Before the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century, books were designed, written, and illustrated by hand. Today these handmade manuscripts are highly valued, and greatly sought after by collectors and institutions around the world.
This presentation addresses two aspects of illustration in medieval and Renaissance manuscripts before the dominance of the printed book. First, it defines the components and principles of decoration that are featured in many manuscripts, ranging from full-page miniatures to the minor decoration of small painted initials and line-fillers. Second, it focuses on several types and genres of manuscripts, including illuminations in Bibles, liturgical books, legal texts, classical works, and the extremely popular Books of Hours. The overall theme of the presentation is how manuscript illustrations help the reader navigate through a text, whether it is written in Latin or in a vernacular language.
An in-person and virtual presentation by Barbara A. Shailor, PhD FSA, author, researcher, professor of paleography and codicology, and President, The American Trust for the British Library
** The Windle-Loker Lecture Series on the History of the Illustrated Book
** Co-presented & co-hosted by The American Trust for The British Library