Illuminated Haggadot from Medieval Spain: Biblical Imagery And the Passover Holiday

Book Description

Emerging in Spain after 1250, Jewish narrative figurative painting became a central feature in a group of illuminated Passover Haggadot in the early decades of the fourteenth century. Illuminated Haggadot from Medieval Spain describes how the Sephardic Haggadot reflect different visualizations of scripture under various conditions and aimed at a variety of audiences. Though the specifics of the creation of these works remain a mystery, this book delves into the cultural struggles that existed during this period in history and shows how those conflicts influenced the work.

Customer Reviews:

Very Impressed.......2007-08-02

I am thoroughly impressed with this book. Its scholarship is impressive and helpful in my preparations to study medieval history at Oxford. And the thoughtfully written bibliography and through indexing of the manuscripts illustrated assist further studies. Even though it's not on my official reading list and is certainly not a light nor compact book, I'm packing it and taking it with me.

But, as scholarly as this work is, if one simply wants an attractive coffee table book on the subject, this can certainly be one. If one wants a very readable, engagingly written, well illustrated introduction to illuminated manuscripts, this is for you as well.

There is even some helpful guidance on collecting the more available manuscripts such as Books of Hours. And as the Fellow Librarian of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and with his 25 years experience in evaluating manuscripts for Sotheby's, Dr. De Hamel's knowledge is not just theoretical.

Yet the price is extremely reasonable for a book of this quality.

A Joyous Entry for Anyone's Library.......2007-04-20

Simply a treasure in print, Christopher De Hamel's work on medieval manuscripts is an enjoyable and fact-filled romp through the Middle Ages as if no "darkness" in the period ever existed. Focusing on a descriptive narrative that is as delightful as it is informative, the text leads the reader from one interesting setting to another, belying the breadth and scope of its coverage. One meets the educational reformers in Charlemagne's court, the scribes of the cathedral schools of Laon and Chartres, the workers in English scriptoriums, and many others in this highly researched, but clearly and engagingly written book. The reader feels as if he is simply touring the European countryside from one location to another and watching the patient and unrelenting work of scribes, copyists, and illustrators as they seek to develop the most enduring artifact of the period. Underpinning the entire work is a series - no, a PLETHORA - of beautifully reproduced and highly detailed medieval manuscript reproductions, many of them full-page, to the extent that one finds himself questioning why the text doesn't cost three times the price. A rarity in that it contains both outstanding prose as well as stunningly reproduced photographs, this text should be in every medievalist's (and art lover's) own scriptorium.

Fabulous book and indispensable resource!.......2006-04-26

I loved this book! I used it for a graduate course on Illuminated Manuscripts, and it was one of the main textbooks we used, but I used it often after the course as well. I really enjoyed reading it, and found that it was unlike most of the typical text books I had formerly used. For any art history student, it is an outstanding resource. For anyone who loves illuminated manuscripts, book arts, or the Medieval period in general, this is a wonderful resource. It is a book that I consider an indispensable resource in my personal library. It is very well written and easily accessible for anyone. Although some of the terminology may be unfamiliar, it isn't so esoteric that it is beyond the scope of general understanding. It is clearly one of the best resources on the subject that I have ever come across!

Frrom someone who should know..........2001-03-15

Chris DeHamel works researching books for Sotheby's. That is all he does, and his numerous books on the subject show his mastery and command of the subject. Everyday he goes to work, he is getting time to research, free of teaching committments that fetter the ability of other scholars to pursue their writing. His research and ability shows in this beatiful and well-written book, which is an excellent introduction to the history of the book and to the processes and culture surrounding the book as an object. His book progresses, chapter-by-chapter, through the different groups that books were designed for, describing where and why they were made, and the special challenges of each. Chock-full of photographs of lavish manuscript writing and art, this volume is not only an extremely suitable textbook for art history and history classes dealing with the book or commodity-culture, but also is a great personal or coffeetable volume, and supremely reasonable at the price it is provided at, considering the cost of so many art texts.

Spectacular teaching tool.......2000-12-30

This is the first illumination book I encourage my students to purchase (with Drogin's history of calligraphy). This is an entirely reasonable price with abundant color and b&w pictures.

Unlike many tretises on the topic, this doesn't limit you to post-1200 Anglo-French. This gives you a true oversight of western european illumination of the entire span of the middle ages (spanish, moorish, greek, latin, etc...)

Added to the benefit of examples, de Hamel doesn't subject you to the same pictures you've seen in every other 2-bit book (yes, Victoria, other books existed before 1200 besides the Book of Kells).

The text is thoughtful without being dry and boring. This is written for an audience which is expected to appreciate the subject, without assuming you've devoted your life to it already.

Book Description

Covering the period from 1250 to 1280, this volume examines Early Gothic manuscripts during a time when the remarkable bestiaries of the earlier 13th century were being cast in the role of beasts of the Apocalypse, embodying that rich sense of characterization and grotesquery so important to
English medieval artists. The book contains dozens of outstanding manuscripts as well as medical, genealogical, topographical, historical, and classical works, setting them in their historical and social contexts and providing a full discussion of techniques and methods.

The Hours of Simon de Varie (Getty Museum Monographs on Illuminated Manuscripts)

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The Hours of Simon de Varie (Getty Museum Monographs on Illuminated Manuscripts)
James H. Marrow , and Francois Avril
Manufacturer: Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Gothic | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Decorative Arts | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Gualenghi d'Este Hours: Art and Devotion in Renaissance Ferrara (Getty Museum Monographs on Illuminated Manuscripts)

ASIN: 0892362847

Book Description

Leading French painters in the late medieval period executed miniatures for lavishly illuminated books of hours. In the mid-fifteenth century, Simon de Varie commissioned such a book. Completed in 1455, it included five priceless works by the most eminent French painter of the time, Jean
Fouquet, as well as other striking paintings by two of his contemporaries.

In the seventeenth century, Simon de Varie's book was divided into three sections and sold as separate volumes. Two of these volumes are today in the Royal Library in The Hague. The third volume--thought lost until 1984, when it surfaced in a private collection and was subsequently acquired by
the Getty Museum--contains the first miniatures by Jean Fouquet to have been discovered in eighty years.

This beautiful book will reproduce in color all of the miniatures and historiated initials in the original manuscript, along with selected text pages with secondary decoration. Comparative illustrations also accompany the two essays in the volume. Marrow's text addresses the role of books of
hours in late medieval culture; the contents and form of de Varie's Hours; and the relationship of the miniatures by Fouquet to the rest of the artist's oeuvre. In a related essay, Francois Avril discusses the position of Simon de Varie and his family in mid-fifteenth-century France.

The publication of The Hours of Simon de Varie adds to the Getty's impressive list of publications on illuminated manuscripts begun in 1990 and including the widely acclaimed facsimile Mira calligraphiae monumenta.

Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms (Looking At...)

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Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms
A glorious elucidation of the handwritten book
Outstanding resource for anyone!
A Bible for beginning codicologers
A great little dictionary of illumination.

Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms (Looking At...)
Michelle P. Brown
Manufacturer: Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Decorative Arts | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0892362170

Book Description

What is a florilegium? What is an incipit? What is batarde script? This book--part of the Museum's popular Looking at series--offers definitions of these and numerous other techniques, processes, and materials used in medieval illuminated manuscripts. Concise and readable explanations of
the technical terms most frequently encountered by the museum-goer are presented in an easily portable format. With numerous illustrations, many of them in color, this volume will be invaluable to all readers wishing to increase their understanding and enjoyment of illuminated manuscripts.

Customer Reviews:

Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms .......2007-09-07

Explains in lay terms the processes used in illuminated medieval manuscripts. Still a bit complicated, but a good resource.

A glorious elucidation of the handwritten book.......2007-01-10

This publication using a lexiconary form lavishly displays an art form too long ignored. Extraordinary effort and expense has created a book that shows and explains the accomplishments of a lost art. Any bibliophile, any artist will devour this book.

Outstanding resource for anyone!.......2006-04-26

I used this book and the Christopher De Hamel book while I was taking a graduate course on Illuminated Manuscripts. The information was indispensable for the entirety of the course, but it also helped me in future courses I took. It is wonderful to find an academic book that is fun to read! I would heartily recommend it to anyone, and especially to students who are studying manuscripts or merely the art history of the period! It is a most worthwhile investment!

A Bible for beginning codicologers.......2001-03-15

This slim volume by Michelle Brown is an excellent resource for anyone who is interested in the study of books and manuscripts (codicology). In a succinct dictionary format, Brown gives definitions of all of the major terms that may give trouble to someone visiting a museum or reading a work by such major writers in the field as Chris DeHamel. Suitable as both a textbook and a companion to books on manuscripts, this book is nearly indispensible to the beginner and the intermediate in allowing some understanding into the complex technical and art-historical vocabulary used in the field.

A great little dictionary of illumination........2000-07-14

This little volume provides brief definitions of all the important phrases and terms used in the study of illuminated manuscripts including forms, techniques, themes, and periods.

Great for understanding the differences between an historiated initial and an inhabited initial - or between an antiphonal and a gradual.

Most of the representative images are in color and are well chosen to illustrate the definitions. Perhaps their only drawback is their small size due to the size limitations of the book itself.

Product Description

The New York Public Librarys collection of nearly three hundred Western European illuminated manuscripts is one of the largest in America but also one that is very little known. Dating from the turn of the tenth century unto well into the period of the Renaissance, these works give vivid testimony to the creative impulses of the often nameless craftsmen who discovered ever-new ways of animating the contents of hand-produced books through inventive and sometimes exuberant manipulations of all the elements of the book: form and format, layout, script, decoration, illustration, and binding. To introduce this magnificent collection and many of its most important works to scholars and the wider audience, The Splendor of the Word presents one hundred manuscripts of particular cultural, historical, and artistic significance, selected from the Librarys collection by three of the most distinguished scholars in the field Jonathan J. G. Alexander, Professor of Fine Arts at! the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, a specialist in early medieval, Romanesque, and Italian illuminated manuscripts; James H. Marrow, Professor Emeritus of Art History at Princeton University, a specialist in late medieval illuminated manuscripts; and Lucy Freeman Sandler, Professor of Art History Emerita at New York University, a specialist in Gothic illuminated manuscripts. The makers of medieval illuminated manuscripts invested their books with sparkle and visual energy. They did so to stimulate delight, imagination, and memoryto make of them objects that fascinate and charm as well as instruct. One need have no knowledge of medieval languages or habits of thought to appreciate the high quality and the aesthetic ebullience of the finely crafted manuscripts shown here, for the very first time, to anyone interested in the ways that books help to define the social, intellectual, and imaginative horizons of their users.

Customer Reviews:

Nice, but ..........2007-02-18

While this is a very good document, it isn't the ART book I had hoped it would be. As an artist, I learn far more visually than I do from all the talking. I wanted a book of plates with some discription. I got a lot of expensive discription and not very many illustrations and even fewer close-ups and details. If you are an illuminator, this may not be the book you want it to be. If you are looking for a history book, I'm sure it will be a nice addition to your library.

Masterpieces of the J. Paul Getty Museum: Illuminated Manuscripts

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My 2 cents

Masterpieces of the J. Paul Getty Museum: Illuminated Manuscripts
Thomas Kren
Manufacturer: Getty Trust Publications: J. Paul Getty Museum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Calligraphy | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Illuminations | Other Media | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0892364467

Book Description

These lavish volumes feature highlights of five of the collections in the J. Paul Getty Museum. Each volume contains between seventy-five and one hundred objects, handsomely reproduced in full color and described by members of the curatorial staff.

Customer Reviews:

My 2 cents.......2005-04-09

Has to be one of the best books I have purchased to show illumination of manuscripts. I would urge anyone to add this to their collection.

The Illuminated Blake: William Blake's Complete Illuminated Works with a Plate-by-Plate Commentary

Average customer rating:

black and white? dont buy it!
Tries to describe the pictures, not the words
The Illuminated Blake
Excellent book for handy research
A Fantastic World of Gods and Fallen Angels

The Illuminated Blake: William Blake's Complete Illuminated Works with a Plate-by-Plate Commentary
David V. Erdman
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Renaissance | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0486272346

Book Description

Monumental study, compiled and annotated by one of world's foremost Blake scholars, meticulously reproduces poet/artist's singular attempt to achieve the perfect union of painting and poetry. Erudite, penetrating analysis of such Blakean masterpieces as The Book of Thel, Songs of Innocence and of Experience, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, The Song of Los, other works.

Customer Reviews:

black and white? dont buy it!.......2007-02-22

If you want to read Blake's poems, pick up a cheap paperback copy of his complete works. If you want to see his original vision as he created it in his masterful, splendid prints, get "The Complete Illuminated Works"- but NOT this edition! Referring to Blake's exceptional artwork, a commentator wrote, "people who think they know Blake's poetry are only getting half- or rather none- of the picture". This remains true if the picture has no color.

The more recent Thames & Hudson edition (2001) includes everything in here, but in color. It's more expensive but that is well worth it- like I said, if you're willing to spend extra money to have the art (when you could get everything he wrote for just a few bucks), you might as well spring for it as it WAS- in color! A slight drawback is you don't get David V. Erdman's plate-by-plate commentaries, which are considered by some to be essential. You do, however, get other info, and the prints are much nicer. A REAL Blake nut will have both. By the way- sometimes it's hard to read the poetry contained on the plates (in EITHER book, but especially this one), so you should get a regular text of the poems as well if you want to study them; an annotated text is even better.

The importance of color cannot be emphasized- abandon this out-of-date cheap version for the real deal, the 2001 Thames & Hudson edition.

Tries to describe the pictures, not the words.......2003-03-23

David W. Erdman has managed to describe the details in Blake's drawings, for William Blake's Complete Illuminated Works with a Plate-by-Plate Commentary, but the text which is the main feature of most of Blake's plates is sometimes faint, and occasionally unclear. Due to the comment in BLAKE AND SWEDENBORG, on the source of its subtitle, Opposition Is True Friendship, about plate 20 of Blake's MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL, that:

"beneath this `reptile of the mind,' partially obscured by Blake's thick patina of watercolor pigments in several copies of this hand-painted book, is Blake's final comment on his battle with Swedenborg's angelic alter ego:

Opposition is true Friendship." (Harvey F. Bellin, BLAKE AND SWEDENBORG, p. 38).

The detail which is shown on page 38 of BLAKE AND SWEDENBORG looks more like "Opposition is True !"

Page 117 of Erdman's THE ILLUMINATED BLAKE has a copy of Plate 20, copy I, which hardly even shows the T of True, and a small detail from Copy E with the words "you whose works" just before the last line "are only Analytics," so the little extra squiggle that it provides might be a subliminal comment by Blake on those who think we have the power to explain anything. The drawing of the serpent is ambiguous enough that Erdman's comment, "In I the artist has carelessly colored the angular wave seen through the first loop as though it were part of the serpent's body," (p. 117) might be an indication that Blake intended to show a bit of the tail of the serpent close to the serpent's head, symbolic of logic biting its own tail, or arguments which are circular in nature. As a wave, it looks more like the serpent than the other waves, though the black and white illustrations in both books are not entirely clear, Erdman's book has better shades of gray.

Comparing plates of "The Divine Image," SONGS 18g on page 59 in Erdman's book, with the copy on page 88 of BLAKE AND SWEDENBORG, Erdman's is clearer, but page 88 of BLAKE AND SWEDENBORG also prints the words ("To Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love") alongside the illustration, so it is easier to read. Erdman's attempts to explain the figures make this plate more interesting, mentioning Lazarus? Adam? Eve? and Jacob's ladder.

There is a "Holy Thursday" from Innocence, SONGS 19I on page 60, and a "Holy Thursday" from Experience, SONGS 33I on page 75. The big disappointment is that "The Tyger," SONGS 42I on page 84 is so difficult to read. I thought that I might remember that poem, but hardly well enough to read it in this book.

The Illuminated Blake.......1999-12-18

The only possible complaints that one could have with this book are 1)there is no color reproduction and 2)it is a softcover. However these same factors contribute to the wonderfully low price as a hardcover, full-color reproduction would bring it into the price range of the Princeton Blake. I must make a reference to one of the other reviews and say that in contradiction to the reader from Portugal's review this edition DOES contain all the Illuminated works with the exception of the one page work The Laocoon which is not exactly one of the illuminated works. Erdman's commentary is excellent, as is to be expected from one of the three major Blake scholars of the twentieth century. This commentary makes the book a value even if one already owns the Princeton series.

Excellent book for handy research.......1999-07-01

I used this book for the illustrations in my thesis on Blake. Although they are not in color, the sharp, black lines of the drawings accentuate a side of Blake that is often overlooked. That being his obstinate adherence to the "True Style of Art. The Art of Invention Not of Imitation." The Art of the "straight & wirey bounding line." All of the illuminated books are included in this volume, with commentary on each plate. This is an excellent book for the burgeoning Blake scholar. In fact, I used this book to make a photocopy of plate 10 from America a Prophecy for the tatoo I had carved on my right arm. I had the tatoo artist add the color from the Princeton editions of the illuminated books, which are the very best copies of Blake available if you can afford them.

A Fantastic World of Gods and Fallen Angels.......1999-04-17

I think this is an excellent edition of Blake's work. Although the title says "William Blake's Complete Illuminated Works" I have to state here that there are many other, mostly unpublished, paintings and illuminated printings of Blake, but this book has all the most known of Blake's Works and some of the lesser known: All Religions are one, There is no Natural Religion, The Book of Thel, Songs of Innocence and Experience, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Visions of The Daughters of Albion, America a Prophecy, Europe a Prophecy, The Song of Los, The Book of Urizen, The Book of Ahania, The Book of Los, Milton a Poem, The gates of Paradise, Jerusalem the Emanation of the Giant Albion, On Homers Poetry and On Virgil, The Ghost of Abel, including some variants of some plates. Almost all of the plates are reproduced in the original size with extreme quality. I only regret that they are all black-and-white printings, because the fiery, vivid colours used by Blake make them even more fantastic than they seem in this book. Despite being quite unknown in Portugal I consider William Blake to be one of the greatest artists of all time. His writing is poetic, dream-like, speaking of mythical places with their pathetic gods, angels, gigantic eagles and serpents, and a beautiful Satan teaching knowdlege and poetry: a strange realm that is supposed to be an esoteric version of our own reality. Blake's age was a revolutionary turmoil in every way, just like our end of century, and we can see that in his powerful writing. There was a French revolution that forewarned of a new age and the fall from grace of the powerful ancient lords who ruled the people with an iron hand, the american colonies burst out of the chains of their European masters and new wonders of science marvelled the peoples. Blake sings violently of the strength of Freedom within every free spirit and despises those who believe in a God that made the world a sad, ghastly cage for men: that is Urizen, an old blind and selfish Tyrant-god, destined to fall at the end of Time, consumed in its own weaknesses and emptiness. Blake is an ancient bard singing of Nature's pleasures against the new religions stupid grimness. Only Joy and Happiness are Holy. Imagination is the souls' ultimate voice. What can I say of the paintings? In fact there is no separation between images and words, which intertwine themselves in an awesome mystical graphic story. His style is incredibly detailed: you will find very small drawings of eagles, beasts, lizards and men everywhere, chaising things, trying to reach each other or running in chaotic terror. I think this is the real stuff that dreams and nightmares are made of. No reason, no explaining, just pure unhuman sorcery drowning your mortal senses. In a certain way, Blake preceded surrealism, comics and even caricatures. David Erdman exibits great scholarship in explaining the symbolic meanings of the images and the strange gods and beings painted in the plates. Believe me, he comments every minor detail. But I think that for those like me who still don't know much about Blake's works, he could well have done a small chapter explainig the events and entities portrayed in Blake's stories in a more general view, instead of doing small, dispersed references to it. I also leave here an advise for other Blake entusiasts: the latest album of Bruce Dickinson (IronMaiden's former vocalist), "The Chemical Wedding" is one great album and is entirely inspired in Blake's work. Just listen to the magical music in your ears! Blake's ideology reaches deep into your mind, revealing men's strongest and deadliest desires. Man may be jailed within cells of iron or gold, but he is still free to dream. I pity those that forgot even how to dream, because for them Liberty is forever lost in the shadows of disbelief: "Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained. The road of excels leads to the palace of wisdom.

Prudence is a rich ugly maid courted by Incapacity. No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own winges. Shame is Prides cloke. Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion. And all this Vegetable World appeared on my left Foot as a bright sandal formd immortal of precious stones & gold: I stooped down & bounded it on to walk forward thro' Eternity."

Book Description

The magnificent pages of medieval missals, books of hours, brevaries, and bibles sparkle with detail illuminating the world in which they were created. This splendid volume, featuring some of the finest illuminated masterpieces from the exceptional collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, details the remarkable collaboration and craftsmanship that went into the creation of these delicate treasures.

Close-up details show the intricacies of the various techniques used to create these fragile and rarely seen works. By helping the reader to appreciate the individual elements of illumination--the initials, borders, illustrations, script, and binding--Rowan Watson brings the world of the scribes, illuminators, and book dealers to life, and sheds light on the cooperative religious communities in which many of them worked. Watson also looks at the survival of illumination after the printing press and its revival in the 19th century in the hands of such pioneering designers as Owen Jones and William Morris.

Customer Reviews:

A GREAT book for manuscript research and comparison!.......2005-06-19

As a collector of medieval manuscripts, I found this book a wonderful resource for studying and researching within my own manuscripts, as well as others in the world. It's a very colorful and illustrated book, with many magnified and enlarged photographs of manuscripts so that the reader can get a better look at details! I recommend this book to any person who already collects manuscripts, or anyone who is simply interested in them, and needs information. You will find great history and background information within the pages of this book, as well. The "exhibit" in this book displays some of the most beautiful and inspiring manuscripts from the Victoria and Albert Museum. All 25 have good information and great photographs so that the reader can get "up close" to these priceless manuscripts. My applause goes out to the author, Rowan Watson, for a job WELL DONE!

The Illuminated Manuscripts of Medieval Spain (Illuminated Manuscripts)

Average customer rating:

THE book on this unique style
Spanish illumination...
thorough without overdoing it
extremely thorough

The Illuminated Manuscripts of Medieval Spain (Illuminated Manuscripts)
Mireille Mentre
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Medieval | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0500017328

Customer Reviews:

THE book on this unique style.......2007-05-30

If you are researching illumination of Spanish Codex and manuscripts this is the book to have. There are only two books written in English that cover this unique style; the other book on Spanish medieval illumination is: Early Spanish Manuscript Illumination. The quantity and quality of the pictures in "The Illuminated Manuscripts..." make the price worth it. Spanish 10-11th century illumination is quite separate and unique from the rest of Europe using lively imagery, repeating patterns and vivid color combinations. This book captures the spirit of Spanish medieval artwork and shows the world the finest examples of this form.

Spanish illumination..........2002-09-10

The quality of the reproductions in this book alone is worth the price tag. The fact that this book is in English (much of the material on this subject is not) makes it a valuable resource as well. Mireille Mentre is one of the leading students of Spanish medieval manuscripts, and this book surveys the most important pre-Romanesque (mozarabic) examples. This is a somewhat conventional art-historical analysis, as Mentre traces the development of the mozarabic style through numerous examples. The chapters are as follows:
1. Context and characteristics of mozarabic painting
2. Foundations and development of a distinctive style
3. The role and function of painting and illumination
4. Design and pictorial treatment
5. Painting and spirituality

There are also appendices listing principal mozarabic manuscripts and dated manuscripts, as well as an extensive bibliography about the subject.

thorough without overdoing it.......1998-08-04

This is the book to start your adventures in Medieval Spanish illumination. This looks at the influences of Christian, Jewish, and Islamic art - the fact that the majority of the plates are in color can only add to the value of the very reasonable price.

Highly recommended for anyone engaged in reproduction of this style of art. Beautiful rendition of the colors of the original MSS.

extremely thorough.......1998-06-15

The fantastic pictures of the manuscripts alone are worth the pricetag on this book. But don't buy it for that reason alone. Mireille Mentre has managed to strike an impressive balance between descriptive text, academic discussion, and outstanding photography. While the organization of the book as a whole suffers slightly from what appears to be the publication of parts of an excellent doctoral dissertation, anyone interested in the history of medieval Spanish illumination (especially members of organizations like the Society for Creative Anachronism) would do well to add this text to their library.

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