Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Illuшinatioп of Books

343

E gy pt," in which the gokl backgгound is of the highest peгfcction of sшface, and is raised so as to appeai· like а plate of beaten gold. The1·e is no attcmpt to portгay а scene as it might have occurred; the гulc given in tЬе Manual is follo,Yed, and the result is genNally аЬонt the same. The back­ grouncl is usually eithcг gold 01· Ыuе, with ve1·y little cffort at landscape. Тгесs аге represented in flat values of gгeen with little ,vhitc гнffied edges and aгticulatioпs. The sea is figuгed Ьу а Ыне sшface ,vitl1 а symmetrical ,vhite pattern of а ,;,yavy паtше. А building is usнally int1·oduced about half as laгge as the people suггounding it. Тhеге is no attcmpt, either, at perspective. The anatomy of tl1e hшnan fогш \Yas not нndeгstood at all. Nеагlу all tl1e figшes in tlш a1·t of this peгiod аге d1·aped. ,vьe1·ever it is necessai·y to гepгesent thc пude, а lank, dispropoгtioned регsоп ,vith ап indefinite number of ribs is the гcsнlt, pгoving that the monastic агt sclюol did not include а lifе class. Most of t.Ье bcst Byzaпtine examples date fгоm tl1e fifth to the seventh centшies. After that а decadencc set in, and Ьу the eleventl1 centшy the a1·t l1ad deteri­ Ol'ated to а шеrе mechanical process. The I1·ish and Anglo-Saxoп ,vork аге chiefly chaгac­ terized in their early stages Ьу the use of iпterlaced bands as а decorative motivc. The Celtic goldsmiths we1·c famous fог their delicate ,vork in filigrec, madc of thгeads of gold used in connection ,vith enamelled g1·ounds. In decoгating their manusc1·ipts, the artists ,;,vc1·e peгhaps