medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Christopher Crockett wrote:
>
> the main problem i have with the presumption of their wide-spread use
> as vectors of *style*, however, lies in the fundamental flaw in the
> premise which is assumed in such a construct:
>
> that middlevil artists were even capable of replicating objects in
> the "real" (i.e., phenomenal) world, including other works of art.
>
> there is no evidence to support such an idea, and a great deal of
> evidence invalidating it.
>
> clearly, medieval figurative art is, first and foremost, *visionary*
> rather than "replicative" in its operation.
We know that pattern books existed in the late medieval/renaissance period
because of work done on misericords, etc, showing that they often derived
from indentifiable printed materials: woodcuts, even playing cards.
Influence of such materials has also been traced in wall-paintings and
alabaster sculptures, perhaps also stained glass. (Just how did Leonardo's
"Last Supper" get into the King's College, Cambridge window?)
Nottinghamshire alabasters used to be lauded as 'folk art' until it was
realised that they were produced on an industrial scale - even being
exported to Florence at the height of the Renaissance!
So, we know that there were pattern books compiled from printed materials.
But we only know this because other copies of the printed materials survive.
However, there is no reason to suppose that any two pattern books were
identical - or even that they contained the same images. Or, of course,
that they only contained printed images. It is such a leap to suggest that
they were preceded by manuscript pattern books? Compiled by the same sort
of people? Some kind of ancilliary artistic specialism? (Or lack of
spcialism?) Doesn't this give a context for the Villard de Honnecourt
album?
John Briggs
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