The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination: History and Techniques

by Christopher de Hamel

Medieval manuscript expert Christopher de Hamel selects and discusses a range of illuminated manuscripts from The British Library's unparalleled collection, some of them unfinished and so revealing the processes involved in an illuminator's work. He also explores the role of illuminators in the medieval book trade - how books were commissioned, the patron's expectations, how illuminators worked with scribes, the materials and techniques they used, and the time and expertise involved in creating some outstanding masterpieces of medieval art. With over 70 colour and black-and-white illustrations, The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination is an authoritative and engaging guide to one of the central aspects of medieval bookmaking for anyone interested in medieval art, social history, calligraphy, or illumination. One of a series of accessible and lively introductions to the history of books and how they are made.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History

92 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2001

About the author

Dr Christopher de Hamel is a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and is Fellow Librarian of the Parker Library, one of the most important small collections of early manuscripts in Britain. For 25 years from 1975 he was responsible for all sales of medieval manuscripts at Sotheby’s. He has doctorates from Oxford and Cambridge and honorary doctorates from St John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, and Otago University, New Zealand. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a member of the Comité international de paléographie. He is author of numerous books on illuminated manuscripts and book collecting, including Glossed Books of the Bible (1984), The Book, A History of the Bible (2001), and Bibles, An Illustrated History from Papyrus to Print (2011). He was recipient of a festschrift in 2010, The Medieval Book, Glosses from Friends and Colleagues of Christopher de Hamel (ed. J. H. Marrow, R. A. Linenthal and W. Noel)

Reviews

[Wout · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zeker excellent!

[Rory · Rating 4 out of 5]

De Hamel as usual does not disappoint. An excellent introductory material, and even a good refresher and enjoyable read for those who have worked around illuminated manuscripts before.

[Richelle Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn’t a bore and I found out so much more on the decisions made and reasonings for why manuscripts were the way they were. Much more than decoration, I will say.

[Diana McCutcheon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a premier expert on the history and techniques of MS illumination