Illuminated Manuscripts: Treasures of the Pierpont Morgan Library New York (Tiny Folio) [Hardcover]

William M. Voelkle (Author), Susan L'Engle (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tiny Folio | Publication Date: October 1, 1998

Glorious works of art as well as chronicles of a past age, illuminated manuscripts supply perhaps the finest and best-preserved evidence of what life was like during the medieval and Renaissance periods. Illuminated Manuscripts: Treasures of The Pierpont Morgan Library draws on one of the most extraordinary collections of painted books in the world to illustrate the angels, demons, and everyday denizens of the Middle Ages.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This little treasure is one of a score of pocket-size tomes in the "Tiny Folio" series, which offers mini courses in art history based on the collections of the world's great museums. The nearly 300 pages, just four by four-and-a-half inches, hold almost that many full-color illustrations of the jewel-like illuminations that adorn Medieval manuscripts. This handy book is the perfect purse or pocket-stuffer, guaranteed to transport the reader to a paradise of unicorns and crimson-clad maidens, jousting knights, lute music, and gold-framed bestiaries. There are also the mouths of hell, Satan and the damned, and a hirsute "wild woman" rescuing a child from a curiously lamb-like dragon. All in all, it's a mesmerizing trip through five chapters: Biblical Scenes; Saints, Rites, and Rituals; Royalty, Pastimes, and Professions; Flora and Fauna; and The Supernatural, with a short essay to introduce each one. This is a great book to give as a gift or use as a visitor's guide to the Morgan Library, as the editors have provided thorough captions, an index to the illustrations, and a short but carefully chosen bibliography (which includes Roger S. Wieck's Painted Prayers: The Book of Hours in Medieval and Renaissance Art, a larger look, so to speak, at one particularly beautiful type of illuminated work in the Morgan Library's collection). Be warned that some readers may need to take a magnifier to these minuscule, detailed pages, which teem with brilliant colors, vividly drawn decorations, and scenes that range from the bizarrely imaginative to the pastoral and serene. --Peggy Moorman

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Abbeville Press; 1st edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789202166
• ISBN-13: 978-0789202161
• Product Dimensions: 4.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #920,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Illuminations
  • #45 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Records

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wealth of good stuff in a small package, October 16, 2001

By 

J. Friedman (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Illuminated Manuscripts: Treasures of the Pierpont Morgan Library New York (Tiny Folio) (Hardcover)

This is one of my favorite illumination books. Being a practicing illuminator, I need photos much more than I need lengthy discussions, historical analyses, elaborate provenance notes, etc. They have to be color photos and they have to be large enough, and at a high enough resolution, that I can learn something from them--and maybe even copy an initial, a diapering pattern, a bit of the border, or more.

This book satisfies all these criteria. In fact, the only thing I dislike about this book is the fact that it's so small, it's really hard to keep open while I paint from it. REALLY hard, because if you get large and heavy enough items to hold both sides down, inevitably the items obscure parts of the page you are painting from!

Its size can be an advantage, though. I purchased this at the National Gallery in Washington, on a midday jaunt during a conference, then went back for the next conference presentation. When the speaker turned out to be droningly boring, I brought out this tiny book and paged through it inconspicuously under the table. Could I have done that with Janet Backhouse's monumental work? I think not...;)

The selections are wonderful, and they're usefully broken down into sections based on content--excellent when you need to find a quick animal or floral image for a border, a rendering of a king or queen, or a picture of a dragon or other supernatural being. Not so excellent when you need to find an example of, say, a late 1400's eastern French book of hours (there are many, just not in any kind of chronological or geographical order). But then, there are other resources that do that. This book is interesting for its variety, its excellent reproductions, and its well-selected and unusual miniatures.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of small books w/lots of pictures, November 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Illuminated Manuscripts: Treasures of the Pierpont Morgan Library New York (Tiny Folio) (Hardcover)

Best book I've seen that is this small and this well loaded. If you do this style of art and you want a good book to fit in the nooks & crannies of your art box, this works really well. Many different styles. The only downside is that the large original image is shrunk to fit on the page. Thus if you use it as a source, you must be familiar with the style and not use it as a reference to learning that style.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok! So You Like Illuminated Manuscripts., February 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Illuminated Manuscripts: Treasures of the Pierpont Morgan Library New York (Tiny Folio) (Hardcover)

This book is good, not great. Its to small and many of the illistrations are too small,and hard to see. But for the money its worth it. They have many other books that are a bit better than this one. Here is one that is very good 'Masterpieces of the J.Paul Getty Museum Illuminated Manuscripts'. This book is awesome with easy to read text and wonderful pictures. Happy Reading.