From peony to poppy, and Solomon's seal and columbine to lily and iris, this illustrated book draws together those species of flowers - pure in colour and beautifully scented - that grew in medieval times and still grow today. Passing through the seasons, the book features gardens in Britain and elsewhere in Europe that can be traced back to medieval times. It details the purpose of gardens in those times, the types of plants grown, and the medicinal aspects, and also has a chapter on how to grow the individual flowers today. Garden plans and plant sources complete the book.
In our modern world, the spiny-stemmed flowers, intertwined leaves, and delicate pink blossoms of the rubus fruticosus, or common blackberry bramble, might catch the eye of the casual observer or weekend gardener. Pleasant, prolific, and decorative, plants like the blackberry are looked upon as sources for harvest, landscape, and visual pleasure. To the medieval and Renaissance artist, however, these botanicals were far more. Part of a richly symbolic visual language culled from the classical era, their exquisite depiction in illuminated manuscripts of the age evoked fertility, conjured bad dreams, and even aligned itself with ancient wisdom. The popular and enduring appeal of flowers in medieval art and literature extended beyond simple botanical illustration; instead, flowers helped to tell countless stories without words through potent symbolic imagery. The Medieval Flower Book artfully presents an alphabetical collection of over one hundred of the major flowers that appear in medieval manuscripts--gathered with fascinating explanatory texts on their history, significance, and usage. The sumptuous reproductions that accompany each entry offer a visual reference to the symbolism of botanicals in medieval manuscripts that's beyond breathtaking in its appeal. An introductory section explaining the ancient roots of practical horticulture's expansion into cultural and spiritual realms not only places the volume in the context of gardening history, but gives the general reader insight into our enduring interest in these remarkable herbals. Widely appealing to all of those interested in flowers and gardening, the horticultural historian, and the student of visual culture and medieval history, The Medieval Flower Book is a fascinating and important primer on the beauty and language of florals. Extensively ranging through the canon of medieval botanicals--from acanthus and anemones to violets and wallflowers--this volume is the perfect gift for anyone interested in blossoms and blooms, and should thrill the everyday gardener and art collector alike.
Each section of Flowers in Medieval Manuscripts includes relevant details of the manuscripts from which the illustrations are taken, and the concluding section discusses manuscript production in relation to these margins.
One of the world's most influential needlepoint and textile artists re-creates the magic of the Middle Ages with more than 20 magnificent projects, for both beginners and veteran stitchers. More than just a how-to, this book sets the designs, themes, and motifs in the context of Medieval art and life. Full-color illustrations.
A celebration of the visual contributions of the bestiary--one of the most popular types of illuminated books during the Middle Ages--and an exploration of its lasting legacy. Brimming with lively animals both real and fantastic, the bestiary was one of the great illuminated manuscript traditions of the Middle Ages. Encompassing imaginary creatures such as the unicorn, siren, and griffin; exotic beasts including the tiger, elephant, and ape; as well as animals native to Europe like the beaver, dog, and hedgehog, the bestiary is a vibrant testimony to the medieval understanding of animals and their role in the world. So iconic were the stories and images of the bestiary that its beasts essentially escaped from the pages, appearing in a wide variety of manuscripts and other objects, including tapestries, ivories, metalwork, and sculpture. With over 270 color illustrations and contributions by twenty-five leading scholars, this gorgeous volume explores the bestiary and its widespread influence on medieval art and culture as well as on modern and contemporary artists like Pablo Picasso and Damien Hirst. Published to accompany an exhibition on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center May 14 to August 18, 2019.
Illustrated survey of gardening lore from the Norman Conquest to the Renaissance reveals wealth of ancient secrets drawn from obscure sources, chronicling cultivation of pleasure gardens as well as herbariums, orchards, and vineyards.
Rich royalty-free collection reprinted from rare reference work includes detailed renderings of borage, oak-apple, valerian, thistle, tansy, many other plant varieties.
Marys flowers by Vincenzina Krymow Illustrated by A. Joseph Barrish, S.M. With Meditations by M. Jean FriskSince medieval times, flowers have taken their names from the virtues of Mary, or events in her life. Learn the legends that fostered such names, and their biblical origins. Spend time with the meditations they inspire.Marys Flowers: Gardens, Legends and Meditations is a treasury of botanical history and lore. Thirty beautiful illustrations based on medieval woodcuts bring each bloom to colorful life. Even if you don't plant a Mary garden of your own, you will find a virtual Eden within. Visit awhile with these pages and keep company with Mary.
There is a striking similarity between Marian devotional songs and secular love songs of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Two disparate genres--one sacred, the other secular; one Latin, the other vernacular--both praise an idealized, impossibly virtuous woman. Each does so through highly stylized derivations of traditional medieval song forms--Marian prayer derived from earlier Gregorian chant, and love songs and lyrics from medieval courtly song. Yet despite their obvious similarities, the two musical and poetic traditions have rarely been studied together. Author David J. Rothenberg takes on this task with remarkable success, producing a useful and broad introduction to Marian music and liturgy, and then coupling that with an incisive comparative analysis of these devotional forms and the words and music of secular love songs of the period. The Flower of Paradise examines the interplay of Marian devotional and secular poetics within polyphonic music from ca. 1200 to ca. 1500. Through case studies of works that demonstrate a specific symbolic resonance between Marian devotion and secular song, the book illustrates the distinctive ethos of this period in European culture. Rothenberg makes use of an impressive command of liturgical and religious studies, literature and poetry, and art history to craft a study with wide application across disciplinary boundaries. With its broad scope and unique, incisive analysis, this book will open up new ways of thinking about the history and development of secular and sacred music and the Marian tradition for scholars, students, and anyone with an interest in medieval and Renaissance religious culture.
