Ebook: Flemish miniatures from the 8th to the mid-16th century. The medieval world on parchment

Adam and Eve holding hands below twinkling stars, the Virgin being adored by an angel, a spectacularly detailed interior in the background, or else a tavern of promiscuity in which men and women are bathing together, enjoying food and drink… The medieval miniaturist’s imagination was inexhaustible, his skill unequalled. With fine highlights and dazzling color combinations he portrayed his world: the daily life on streets and squares, the artisans in their workshops, the construction of churches and cloth halls, conceptions of the cosmos, God, heaven and hell. People today regard these images with increasing amazement and admiration.

This richly illustrated presentation book, Flemish Miniatures, by the worldrenowned specialist Maurits Smeyers offers an impressive overview of the legacy
of numerous generations of miniaturists active in the Low Countries. Never before have so many miniatures – more than 600 color illustrations – been reproduced in one book, never before has the reader-viewer been presented with such a complete overview of the art of Flemish miniatures from the 8th to the 16th century. It is a masterpiece in the true sense of the word.

In pre-Romanesque times monasteries and monks were the privileged owners of manuscripts. Chains were attached to them in order to prevent dishonest individuals from removing them. Gospels, Sacramentaries, Lives of Saints, and Psalters were produced. In the course of the 13th century, skilled laymen also took up their brushes, the subjects portrayed were no longer exclusively religious. Bruges and Ghent became the center of the international book trade. Orders from all over Europe flowed in and manuscripts were shipped to patrons.

Flemish Miniatures presents the fascinating history of eight centuries of the art of miniatures from the Low Countries and offers a complete overview of and insight into what was then a true art industry.