Private libraries generally held more than 25 volumes. Monastic libraries contained the largest collections for example, Patmos Monastery possessed 330 books, and Lavra Monastery, located on Mount Athos, held 960 manuscripts. There are 40,000 preserved Byzantine manuscripts-a great number, considering the expense of their production. Texts were also held in special regard in Byzantium, where people rated literacy as a desirable goal. The illustrations of some manuscripts, notable for their quality and originality, were executed by first-rate artists many others, although small, have the monumental elegance of larger works. Important texts were translated from Latin into French and other vernacular languages ( 31.134.8).
In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, private persons bought and used books of hours, which contained prayers to be recited throughout the day. The emergence of universities throughout Europe created demand for single-volume Bibles ( 1997.320), books of law ( 1990.217), and other texts copied on pages with wide margins for notes and commentary. Among the most ambitious were the large books that monastic communities used daily for singing ( 2005.273). Princes and emperors commissioned gospel books with many-colored illustrations and lettering in gold and silver ink ( 12.56.3). Multivolume Bibles and huge liturgical books were housed and used in churches. Many bookmakers in the Middle Ages were monks ( 12.56.4), and monasteries kept libraries filled not only with sacred texts but also with literary, scientific, and philosophical works by Greek and Roman authors. The most lavish medieval books were bound in covers set with enamels, jewels, and ivory carvings ( 17.190.134). A scribe copied the text from an established edition, and artists might then embellish it with illustrations, decorated initials, and ornament in the margins. Parchment for the pages had to be made from the dried hides of animals, cut to size and sewn into quires inks had to be mixed, pens prepared, and the pages ruled for lettering. Indeed, in the Middle Ages, the book becomes an attribute of God ( 17.190.757).Įvery stage in the creation of a medieval book required intensive labor, sometimes involving the collaboration of entire workshops. We could all take a lesson in such confidence and effortless style.Before the invention of mechanical printing, books were handmade objects, treasured as works of art and as symbols of enduring knowledge. Let us take a look at these top 25 most memorable images from the Luttrell Psalter, as well as how they have been perceived by my modern mind.Ģ5 - This horse/human/bat hybrid is standing in a saucy contrapposto position. There was one word that I kept using to describe these images: wacky! Many animal-human hybrids as well as invented creatures get up to hi-jinks and even interact with humans within the margins. As I was working through this manuscript I was actually able to use the images as mnemonic devices in case I lost my place, which was one of their original functions. I persevered and was able to narrow it down to 25 of the most memorable images. While all were interesting, I thought perhaps that would be too much. The first list I attempted to compile had over 70 images in it. This, however, would not be as easy a task due to the large amount of memorable illustrations. As I had previously created a top ten most memorable marginal illuminations from the Macclesfield Psalter for an earlier blog post, I attempted to do the same for the Luttrell.
Those, however, are only some of the intriguing and entertaining marginal illustrations found in the Luttrell Psalter. Sir Geoffrey and his family are depicted within the Psalter’s pages, as well as scenes of daily life.
It has been dated to 1276-1345 and it is currently housed in the British Library, which has digitized it for online access. The Luttrell Psalter (London, British Library MS Additional 42130) was created for Sir Geoffrey Luttrell, the lord of Irnham in Lincolnshire, England. Thanks for waiting, and here it is: another compilation of weird medieval manuscript images from Medieval Codes researcher Courtney Tuck.
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