Illuminated Manuscripts of the
Illuminated Manuscripts of thePerhaps no other art form captures the spirit of the Early Medieval period better than the illuminated
manuscripts the were created by the monks and religious scholars. Illuminated manuscripts are very
important to us today because they can express the ideas and values of the Medieval society.
The manuscript I chose was created in Normandy in the city of Vellum. This manuscript was
finished in 1180.
Until the advent of the Book of Hours in the fourteenth century the Psalter, a book with the texts of
the hundred and fifty psalms, was the most important prayer book for ordinary people. This manuscript was
elaborately decorated as it was commissioned by wealthy patrons. The amount of gold used in this particular
illumination suggests that the patrons were willing to spend their money for religious purposes.
The manuscript contains twenty-six full-page drawings. The first twelve miniatures come from the
Calendar. The next fourteen paintings describe the life of Christ. In the actual text all the psalms are
separated by fancy initial letters. Very often, in these initials you can find the scenes that describe the life of
David. The most beautiful paintings in this manuscript are the full-page paintings from the calendar that
replace the much smaller fancy first letters.
This particular painting is the picture of the month of May. This drawing is very bright and shiny. In
this painting a knight on horseback rides out to go hawking. The hawker is covered with an expensive white
fur. It suggests that the knight is very rich. It is a male horse and it has very small ears. The knight is shown
at the moment of taking off the hawk's hood, a rarely depicted detail. It is not clear where the knight is
located since the background is painted in plain gold. Also, there is no perspective in the painting.
Surprisingly, this illumination has a very simple border. The style with its bright colors and simple outlines,
as well as the expression of the falconer's face show that the miniature is painted by an artist coming from
Normandy or the south of England.
The manuscript was made for an unknown, possibly noble patroness, who had herself portrayed in a
kneeling position in a full-page miniature before the beginning of the texts of the psalms. The calendar
contains a number of saints who were especially venerated in the monastery of F�camps in north-west
France, which suggests that she lived in that neighborhood.
This manuscript suggests that religion played a big role...
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