The Painted page: Italian Renaissance book illumination, 1450-1550

Abstract

This book documents the first comprehensive exhibition of Italian Renaissance illuminations from collections in Europe and the United States. In the century between 1450 and 1550, Italian miniaturists, in collaboration with scribes and bookbinders, produced a series of masterpieces of book illumination which are still too little known and appreciated. Though working on a smaller scale than the great painters and sculptors of the Renaissance, these illuminators created works characterized by unrivaled standards of quality in materials (including frequent use of gold) and design, and by imaginative symbolism and breathtaking creativity. 137 manuscripts, printed books with hand-painted illustrations and single pages are illustrated in full color, ranging from small prayer books to large choir books, and from Greek, Roman, and Italian literature to collections of fables and historical treatises. Many of these volumes were commissioned by powerful wealthy, and discriminating patrons who included members of the ruling Italian families as well as cardinals and popes and many of whom were also prominent bibliophiles. Among other fascinating issues, the mechanics of patronage, patterns of production, and formation of libraries are discussed in three essays and in the catalogue entries - the latter divided into eight thematic sections - written by noted specialists in the history of Renaissance manuscripts and books. And, of course, we are introduced to the artists themselves - their working habits, characteristic styles, and interrelationships.