Illuminating the Renaissance

This is a masterful account of Flemish illumination during its height, 1470-1560. Both precious objects and conveyors of serious meaning, the manuscripts considered here range from ecclesiastical texts, romance, and historical chronicles to ancient authors. The authors' collective and most welcome approach discusses manuscript production in terms of producers and consumers, with respect to artistic, political, and historical issues; these include interrelations between painters and illuminators, and collaboration among printer and illuminator, named scribes, and patronage. The illuminated manuscript is thus integrated into the intellectual and artistic contexts of the Renaissance, instead of regarded in isolation. The advent of printing coexisted with illumination for a time and, at least in one case, in the same workshop. Around 1475, printer Colard Mansion produced manuscripts with illuminations as well as printed texts that had spaces designated for such illustrations. Those who commissioned manuscripts and held sizable libraries included aristocrat Philippe de Homes and rulers Philip the Good, Charles the Bold, and Margaret of York.