'Catalogus Archiepiscoporum Gnesnensium Vitae Episcoporum Cracoviensium' (Catalogue of the Archbishops of Gniezno and Lives of the Bishops of Cracow) is available at the National Digital Library of Poland (note the six-dotted thumbnail icon top left of the frame). The images above were posted to wikimedia.
It was written by the Polish historian, Jan Długosz (who also produced the 'Banderia Prutenorum' flag book), in the 15th century. The exquisite illuminations for this version (1531-1535) were painted by Stanislaw Samostrzelnik. Not even such magnificent embellishment using medieval photoshoppery could endow this parade of Bishops with anything approaching a happy or friendly disposition however. Almost all of them appear to be sour old men, utterly without charm.
Friday, October 26, 2007
The Bishops
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Toying With Japan
Akita Prefectural Library in Japan have a series of six toy design illustration books produced between 1891 and 1913 by (I think) Yamada from Kyoto.
All the images above have been cleaned up to one extent or another. There is a further set of eight images which I cleaned but didn't post in this webshots album.
Are we seeing any European influence here at all do you think?
