Illuminated Initials in Full Color

548 Designs

Carol Belanger Grafton

• Verlag: Dover Publications
• Jahr: 2013
• ISBN:
  9780486319933
• Thema: Art
• Thema: History of Medieval Art

Among the glories of extant medieval manuscripts are the splendid illuminated initials in which geometric, curvilinear, animal, religious and other motifs intertwine to form extraordinarily beautiful and decorative letters.
For this striking volume, Carol Belanger Grafton has selected 548 illuminated letters-alphabetically arranged-from 19th-century reprints of medieval manuscripts. Here are magnificently ornamented initials-some the length of an entire margin, another encompassing the page itself, others delicate miniatures. All are imaginatively and beautifully enhanced with royal and saintly figures, mythical creatures, knights in battle, exquisite florals and much more.
Encompassing all the letters of the alphabet, and including a selection of hand-colored chromolithographs, this practical archive of lovely copyright-free designs not only provides commercial artists and illustrators with a wealth of usable letters, it offers a splendid sampling of the ancient art of manuscript illuminations.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

HOUGH the practice of decorating manuscripts is as old as writing itself, the European tradition of “illuminating” texts with vibrant colors and precious metals such as gold and silver may not have originated before the establishment of the Byzantine Empire; in its eastern location it was open to influences from such earlier cultures as Egypt and Persia. The Byzantine style spread westward throughout Europe. By the Middle Ages, the illuminated manuscripts of Europe were unsurpassed in beauty.

For this collection, Carol Belanger Grafton has selected and arranged 548 illuminated initials, each reflecting the richness and diversity of thi...