Historical story

The secrets of medieval book artists

Medieval books often contain the most beautiful and colorful pictures. These miniatures have been extensively researched for the first time and are the subject of a new exhibition.

Medieval books, written on parchment, were expensive. The making process took a lot of time and the materials used were expensive. That was not enough for high-ranking clergy, the nobility and wealthy citizens. They ordered books that were completely filled with colored pictures, often finished with silver and gold. Because they are so precious, the owners were careful with their books. Hundreds of medieval books with miniatures have been preserved worldwide.

A selection of the most beautiful miniatures from the Southern Netherlands can now be seen in the new exhibition Magical Miniatures in Museum Catharijneconvent. Curator Micha Leeflang has conducted technical research into miniatures, part of which is part of the exhibition. Using Infrared Reflectography (IRR), Leeflang was able to see through the layers of paint without affecting the miniatures. With the special camera, all materials containing carbon lit up when you shine infrared light on them. In this way Leeflang was able to make the underlying drawing, the first draft by the artist, visible.

New technology, new possibilities

IRR cameras have been around since the 1960s, but miniatures have always been a problem, Leeflang says. “Medieval books couldn't stand and the camera only worked upright. This allowed us to examine only single-leaf thumbnails. However, for three years now, the technology has advanced so far that the camera can tilt, so that we can also scan horizontal books.” Leeflang was the first to take this opportunity to view and compare miniatures on a large scale.

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Another problem with miniatures research with IRR is the materials. If the parchment is too lumpy, it will not improve the sharpness of the image. Leeflang has therefore made a selection of the flattest manuscripts. In total she scanned 70 miniatures from 25 manuscripts. Five come from the Catharijneconvent itself and the rest are in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) in The Hague, which has a large collection of medieval manuscripts.

In addition, metals, and in this case the much used gold in the drawings, block infrared so that nothing can be seen underneath. Leeflang found the solution to this problem by accident. “The entire book Der Naturen Bloeme by Jacob van Maerlant is full of miniatures, on both sides of the pages. So, while scanning one page, we saw what was under the gold on the other side! An overzealous miniaturist had made border decorations of trees on all animals, including the sea creatures. To correct this, gold was later applied over it.”

Creators revealed

By examining only miniatures from the Southern Netherlands, Leeflang was able to better analyze the makers and their techniques. “There are many uncertainties about miniatures and now we could finally look for answers. Can miniatures be compared to paintings? Were several masters working on the border decorations? Can you see a difference in the build when more people have worked on it?”

The investigation clearly showed that several hands were involved in the miniatures. For example, the master made the signature and an employee colored it in. Books were also transferred:one miniaturist started it and another finished it.

“Miniatures in Jacob van Maerlant's manuscripts are the subject of much discussion:where do they come from and who made them? Four books with texts by Van Maerlant have been examined and the structure and corrections are the same in all four manuscripts. However, they were made in different places, from Utrecht to Bruges. Further research is needed here, but we think it is a leading studio, with the employees moving to different cities.”

Mini painting

Leeflang found the most exciting thing that through IRR you can see much better how the miniaturist worked. “At that time, a religious image had to be recognizable to the public and every arrangement was the same. So John always wears a red robe and God is depicted higher than humans. But despite these kinds of limitations, miniaturists still gave their own twist to the drawing around it. You see a lot of corrections in the signatures and I didn't expect that creativity.”

Miniatures also look more like large paintings on panel from that time than thought. Not only were the makers often the same person, the making process was also largely the same, according to this research. “Because the appearance of the two is so different, we also expected a different structure, but that is not the case. Miniatures appear to be set up in exactly the same way as a painting. There is a signature or sketch, there may be instructions for other employees, there are color notations. For example, the robes of Jesus had to be colored with a more expensive red than the red clothes of other figures. Special right? Because you can't see the difference."

Colourful Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages you had secular and ecclesiastical books, both of which Leeflang researched. “The Church often commissioned religious books, but the nobility and wealthy citizens also ordered secular books. But because everyone was religious, the dividing line was thin. This is how chronicles, the history books, begin with the creation story from the Bible.”

Real bestsellers were the books of hours, which were used daily for prayer at home. A book of hours was a kind of agenda or calendar and the many images provide a beautiful and colorful insight into the daily life of the medieval man.

Not all manuscripts that Leeflang examined can be seen in the exhibition. The makers have set up a corner for Van Maerlant's books, which also includes a film about the research. Furthermore, the exhibition is organized in three themes:the book, the clients and the craftsman.

“There is a list of 120 most beautiful books and from that I have chosen the miniatures that best tell the story about these three themes. Here I want to show that the dark and gray picture of the Middle Ages is not correct. Look at all those wonderful books and you see a very sparkling image.”