Beautiful books / by Cyril Davenport.

  • Cyril James Humphries Davenport
Date:
1929
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Beautiful books / by Cyril Davenport. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    29/138 page 9
    various religious houses, particularly those of the Benedictines and the Dominicans. Monastic rules about the Scriptoria were very strict, and no one was allowed inside except the scribes themselves and the higher officials of the monastery. The result of this care can be recog¬ nized in the fact that no appearance of haste ever shows in a fine old manuscript, bad writing is unknown, and every portion of the work is evidently done in a true spirit of devotion and with loving care in the smallest detail. Mediaeval monks were indeed enthusiastic about the production of their books, both inside and outside. In the quiet seclusion of the Scriptorium each monk was encouraged to develop his artistic capabilities to their fullest extent. Each worker was allotted the work best suited to his powers: some were writers of the text in clear large black letter, others more skilled designed the ornamental capitals, and to finish the work came the highly skilled gilders, illuminators, and miniature painters. There were also workshops in which the binding and outside decoration of the books were done. Here were
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3