Images of the Margins By Shanae Kemen
Perhaps one of the first things that we as a twenty first century society are captivated by when we see an illuminated manuscript from the Middle Ages is the complicated and nearly indescribable beauty of the artistry. The amount of effort, time, and devotion that was required for the production of the text and images within the books is enough to inspire deep appreciation. However, this respect is further enhanced by the incredible detail of the handcrafted images whose exceptional beauty and skilful detail have stood the test of time. While the larger paintings in the manuscript rightfully capture a large portion of the attention, many medieval books also include ‘marginalia’ which are images that surround the text or other larger pictures and take many different shapes, styles and forms and are sometimes thematic in character.
One specifically popular type of manuscript that appeared in the late Middle Ages is called the “Book of Hours,” and it sought to provide a spiritual avenue for the laity. These Books of Hours usually include many different prayers, songs and sometimes at the beginning even incorporate a calendar of holy days throughout the year.[1] Loras College is the proud owner of at least four of these particular manuscripts, two of which are the Flemish Book of Hours and the French Book of Hours. The French and Flemish books have similar regional origins as well as cultural milieu. Though these texts are comparable in content, purpose, and in certain elements of their images, there are still significant differences in the stylistic approach of their marginalia.
The French Book of Hours, created in the fifteenth century is filled with elegant bold marginalia. The marginalia maintains constant themes throughout the book consisting mainly of various birds and flowers, arranged differently and uniquely on each page. There is a fascinating mix of images, both realistic and fantastic, from the very beginning of the book to the end. A couple of interesting observations can be made on the specific placement and composure of the marginalia in this book.
[1] Leslie Ross, Artists of the Middle Ages (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003), 159.
One specifically popular type of manuscript that appeared in the late Middle Ages is called the “Book of Hours,” and it sought to provide a spiritual avenue for the laity. These Books of Hours usually include many different prayers, songs and sometimes at the beginning even incorporate a calendar of holy days throughout the year.[1] Loras College is the proud owner of at least four of these particular manuscripts, two of which are the Flemish Book of Hours and the French Book of Hours. The French and Flemish books have similar regional origins as well as cultural milieu. Though these texts are comparable in content, purpose, and in certain elements of their images, there are still significant differences in the stylistic approach of their marginalia.
The French Book of Hours, created in the fifteenth century is filled with elegant bold marginalia. The marginalia maintains constant themes throughout the book consisting mainly of various birds and flowers, arranged differently and uniquely on each page. There is a fascinating mix of images, both realistic and fantastic, from the very beginning of the book to the end. A couple of interesting observations can be made on the specific placement and composure of the marginalia in this book.
[1] Leslie Ross, Artists of the Middle Ages (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003), 159.
First, the images and landscapes surrounding the different types of pages are overall very realistic and intricate. Every one of these images contains minute and carefully formed detail on each flower and bird. Throughout the book there are two types of pages: ones containing solely text and ones that contain a large picture centered on the page. On the pages with large centralized paintings, the marginalia is not subdued in the background acting as an accent as one might expect. The paintings placed in the middle of the pages clearly intend to claim most of the attention. However, the marginalia, for its boldness and colorful detail, poses as an explicit and separate attention consuming component to the page. This almost overcrowding of marginalia could have been done with the specific purpose of showing an emphasis on realistic nature, which was characteristic of the time. Throughout much of the book there is a particular theme on the pages with the larger paintings which have subtle mythical elements, while the marginalia on these same pages mostly infuse realistic aspects. Medieval Art Historian Michael Camille suggests that this type of marginalia “immediately sets up a relativity…where the script shares an equality with the image and margin. Once the thin vine scrolls and bar-borders become self-sustaining illusions, the fictions that once danced among them are deemed inappropriate and not ‘real’ enough.”[1] Thus most of the more realistic animals and flowers appear in the outskirts of the full page pictures, while the less frequently used fantasy images emerge more in the center of the page and are far less prominent than the realistic images.
[1] Michael Camille, Image on the Edge: the Margins of Medieval Art (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1992), 156.
[1] Michael Camille, Image on the Edge: the Margins of Medieval Art (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1992), 156.
The overzealous amount of meticulous and ornate marginalia, which is found on not only the pages with large paintings, but also on the pages with solely text, may have been done to show status. The amount of time and effort put into each book represented how much a lay person in the Middle Ages was willing to pay for such a book.[1] The owner of the French book of hours was clearly quite wealthy as nearly every image contains a generous amount of gold paint as well as expert detail in both the paintings and marginalia. These, as suggested by Art Historian Leslie Ross, could have been designed to specifically be this way because of the owner’s preference, as many of these texts were created specifically to pass down as a family heirloom.[2]
The second types of page in the French Book of Hours are the pages that are composed exclusively of text. Throughout the book the marginalia of these pages could be described as unusually tame and even dull in comparison with the full landscapes found on other pages. Within these pages, aside from the beginning calendar pages, there are no images other than that of flowers, and there is substantially less gold and color vibrancy than in the pages with large pictures. This may have been done to fulfill the medieval fascination with beauty through art while still keeping the focus upon the text. Conversely, these images could have also been designed this way to keep the reader focused on the purpose of the passage rather than on the art in the margins, which in some cases had much to do with the actual message of the prayer or song.[3] In this way the marginalia is still a graceful theme that continues through the book, but unlike the other pages it is not intended to be the central, nor by any means the most attention consuming part of the page.
[1] Leslie Ross, Artists of the Middle Ages (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003), 159.
[2] Leslie Ross, Artists of the Middle Ages (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003), 159.
[3] Leslie Ross, Artists of the Middle Ages (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003), 159.
The second types of page in the French Book of Hours are the pages that are composed exclusively of text. Throughout the book the marginalia of these pages could be described as unusually tame and even dull in comparison with the full landscapes found on other pages. Within these pages, aside from the beginning calendar pages, there are no images other than that of flowers, and there is substantially less gold and color vibrancy than in the pages with large pictures. This may have been done to fulfill the medieval fascination with beauty through art while still keeping the focus upon the text. Conversely, these images could have also been designed this way to keep the reader focused on the purpose of the passage rather than on the art in the margins, which in some cases had much to do with the actual message of the prayer or song.[3] In this way the marginalia is still a graceful theme that continues through the book, but unlike the other pages it is not intended to be the central, nor by any means the most attention consuming part of the page.
[1] Leslie Ross, Artists of the Middle Ages (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003), 159.
[2] Leslie Ross, Artists of the Middle Ages (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003), 159.
[3] Leslie Ross, Artists of the Middle Ages (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003), 159.
Another unique element of the French Book of Hours, found primarily upon the pages with the large paintings, are the various birds perched in the margins. These birds are almost all realistic, and can be identified either with an actual species of bird or very closely with one.[1] The bird in image 1 can be identified with a very common bird of Europe, the goldfinch. Unlike image 1, the bird in image 2 is not completely identifiable as one specific species, but has traits and physical characteristics of several species, particularly those of redstarts and chaffinches.[2] The inclusion of these birds may have been done because they are common in Europe and they possess beautiful colors in their plumage or because the illuminators were simply following the new discovery of the time. This new trend allowed for “a more scrupulously observed and ‘natural’ depiction of the animal world can be linked to Aristotle’s works on animal biology, which were being rediscovered and read in the universities.”[3] [1] There is an exception here. On two pages within the book there is a bird with the body of an owl and the face of a human. This image is not very large, nor explicitly fantastical, but rather is subtle and uses pale neutral colors in comparison with the other images in the margins. These birds could have been added because of the history and tradition of using mythical creatures in the margins.
[2] The bird identification can be accredited to both Dr. Davis and Dr. Schealer of the Loras College Biology department.
[3] Michael Camille, Image on the Edge: the Margins of Medieval Art (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1992), 47.
[2] The bird identification can be accredited to both Dr. Davis and Dr. Schealer of the Loras College Biology department.
[3] Michael Camille, Image on the Edge: the Margins of Medieval Art (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1992), 47.
The Flemish Book of Hours in the Loras College Rare Books collection was, like the French book, also created in the fifteenth century and contains a different marginalistic theme, yet the two books do bear some similarities. Certain pages contain an extensive amount of imagery in the margins, and like the French book, it too is composed of mostly natural scenes including flowers and fruit. However, one of the most prominent differences in the Flemish book is that the pages containing exclusively text are the ones that hold the most elaborate and accentuated landscape marginalia. These extensively decorated pages are fewer and farther between than those in the French book, and contain much less gold paint. The majority of the pages contain either very little or no marginalia. That is not to say that these landscapes are not as intricately drawn, but that there are fewer of them which might be an indication of the wealth of the owner of the book. Most of the pages contain marginalia that usually extends no further than an inch in length and is in the form of a small vine trail or climbing flower connected to a very ornately drawn, capitalized letter, as seen in image 3. In contrast the French book contained a floral frame on every page which extended at least four to five inches. Interestingly, the pages that contain these little trails of flowers are not identifiable as any particular flower, but seem to have been placed there for visual purposes. This allows a minor decoration that strives to keep the beauty of the book and its contents at the forefront of the reader’s thoughts by placing an aesthetically pleasing image, though a small one, within the margins.
On pages within the Flemish book that contain more marginalia, it is quite similar to the French Book in that it frames the entirety of the text with an eccentric floral pattern. These flowers are drawn quite realistically and some can even be identified as common flowers such as violets and thistles.[1] Even though there are realistic flowers, they are mixed in with some that undoubtedly contain mythical characteristics. This can be observed in image 4 where an imaginary plant with blue and gold speckled leaves wraps and weaves around the text and other flowers. These unrealistic flowers are drawn with a subtlety that would not thoroughly distract the reader like the images of fantastical creatures running through the margins as was common in other manuscripts of the time, but rather adds bold color that enhances the beauty of the other flowers in the margin.[2]
The marginalia of both of these fifteenth century works are awe-inspiring, the exquisite detail characteristic of unique late medieval aesthetic ideals. However, the marginalia in these books are for more than just beauty. Most of these unique images have a specific purpose and are as much a part of the identity of the book as the text itself. The marginalia in the French and Flemish Book of Hours seek to provide a slice of history for the twenty first century to marvel at, but also to bring medieval people and their ideals to life through the images of the margins.
[1] The identification of the flowers can be attributed to Dr. Davis of the Loras College Biology department.
[2] Michael Camille, “Making Margins” in Image on the Edge: the Margins of Medieval Art (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1992).
Bibliography
Camille, Michael. Image on the Edge: the Margins of Medieval Art. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Harvard University Press, 1992.
Ross, Leslie. Artists of the Middle Ages. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003.
Sekules, Veronica. Medieval Art. Oxford, London: Oxford University Press, 2001.
The marginalia of both of these fifteenth century works are awe-inspiring, the exquisite detail characteristic of unique late medieval aesthetic ideals. However, the marginalia in these books are for more than just beauty. Most of these unique images have a specific purpose and are as much a part of the identity of the book as the text itself. The marginalia in the French and Flemish Book of Hours seek to provide a slice of history for the twenty first century to marvel at, but also to bring medieval people and their ideals to life through the images of the margins.
[1] The identification of the flowers can be attributed to Dr. Davis of the Loras College Biology department.
[2] Michael Camille, “Making Margins” in Image on the Edge: the Margins of Medieval Art (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1992).
Bibliography
Camille, Michael. Image on the Edge: the Margins of Medieval Art. Cambridge, Massachusetts:
Harvard University Press, 1992.
Ross, Leslie. Artists of the Middle Ages. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003.
Sekules, Veronica. Medieval Art. Oxford, London: Oxford University Press, 2001.
View this essay on Issuu:
Open publication - Free publishing
