting, wild boars, stags
• Landscapes, architecture, interiors and exteriors, castles, walled cities

Links

• Épître d'Othéa picture reference (Photo Station)
• Épître d'Othéa source (E-Codices)

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  f. 17r monster, maiden, and knight

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  f. 80r rabbits in a field

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  f. 98r wild boar

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  f. 105v mouth of hell

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  f. 114r couple

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  f. 137v battle

La Livre De La Chasse MS M. 1044, c. 1407, France

• Highly rendered
• Gaston Phoebus
• Hunting scenes and feasts
• Wild animals and hounds
• Nobility with servants

Links

• {picture reference} (Photo Station)
• source (Morgan Library)

Incunabula

Heidelberger Totentanz GW M47257, 1488, Germany

• Woodcuts (incunabulum)
• Danse Macabre
• Skeletons interacting with living people
• All social classes represented
• Early Renaissance; later than the period of interest

Links

• TK: Link:picture reference (Photo Station)
• source Heidelberg University library
• info & source BibliOdyssey

Paradin, Claude: Devises Heroïques — SM815, 1551, Lyons, France

Earliest example of a collection of the devices worn by French aristocracy, a practice started in the late 15th Century.

• Woodcuts
• Alchemical, mystical, surreal vibe
• Dates later than medieval times

Links

• Devises Heroïques picture reference (Photo Station)
• Devises Heroïques source (Glasgow University)

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  p. 62 QUÒ TENDIS? Where are you going?

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  p. 67 IN UTRUNQUE PARATUS. Ready to both.

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  p. 80 VEL IN ARA. And that on the holy altar.