Amazon cover image
Image from Amazon.com

The pigments of British medieval illuminators : a scientific and cultural study / Richard Gameson ; Andrew Beeby, Flavia Fiorillo, Catherine Nicholson, Paola Ricciardi and Suzanne Reynolds ; with contributions from Mila Crippa, Anna Mazzinghi and Lucia Pereira-Pardo.

By: Contributor(s): Publication details: London : Archetype, 2023.Description: xvi, 471 pages : color illustrations ; 29 cmISBN:
  • 9781909492967
Subject(s):
Contents:
I. The Pigments, Dyes and Inks, and How Best to Identify Them : The techniques in outline; Pigments, dyes and inks, and their identification
II. Conversion and Colour, c.600–c.900 : Historical introduction; Northumbria; Kent; Mercia; Southumbria in general; Wales and Scotland; Conclusion; Summary of pigment identifications
III. Conquests and Chromophores, c.900–c.1066 : Historical introduction; The era of Alfred, Edward the Elder and Athelstan; The era of monastic reform; From the Danes to the Normans, c.1000–c.1066; Conclusion; Summary of pigment identifications
IV. Normans, Angevins, Plantagenets and Pigments, c.1066–c.1250 : Historical introduction; From the Norman Conquest to c.1100; The first half of the twelfth century; The giant bibles; The second half of the twelfth century; The first half of the thirteenth century; Conclusion; Summary of pigment identifications
V. A Time of Expansion: Colour c.1250–c.1360 : Historical introduction; 1250–1307: to the death of Edward I; 1250–1307: colour in context; 1307–1360: from Edward II to the Black Death; Conclusion; Summary of pigment identifications
VI. Colour after the Black Death, c.1360–c.1485 : Historical introduction; From c.1360 to c.1400; The first half of the fifteenth century; The second half of the fifteenth century; Conclusion; Summary of pigment identifications
Conclusion: The Chronology of Colour
Appendix I: The Earliest Recipe Collections in British Books
Appendix II: Illuminators’ Materials in Royal Household Accounts, 1289–1290
Appendix III: Instrumentation
Bibliography
Index of Manuscripts
Index of People and Places
Summary: This comprehensive and richly illustrated volume is the first-ever history of British medieval illuminators’ pigments. It rests on first-hand investigation, with optimal scientific techniques, of a wide selection of manuscripts, ranging in date from the seventh century to the fifteenth. It provides an authoritative, engaging and accessible guide to this understudied field, for historians, art historians, librarians, conservators, heritage scientists, and anyone interested in the art, culture and techniques of book illumination.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

I. The Pigments, Dyes and Inks, and How Best to Identify Them : The techniques in outline; Pigments, dyes and inks, and their identification

II. Conversion and Colour, c.600–c.900 : Historical introduction; Northumbria; Kent; Mercia; Southumbria in general; Wales and Scotland; Conclusion; Summary of pigment identifications

III. Conquests and Chromophores, c.900–c.1066 : Historical introduction; The era of Alfred, Edward the Elder and Athelstan;
The era of monastic reform; From the Danes to the Normans, c.1000–c.1066; Conclusion; Summary of pigment identifications

IV. Normans, Angevins, Plantagenets and Pigments, c.1066–c.1250 : Historical introduction; From the Norman Conquest to c.1100; The first half of the twelfth century; The giant bibles; The second half of the twelfth century; The first half of the thirteenth century; Conclusion; Summary of pigment identifications

V. A Time of Expansion: Colour c.1250–c.1360 : Historical introduction; 1250–1307: to the death of Edward I; 1250–1307: colour in context; 1307–1360: from Edward II to the Black Death; Conclusion; Summary of pigment identifications

VI. Colour after the Black Death, c.1360–c.1485 : Historical introduction; From c.1360 to c.1400; The first half of the fifteenth century; The second half of the fifteenth century; Conclusion; Summary of pigment identifications

Conclusion: The Chronology of Colour

Appendix I: The Earliest Recipe Collections in British Books

Appendix II: Illuminators’ Materials in Royal Household Accounts, 1289–1290

Appendix III: Instrumentation

Bibliography

Index of Manuscripts

Index of People and Places

This comprehensive and richly illustrated volume is the first-ever history of British medieval illuminators’ pigments. It rests on first-hand investigation, with optimal scientific techniques, of a wide selection of manuscripts, ranging in date from the seventh century to the fifteenth. It provides an authoritative, engaging and accessible guide to this understudied field, for historians, art historians, librarians, conservators, heritage scientists, and anyone interested in the art, culture and techniques of book illumination.