During their study of the Medieval period, Art I students had a comprehensive lesson on illuminated manuscripts. We began with the 7th and 8th c. insular manuscripts of the Celts and Anglo-Saxons and continued through the texts of the Gothic Age (1500s).
Students looked at the entire process of creating illuminated manuscripts and how they functioned in Medieval society, as well as many examples, including modern ones.
Drawing inspiration from sources such as the Romanesque period Winchester Bible, Books of Hours, and other manuscripts, students produced some lovely results.
We focused on producing an “historiated initial.” Criteria included the following:
- Letter itself must be decorated
- Letter must be surrounded by a border
- Letter must contain a miniature — small, independent painted scene (we rendered in colored pencil)
Students were to create an artwork that expressed their interests or personalities. In order to help them understand how to put a miniature inside their letter, we looked at lots of examples, and I explained that their picture should be a narrative, or tell a story.
The PowerPoint I created to go with this lesson can be found on the Art Resources page.
I hope you enjoy these beautiful Illuminated Letters. . . they did an amazing job! 🙂
