PAL.EOORAPHY. 



PALAEOGRAPHY. 



UM number and general UM of abbreviation* is. indeed, the mart pro- 

 is^tpataccrapUcaldistiiMtion of the ISth century. In the Ulh. the 

 OoUUe rfrart* stiU inainuinsd its ascendancy ; the letter., however, 

 an pCMraUy broader and more open, and UM abbreviations not quite 

 CD nwMroikt a* in UM previons century. A great change is perceptible 

 in UM writing of UM lilh century. Although still OoUur. it wante 

 UM linsslvi and compact appearance of the two preceding centuries : 

 the character is slighter and more open, and the head* and tail* of Uie 

 letter* are thinner, weaker, and bended, of the manuscript* of UM 

 leth century H i* almost unneceswry to speak. Owing to the intro- 

 dnciios) of printing, mannscripu had ceased to be written for the 

 purpose, of study, although occasionally, as well as In the two follow 

 ing t stalls*, eaeeutsd as specimens of art or luxury. It should U- 

 remarked that UM preceding sketch is confined to an attempt at 

 lUMnsatiisi UM appearance of the set hands of the various centuries. 

 The cursive and epistolary styles are too capricious to be understood 

 otherwise than by long and intimate acquaintance with the originals. 



A method of distinguishing and deciding upon the various age* of 

 MSB. more easily acquired from description than the comparatively 



dsrtinetion* which mark the age of written documents, and 

 can only be acquired by careful study of original* i* afforded 

 by UM strong eharacteristin feature* displayed in the coloured and 

 illuminated initial letters and ornaments so frequently found in MSS. 

 The Brat attempt at ornamentation seems to have been the use of 

 or vermilion in ""*"^g the titles or commencement of manu- 



Iand this is UM origin of our word minialnrr, which first 

 UM rubricated letter*, afterward* comprehended the whole 

 branch of ornamentation of MSS., and now exclusively 

 a picture painted in the style necessarily adopted by the 

 artists who worked on the small sheets of vellum, of which early books 



In the mo*t ancient volume* now remaining red letters were used 

 for the purpose before mentioned, and in some cue* also to mark 

 wards of particular importance an example of which is afforded by 

 the Alexandrian MS., and others of the 4th and 5th centuries. In 

 Uies* and UM succeeding centuries the custom of writing in burnished 

 gold and silver was extensively employed, remnants and records of 

 which hare descended to our times. The most ancient example is 

 perhaps the Cudtjr Aryenlttu of Ulphilas, written on purple vellum, at 

 the close of the 4th century. The use of vellum stained of a rose or 

 violet colour is peculiar to thia early period, and lasted till the end of 

 the 7th century the efforts of the 8th and i'th centuries losing all the 

 brilliancy and purity of the earlier specimens. In England purple 

 MS8. were only introduced at the close of the 7th century. 



Manuscripts written in letters of gold or silver on white vellum are 

 chiefly confined to the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries. Instances of its 

 us* in later times are on record, and in the 14th century instances are 

 not seldom found ; but at this period it can hardly be termed writing, 

 being rather a laborious procest of minute gilding. 



On UM works of the Byzantine schools, it would be beyond our pre- 

 sent purpose to enlarge, as with alight variations, century after century, 

 they followed old traditionary type*. The influence, however, of 

 Bnantine art ha* left strong and uninistakeable traces in all the works 

 of the western nations, with which it is our present purpose to deal. 



To the remotest of these nations the praise is due of having invented 

 and developed an independent school of ornamentation, and one 

 destined to become a formidable rival to the traditionary splendours 

 of Eastern art In Ireland, as far back a* the 5th century, a style of 

 art had been practised, which in the succeeding centuries attained 

 a perfection almost incredible. In nearly complete isolation from 

 the rest of the civilised world, having few opportunities of seeing 

 sod admiring the works of the great Ureek artists, their method of 

 ornamentation exhibits no artistic power in the higher sense of ih- 

 word, but is remarkable for a fine harmony of colour, and a precision 

 of technical execution little short of miraculous. The principal 

 featura of the style are an intricate and tortuous interlacing of narrow 

 threads or ribands generally in symmetrical patterns, sometimes fill- 

 ing up a letter, sometimes extending over a whole page ; now the 

 introduction of a number of circular ornaments, now filled by mar- 

 vUouly delicate spiral Unas proceeding from the centre, now by 

 bolder wheel like pattern* of endless variety of design to these may 

 be added the uss of number* of birds and animals coiled up in m.H. -'- 

 and rmingly inextricable confusion, sometimes, a* in the case of tin- 

 Book of Kslls, varied by the introduction of the human figure, and 

 patterns formed of diagonal and straight lines, generally in squares or 

 compartments, the idea of which some writer* assert to have --..rung 

 from UM remembrance of tesselated pavement 



Of manuscripts of this rtvle the kwk of Kells of the 7th century, 

 now at Trinity College, Dubfes. U the most important 



This peculiar method of design was early introduced into England 

 by Irish miarionarien. and a splendid specimen of its adaptation is pre- 

 served in the celebrated Durham Book, in the British Museum 

 which was executed at Lindisfarne at the commencement of the 8th 

 century. In this may be traced at once a stronger influence of the 

 Byzantine types; and though a most superb specimen of writing and 

 decoration. It doe* not exhibit the same originality or fertility of 

 imagination a* the works of the Irish school. From England the new 

 style paawd quickly to the continent, and was soon adopted and largely 



used by the illuminator*, and it U curious to notice in the manuscripts 

 of the succeeding centime*, prolific in works of splendour and elegance, 

 the admixture of the Celtic ornament with the remains of classic 



v I pi 



A change, however, nearly as important, though not perhaps so 

 original in conception as this of which we have treated, was introduced 

 by the English illuminators of the 10th century. This consisted in 

 the introduction of foliage. At first it was of an entirely rudimentary 

 character, and exhibited none nf the botanical skill or study of nature, 

 so closely observed in later times. It was, in fact, the reflex of the 

 l~.ldantioriKin.-J ornamentation introduced by tin- architects of the 

 period, and the styles of this and the two succeeding centuries were 

 little more than adaptations to book decoration of the ornament* and 

 mouldings of the grwat architectural works of the time. It was, 

 however, a great advance on the semi-barbaric style of the Irish, or 

 effete classicism of the continental works. Stalkless, thick-looking 

 leave* spring from between and twine round the parallel bars of gold 

 in border* or the curves of letters, coloured in every variety of tint, 

 and mixing now and then with the interlacing* and heads of animals, 

 till retained from Hibernian designs. A most magnificent specimen 

 of this ]wculiar style, to which ou the continent the exclusive title of 

 " ofitu A nylieum" was given, is the Benedictional of St. Ethelwold, 

 now in the possession of the Duke of Devonshire. This manu- 

 script was executed at Winchester ( the great school of the arts 

 in kngland) at the close of the 10th century. In the succeed- 

 ing century the style was more developed, the forms and curves 

 of the leaves were more freely drawn, with corresponding increase of 

 knowledge and power in the figures and animals now freely inti > 

 again, evident reproductions of the fantastic carvings of the architecture 

 of the period. In the 12th century this foliation culminated in most 

 luxuriant and fantastic conventionalism, and works of this period are 

 perhaps as magnificent and splendid as any that any age has produced. 

 The initial letters are very prominent and elaborate, and exhibit 

 great elegance in the curves of the branches which support their 

 luxuriant foliage. A very great advance too is visible in the drawing 

 of the figures, and particularly of the drapery, which instead of the 

 fluttering and restless timidity of the preceding centuries, falls in 

 broadly marked masses, and indicates form in a highly artistic 

 manner. These remarks chiefly apply to art in England, as there 

 design was more original and exhibited less of the influence of the 

 decadence of Byzantine art. 



But a re-action from the strained conventionalism of this took place 

 in the succeeding century, and men's minds were directed to a more 

 careful study of nature for their guide ; and to this study of nature, 

 the groundwork of all that is beautiful and true, may be traced the 

 wonderful advance visible in all the works of art of this great epoch, 

 and of which its architecture exhibits such glorious memorials. 

 Heretofore, the artists had drawn their foliage without study of the 

 real nature of its growth, now they let themselves be guided by 

 nature alone, and began the new era by using as the basis of their 

 ornament the leaf springing from the bud. This is the principal feature 

 in all the initial letters of this period, which now also become espe- 

 cially attractive from the use of burnished gold, scarlet, and blue. In the 

 miniatures of manuscripts gold backgrounds are constantly employed, 

 more especially in French work, the English artists confining them- 

 selves to a lower tone of colour, and employing backgrounds of colour 

 relieved by small powdered patterns, differing considerably from the 

 style we notice in the next century. In the 14th century the gold and 

 plain back -grounds give way to rich patterns of diaper and chequer work, 

 and the heavy mass of burnished gold is divided into minute patterns or 

 entirely superseded by variegated colour. In this century too the bud 

 xp.nhU into the leaf and the ornamentation of a letter, instead of 

 bug confined to one or two sprays of foliage, spreads out and encom- 

 passes the page in a glittering circle of golden leaflets, or by what we 

 may term ornamental brackets, less massive but more elegant than the 

 ornament of the 12th century ; and rendering this the most ca-ily dis- 

 tinguished, as well as the most attractive of all the various styles of 

 illumination. In the 15th century sprang forth the flower, and very 

 U-uitiiul though gaudy was the result; and at the same time too, the 

 progress of the art of painting caused the illuminators to depart in 

 their works from their hitherto strictly symbolic character, and to aim 

 at tin- direct representation of nature. The introduction of back- 

 grounds of pure landscape in the miniatures is as nearly as possible 

 coincident with the commencement of the century, and from this time 

 the pictorial representation* coinplctly supersede in importance the 

 mere ornamental portion of an illuminated page. As a consequence, 

 the ornamented borders became gradually used as a mere framework 

 for the miniature ; and the beautiful ornament of the 14th century, 

 by the introduction first of diagonal bands of gold and other 

 patterns In-hind it* foliage, and afterwards of solid grounds of colour, 

 wan degraded in time to the gaudy and meretricious style of the 

 16th century. The illuminations of that period are chiefly known 

 by the use of sprays of flowers and fruit on delicate scroll work, 

 relieved from the solid border by exquisitely executed shading tli> 

 light* heightened with gold, and to ordinary eyes presenting an 

 appearance more attractive than the works of any preceding century. 



We cannot in the limited space of this article do more than hint at 

 the importance of the study of costume of different periods, as fur- 



