What would you expect to find in the illustrations of medieval manuscripts?
(1 point)
Responses
natural scenes
natural scenes
religious symbols
religious symbols
technical drawings
technical drawings
portraits of the write
In the illustrations of medieval manuscripts, you would commonly expect to find:
- Religious symbols: Since many medieval manuscripts are religious in nature (such as illuminated Bibles, psalters, books of hours, etc.), they frequently contain religious imagery and symbols. These could include crosses, scenes from the Bible, images of saints, depictions of heaven, hell, angels, and so forth.
Other common themes you might encounter include:
- Portraits of biblical or historical figures, rather than the writer: Medieval manuscript illustrations often included depictions of individuals from the stories within the text.
- Marginalia and other fanciful or allegorical illustrations: Borders and margins of medieval manuscripts sometimes contained intricate designs, small creatures, and scenes that may not directly relate to the text.
- Heraldry and other identity symbols: If a manuscript was commissioned by a noble patron, their coat of arms or other identifying symbols might be included.
- Scenes from daily life or special events: Occasionally, manuscripts would illustrate aspects of contemporary life, such as feasts, tournaments, or agricultural activities.
Technical drawings, as we understand them today, would be less common in the context of medieval manuscripts unless they were specifically related to texts on subjects like architecture or machinery (such as Vitruvius's works or the sketches found in some of Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, though he is from the later Renaissance period).
Portraits of the writer of the manuscript are also uncommon, as the emphasis was often on the content rather than the scribe or illuminator, who were frequently anonymous. However, there are exceptions where scribes or artists might include a depiction of themselves within the manuscript, but this was not the norm.