Monday, May 19, 2008

Gothic Illuminated Sketchbook

Illuminated fabulous creatures


ornamental foliage garlands


Bird sketches for illuminated manuscript


lettrines and foliage in partially completed manuscript page


Historisierte Initialen, 20v


Practice sketches of illuminated initals with insert scenes


Incomplete illuminated letters and foliage


Practice series of illuminated initals


Practice series of illuminated lettrines


Practice series of illuminated initals and foliage


Two capital letters illuminated


Large incomplete illuminated initial with scenic insert and foliage


Large detailed illuminated letter and surrounding arabesque decoration


Illuminated letter with scenic infill, text and surrounds of stylised animals and decoration


Colourful lettrine, text and incomplete border of leaves and decoration


Near-complete central miniature surrounded by sketched outline of textual decoration


Stephan Schreiber's late gothic pattern book was produced in Urach in the (now) state of Baden-Württemberg in South-West Germany in 1494. It was dedicated to Count Eberhard (Eberhard the bearded, later first Duke) of Württemberg.

The parchment manuscript appears to be a manual of templates and/or a practice book containing partially completed sketches, painted and calligraphy initals, stylised floral decorative motifs, plant foliage tendrils, fantastic beast border drolleries, together with some gold and silver illumination work.

'Spätgotisches Musterbuch des Stephan Schriber - BSB Cod.icon. 420' from Münchener Digitalisierungszentrum (MDZ), contains about sixty four pages in total (probably fifty illustrated pages). [Europeana] [catalogue record] [links updated Oct 2014] [via Marion McNealy]

 
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