“A single illuminated book may contain several hundred paintings.”
Source: The illuminated manuscript
“Some of these [coloured pigments] were commonly accessible in most parts of Europe but others travelled thousands of miles among the international trade routes from countries which were themselves on the brink of legend.”
Source: The illuminated manuscript
“It should be understood that in medieval eyes an artist was simply a craftsman, his activities having little to do with the twentieth-century notions of self-expression, individual genius and 'artistic temperament' that nowadays cling to his profession.”
Source: The illuminated manuscript
“Anglo-Saxon and Irish saints and scholars played a vital role in the conversion of Europe, especially during the seventh and eighth centuries, and through them insular art influenced the work of early continental illuminators.”
Source: The illuminated manuscript
“Anglo-Saxon England had the richest tradition of written vernacular literature of any country in Europe, including a large body of original poetry and many translations of earlier Latin works.”
Source: The illuminated manuscript
“Although most Romanesque manuscripts are attributed to communities of monks, the great nunneries must have supported their own scribes and illuminators.”
Source: The illuminated manuscript
“Although most of the finest early illumination is to be found in liturgical manuscripts, some secular texts were also illuminated. Their number was to increase with increasing individual ownership of books.”
Source: The illuminated manuscript
“Contemporary records reveal that in cities such as Paris the various craftsmen involved in the production of books—illuminators, ink and parchment makers, bookbinders and so forth—tended to live side by side in specific streets or neighbourhoods, which made co-operation easy.”
Source: The illuminated manuscript
“He who waits for permission to live will find himself buried with the others who did the same.”
Source: If Nietzsche Wrote Meditations: Think Fight Club Vibes for The Self-Improvement Fanatic.
“Although illuminated books were an expensive luxury, it would be a mistake to suppose that all the most elaborate ones were made exclusively for royalty or for the higher ranks of the nobility.”
Source: The illuminated manuscript