Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts and Early Printed Illustrations

Learn how manuscript books were produced, illuminated, and used in medieval Europe through examples from the MRU Archives and Special Collections. Also briefly covers printed book illustration in the 15-16th centuries. Prepared for ARTH 1101 - The History of Art: Prehistory to Renaissance.
Video contents:
00:00 - Introduction
02:37 - Manuscript production: Parchment
10:00 - The work of the scribe
19:11 - The illuminators' art
27:21 - Bookbinding
28:11 - Manuscript ownership and use
30:19 - The book of hours
40:18 - The Printing Revolution
42:00 - Printed illustrations
45:33 - The survival of manuscript culture
46:31 - How to access collections
Terms discussed: manuscript, leaf, illumination, parchment, scribe, pigment, gold leaf, illuminated initial, miniature, drollery, guide letter, space filler, luxury manuscript, book of hours, psalter, Printing Revolution, movable type, printing press, woodcut, Dance of Death.

Пікірлер: 46

  • @bisontenial
    @bisontenial3 жыл бұрын

    Nice explanation thank you! Must be years of experience you’ve boiled down for us all to a nice digestible size. I appreciate it.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the kind comment, I'm glad that you enjoyed my video lecture!

  • @michaelstrange523
    @michaelstrange5233 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! This was wonderful.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    3 жыл бұрын

    You're very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it, Michael.

  • @Ferdinand314
    @Ferdinand3144 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for covering so much history and showing such a range of books. Wonderful video!

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    4 ай бұрын

    Thank you for your kind comment, and I'm glad that you enjoyed the video!

  • @AndresPlascencia
    @AndresPlascencia Жыл бұрын

    Thank you. Your video enriched my class.

  • @joshuaprime2042
    @joshuaprime204211 ай бұрын

    Wow! Your passion really comes through In these fascinating examples

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    11 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the kind comment! Medieval manuscripts are such an interesting topic, and a real joy to work with.

  • @CondredgeDole
    @CondredgeDole3 жыл бұрын

    My notes: These documents are so amazing! Thanks for showing them! Also, I learned that reading is murder.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    3 жыл бұрын

    My pleasure! Yes, PETA would have been appalled by medieval book production

  • @drewhodge
    @drewhodge Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Peter, a very comprehensive presentation. I've recently read "Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts" by Christopher de Hamel---it sparked in me an interest in mediaeval manuscripts.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    Жыл бұрын

    An excellent introduction to a fascinating topic! He has a new book coming out in the fall: The Manuscripts Club: The People Behind a Thousand Years of Medieval Manuscripts - something to look forward to. Thanks for getting in touch, Drew!

  • @emilytsialos5358
    @emilytsialos53582 жыл бұрын

    Wonderful lecture! Thank you so much.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you very much, Emily! I am glad that you enjoyed it :)

  • @annakirksmith
    @annakirksmith3 жыл бұрын

    Absolutely fantastic - many thanks for this Peter, it was really illuminating (sorry ;-) I shall look forwards to searching the archives for more inspiration.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    3 жыл бұрын

    You're very welcome! And nice pun - a classic that I occasionally use myself :) If you'd like to see more of our Medieval and Early Modern Manuscript Collection, it's been digitized and is viewable at archives.mtroyal.ca/c0003

  • @annakirksmith

    @annakirksmith

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@peterhouston7079 Thank you very much , both for the archival offer and your graciousness at my appalling sense of humour.

  • @ricardosuarez8023
    @ricardosuarez80233 жыл бұрын

    Brilliant. Very interesting. I appreciate your time and effort. Stay safe.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Ricardo, you too!

  • @camilae.p.1328
    @camilae.p.13283 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! Great lecture

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Camila, glad you enjoyed it!

  • @user-wk1mw9nj3i76
    @user-wk1mw9nj3i76 Жыл бұрын

    Really interesting! Thanks

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    Жыл бұрын

    You're very welcome, Martha! Glad you enjoyed the video

  • @sangesings
    @sangesings2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for all the information here! Fascinating! I recently purchased a manuscript and I’m wondering if you can help me determine its age.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    2 жыл бұрын

    You're welcome, Josephine, I'm glad you enjoyed my video lecture! I'd be happy to take a look at the manuscript you purchased. I'm no expert, but I could probably give you a general idea of when it was created. Please feel free to email me at phouston@mtroyal.ca - photos of the manuscript and any info the seller provided would be useful.

  • @mattbrehe9781
    @mattbrehe97813 жыл бұрын

    just stumbled upon this video. the book of hours in your collection looks like it was by the parisian printer germain hardouyn. he and his brother were members of the printers guild, but ALSO the illuminators guild. the illumination from your book was almost certainly done by hardouyn and is typical of their illuminated printed hours.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    3 жыл бұрын

    You're completely right, Matt, our book of hours was printed and illuminated by the Hardouyns - there's a colophon at the end that identifies them. In case you're interested, there's more info about our book of hours at archives.mtroyal.ca/hore-beate-marie-virginis-s-e-c-und-d-u-m-usum-ecclesie-romane

  • @abdelmc1373
    @abdelmc1373 Жыл бұрын

    One issue, in 4:24, where you mentioned the word "vellum" as meaning "high grade of parchment", but the word "vellum" actually means parchment which comes from a calf, and vellum is derived from "vitulum" which is latin for "calf". Source: kzread.info/dash/bejne/iHas0Zdqd8ytmbg.html Timestamp: 5:50

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    Жыл бұрын

    You're absolutely right - the same Latin root as our word "veal." Thanks for your comment!

  • @Waterboyofsuperman
    @Waterboyofsuperman Жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I’ve read some excellent books on illuminated manuscripts but I’ve been quite disappointed by the dearth of readily available film or video documentaries on illuminated manuscripts. Any ideas? These are some of the greatest human artistic legacies and it’s sad to me how relatively unknown illuminated manuscripts are in general.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Chris, thanks for the comment, and I'm glad that you enjoyed my video! I agree with you it's unfortunate how little appreciation illuminated manuscripts generally seem to get compared to other, larger works of art. I haven't come across that many documentaries on illuminated manuscripts, at least not longer, more detailed treatments. There are some wonderful short videos by the British Library and the Getty that I regularly use to show my students some of the artistic practices and the preparation of materials for manuscript production; in my channel, under "playlists," you'll see one called "Medieval Manuscript Production" with links to a dozen videos. With the pandemic, there's been a real boom in recorded webinars on manuscript topics, many available on KZread, that are worth checking out. But someone needs to make a really stunning, feature-length documentary on these miniature pieces of art for a popular audience.

  • @Waterboyofsuperman

    @Waterboyofsuperman

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the reply! I wish I knew a film producer to suggest this topic!

  • @galleryguide9913
    @galleryguide99133 жыл бұрын

    A wonderful sprint through the development of book culture in the early modern period. I'm going to be a little pedantic by saying that the large Spanish choirbook leaf looks to be more like a page from a gradual rather than an antiphonal. And the wonderful printed book of hours, the large initial letter in the expulsion of Adam and Eve is actually the letter 'D' even though it looks like an 'O'. It opens the hour of matins ' Domine labia mea aperies' and not the hour of prime as mentioned.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for your comments, and for catching a few of my mistakes! You're absolutely right - the initial is indeed a 'D' and not an 'O,' and it marks the beginning of matins, not prime. What makes you think that the Spanish choirbook leaf is from a gradual rather than an antiphonal? I was working from a bookseller's description there, so they may have misidentified it.

  • @galleryguide9913

    @galleryguide9913

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@peterhouston7079 Greetings, The identification of the large leaf as a page from a gradual rather than an antiphonal is from reading the latin text, since it is part of the Mass rather than the Divine Office. Often seller so make such mistakes, that's probably why some will simply label them as pages from a choirbook. Not sure if you teach, but one very handy resource especially for those who may not have any liturgical latin is the reissue in 2015 of the Little Office of the BVM in a bilingual english/latin edition by Baronius Press. It is according to the Use of Rome, but it gives the full core texts of any Book of Hours.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the additional information on the choirbook leaf and the reference to the bilingual edition of the Little Office. That could be a useful resource for my teaching. Thanks again!

  • @galleryguide9913

    @galleryguide9913

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@peterhouston7079 You may be aware of these resources already and if you are I hope you will pardon the presumption. They will help those who may have weak or no knowledge of Medieval Latin. The first is the 2012 unabridged translation of Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend with introduction by Eamon Duffy, handy for the identification of the a majority of the most popular saints and their legends and certain of the popular folk beliefs of them throughout the period featured in the sufferages in so many books of hours. The second is a 2001 reprint of a curious volume know as the 'Anglican Breviary. In spite of it's peculiar title it is in essence an English translation of the 1955 Breviarium Romanum in a single volume. Mindful of the fact that until relatively recently there were not single standard edition of the breviary as all were subject to local variation and all the religious orders have their own variations of the breviary and missal, most still do. Even though the 4 volume set Brevarium Romanum is stll in print it is rather expensive and only in Latin. There are some older bilingual editions they are out of print and prohibitively expensive. The Anglican Breviary is over 80% identical to the pre Pius V's breviary of 1568 and for ordinary student purposes can save a lot struggle and fumbling with google Latin translation of dealing with manuscript breviaries.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    3 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the additional suggestions! These all look like very useful resources for my teaching about manuscripts, especially since they're translated into English. I teach at an undergraduate university so very few, if any, students have knowledge of Medieval Latin, and I certainly don't either. I appreciate you taking the time to let me know about these useful resources.

  • @tonyahaley6900
    @tonyahaley69002 жыл бұрын

    I am trying to find out who, what, where, when, and especially WHY there are weird drawings of people being stabbed (with calm expressions all around) and other violences. I've not had any luck, so I bring this question to you. I hope you can provide some answers. Thank you.

  • @peterhouston7079

    @peterhouston7079

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hello Tonya, I think that what you're referring to are depictions of martyrdoms that often appear in hagiographies (accounts of saints' lives), church histories, and other religious texts. Martyrs were (and still are) honoured and celebrated by the Church for willingly sacrificing their lives for their faith. They're often depicted enduring horrific torture or being killed with serene expressions on their faces, emphasizing their unflinching heroism and their trust in God's salvation, knowing they will be rewarded with eternal life after their mortal life ends. I agree they can seem quite strange to a modern, secular viewer!

  • @tonyahaley6900

    @tonyahaley6900

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@peterhouston7079 You should consider writing a book to explain all the crazy symbolism in these manuscripts. Shockingly enough, I recognized on of the illustrations as the unfortunate deaths of Saint Ursala and friends. I'm not Catholic, but the church's television station, EWTN, occasionally show history bios. Thank you for your response. I've been reading about, watching and studying these texts and the process of making them for a solid month. It's sad that we may never know the true meaning of knights fighting snails.

  • @laurelshelhamer8958
    @laurelshelhamer89582 жыл бұрын

    We don't need to see you. Um, ah, um. Reading a script while showing closeups of the works would be better, even interesting.

  • @jesuschristismygodtotheglo7533
    @jesuschristismygodtotheglo75333 жыл бұрын

    Not islamic style, coptic